Hey fellow frozen Bostonians! I hope you’re all surviving this crazy snowy winter we’ve been having. As someone who has always lived in a cold/snowy place, I am a firm believer that everyone should have at least one fun activity to look forward to in the winter. Here are my favorite ways to stay active in the winter, both indoors and outdoors. We have all this snow–let’s get out there and enjoy it!!

Ice skating

If you haven’t gone ice skating since you were a kid, now is the time to give it a second try. There are tons of places to check out in the city, many of which are cheap or free. So skip the touristy frog pond and give them a go! We love the Kelly Rink in Jamaica Plain (free skating and $2 rentals) and you can check out this list from mass.gov for other ideas.

Downhill skiing

I’m actually a born and bred cross-country skier (varsity high school team captain–yes, competitive x-c skiing is a thing), but J is a huge snowboarder and I have really come to love downhill skiing over the past few years. It’s definitely a pricey hobby, but if you keep an eye on liftopia you can get some good deals. Plus, if you’re a student, the multi-mountain passes are super affordable! We got this one, but there are a bunch more out there.

Nordic skiing

If downhill isn’t your thing, which I totally get, absolutely consider giving x-c (or nordic) skiing a try.

It’s a low-impact, super effective aerobic workout and a wonderful way to get outside with family and friends. I highly recommend taking a lesson at the fabulous Weston Ski Track or checking out the conservation land in Lincoln if you have your own equipment. If you’re able to venture a bit further afield, Windblown in New Ipswich, NH is a great option.

Winter hiking

I actually tried this for my first time this year and surprisingly really loved it! J and I went up Mt. Avalon and Field earlier this season and the views were just spectacular. Make sure you’ve got the right gear for this–warm boots with traction, poles, and lots of layers are a must.

This might be a better bet when there isn’t quite as much snow, but it’s a wonderful way to take in some of the best mountain views in New England without all those pesky leaves getting in the way.

Hot yoga

Ok, ok–I get it that not everyone sees the snow and immediately wants to run outside and and play in it. Winter is also a fantastic time to try out a new indoor fitness activity! Over my break from school, I check out Corepower Yoga’s new studio on Comm Ave in Allston. I was stoked to try YogaSculpt for the first time–it’s a fast-paced, heated class that combines free weights with a vinyasa flow. The classes kicked.my.butt. I definitely don’t put this in the category of healing, grounding yoga practice, but it was really fun to try something new. Plus, the first week is free!

Flying trapeze

While we’re talking indoor activities, I’m going to get about as epic as as it gets and tell you about my first class at Trapeze School New York’s new Boston location. I’m a little bit of an adrenaline junkie, and I was stoked to take my second TSNY class close to home. My friend S and I had a wonderful time learning a knee hang and getting to practice doing a catch! Also, turns out dangling from a flying trapeze is a pretty intense upper body workout–I could barely move my arms the next day. The instructors are super professional and reassuring (as is the harness), so I highly recommend giving flying a try 🙂

How do you get out and get moving in the winter? (Shoveling your car out doesn’t count–that’s not fun for anyone. Ohh #bosnow…)

Leah

The hardest moments for a Celiac are the ones when we can’t control our own food prep. You usually read about this in terms of travel, eating at restaurants, or eating at other peoples’ homes. But here’s something most of us do every day and don’t talk about: we go to work. And we eat at work.

I have navigated my way through plenty of 9-5 office jobs and learned some lessons along the way. Here are my two cents on how to stay safe, happy, and healthy at the office:

Speak up, early and often: I’ve written about this before, but I don’t like to make a big deal about my food needs–especially with people I don’t know well. However, I’ve realized your best bet in an office environment is to let your colleagues know super early on that you have a food allergy. Food is a huge part of office culture–from birthday cakes to bagel Fridays to holiday treats, it’s hard to escape gluten at work. If you communicate your needs up front, your coworkers will be able to cater to them or at least be aware of them from the get-go.

Talk to the right people: We gluten free folk ALWAYS need to be cautious and take care of ourselves! Even if you mention things up front, your boss probably won’t remember to tell event and retreat organizers about your food needs. So be polite and courteous, but don’t be afraid to request a special meal or ask what’s on the menu. You may need to bring your own food, but at least you’ll know ahead of time!

