New: Health & Fitness on The Chic Curve
Hello there!
Today I wanted to introduce a new category for content here on The Chic Curve: Health & Fitness. I have been contemplating whether or not to add this, since historically the blog has really only focused on style and beauty. But as my blog continues to grow – so do I, as a person, editor and author – and this expansion will allow me to give a fuller view of who I am and what I’m passionate about.
So, here it is. It’s also in the navigation on the right rail. I’ll be adding posts monthly, doing a series on my personal journey with health and fitness, including a 45 pound weight loss story (my own). I hope that you are as excited as I am – and I want everyone to know that this addition doesn’t mean I’ll be straying away from my usual sassy style banter and outfits posts – it just means MORE content! And as always – please share your thoughts and opinions with me in the comments. I want to hear about your health and fitness journeys as well – even if they include gagging/swishing coconut oil in your mouth or falling in the middle of your first 3-mile run (which I’ve done, many times).
To kick things off – I want to share with you my go-to list of health and fitness related resources! One of the hardest things about starting my journey to health was trying to understand where to get good information – and what to believe. So I’ve kept track of the great posts and tools I’ve found along the way – the ones that really left an impression. These include everything from articles on the dangers of sugar, Pinterest fitness boards, why fat is good for you, meal planning/tracking tools and everything in between.
Health & Fitness Articles That Changed My Outlook on Things
These articles really opened my eyes to both facts and opinions about food, health and fitness that changed my relationship with my body. I’m not endorsing any of the authors – but these individual articles really impacted my personal health journey, and I am really excited to share them with you. Some of these posts are long and heavy – so bookmark ‘em for later!
What If It’s All Been a Big Fat Lie? by Gary Taubes via New York Times - this is a 9 page, long read that goes into the details of why American dietary guidelines have given the finger wag to fats, how the food industry played into it, and why they were flat-out wrong.
Sugar Love by Rich Cohen via National Geographic - this 20 minute read details the biological and evolutionary history behind the reasons why we crave sugar – and even goes far enough to say that we are addicted to it, and that we don’t actually need sugar at all.
The Single Most Proven Way To Get Smarter and Happier by Eric Barker via Time Magazine - Spoiler alert! The answer is exercise. Typical to my nerd-who-must-know-everything-ways, this article details how and why exercise (of all kinds) benefits our bodies, brains, emotions and relationships.
Is Sugar Toxic? by Gary Taubes via New York Times - another article that goes into the dangers of overconsumption of sugar – this one has some pretty strong opinions on the matter, but was a powerful read for me.
What Causes Weight Gain by Mark Bittman via New York Times - a discussion about the current health crisis, especially in the United States – and how and why we got here. A really interesting view of why eating real food is the only solution to our health problem.
Health & Fitness Tools & Resources to Change Your Lifestyle For Good
For the Glow – This is my everything right now. I’ll be doing a post entirely on the For The Glow program – but essentially, it’s a fitness and nutrition program that gives you the benefits of having a personal trainer and nutrition coach, plus the support of a community of women with shared health & fitness goals. The program has incredible online workout videos, and Jennifer Jordan, the founder and trainer, does in-person classes in Seattle (where I live). The nutrition piece focuses on real, whole, organic foods – and has regular health challenges (such as the #GrainFreeChallenge I participated in last week!).
My Fitness Pal - This is an incredibly popular tool/iPhone app that allows you to track your calories and fitness minutes. I no longer track calories and workouts in this form – because for me, it wasn’t a long term solution. However I did stick to tracking calories for 6 months and lost a good amount of weight doing so!
Reddit’s LoseIt Community – Not on Reddit? Join! There are tons of health-related communities, including ones for weight lifters, gluten-free eaters, motivational messages and words! This board is my favorite – it’s usually very positive and people posting their progress, no matter how small or big!
SparkPeople – This is where my health and fitness journey really began. I wanted to start but I didn’t know how or where, and a Google search led me here. Though I’m barely active on SparkPeople anymore, the community, support and guidance that it provided me during the first year of my journey was priceless. Plus, it’s totally free. Check it out.
My “Sweat” Pinterest Board – a great place to browse workouts and motivation quotes, I’m constantly updating and adding pins.
@EricaFitLove on Instagram – I had to add this girl in. I don’t remember how I found her, but she cracks me up. She lost 144lbs in about a year – through HARD work in both eating and fitness. She posts workout videos, inspiration messages/videos and hilarious rants about donuts & pizza.
Stay tuned for my next post in Health & Fitness – starting with my personal journey with health, fitness and weight loss!
xoxo
Natasha
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