The Secret to Total Wellness: 

Why Addressing Your Pelvic Floor Can Take Your Fitness to the Next Level Are you ready to unleash your full potential? As active women, working women and mothers, you juggle more responsibilities than anyone can imagine. But in the midst of all this, are you giving your body the care and attention it truly deserves? […]

Sleep & Recovery

Now that summer is coming to an end, you may be considering how to create the most efficient routine so that the fall is healthy and productive. If this is so, there is one thing that holds true and can make all the difference: Sleep.  Sleep is Queen. It’s during sleep that all the magic […]

Back to School

Back to school will be in full swing in just two weeks. My daughter is starting high school this year, which means I’m about to enter the time warp blink that is her adolescence. Not sure how ready I am for this…  This time of year can be stress inducing for many people. Although, I […]

When You Travel

Another trip to the Azores… My daughter and I spent the first two weeks of July in the Azores. We spent most of our time in Terceira but also visited Faial and Pico. Three of the 9 Azorean Islands in two weeks. It was an epic trip and I swear my daughter went from 14 […]

What Would Angela Do

As you know, Angela is my business partner. We started Boutique Fitness in 2011 after she had spent 6 years as a stay-at-home mom and I spent 6 years managing a private training studio in RI.  What you may not know is that we also used to be roommates. In fact, we lived in a […]

(G)rowing Old Gracefully

I lift weights, I run, and I row. I lift weights because it’s essential for good health. I run because it keeps me sane and I love the people I run with. I row because I got lucky… In 2011 my dear friend Robyn asked me if I would be interested in rowing the Azorean […]

Why Hire a Registered Dietician?

You’ve heard us say it over and over – You can’t out-train a bad diet. But also, your diet is not just about weight loss or maintenance. It’s the essence of your health. Learning about the foods that can help you thrive is a major game changer. You may have heard that we have new […]

A Beautifully Toned Upper Body

If you’ve kicked up your workouts in preparation for your summer wardrobe, tell me, how are your shoulders feeling? The shoulders are an area that tend to get really beat up and rarely receive the proper TLC. It’s tough enough that most of us carry our stress in our necks and shoulders. To make matters […]

You’re probably dehydrated.

Fatigue, brain fog, dry skin, bloat, brittle hair and nails… You’re probably dehydrated. But, is drinking water enough? Salt and sugar, to keep it simple, play very interesting and distinctive roles in our levels of hydration and how we utilize our water intake. You probably already know you need potassium to stay hydrated – think […]

5 Ways to Eat More Veggies

It all feels like a ton of work, right? Working out, meal prep, making sure to stay hydrated while getting in all your protein and veggies…  Oh, did you forget about the veggies? You’re not alone. The abundance, or lack thereof, of veggies in your diet could mean the difference between what you digest and […]

Rate of Perceived Exertion

Rate of Perceived Exertion If you’re looking to push the intensity of your workouts, get familiar with RPE, or Rate of Perceived Exertion. Aside from what your apple watch is telling you, what is your body telling you?  Day to day your stress will be different, which means your recovery will be different, which means […]

Deep Dive

The annual Spring Special is about to kick off at the studios. This is a chance for clients to accelerate results from their workouts by increasing volume and intensity for 3 months. The commitment is 19 workouts/month during April, May, and June – So you see results just in time for summer. High intensity workouts […]

Live Better

For over 17 years I’ve been teaching people how to exercise. Exercise is a powerful tool that helps drastically improve lives. It’s not only important for sustaining health, it’s also vital for helping balance moods and energy. We applaud the inclusion of exercise into our clients’ daily routines and work with them to stay motivated […]

A Vital Component for Your Fitness

If you’ve been working hard on your fitness this year, make sure you’re not missing out on this major component for progress. A fitness routine, whether you’re training for competition or for life, isn’t complete without recovery. Recovery is key to staying injury free and seeing optimal progress from your workouts. Wear and tear from […]

The Blue Island, Faial

Angela and I recently spent a week together in Faial. Celebrating 11 years in business 🙂  Faial is an island in the Açores where my father was born and raised. I find myself visiting regularly since I was first there in 2015 for a Whaleboat Regatta. I’ve been there in May, July, and September, but […]

3rd Place :)

Community. We use this word often without much discussion about what it means. The assumption is that the word itself sparks a sense of belonging and simply using it opens an invitation for you to join our community.

