I’ve been getting a lot of questions about the difference between plant-based and vegan eating, so I wanted to write a quick little post to explain it all!
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#30before30: balancing self-love with health and fitness
I’ve been thinking a lot over the past two weeks about the thorny balance between self-love and resolutions involving health and fitness. I actually planned to write a big post about this last Wednesday and then I just couldn’t find the right words, hence the very late and rambling post today!
This is such a personal topic to me because I struggled hard to find this balance throughout my twenties. I went back and forth through various phases of following strict diet and exercise plans and getting super-fit; to feeling defeated by punishing programs and vowing to love myself more and not hate my body; and then right back to square one. Things didn’t really crystallize for me until very recently, when I started to understand how self-love, self-care and personal health are all connected.
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#30before30: Making better New Year’s resolutions (aka, the Kaizen approach)
Happy New Year everyone! I can’t believe it’s already 2019; it seems like 2018 flew by way too fast. With the New Year in mind, I thought this week for my #30before30 post I’d dip into the topic of New Year’s resolutions—what hasn’t worked for me in the past, and how I plan to get it right this year. -
Giveaway: Naked Nutrition protein powder
(Disclosure: this post is sponsored by Naked Nutrition.)
Happy Monday everybody! How’s this for some #MondayMotivation: a giveaway for your choice of protein powder from Naked Nutrition!
Naked Nutrition crafts protein powders with no unnecessary additives like extra sugar, coloring, or other extra junk. The result is a stripped-down product perfect for mixing into smoothies, mixing into baked goods, or adding to other healthy recipes. Naked Nutrition also offers a variety of protein powders to suit your preference including fully vegan pea, rice, and peanut butter proteins, so you can choose the protein source best suited to your lifestyle.
Now that summer is here and I’m more active—heading to the beach, hiking, or just running errands around town on my bike—I’m trying to be more mindful about what I’m eating. Mixing protein powder into a smoothie or baking it into breakfast cookies helps me ensure I’m fueling up with a healthy snack, even if I don’t have a lot of time to eat. The lean protein supports my muscles through all of those summer activities (and let’s face it, I need the help after a long winter spent indoors doing much lower-impact workouts!). Plus, it helps keep me satisfied so I’m not tempted to nosh on unhealthy treats while I’m on the go.
Check out Naked Nutrition on Instagram and Twitter, then enter below to win your choice of one of their protein powders. The giveaway is open to U.S. residents through next Monday, May 28th, and the winner will be notified by June 1st. Good luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Old ends and new beginnings
I posted this quote on my Instagram almost two years ago, at the start of 2016. 2015 had been a very rough year for me, the latest in a string of ups and downs that had left me physically and emotionally battered. I was extremely unhappy with my life but with the start of a new year, I was determined to change everything for the better. I had big plans for new beginnings in my career, my relationships, and my fitness goals. 2016 was going to be my year. I was going to OWN THIS!
Boy, was I in for a rude shock.
2016 turned out to be the year my life fell apart in every way. None of it was truly sudden; looking back with honesty, everything that happened was a long time in coming and some of it was much needed. But it didn’t feel like it at the time. By the end of the year I was absolutely miserable in my job, I was broke, my house was flooded, my marriage had dissolved, and one of my best friends was no longer speaking to me. Stress was making it difficult to stay healthy and so I pretty much felt like garbage 24/7. I thought I had had some all-time lows before, but this was the worst. For the first time in my adult life I didn’t even decorate for Christmas. As the year ended and 2017 rolled around, the last thing I felt like doing was posting positive quotes; I had been dealt so many blows at once that I didn’t see how I was supposed to put my life back together and get to a better place, and I was too overwhelmed to even think positively.