Live like a runner and live life more simply.

Wake up. Be brave. Repeat.® 

This is my famous saying about life - everything in life as a matter of fact.  It's simple, yet powerful when you learn how to live more like it.  As a vegan runner for many years, I have learned a lot about life from lacing up my running shoes and hitting the dirt, pavement, or mountains.   I run because it's a clear path to healing, clarity and peace.  I run to explore. I run to breath the fresh, mountain air.  I run because life becomes a little more vibrant and a little more carefree.  

Today, there seems to be more stress and pressure in our everyday lives.  We have "more stuff", we "need" to be someone we are not, emails never end, social media is everywhere, and the small things in life that were once care-free are now becoming more like tasks. When we really look at ourselves, we are our own worst critic.  We allow these outside distractions to be in control and the simple things that were enjoyed so freely become lost.  Take some time to really think about your life and what matters most.  Learn what makes you feel free and unstressed.  Let go of being perfect - it's refreshing.  Here are some powerful takeaways I've learn from running that will give you positive energy and guidance to live life more simply.  

• Learn how to be comfortable being UNcomfortable
  
• To be great at anything, you have to risk failing terribly at it
  
• Fuel and nourish your health...everyday
• Eat to live
• Appreciate who your are
• You cannot give 100%, 100% of the time
  
• No matter how hard you work and how prepared you are, disappointments will happen
  
• You cannot reach the finish line unless you start
  
• Anything worth doing is NEVER easy, no matter how long you have been doing it
• Free yourself and allow yourself to be imperfect more often
• Wake up. Be brave. Repeat.® 

“What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.” ~Henry David Thoreau

Nutrition Tips to Kickstart a Healthier Life

Start paying more attention to what you are putting into your body. Take the time to plan ahead and build your meals around whole, plant-based foods that are minimally-processed and free of artificial ingredients, added sugars and common allergens. By taking these steps, your body can digest what you've eaten more efficiently and it can use the energy + nutrients it delivers faster and more successfully.  This is called high, net-gain nutrition. Foods that are easy to digest and contain the greatest amount of each micronutrient per calorie.  These foods now become functional tools to support your overall health and wellness.

Start with a new routine in the morning - eat breakfast. Eating a plant-based, whole food, nutrient-dense breakfast is important for numerous reasons because it influences pretty much every dimension of our well-being during the course of a day.  This includes how we perform physically and mentally. Breakfast immediately raises our body’s energy level and restores the blood glucose level to normal after an overnight fast. It also raises the muscle and liver glycogen stores.  Eat something that includes protein, complex carbs and healthy fat.  So many people run for their coffee cup, but this is actually detrimental since caffeine raises cortisol.   Here are two nutrient-dense, plant-based power breakfasts that are easy to make.  Enjoy!

Coconut Hemp Toast

Coconut Oil
Hemp Seeds - 2 tablespoons
Ezekiel Bread
Cinnamon
Stevia (optional)

1. Toast bread
   
2. Spread with coconut oil
   
3. Spread hemps seeds evenly
   
4. Sprinkle with ground cinnamon
   
5. Sprinkle a little stevia if desired

Hemp Chia Oatmeal

Hemp Seeds (1-2 tablespoons)
Ground Chia Seeds (1-2 tablespoons)
Coconut Oil (1-2 teaspoons)
Organic, gluten free oats
Cinnamon
Stevia

1. Cook oatmeal
   
2. Add coconut oil until melted, stir well
   
3. Add ground cinnamon and stevia, stir
4. Stir in hemp and chia seeds

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FYI NUTRITION STATS:
Hemp Seeds: complete protein
Chia Seeds: complete protein
Cinnamon: helps regulate blood sugar naturally
Coconut Oil: superfood with healthy, unique combination of fatty acids
High Net-gain Nutrition: minimized stress, more energy and better quality of sleep. Cravings diminish as you are nourishing your body with what it naturally craves - nutrients.

FYI RUNNING STAT:
In a study first published in the Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise journal, researchers demonstrated running could create a 37 percent reduction in anxiety as measured by the Profile of Mood States (POMS) scale.
-"What If Everybody Ran? An Investigation into the Potential Impact of a National Running Movement"

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