The Queen Bee and Her Hive

I am not sure from my desire to dip my toe into bee keeping came. I adore fresh honey and always have, the health benefits are endless and bee keepers are such caregivers to gentle honeybees.  But there must be more to my desire.   Is it the undertaker bees I am so obsessed with or the unknown way the hierarchy is designated? Maybe it’s that the colony is 90 percent female?  Or could it be that antiobiotcs first came from honeybees?  This colony is here to do one thing and one thing only : to  service and care for the Queen.  How this Queen has come to be no one will ever know.  I found out this week my queen has survived and I got so excited. As my client Amy says “Now I know why Beyonce calls herself Queen B.”

This adventure has only begun.  This first week has been a honeymoon period.  Our queen has survived.  We have fed the bees their second round of sugar water and have watched come in and out of their home to eat.  The queen’s workers have delivered her pollen pouches to feed her and her male workers have done the due diligence and have died after impregnating her.  They have then been brought to pasture by the female undertakers.  Now we wait. We hope they continue to thrive, survive, produce enough honey for themselves and hopefully enough for us. I will keep you informed!

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The worst kept secret…and how I deal with (hint: The Balanced Plate)

I am a Registered Dietician (RD) who can’t cook…and doesn’t like to cook. Actually, I am a mess in the kitchen. I am lost in the kitchen and honestly, I do not want to be in the kitchen.  

Now, I love to clean the kitchen. Cleaning keeps me moving and busy; it brings order.

But…then I met RD Catherine Staffieiri, who has teamed up with Chef Adelaide Mueller of The Balanced Plate. These two women have come up with the most entertaining way to breakdown healthy eating in your own home. They walk you through how to plan, cook and design healthful eating in YOUR OWN KITCHEN!!!! HELLOOOOOOO?????  

They do this in small cooking classes of 4-8 people, where they coordinate equipment, menu, ingredients, set up and clean up. They provide you with nutritional info and recipes along with cooking skills. Any nutrition questions are answered on the spot. Plus they are really fun, super cool and easy to be around. You may even invite them over to hang out.  

Staffieiri and Mueller have taught me how to chop and cook (just a little because this RD needs some help). We created a cocktail with local vodka Cyliner (see my Instagram feed please). Next month, they are going to work with me to to prep my box from Mike’s Organic Delivery and transform fresh ingredients into amazing dishes because I just cannot do this alone.  Come back for more in June!

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Meet the Wellness Team at EC Wellness

You’ve heard it before: “It takes a village.” Keeping me strong, healthy, pain free and happy means incorporating a slew of wellness practices and I am not kidding, some regularly, and some monthly or quarterly. When I opened EC Wellness seven years ago, I dreamed of a place that I could offer services to people that complimented one another and help people feel their best.  

Pilates, functional training and myofascial release are the foundation of EC Wellness, the three components that keep my body in check. I believe that every one should have access to all three disciplines, which is why we are under one roof. While Pilates helps to align the body, focusing on the Pilates powerhouse and small muscle groups, functional training helps to challenge  the body in bigger dynamic movements. Myofascial Release helps free any restrictions within tissue structures of the body through specialized bracing patterns. 

Our team of specialists include Erica Christ, Owner EC Wellness, Pilates Instructor; Rich Becker, Functional Training expert ; Erica Atkins-Pilla, Myofacial Release and Massage Therapist; and Daniela Mendes-Ferreira, Pilates Instructor. We all work together to help clients progress toward individual goals. While we are all separate businesses, we encourage clients to try each one of our services when necessary. We do not benefit financially from referring to one another, but rather we believe in each other and what we do. In fact, we train each other, work on each other and genuinely like each other.  We are basically the luckiest providers on the planet. 

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What Wellness Means To Me (spoiler alert: attention without distraction)

You found me! Welcome to my blog! My name is Erica Christ and I am the founder and owner of EC Wellness in Port Chester, NY. Seven years ago, when I first opened my studio, I wanted to offer clients the ultimate private Pilates experience: focus and detailed attention without distraction. It turned out, this mantra evolved into much more. My space quickly became a place for clients to learn about wellness and what it actually means.

For the past 20 years, I have lived and breathed wellness and love to share what I have learned and experienced. My passion goes beyond nutrition and fitness. To me, wellness is an active process of awareness and making choices toward a healthy and fulfilling life. It is a process of change and growth. This state of complete physical, mental and social well-being motivates me.

Creating this blog is just another way for me to connect and you to learn. (Side note: This is something I have wanted to create for years and I am so proud to have finally been able to kick off EricaChrist.com with everyone!)

I digress. Of course, movement and Pilates is my passion. Pilates has saved me from injury; makes me strong and flexible; and keeps me sane and happy. Teaching gives me a sense of focus that relaxes me like nothing else and is a gift. I emphasize here that Pilates is for everyone, no matter your (perceived) ability, age, gender (40% of my clients are men!) or physical state. I welcome you to my studio, so I can give you the attention you deserve without distraction.

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