The Attack on Self-Care

What does self care mean to you? No doubt this term has been used to exhaustion (some might say), especially in the aftermath of the pandemic. But that doesn’t change its impact because it is what it is and it’s important. Right? There are some arguments claiming that the self care industry is a ruse […]

the BFF Supplement Guide

Supplementation is a huge topic. There are countless options for supplementation of the various lifestyles people lead. Whether it’s for better sleep, more energy, weight-loss, better immunity, building muscle… and then some. We like to keep things simple at the studio. The supplements we provide are for general wellness, recovery, and longevity. Here is a […]

Wellbeing & Trauma

When we talk about wellness or wellbeing, there’s an undeniable tone of wholesomeness attached. Like in order to achieve wellness or be cognisant of it you have to have your sh*t together along with total mental clarity and peace of mind. If you are devoted to eating well and working out, the world has a […]

To Track or Not to Track

Confessions of a Garmin wearer.  Yes, I wear a tracker when I run. I like to see the accumulation of mileage, my splits (pace at each mile), my route, and I like to share it on Strava so my runner friends can see what I’m doing. As the saying goes, ‘If it wasn’t recorded, it […]

10 Volcanoes Trail Run

This summer I’ll turn 40 years old 🙂 I’m very proud of my 40 years on this earth – grateful and proud. To celebrate this milestone and everything this lifetime has brought me, I decided to sign up for a trail run… a 25k called the 10 Volcanoes. It’s in Faial, Açores, the island my father […]

Are you a Chocolate Person?

If you’re a chocolate person you must learn to live with chocolate in your cabinet. Chocolate is too wonderful of a thing to ever feel like it’s so bad. It’s ok to be a chocolate lover and it’s ok to enjoy chocolate, but there’s something about the way we talk to ourselves that lends to […]

Choose to see love: addressing body dysmorphia

It’s not uncommon for people to feel a bit lack-luster this time of year. This is when the battle with holiday weight gain continues, yet it’s cold out and we still want to cozy-in and consume comfort foods… So I understand it can be difficult to feel good in your skin, which always feels better […]

Coffee & Napping

How coffee and napping go hand in hand Other than the fact that I truly love both coffee and napping, there is a wonderful scientific advantage to this duo. There is so much contradicting information about the health benefits and dangers of drinking coffee. My stance is firm in that coffee is a wonderful thing […]

Collagen

What’s all the Hype about Collagen?   A note from Angela Collagen is a protein found naturally in our body. It is a unique blend of amino acids that provide structure and support to everything from our hair, skin and nails to our muscles, bones and blood vessels. Unfortunately collagen production decreases as we age. Collagen […]

Everything is Temporary

I live in a haze of constant search for ‘the next thing’. The next project, next task, next victory, next bedtime! As much as I see this resistance to complacency as a positive characteristic, I do need to remind myself to hit pause sometimes and relish in this beautiful life. It’s all temporary. I told […]

Food as a Reward

Children are a great representation of the human race. They are so capable of love, learning, and are completely narcissistic. It’s all about what they want, when they want it, and if you ask them to do something they just don’t want to – there better be a reward for it. Growing up means that you […]

friendly bacteria

The human body is home to thousands of naturally occurring microorganisms. This may sound frightening, but it is actually a very positive thing; these “friendly” bacteria play a crucial role in our health. Beneficial bacteria in our gut assist in digesting the food we eat, and in keeping more pathological bacteria and fungus in-check. Maintaining […]

Give Nighttime Cravings the Boot!

Do you Struggle with nighttime cravings??? You are not alone.  This is hands down, the greatest complaint we hear from clients, and admittedly something I have battled myself. It helps to understand that, cravings are different from hunger.  Hunger starts in our stomach and is our bodies’ true physiological request for nourishment.  Uncomfortable feelings such […]