People have finally found the work/life balance they have been searching for, thanks to the pandemic. For many, the past year has been extremely stressful. Families, friends, and co-workers not being able to see each other in person has been an emotional struggle for many. As social creatures, we thrive on interacting and being present with others. Thanks to Zoom and other types of conferencing platforms, we were able to keep some resemblance of our social behavior.

As the pandemic spread like lava from a volcano making its own path of destruction, we hunkered down. Many turned to nature as their escape from feeling barricaded in their homes. People bought bicycles, kayaks, tents, trailers, and fishing equipment online. They turned out in droves at campgrounds, recreational areas, and mountains. It was as if being immersed in nature was the newfound fad.

One day driving back from my weekly hike at Mount Monadnock, I noticed the number of families that were out walking or riding bicycles. I do not ever remember seeing so many families in one day spending time together, my heart filled with joy. This is what life is truly about, spending quality time with the family.

Now that restrictions have been lifted, many are heading back to the office. Employees are voicing their preference for a hybrid work model. People have formed a healthy lifestyle, thanks to lessons learned from the pandemic that includes the much-needed balance they have been craving for years and they want to maintain it. Hybrid work equals a work/life balance. Employees are less stressed, less anxious, more relaxed in their home environment, more productive, and have more time to spend with their families due to less commuting. Companies can save money by downsizing office space, purchasing fewer office supplies, and on utilities.

For the industries that are suitable to the hybrid model, let us move forward with work/life balance, not backward to the days of endless commuting and long hours at the office that takes away from time spent with family.

As children, we dream of what we might become as adults. Hundreds of professions are flashed in front of our eyes and ears through social media, television, and magazines. Nothing seems impossible at this impressionable age. As we grow into our late teenage years, pressure is put upon us to decide what we will choose for our career. For most, this is an extraordinary leap of faith into the unknown. Many rely on parents, relatives, teachers, and/or society to choose their future.

So often the focus is on a profession that will yield a substantial salary and prestige. No one wants to financially struggle in life, everyone wants to be comfortable. The question becomes, what is one’s definition of a comfortable life? Focusing on the dreams that lit you up and filled your soul is important.

Do you wake up every morning excited for a new day? Do you feel creativity and passion flowing through your veins? Are you excited to share your vision (s) with your co-workers? Many lose sight of their dreams. Getting caught in the web of everyday life, our dreams melt away just like the snow melts on a warm spring day. Slowly dripping off the trees, listening as each drop slowly hits the wet grass. Every day we wake up and repeat the same pattern as the next. Jumping on the never-ending treadmill of life, like the gerbil running on his wheel, going as fast as he can, but not reaching beyond the border of the wheel.

You can reach beyond your border by remembering those dreams that filled you with excitement. It is not too late to change your course and get back on your path that filled your soul.

Ingredients:

3 cups chopped zucchini

4 cups packed fresh baby spinach

2 cups cooked whole wheat penne pasta

1 15-oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 6.5-oz jar marinated quartered artichoke hearts, not drained

1 2.5-oz can sliced black olives, drained

1 large tomato, chopped

1 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil

1 tsp. chopped fresh oregano

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

    Salt and pepper

¼ cup fresh goat cheese

Directions:

1.     Place zucchini in a bowl. Add ¼ cup water, cover (leaving it slightly open to vent steam), and microwave on high until tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Uncover, drain, and let cool.

2.     Divide spinach among 4 bowls. Microwave each, uncovered, for 1 minute on high to wilt, if desired.

3.     In a bowl, toss pasta, chickpeas, artichoke hearts with marinade, olives, tomato, basil, and oregano. Toss in zucchini in a separate bowl, whisk oil, vinegar, and mustard. Season with salt and pepper. Toss with pasta mixture.

4.     Divide mixture among bowls with spinach. Top with cheese and serve.

For decades I thought allowing myself to indulge in self-care meant I was being selfish. I was married at a young age, by twenty-four, I had my first child. My early twenties started my journey of caring for others and continued into my early forties. Caring for my husband and children was not enough, I took on volunteering at my children’s school, became a co-Cub Scout leader, summer camp leader, taught Sunday school, volunteered for an animal rescue group, took care of my elderly mother, and so on. Do not get me wrong, I loved every minute of my volunteer experience over the years. But what about me, when do I get to enjoy some alone time and to take care of my own needs? Well, the time would come just when I desperately needed self-care in my life.

