About me

Hi My name is Karen Kwan, and I write this blog.

And I confess: I’m not a health or fitness nut. What I do believe in is having healthy overall balance to one’s life. That’s where the “swellness” comes into play.

See, not that long ago, my exercise regime added up to zilch. I’d grown up in Montreal taking dance for many years but since moving to Toronto about a  decade ago and working full-time—I became a couch potato. Sure, I took the occasional yoga class but that was about it. Being naturally thin was enough for me, as much as I’m embarrassed to admit that. Nowadays, though, I run several times a week, do a yoga class at least weekly and, yes, have this blog, which focuses in part on fitness.

What brought about this turnaround?

Up until Fall 2009, I was working as the health and lifestyle editor at Flare. When I got the gig, I figured I should at least attempt to practice what I preach. So I took the Nike+ iPod system I’d received to test out and registered for a Learn to Run clinic. And what they say about running is true: it is addictive. I’ve run several half-marathons since that very first clinic, during which I huffed and puffed my way through running one minute straight.

That said, fitness is something I work at; I don’t generally love the actual “doing”, but I do appreciate certain elements of it (say, for example, being outdoors). And I think a lot of us have this love-hate relationship when it comes to staying fit. And if you can relate, well, then this blog is hopefully something you’ll learn from and love.

As for my eating habits, I am lucky as I am blessed with having inherited good metabolism. I do cook from scratch most nights and consider my diet fairly well balanced. As you’ll soon learn, I love eating and enjoying food way too much to deny myself certain pleasures, whether it’s devouring a poutine every two months or so, or a McDonald’s Sausage McMuffin breakfast. And I don’t really think of them as guilty pleasures, because I don’t feel guilty about them–they’re the occasional treat and I don’t overindulge. That said, lately I do find myself making an effort to eat more veggies and to get some essential fatty acids by more frequently having salmon for dinner, for example.

So my goal is to share everything from interesting health news and fun workouts to healthy (but yummy) dishes and new high-tech gear to help you live a healthier lifestyle.

But more than just tidbits on how to get more antioxidants into your diet, I think it’s important to seek out things that make you happy. Whether it’s a pretty new lip gloss, a fantastic movie or discovering great little brunch spots and boutiques while visiting another city. And so I share the swellness I come across as a writer and editor (and, of course, as a regular girl about town) and I hope it will make your life more swell, too.

If you’d like to send me an email, my address is healthandswellness@gmail.com.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Karen xo