New Healthy Living and Learning Center Offering Workshops

Have you have ever wished you could get fresh vegetables and a yoga class from the same establishment? A new wellness center, Center for Healthy Living and Learning, located on Meadowbrook Farm, could make that wish come true.

The center includes a farm and gardening stand called The Fat Moon, and this fall both establishments will offer classes and events for the entire family.

Proprietor Elizabeth Almeida moved to Massachusetts from Cleveland, Ohio in May, and when she landed here, she decided that, rather than look for a job; she would open her own business.

Back in Cleveland she worked at a retreat center that offered wellness education. And she wanted to continue that work.

“I grew up on a farm,” she said. “And I’m really passionate about everything related to healthy living and holistic living.”

Almeida believes that living a healthful life requires a holistic approach. Her business sews together all elements that fascinate her: cooking, eating, physical fitness, counseling and meditation.

“There’s not one simple answer to wellness,” she said.

The classes and programs offered, both at the farm, and through her center, will educate participants on several facets:

• Food and nutrition: “Fit Foodie” and nurse Denise Costello will teach workshop participants on the “Flexitarian Diet.” 

Flexitarianism encourages people to eat less meat and more plant-based foods. In the class "Flexitarian Diet: Transitioning to a Plant-Based Diet", Costellointroduces participants to the diet and instruct them on how to transition away from animal proteins.

She heads up the class "Flexitarian Diet for Kids", an instruction seminar for parents on how to create kid-friendly food within the flexitarian diet guidelines and discussing benefits and concerns. These workshops will include recipes, vegetables and samples. 

• Exercise and physical awareness: The center will offer two workshops: A Chi Running Workshop combines running techniques with elements from tai chi and body alignment to influence posture in order to make running effortless and injury-free.

The other offering, Total Immersion Swimming, also puts focus on alignment and posture. 

“It’s about getting more efficient and creating less resistance as you are gliding through the water,” Almeida said. “The goal in both of these techniques is to help you develop a practice that you can do for life.”

• Gardening: The center is running a workshop on composting on September 22, from 6:30-8:00 p.m. and a four-week Kids CSA, in which families will grow, care for and harvest vegetables.

They will take home the foods they harvest as well as accompanying recipes.

• Creating community: Fat Moon now hosts free monthly picnics, on, or near, the full moon: families bring picnic baskets, eat, play and watch the moonrise.

It also hosts free Friday morning play dates from 9:30 -11:00 a.m. in which kids and parents come and hang out at the farm and play in the garden.

In October the farm will host Saturday morning pick-your-own pumpkin and squash educational programs.

“The families that have been coming, really enjoy being able to be outside with their kids in a relaxed atmosphere,” Almeida said. “Two weeks ago we had a couple of families there and the four-year olds were sampling lettuce out of the garden. One boy asked me for another green pepper. His mother and I were laughing. I didn’t have many, but I said to the mother, ‘it’s hard to say no when a four-year old is asking for another green pepper.’”

Ultimately, Almeida wants to create a center where people can come and stay overnight to immerse themselves in healthy living: food, exercise, yoga, meditation and or just to simply be.