As you have probably noticed, I haven't been posting as often lately and I feel that I owe you an explanation as to why.
Recently, Joshua, the founder of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition said something in one of our classes that really resonated with me. He said that one of his students came up to him and told him that she was going to start a blog to share with everyone all of the interesting and meaningful information that she is learning in school. Of course, when I heard this, I expected that he was going to praise her and tell her what a wonderful idea it was... which made me feel pretty proud of myself, because I had already thought of it and already started doing it.
However, what he said next surprised me. Joshua told her that he didn't think it was a very good idea. (Huh? He didn't think a blog was a good idea?) He explained that we are only in school for 1 year and that we really need to be present and focused on our studies during this time. He said that we have the rest of our lives to share the wealth of information we are learning in school whether it is through our blogs, websites, classes, counseling, etc....
I didn't want to have to choose between school and my blog but, after I really thought about, what he said did make sense. So, my posts may be less frequent while I am in school, but know that it's not because I don't want to post more often, it's because I am heeding Joshua's advice and focusing all of my extra attention on my studies and my Health Coaching practice.
While my classes will continue through May 2012, I am now officially able to start seeing clients. With the full support of the school and the staff behind me, I am looking forward to beginning my journey as a Holistic Health Coach. With that said, I would like to offer my blog followers (and your friends and family) something in return for your loyalty. FREE Health History Consultations!
This is an initial consultation where we will review and talk about your health goals and how we can work together to achieve them. Your initial FREE Consultation will take about an hour and can be done in person or over the phone. Do something good for yourself and book one now! Take the first step towards a happier, healthier, more balanced life.
You can contact me directly at freshequation@gmail.com to schedule an appointment or you can complete your health history form at http://www.thefreshequation.com/ and contact me through my website to schedule an appointment. Either way, I look forward to hearing from you!
~Have a healthy day~
Monday, September 12, 2011
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
You have to try this...
I know this is going to sound like a cheesy product commerical but this really happened...
For Labor Day, I was in Maryland at the house of a good friend of mine. We spent the weekend running, boating, swimming, and sitting in the sun. After all of that, my friend still commented on how soft my skin was. I told her that I had just started using a new skin cream, Lubdriderm Advanced Therapy Mositurizing Cream. It absorbs quickly and is super moisturizing without being greasy. It's not all natural but it doesn't have parabens in it which, in my opinion, makes it safer than a lot of other products on the shelves.
I highly recommend it but, unfortunately, it's pretty hard to track down. I first discovered it at a local drugstore but haven't seen it there since. I found it online at a few stores but it was sold out. I finally had some luck and found it in stock at http://www.amazon.com/. Get some while you can because this cream, as Giuliana Rancic would say, is amaze-balls!
For Labor Day, I was in Maryland at the house of a good friend of mine. We spent the weekend running, boating, swimming, and sitting in the sun. After all of that, my friend still commented on how soft my skin was. I told her that I had just started using a new skin cream, Lubdriderm Advanced Therapy Mositurizing Cream. It absorbs quickly and is super moisturizing without being greasy. It's not all natural but it doesn't have parabens in it which, in my opinion, makes it safer than a lot of other products on the shelves.
I highly recommend it but, unfortunately, it's pretty hard to track down. I first discovered it at a local drugstore but haven't seen it there since. I found it online at a few stores but it was sold out. I finally had some luck and found it in stock at http://www.amazon.com/. Get some while you can because this cream, as Giuliana Rancic would say, is amaze-balls!
~Have a Healthy Day~
Monday, August 29, 2011
Hurricane Irene in NYC?
After days of 24 hour live reporting and hype from every media outlet, Hurricane Irene came and went fairly quietly in NYC.
I am not, by any means, downplaying the devastation that Hurricane Irene caused up and down the east coast this past weekend but where I live, the effects were very minimal compared to what we expected.
We did almost everything officials told us to do, except evacuate. We technically live in Zone A but if we crossed the street, we would be in Zone B.