We arrived at 2:05 pm in front of my daughters’ new home for the next four years, her dorm. As we brought her belongings to her new room, I felt a tinge of envy. Kelsey was starting a new chapter in her life, just as I wanted and needed a new chapter too. Long overdue, I was ready to take the leap and evolve from the caterpillar into the beautiful butterfly. One year later, I began exploring my options for a new career. I found a fantastic position at a local community college in a Holistic Health office. The position leads me on my journey to further my education. I received a degree in Human Service and later a certification in Health Coaching. My new position opened many doors and opportunities for me. Not only did I have wonderful experiences, but I finally realized I was important. Since then, I have made sure I am the priority on my long list of things to do every day. My routine now involves daily meditation, daily exercise, massages, hiking, travel (solo at times), and I continue to set goals for myself.

It took decades for me to become a priority. When are you going to be number one on your priority list?

This is the third time this week that I have talked to someone who is on the Keto Diet. Both the men and women I spoke with stated they have had great results from the diet. I listened and tried not to give any advice, for you see, I am not a believer in diets long term. All diets whether Keto, Atkins, Intermittent fasting, and so on, are short-term fixes. Once you stop the diet and return to your normal eating, the weight comes back two-fold. Putting your body through unnecessary stress, like a yo-yo. These fad diets always eliminate a specific food group. The food you eliminate may contain the necessary vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants needed to help your body fight infections and diseases. The problem is that everyone wants to lose weight faster than it took to put it on. As a society, we are impatient and expect to look fabulous in two to three short months when it took years to gain weight. This is an unrealistic goal and one that causes stress to our bodies and to our egos.

The answer has been known for years, but no one wants to listen to the truth. Whole natural locally grown food is the best way to lose and sustain a healthy weight. The whole food one consumes not only helps control one’s weight, but maintains a healthy brain, immune system, and supports our overall well-being. No, the weight on a whole natural food diet will not drop as fast as one would like but one will lose one to two pounds a week, which is the healthiest way to reach your goal. The weight loss will be consistent, manageable, and long-lasting as opposed to the fad diets with quick results, but not manageable for the long term.

If one can remove something from their diet, it is processed foods, which cause weight gain and health issues. These processed foods are loaded with sodium and unhealthy fats that are not good for our immune system or maintaining a healthy weight. The recommended intake, based on a 2000 calorie daily diet of whole foods is as follows: fruits 2 or more servings, vegetables 2 or more servings, whole grains 3 servings, protein 10 – 35 percent, healthy fats 20 – 35 percent, and water 72 or more ounces.

Depending on how much weight one wants to lose, give yourself six months to a year. Look long term at your goal (s), what exactly do you want to accomplish? Are you looking to have a healthy immune system? Do you want to have more energy? Are you looking to reach a specific weight or to fit into a favorite pair of pants that you own? Regardless of what your goal (s) are, remember that this is a slow, but healthy way to lose weight, improve your immune system and overall well-being long term.

Ingredients:

1 can black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained (or cook 15 oz. dried black-eyed peas until tender)
1 package cherry tomatoes
1 ripe avocado peeled and diced
1/2 red onion diced
1/2 red pepper diced
1 tbsp. fresh cilantro minced
1/3 c prepared homemade Italian dressing (I like to use Good Seasons)
1 juice from one fresh lime
1 jalapeno pepper seeded and chopped

Directions:

Mix black-eyed peas, cherry tomatoes, avocado, red onion, red pepper, fresh cilantro, and jalapeno pepper in a medium-sized bowl. Squeeze the lime over the salad and add the homemade Italian dressing, mix well. Great as a light lunch or as a side salad with your dinner.