BYO food: This one actually extends beyond just food–I keep a set of my own utensils, sponges, mugs, and bowls at my desk–along with a dish towel and a roll of tin foil. I usually bring my breakfast and lunch with me in tupperware containers, but it’s super nice to be able to warm things up in a mug or bowl, which you know you’ll then be able to wash safely. Plus, this lets me be green AND have a happy tummy 🙂

Ask questions: Sometimes the most well-meaning coworkers make the silliest mistakes. Don’t be embarrassed to ask questions–people have no idea how tricky it can be to avoid gluten! You are your own best advocate, and you’re doing a solid for the rest of us by spreading the good gluten free word.

Find a friend: While you won’t always be this lucky, eating gluten free is SO much more fun when you’re not the only one! I don’t work with any other gf folks at my current job, but I have had the most wonderful fellow gluten free coworkers in my time (hi Lex, Rina, and Kaitlin!)

Band together and you might even get your HR department to have gluten free cookies at staff meetings! #winning

I hope these tips are helpful! How do you deal with gluten or other food issues at work? Shout out your comments below!

Leah

There are several reasons I decided to start this blog. First and foremost, I get a ton of questions about being gluten free. Sometimes they’re related to which ingredients are/aren’t ok, sometimes it’s an overall curiosity because a friend/family member just got diagnosed, or sometimes people want to be able to bring a gf-friendly item to a party (you people are awesome, btw). The blog posts were basically writing themselves in the form of emails I kept sending and resending. So I figured, why not formalize this thing?

I’m also very, very familiar the number of gluten free food blogs that are already out there. If you want to make a gf version of your favorite baked good, type that into google or Pinterest and you’ll be stunned with how many gorgeous photos and fantastic recipes you come up with. What you won’t find a ton of, however, are real-life down-and-dirty accounts of just how plain hard it is to balance a gf lifestyle with other stuff. Just the usual: a demanding job, grad school, a tight budget, an exercise schedule, a social life, and a relationship. Phew! I’m super inspired by my voracious blog reading, and wanted to add my voice to the handful of awesome folks doing the same. I hope to be able to make the path towards a healthy, happy, gluten free Boston lifestyle a little bit easier for everyone out there. In that vein, I’m going to kick off a mini series sharing my favorite blogs, bloggers, and the recipes I’ve discovered in the blogosphere. Today I’m going to start with my top gluten friendly blogs–they’re not 100% gf, but they’re really wonderful and highly recommended. More to come in this series soon!

Chocolate Covered Katie

Katie is one of the most prolific bloggers out there–and you’ve got to hand it to her, her recipes are amazing. She specializes in “healthy” desserts, but branches out into breakfast and other meals too. I was officially a convert when I first made her chickpea blondies–which have a whole can of chickpeas in them and actually taste good! Give them a whirl and don’t tell your family they’re healthy–they’ll never know 😉

Chocolate and Carrots

Caroline is a master baker–her treats always look like they came out of a professional bakery. While her blog isn’t specifically gluten free, she makes a number of gluten friendly recipes that run the gamut from mains to desserts to smoothies. She has some great little tutorials, too, on things like tempering chocolate and decorating cupcakes. Don’t miss her cookie dough truffles!

Kath Eats Real Food

Full disclosure: this is actually a blog I stopped following recently. It felt like it was veering more towards a baby blog than what I’m interested in. However, Kath is a registered dietitian and her site is a treasure trove of wonderful breakfast recipes. She and I share a mutual obsession with oats, and I discovered both baked and overnight oats through her blog. I ate this baked pumpkin oatmeal every. single. morning. for about two straight months this fall. #sorrynotsorry

Pinch of Yum

I have definitely plugged Lindsay’s blog before, and I’ll do it again–this lady does it all. Gorgeous photography, unique and tasty recipes, and a silly, irreverent tone you can’t help but love. A friend recently told me Lindsay writes the way that I speak–what a compliment!! But seriously, Pinch of Yum is the gold standard. The recipes aren’t specifically GF but many are easily adaptable. Don’t miss her spicy peanut chicken soba noodle salad (sub in rice noodles!)

OSG

Oh She Glows is another really popular (for good reason), top notch food blog. It’s actually vegan, which is usually not my thing, but dang can Angela make vegan food look friggin delish! Her recipes are very gf friendly and relatively simple–no crazy ingredients or epically complicated recipes up in here! On the same note about my love for oatmeal, her carrot cake oatmeal is as heavenly as the title says. Can’t wait to dive into this lady’s cookbook ASAP!

Hope this post was helpful! What are you favorite gluten friendly blogs to follow?