So we decided to take our chances and ride out the storm. We brought everything in from our terrace, bought the necessary survival "supplies" (flashlights and candles), filled our freezer with bags of ice and our bathtub with water. And of course, we bought some non-perishables that we could eat if we were without power.
This seemed to be an excuse for everyone to buy junk food and not feel guilty about it.
In the end, after all the preparation, it pretty much felt like any other stormy summer weekend... at least where I live. Like Bloomberg said, "we need to prepare for the worst, and hope for the best." And that's what we did (prepared for the worst) and what we got (the best case scenario). We were prepared for disaster but we were lucky enough not to feel the harsh affects that were expected or that were experienced in other, not so far away, areas.
A lot of people are complaining that officials overreacted and about the inconvenience of the mass transit shutdown and having to evacuate lower Manhattan. However, there is a flip side. If officials hadn't taken these pre-cautions and the hurricane had been as bad as originally predicted, then we would all be saying how irresponsible they are and what a poor job they did. So, unfortunately for them, they were in a no win situation. In my opinion, the actions they took make me feel confident that in the event of another emergency, the city is capable of efficiently handling evacuations, shut downs and clean up so that we can resume life as usual as quickly as possible.
From this experience, I gained a few things. The first is perspective. You can't please everyone but you have to do what you think is right and hope for the best. I also gained an umbrella that was blown down from the terrace above, a giant piece of sheet rock that was blown off the terrace below and 2 lbs from all of the junk food I ate in anticipation of the big storm. Oh well. Today is a new day. Time to start fresh and make the next right decisions to get back on track.
I hope everyone else was lucky enough to escape the hurricane safely and without any major damage.
Have a great day!
 |
| Battery Park, Monday 8/29 |
I am not, by any means, downplaying the devastation that Hurricane Irene caused up and down the east coast this past weekend but where I live, the effects were very minimal compared to what we expected.
We did almost everything officials told us to do, except evacuate. We technically live in Zone A but if we crossed the street, we would be in Zone B.
So we decided to take our chances and ride out the storm. We brought everything in from our terrace, bought the necessary survival "supplies" (flashlights and candles), filled our freezer with bags of ice and our bathtub with water. And of course, we bought some non-perishables that we could eat if we were without power.
This seemed to be an excuse for everyone to buy junk food and not feel guilty about it.
In the end, after all the preparation, it pretty much felt like any other stormy summer weekend... at least where I live. Like Bloomberg said, "we need to prepare for the worst, and hope for the best." And that's what we did (prepared for the worst) and what we got (the best case scenario). We were prepared for disaster but we were lucky enough not to feel the harsh affects that were expected or that were experienced in other, not so far away, areas.
A lot of people are complaining that officials overreacted and about the inconvenience of the mass transit shutdown and having to evacuate lower Manhattan. However, there is a flip side. If officials hadn't taken these pre-cautions and the hurricane had been as bad as originally predicted, then we would all be saying how irresponsible they are and what a poor job they did. So, unfortunately for them, they were in a no win situation. In my opinion, the actions they took make me feel confident that in the event of another emergency, the city is capable of efficiently handling evacuations, shut downs and clean up so that we can resume life as usual as quickly as possible.
From this experience, I gained a few things. The first is perspective. You can't please everyone but you have to do what you think is right and hope for the best. I also gained an umbrella that was blown down from the terrace above, a giant piece of sheet rock that was blown off the terrace below and 2 lbs from all of the junk food I ate in anticipation of the big storm. Oh well. Today is a new day. Time to start fresh and make the next right decisions to get back on track.
I hope everyone else was lucky enough to escape the hurricane safely and without any major damage.
Have a great day!
Friday, August 26, 2011
Free Fitness Course
There was a running trail just outside our condo at the beach last week. It ran parallell to the ocean for about a mile and then veered slightly inland and continued behind some beautiful ocean front homes. This all made for a scenic run but there was something I discovered along the way that surprised me... a fitness course.