Men and women have long sought to find the golden serum that would turn the clock back to youthful-looking skin. If only it were that simple, but wait, it is. All the magic lies within your local grocery store. Mother Nature provides us with all we need to look and feel healthy.

Adding watercress, red bell peppers, papaya, blueberries, broccoli, spinach, avocado, sweet potatoes, nuts, and pomegranate seeds to your diet can help with having youthful-looking skin. These fruits, vegetables, and nuts contain vitamin A, C, E, and antioxidants that improve your skin’s elasticity, shed dead skin, repair skin tissue, produce collagen, hold your skin’s moisture, strengthen skin, and slow the aging process.

I eat seven of the ten listed items. How many of these do you consume?

I pulled into the driveway at 5:20 pm, my friend Kelley was pulling grocery bags from the back of her car. Before I could unbuckle my seat belt and open my door, Mark, her husband dashed out the front door of their home to give Kelley a hand. I watched them as they both laughed and smiled at each other over something Mark said. My eyes and ears froze at the sight of their gentle interaction like a water droplet slowly dripping from an icicle.

Kelley and I were going out for a girl’s night on the town in our small community of ten thousand residents. Sipping our frozen strawberry margaritas, Kelley whips out her left hand and shows me the new diamond ring that Mark had bought her for their tenth anniversary. I didn’t know they made diamonds the size of the rock of Gibraltar. I am happy for Kelley, but I am also a bit jealous of her and Mark’s fantasy-like relationship. My mind fills with thoughts of my own relationship with my husband like a fog slowly moving in over an open field on a damp cool night. I try to push the jealous thoughts from my mind, but I start to want what Kelley and Mark have. They both spend a lot of time together and enjoy the same activities. I want to spend endless hours with my husband and do fun activities too. Don’t get me wrong, my husband and I have a good relationship. We are both independent but come together to do activities and share responsibilities, so as not to put a heavy burden on one another. I am perfectly content in my relationship, but am I? I thought I was until I saw how radiantly happy Kelley and Mark are even after ten years of marriage. Watching Kelley and Mark over the years has made me questions my own relationship with my husband. Maybe relationships are supposed to be like Kelley and Mark’s.

My cell phone rang repeatedly, it was 10:41 pm when I picked up the phone and heard the sobbing voice on the other end. It was Kelley, what’s wrong, did something happen to Mark, I asked. After what seemed like several minutes, Kelley finally got the words out, Mark is moving out permanently. Mark had been having an affair for the past two years and wasn’t happy with Kelley. He didn’t know what he wanted in his life, but he knew Kelley wasn’t going to be part of it. One year after Kelley showed me her beautiful new diamond ring, all was falling apart. My heart sank for Kelley and Mark, they were the perfect couple, or at least I thought they were. Thoughts started rushing through me, like a tornado swirling and picking up objects in its path. After talking with Kelley for almost two hours, I found out that Mark had been unhappy for a long time. He tried to do things that Kelley liked and he thought maybe he would enjoy them too, but he didn’t, he only went along with what Kelley wanted.

All these years, I put Kelley and Mark on a pedestal, like Mt. Everest, how could I ever reach such a peak in a relationship. I no longer question my relationship with my husband. What we have works for us and we are both happy.

I encourage those with partners to look within instead of comparing. Other’s relationships aren’t always as they appear. Let go of relationship envy!

Ingredients:

1 medium zucchini, grated (1 1/2 c, loosely packed)
1 lb. 85% lean ground turkey
1 large egg
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
Canola oil (if grilling)
4 burger buns, toasted (lettuce, mayonnaise, honey, mustard, and pickles - condiments)

Directions:

Place zucchini on a clean kitchen towel and wring out excess liquid. Stir squeezed zucchini, turkey, egg, garlic powder, cumin, and salt in a large bowl. Divide mixture evenly into 4 portions; form each into a 3/4 inch thick patty. Heat an oiled grill to medium or a greased grill pan over medium-high. Add patties ad cook, flipping once, until a thermometer inserted in the center of patties is 165 degrees F, 5 -6 minutes per side.

