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Eating well, working out and being fabulous, from a Townie perspective.What do you think if when you think of a healthy lifestyle? I am sure the answers most people would give fall into something of these categories: Not smoking or using “recreational drugs” and cutting back of alcohol. Maintaining a healthy weight Eating healthy foods Working out What percent of Americans do you think are doing all four of these things? The answer is 1 to 10 percent! Why is that? Well, for some the idea of maintaining all four of the categories is overwhelming. People can easily come up with excuses about why they can’t or don’t fit into these four categories. “It’s just too …
As a practicing Catholic, I take the Lenten season pretty seriously (check out last week’s article about my thoughts on giving something up for Lent). As a person who writes about healthy living, I also take my health seriously and as a foodie -- well, I take the deliciousness of my food very seriously. For anyone familiar with Lent, you know that during this time Catholics refrain from eating meat or poultry on Fridays for the duration of the Lenten season. For most people this means unhealthy fried fish or meals overloaded with carbs. I wanted to share with you some meat-free and healthy …
Lent began this week on Ash Wednesday. Aside from getting ashes on your forehead to represent repentance for sins, most Catholics refrain from eating meat as well, while some fast at various different levels. If you are Catholic or familiar with Catholic traditions, you are aware with the idea of a “Lenten Promise.” This means for the next 40 days (leading up to Easter), you will make some sacrifice or take something on. Recently I've heard a lot about what people are "giving up" for Lent: red meat, sugar, coffee, desserts, ice cream, chocolate, alcohol, eating between meals etc. Some people …
Tuesday was the meteorologist’s first day of spring, but the calendar’s first day of spring isn’t for another two weeks... I'm going with the meteorologists! Spring is one of my favorite seasons because it is the start of many wonderful things. I can’t wait to thaw out, take my dog for a long walk, run outdoors, pick flowers and make grilled veggies for dinner. Another spring happening I'm e extremely excited for is farmer’s markets! Lucky for us here in Charlestown, there's a market close to us every day of the week. There are many benefits to shopping at a farmers market: The Food is …
With all of the freezing temps and mountains of snow outside, it has been pretty hard for even the most dedicated runners, walkers and bikers to get outside and get their cardio in this winter. As someone who has fallen pretty behind (yikes!) on her half-marathon training, I know this first hand. The cardio equipment at the gym is good in a pinch, but let’s face it -- running or biking for miles and miles on a stationary can really make you feel like a hamster on a wheel! Many people I know have drastically minimized their cardio this winter and filled that space with its indoor friendly …
There has been a huge push lately in the nutrition world for all of us to move more toward a plant-based diet. Personally, I do eat a somewhat close to a plant-based diet, but I do allow moderate amounts of poultry and fish in my diet. I just found out I am what is known as a pollo-pescatarian. If you're eating more veggies, you should know that research shows there are huge benefits to eating organically grown produce -- for everyone from infants to elderly. It is recommended that we eat somewhere between 9-13 servings of fruits and veggies a day. For most of us the cost of purchasing 100 …
To maintain my healthy lifestyle, I would say I eat about 90 percent of my meals at home or bring food from home along with me to work. I do however, love going out to eat — breakfast, lunch, dinner. I don’t care, I love it all. It is easy too, especially in Charlestown with so many yummy eateries within walking distance. You could eat out every day and not eat the same place twice. Since I don’t go out too often, I don’t feel badly spending a little extra cash on a nice meal with my husband, friends or family. I also don’t feel badly about what I ate after either because even though I am out…
This winter has been brutal. There is just no two ways about it. Unfortunately, we still have about two more months of winter. Not only has it been tough because of the weather, but also because of all the colds and stomach bugs going around. I have actually been sick twice since the holidays. We are getting hit hard with the colds and the horrible weather right around the time when most people are normally getting ready to give up on their New Year's Resolution to get healthier this year. Being sick or not being able to physically get to the gym can put huge dampers on your resolution, but …
It is no secret that we have already had one hell of a winter. Between the freezing cold temps and multiple snow storms the first day of spring, which falls on March 20 this year, feels like a million years away. With cold and dreary temps come bulky and boring outfits, right? Not necessarily! Here are my fashion tips for looking hot in cold weather. Get a fun and stylish coat. My favorite is my black wool trench that has a flowy bottom. It makes me feel like I am wearing a little skirt all the time! Get something that stands out; try a fun style or a bright color that makes it different and …
Well, it is certainly that time of year again. The time of year dreaded by regular gym- goers like myself: New Year’s Resolution time. Welcome to waiting for a treadmill while some annoying girl “works out” while walking two miles and hour and chatting on her cell phone. And then, when you finally get on a treadmill, you have to cut your intended 6-miler short because there is a 30-minute time limit on cardio machines. Irritating, right? You start to wish you could fast forward a few weeks to when all of these people will get bored, busy or unmotivated and go back to living their sedentary …
I recently wrote an article about how to save some cash while grocery shopping. One tip I gave was to eat fruits and veggies that are in season. After reviewing the list of what is in season during the winter, I realized that what might be in season this time of year is produce that seems more difficult to create healthy recipes around. In the summer you can grill pretty much any veggie in season as a delicious side dish. The fruits in Spring can make the most delicious fruit salads. But in the winter? What the heck can you do with beets?! I thought I would challenge myself to create a …
The holidays are a very expensive time of year for everyone. Many people are looking for ways to cut corners and save a little extra cash. With the cost of healthy and nutritious foods increasing, a lot of people cutting back on the "good" stuff and buying the cheaper, over processed foods. Here are 10 tips to save you cash, while still allowing you to eat wholesome foods. 1. Avoid the pre-cut veggies: You will see them as you walk around the produce section of the grocery store, those ever-so-tempting pre-cut celery stalks, carrot sticks or cucumber slices. You want to avoid these because …
I recently had the pleasure of trying three Crossfit classes at a new gym right here in Charlestown. Avalon Cross Fit, located at 50 Terminal St., is fairly new in town and I asked Cori Di Donato, the owner, to describe exactly what Cross Fit is. Here's what she said: "CrossFit is the principal strength and conditioning program for many police academies and tactical operations teams, military special operations units, champion martial artists, and hundreds of other elite and professional athletes worldwide." Cori, for whom health has been a lifelong passion, opened this gym because she sees…
I consider myself to be a fairly healthy person. I workout four to six days a week, eat whole, nutritious foods, try my best to get enough sleep, drink enough water and find way to reduce my stress. However, there was one "unhealthy" habit I could not shake that was making me feel pretty guilty.Around 2:30 p.m., no matter how my day is going, I hit an "energy wall" where I feel exhausted and go for my second cup of coffee for the day. After a few sips I would get the energy I needed to continue on with my day, which is usually pretty fast-paced and jam-packed. I was feeling guilty for a few …