The course includes about 10 different stations set approximately 50 feet apart from each other. It's free (no gym membership required!) and you can get a good workout without any other additional equipment. I think anything that is done to encourage and support people in their efforts to be active is great.
These are just some of the stations they have. I couldn't photograph all of them because people were actually using them!
I wish we had a fitness course along the Hudson River where I run!
Have a healthy day and for those of you in the path of Hurricane Irene, stay safe.
The course includes about 10 different stations set approximately 50 feet apart from each other. It's free (no gym membership required!) and you can get a good workout without any other additional equipment. I think anything that is done to encourage and support people in their efforts to be active is great.
These are just some of the stations they have. I couldn't photograph all of them because people were actually using them!
I wish we had a fitness course along the Hudson River where I run!
Have a healthy day and for those of you in the path of Hurricane Irene, stay safe.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Quick and Easy Meal
When we were at the beach last week, we stayed in a condo with a full kitchen. This was great because we were able to spend our mornings at the beach and then head inside for a quick lunch instead of having to drive around trying to find somewhere to eat every afternoon. Below is the recipe for a simple summer "salad" that I made.
Summer Vegetable "Salad"
1 box couscous/quinoa (I used couscous because I couldn't find quinoa at the store)
3 carrots, chopped
2 zucchini, chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 jar kalamata olives, pitted
1 container crumbled feta cheese
1 lime, juiced
cilantro
salt & pepper
1. Cook couscous or quinoa as directed on box
2. Chop red onion and saute in butter or oil of your choice (olive, sesame or coconut) until almost translucent
3. Chop carrots and zucchini into evenly sized pieces and add to pan with onion. Saute until tender but still crisp
4. Chop kalamata olives in half
5. Add sauteed vegetable, olives, feta cheese and cilantro to the couscous/quinoa
6. Add juice of 1 lime
7. Add salt and pepper to taste
8. Stir
I apologize for not taking any pictures but, take my word for it, it was easy and delicious! My sister-in-law, Quinn, can vouch for this as we ate it for lunch 3 days in a row.
I think this is great served cold in the summer but you can certainly heat it up before eating if you wish.
Please remember that you can always vary the quantity and ingredients to suit your personal taste. One alternative that I like is using cucumbers and tomatoes in place of the zucchini and olives. You can also mix in fresh mixed greens or spinach (fresh or sauteed).
For those of you that are super busy (and who isn't), this is a great dish to make at the beginning of the week. You can leave it in the fridge and you will always have a great meal ready to go.
Enjoy!
Summer Vegetable "Salad"
1 box couscous/quinoa (I used couscous because I couldn't find quinoa at the store)
3 carrots, chopped
2 zucchini, chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 jar kalamata olives, pitted
1 container crumbled feta cheese
1 lime, juiced
cilantro
salt & pepper
1. Cook couscous or quinoa as directed on box
2. Chop red onion and saute in butter or oil of your choice (olive, sesame or coconut) until almost translucent
3. Chop carrots and zucchini into evenly sized pieces and add to pan with onion. Saute until tender but still crisp
4. Chop kalamata olives in half
5. Add sauteed vegetable, olives, feta cheese and cilantro to the couscous/quinoa
6. Add juice of 1 lime
7. Add salt and pepper to taste
8. Stir
I apologize for not taking any pictures but, take my word for it, it was easy and delicious! My sister-in-law, Quinn, can vouch for this as we ate it for lunch 3 days in a row.
I think this is great served cold in the summer but you can certainly heat it up before eating if you wish.
Please remember that you can always vary the quantity and ingredients to suit your personal taste. One alternative that I like is using cucumbers and tomatoes in place of the zucchini and olives. You can also mix in fresh mixed greens or spinach (fresh or sauteed).
For those of you that are super busy (and who isn't), this is a great dish to make at the beginning of the week. You can leave it in the fridge and you will always have a great meal ready to go.
Enjoy!
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