By Real Simple

My daughter and I walked over the cobblestone bridge on a beautiful July day in 2006 in the quaint town of Amboise France. Heading to the shopping district, we passed many locals and tourists enjoying the sun-filled day at the outdoor markets and cute boutiques. Looking through one of the shop windows, I spotted a stylish coat in a pretty shade of spring green. I walked into the boutique to search for the coat in my size. As I glanced at the coats on their hangers, a beautiful woman in her late fifties/early sixties walked into the boutique. One couldn’t help but notice her, she was well dressed in a floral skirt, which hugged her body tastefully. The white sleeveless blouse was well suited for the skirt and her sandals with a kitten heel are a golden yellow, which looked perfect against her deeply tanned skin. I can tell she is a weight lifter by the tone and sculpture of her body. I was impressed with how well she cared for her body, healthy and attractive, but I was envious as well.

I have so longed to be as fit and elegant as the woman I saw in Amboise many years earlier. I started my journey to reach my goal of becoming as fit and healthy as I could be in 2018. I hired a trainer and a dietician to give me the tools and guidance needed to succeed. I had decided I would challenge myself by entering one of those physique shows. My trainer gave me a great routine filled with tons of cardio and weight lifting. The dietician gave me a one-month meal plan for the time I hired her services. Everything was lining up as I had planned and I felt well prepared. As I worked out, I started to lose weight rapidly but wasn’t gaining muscle. I was concerned I wouldn’t be ready for the November show. My trainer added more cardio to my routine, but I wasn’t going in the right direction needed for the competition. I looked too skinny and unhealthy.

I went for a hike with a friend on a rainy September day at Mt. Watatic. After summiting the mountain, I felt I needed more, so we ran up the mountain again on another trail. The trail was uneven and covered in unsteady rocks and mud. As I took a step, I slipped on a loose rock and felt a deep pain in my left knee. I ignored the pain and continued my running, hiking, and weight lifting to be ready for the November show. By October, I realized I wasn’t anywhere close to being ready for the show. I realized I hadn’t hired the right trainer with enough knowledge for this type of competition and my dietician wasn’t the right match for what I wanted to accomplish. I was discouraged and a bit heartbroken.

After suffering for four months with excruciating knee pain, I finally went to see a sports specialist, who gave me the bad news of a torn meniscus. I had surgery in March of 2019 and was out of commission for six months. During that time, I had a pity party and ate everything and anything, and did little exercise.

In May of 2020, I was in the cafe at work talking with a co-worker. Mark asked if I ever achieved my goal of being in a show. He told me about his girlfriend, who is a trainer and made Internationals at a WBFF show (World Beauty and Fitness Fashion show). My heart skipped a beat, I asked Mark if I could reach out to Maureen for information. He gave me her number and I spoke with Maureen that same day and we started to work together within a couple of weeks. Maureen sent me monthly workouts along with just the right amount of protein, carbohydrates, and fat needed to accomplish my goal of becoming physically fit. I didn’t have the mindset then to do a show, but I was ready to get in the best shape of my life. My plan was just to work hard and stay focused. One year later, in March 2021, I started asking Maureen questions about being in a show. Would I be able to do a show, am I too old, would my body be ready, I needed an honest answer? Maureen said I would be ready for a show and there was one in June here in New England with WBFF, I was so excited, I was finally going to reach my goal!

I bought a Jay Godfrey one-sleeve dress in a deep magenta for registration night. I finally met Maureen in person two weeks ago to choose which bikini I would rent for the show. The bikini, beautiful and tastefully decorated with rhinestones in a gorgeous blue color. I could picture myself in the bikini already, especially with the required spray tan. I found seven evening gowns at a store in Andover. My daughter and I were going to have a girl’s day, while she helped me decide which gown to purchase. My flashy, silver-studded, five-inch heels arrive yesterday, April 24th. I took the heels out of the hot pink box and slid them carefully onto my feet. As I stood up, I thought, this isn’t too bad. I started to walk into my living room and as I reached down to itch my left shin, I almost took a tumble onto my hardwood floors. I realized I was going to need a LOT of practice walking in the sexy shoes in order to not wobble off the stage.

