A Gluten-Free Blogger Spills Her Snacking Secrets
What is your day but a series of moments? It's the little decisions you make along your way that add up to a balanced life. Evolution Fresh® launched their #MySmallSip initiative to spark small, healthy daily choices we each make to better our lives. With the second annual National Green Juice Day on January 26, 2017, what better way to celebrate than to share the healthy habits of some of our community members? Read on for wellness inspiration you can incorporate into your own life.
"Oh you're gluten free, so that means you're super healthy, right?" Not necessarily. Yes, gluten-free living forces me to say no to the late-night pizza my friends are eating or that extra piece of cake sitting in my parents' refrigerator, but healthy is more than just the food we eat—it's a way of life!
I'm proud to say I maintain a healthy lifestyle by doing little things every day and taking #MySmallSip steps that are simple and easy to follow. Wellness is and should be accessible to everyone regardless of budget, location, or free time.
Morning:
- Start with breakfast. Mornings are the first part of the day, and in my opinion, the most important. Upon waking up, people sometimes skip breakfast to avoid the morning calories or because they are simply "not hungry." Skipping breakfast is the worst thing you can do. Breakfast kick-starts your metabolism, which gives you energy and helps you burn calories throughout the day. And don't just eat any breakfast. I always aim to have a bit of protein, whether it's in the form of almond butter on a banana or a trail mix of nuts.
- Get moving. After a hearty breakfast, I like to exercise. Exercising early structures my day, and a healthy start to the morning gives me momentum to continue to make healthy choices. It doesn't matter what the workout is either! It could be hitting the gym, taking a fitness or yoga class, or simply going out for a walk.
Afternoon:
- Snack smart. Afternoons can be the toughest time of day to stay healthy, especially when your work or school boredom sets in. It's important to snack smart. I typically drink an Evolution Fresh juice (Smooth Greens & Kale to be exact) for a perfect healthy snack to hold me over. It's a great way to incorporate more greens—in fact, each bottle contains over a serving of veggies! Today is extra special because it's #NationalGreenJuiceDay (January 26th—didn't you know?!). I'll raise a glass of juice—from Evolution Fresh, of course—to that.
- Walk it off. Every late afternoon I walk for one hour, even if my morning workout was a walk. When I lived in New York City I walked everywhere. I now spend most of my time in LA, the city of driving. Walking is a great way to clear my head and turn off from technology and social media.
Evening:
- Clear your head. Isn't it crazy how quickly a day can fly by? Sometimes I feel like there are never enough hours! My head is often spinning at night with all the things I still have to do, in addition to all of the new things I'll have to do the next day. To combat this, before I go to bed I write down all of these thoughts and "to-do's." That way I don't wake up in the middle of the night thinking about it. And when I wake up in the morning, I don't feel anxious trying to think of everything that needs to be accomplished; I simply check my list.
- Sleep deep. Whereas some people aim for six to eight hours of sleep a night, I aim for nine. This is the most important one of #MySmallSips. If you know you have to be awake at 8 a.m., structure your day so that you go to sleep by 11 p.m. Sleep is so important for your physical and mental health, and lack of sleep can affect your daytime functioning and overall wellness!
As you can see, wellness relates to way more than the nutrition of the food we eat; it's how and when we eat, our positive outlook, and how we treat our body as a whole. If now is the time for you to begin your wellness journey, take a shot at it—one #MySmallSip at a time.