Healthy Is As Healthy Does

D and I had a really interesting conversation about granola bars a couple of days ago... you know, how some bars are "healthy" but have added sugar or weird ingredients. And then we started talking about health.

Health is such an intensely personal thing. Every body and each body are so incredibly different. And what does health feel and look like anyway?

When B asked me a few months ago if I have always been healthy, I didn't know how to answer. Because my own definition of health has changed and evolved. I have eaten things that I thought were healthy but actually made me sick (7-grain bread, I'm looking at you. You devil you.) It has been a process of trial and error to find the foods that make me feel happy and healthy, to create an active life, and to make sure that my diet and my physical activity work in tandem.

This means fruit and vegetables and protein. Nothing processed. This means a boatload of water. This means quinoa and oatmeal (grains I can eat!). Coffee, because I (really) like coffee. Almond butter. Berries. Spinach. More protein.

This means running. This means strength training. Bootcamp. Barre classes. Plenty of yoga. And it also means November Project because I like forty stadium sections at sunrise and planks in the mud (read: dirt, sweat, and endorphins). 

I have been stoked to see new food and fitness options come to Boston. Flywheel. Barry's Bootcamp. SoulCycle. Plus, Exhale Spa just added a Core Fusion Barre + Cardio class. I like the kale and the quinoa at Boloco and Sweetgreen and there are finally more and more smoothie bars. These are all good things, especially when it's cold as sh*t outside and you need a fun new workout and something delicious to eat. 

{Cue the smoothie/snow montage}

Love Alive from Life Alive

PB&J from Fuel Bar at Barry's Bootcamp

Especially the smoothies. I'll hike to Southie for Nourish Your Soul, I have a crush on the PB&J smoothie at Fuel Bar, and today I tried CocoBeet, the new organic eatery near Government Center. I scoped out the menu beforehand and I was pumped to try it post-Sunday run. Granted, I was a little bummed that the smoothies and juice are bottled and not made to order. CocoBeet also does not serve food on the weekends, so it's really just open to sell the smoothies and juice (I think this business model may be a bit questionable, yeah?).

Regardless, I'm happy Cocobeet is there. I bought the Blue Coconut and the Kale Karma (points for fun names!). I liked the Blue Coconut - I definitely tasted the almonds and coconut oil. The Kale Karma is in my fridge for tomorrow.

I'm excited for kale and November Project tomorrow. I'm excited for yoga class this week and running in San Francisco next weekend. I'm excited for health, always.

Thursday

Today started at 7am. Well actually it started at 6:20 when the alarm went off, but really I think it started at 7 when L and I went to spin class at Recycle Studio. If you didn't start your day with dance remixes of Ellie Goulding... well you should have.

The rest of the day? It was cool. Ya know. Work. Getting things done. I spent a big part of the afternoon switching between working and trying to register for the SeaWheeze Half Marathon. Last year, I fell in love with Vancouver and I PR'ed at SeaWheeze. This year, I want to have a little rendez-vous with Vancouver and I want to PR again. That's the plan. That is, if I can get a spot. (The registration site crashed today. Twitter and Facebook exploded with Lululemon smack-talking. Hopefully the site is back up tomorrow. Fingers crossed.)

TBT to sunset yoga at Kits Beach. Just another reason to go back to VanCity.

And at the end of the day, when drink plans fell through, L and I went to get pho at Pho Pasteur. Any day I get to see L twice is a very good day indeed. I detoured through the park and, oh Boston, if you're trying to make me love you more, you're doing a great job. Boston, I love you in the sun and in the snow. I love you forever and ever. (And I love pho too.)

Today was a great Thursday.

I'm Down For Rainbows

I'm back in Boston after Denver, between travel for Thanksgiving and travel for Christmas, and before all of the travel that's going down in 2014 (stay tuned, y'all). And I am so glad that I am here, because the air is cold, the city is lit up and dressed up for the holidays, and there are people to meet, things to eat, and so much to be grateful for:

- My very first Hanukkah. If you follow me on Instagram, you saw the blazing menorah last night. Well, there was actually more than one.

Is four menorahs too many? I thought it was just right. And then we ate latkes and applesauce and everyone shared funny dating stories. Please note that these were not my first latkes - in fact, I went through a latkes-making phase a few years ago - but it was very much my first Hanukkah. It was lovely.

- Ladies' Brunch from The Toast. This satire of brunch planning is a few months old and I only just read it, but oh I am so glad that I did. It's a little terrifying but um also kinda sorta true. Instagram makes us do crazy things.

"Is Williamsburg cute? I feel like it’s all flannel wearing guys lol no offense just not my type. BUT Brooklyn might be fun and like cute for instagrams."

- And speaking of Brooklyn, you've seen the trailer for season three of Girls, right? It's kickass (as all trailers for Girls are), but more importantly THAT SONG. It's Ways to Go by Grouplove.

The music video is a little weird. I'm not so sure what I just watched. It's cool. Just go with it.

- And, while latkes and music videos and brunch are all super important, there's other stuff happening too. I've been thinking about the holidays and why they typically don't mean health. We have the chance to spend time at home and spend time with the people we love most... why can't those experiences be connected to wellness? Why do we have to wait until New Year's Day to start living our healthiest, happiest lives? Let's not wait until 2014. And while we're at it, let's not wait until next month or next week or tomorrow either.

So this is what I'm down for: I'm down to kick my own ass (the last three days: Core Fusion Barre at Exhale, spin at Recycle Studio, and Hip Hop Yoga at Back Bay Yoga). I'm down to get up at 5:30am to run. I'm down to come up with answers to the hard questions. I'm down to get outside and to get moving. I'm down to buy plane tickets. I'm down to make my goals more real and more specific and to create and invest in the circumstances and relationships that will support my goals.

Today, I was walking across the Public Garden and I saw the palest rainbow above Beacon Hill. No else seemed to see it. In that moment, I thought maybe I was the only one I could see it. Now I know that's silly. But the park was empty and so was Beacon Street and there was the rainbow. So I started walking towards it.

Here's the truth: I'm down to (literally and figuratively) chase some rainbows. Because, for all of my realism and all of my practicality, I believe that there are pots of gold and I believe that wonderful things can happen. They're already happening.

Like I said, there's so much to be grateful for.