I received a text from Mauren later that day telling me she didn’t notice the June show posting with WBFF. I emailed the company and received a rapid reply, stating that the show would not take place in June due to Covid-19. The next show would be in November 2021, seven months away. My heart sank, all of the energy/motivation needed and what it took to have the right mindset was being washed away. As the rain washes away the shining sun, so was my goal. My fifteen-year goal in the making was going to have to be put on the shelf in the cabinet for a few more months. I will still be able to envision my goal every time I open the cabinet door, but I will have to wait a bit longer.

No matter the number of speed bumps encountered along the way, keep striving to reach your goal!

I am more than how my past presents itself within. I no longer will allow my past afflictions to be my story.
The voice within telling me this is how the world sees me, anxious, unhappy, and not worthy of success. I can rewrite my story to represent all that I wish to be. I have aspirations that I am ready to believe in and know I can achieve. The mountain top seems hundreds of miles away, but it is only a short distance and I am ready to summit the peak. I am worthy of happiness within and ready to take the leap of faith because I will succeed. As winter turns into spring and new life is bountiful, so is my rewritten story. I have acknowledged the past, but locked all the negativity and hurt into a lockbox, never to haunt me again. I no longer will allow the past to control my bright future. I am sailing on the wide-open ocean following the sunrise to my rewritten story.

Ingredients:

3 cups butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed and cubed (or 1-1/4 ounce can butternut squash puree)
3 cups rigatoni pasta
1 -15 ounces can of white beans, drained and rinsed
4 tbs ghee or vegan butter
1 tbs olive oil
2 tbs nutritional yeast (optional)
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp smoked paprika, to taste
1/2 small lemon juice or 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 cups vegetable broth (or 2 cups water)
salt and pepper to taste

Optional for Topping:

1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs
1 tbsp ghee or olive oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss the squash in a medium-sized bowl with 1 tbs olive oil. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spread the butternut squash over it. Roast the squash in the oven for 30 minutes or until fork-tender. Lower oven to 350 degrees.
While squash roasts, cook the pasta, drain completely, and set aside. Melt ghee or butter and place it in the bowl of a blender or food processor fitted with a metal blade attachment. Combine butternut squash, white beans, garlic, onion powder, smoked paprika, lemon juice, 1/2 tsp salt, and few grinds of fresh cracked pepper. Blend until thick and creamy, only a few chunks should be remaining. With blender running, add 1/2 cup of liquid in increments. Don’t allow the sauce to get too thick, it will thicken as it settles. Consistency is perfect when it clings to the rubber spatula.
Add the butternut squash sauce to the pasta in the pot and stir to combine. Transfer the mixed pasta and sauce to a baking or roasting pan.
Toss 1/2 cup of breadcrumbs with 1 tbsp melted ghee or olive oil. Sprinkle mixture over the top of pasta. Place in preheated oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the top turns golden brown.

by Lentine Alexis

We all have aspirations in life. The goal of continuing our education, a new career, being the healthiest we can be, and having the ideal weight, are just a few. Excitement runs through our body, like an electrical shock. This can last minutes, hours, or days until the negative chatter beings and takes hold of our goals/dreams. The negative chatter so sly sneaks up like a slithering snake to scare us away from reaching our goals/dreams. The voice asks us, who do you think you are to want such a goal/dream? you are not worthy of such a goal/dream. The voice continues, there are smarter, more qualified individuals than yourself. You will never look and feel wonderful in your body, so stop trying. Eat those cookies, they will make you happy and fill the void within.
We try to push the invisible chatter from our minds, telling ourselves we are worthy of our aspirations, but the voice is so strong it washes our goals/dreams like the waves in the sea pulling the sand and debris into the ocean. Sinking our excitement and replacing it with a hole that needs to be filled. The daily cylce continues, battling the voice, the untruths we allow to consume our positive thoughts and goals.
We ourselves hold our aspirations at bay, afraid of the unknown. I encourage you to push the negative chatter from your mind and open the window allowing the sun to shine upon your goals/dreams. I know you are worthy and will succeed if you allow yourself the opportunity.

Ingredients

5 cups old fashioned oats
1 1/2 cups sliced almonds
4 ounces about 1 1/2 to 2 cups unsweetened coconut flakes
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup flax seed
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup coconut oil (melted, canola, or vegetable oil works too)
1/2 cup honey
2 teaspoons vanilla

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine oats, almonds, coconut, brown sugar, wheat germ, flaxseed, cinnamon, and salt.
3. In another bowl, combine coconut oil and honey. Heat until warm and coconut oil is liquid. Add the vanilla and then pour over the dry ingredients. With clean hands, mix thoroughly.
4. Spread granola evenly on the baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes, stirring at 10 minutes and at 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let it cool completely before touching it (DO NOT STIR).
5. Once cooled, break into whatever size chunks you want and then store in an airtight container.
6. Eat plain, with milk, on top of yogurt or smoothies.

Recipe by Garnish & GLAZE

It’s 5:50 pm, I grab the vegetable plate and dip and head to my car. As I am driving, I tell myself, do not over eat and embarrass yourself. I pull into the driveway where several cars are already filling the limited space. I have arrived at my monthly meeting for the volunteer group I belong to. As I step out of my car, I feel confident that I won’t eat too much this time. Everyone is gathered around the beautifully arranged dining room table. I place my dish amongst the overloaded table bursting with food, as though there were thirty people in attendance. The six of us sit down, as the president begins to speak everyone is reaching for items of food to put on their plates. I take a few of the vegetables that I brought with a little dip. As I am chewing on a carrot stick, my mind reflects back to the game Candyland that I played as a child. Around every corner on the board were photos of sweet treats. My eyes scanned the vast amount of sweets, sitting arms length away. My mind starts to try and persuade me to just take a couple of sweets, I can control how much I eat. I ignore the voice in my head for about 10 minutes and then no longer able to stop imagining how good the food would taste, I reach out for a chocolate chip cookie. The cookie is larger than usual and filled with decedent massive junks of chocolate chips. As the first bite hits my taste buds, I am in heaven. How could anything taste so wonderful? As if someone is controlling my arm from afar, I start to reach for more food, I can’t help myself. I continue to fill my plate and stomach for the next two hours of the meeting. I no longer am in control of my actions, instead of slowly chewing my food, I am inhaling it! Once I leave the meeting, I feel sickened, not only to my stomach, but out of embarrassment. What does everyone think of me?

I was not your typical vision of what one would image someone with a binge eating disorder to look like. I have never struggled with weight and I have always exercised. What I did struggle with was my body image, starting in my teenage years. I felt inadequate compared to my peers, which can be typical for a teenager. However, I used food to comfort myself. After years of struggling with body image and binge eating, I am happy to say, I no longer feel less than. I used nature as my healing method. I love my body image and who I have become. I am confident, compassionate and want others to feel more than and not less than adequate.

My eyes slowly open, the light shining at me through the window. A natural alarm clock acknowledging the start of a new day. Placing one foot then the next onto the cold hardwood floor, I walk half asleep like a zombie into the bathroom. Stepping onto my scale, white with black trim around the magical number block, as if pulling the arm on a slot machine and hoping to hit the winning numbers. I look once then twice, stepping off and back onto the scale to verify the results.

I see an acquaintance at the grocery store, the first words flowing from her mouth, you are lucky to be so thin. She continues with her struggles to lose weight. Telling me about a relative, who advises her not to worry about her weight because once you hit fifty years old, she will never lose any weight. I inform Sarah that it is not luck, I exercise six days a week and eat nutritionally healthy foods. I continue to tell Sarah that being thin doesn’t make one happy. One still struggles with issues as everyone else, despite what the number on the scale reads. The number on the scale doesn’t lessen the heaviness that one carries, often feeling like fifty-pound weights on each shoulder.

The scale doesn’t dictate who you are as a person. As a society, one only sees the outer shell of who we are, thin or not. They aren't able to see deep into our soul, the light and sometimes darkness that lurks beneath. Lose weight to be a healthier you, not so society will see a new version of your outer shell.

Your Light Is Shining Brightly!