 Almost three weeks ago I decided to give Whole30 a go. At the beginning of February I was hospitalized for a partial bowel obstruction that was most likely caused by months of indulging in holiday treats that I am intolerant to… What can I say, I love bread! This was kind of a big wake up call, encouraging me to go back to eating clean, non-inflammatory foods. I’ve heard people speak wonders of how doing Whole30 helped “reset” their digestive system and at the end of the month they were no longer intolerant to certain foods (what I wouldn’t give to be able to eat gluten, dairy, popcorn, and hummus again!). So of course I was like “Heck yes, let’s do this!”
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 I went to a yoga class last week for breast cancer awareness. This woman, who I had seen KILLING IT at every yoga class, spoke at the beginning of class about her journey with breast cancer. And this event is what inspired me to write this. She told us how she learned self love from battling this awful illness. And you know what she didn’t say? She didn’t say how she learned to love her lack of hair from treatment or how she learned to love her body even though it was trying to kill her. She spoke of learning how to take care of herself and become stronger during one of the toughest times of her life. I saw this whole new confidence in her that I haven’t seen in many people. It was a self love that was not about vanity or self obsession, but about being the best version of herself that she could possibly, in more ways than just physical. I hope I never forget this woman and what she taught me from only one encounter.
 With summer comes much more free time, and with more free time comes more food cravings, more TV watching, and late nights and daytime sleepiness. I’ve had some minor setbacks in my health journey, nothing big, but my summer life is helping me to relearn some things about how my body functions. The most important thing I’m trying to teach myself is to better listen to my body. Eat when you are hungry. Sleep when you are tired. Relax when you are overwhelmed. Life is not about perfection, but joy and growth. I lost focus of a lot of things as summer hit, so right now I am trying to get back on track and just do things in a healthier, more mindful way.
 As summer approaches we start to see all of these videos, blogs, and ads about getting in shape quickly and getting a bikini body. First, why is this special to summer? Shouldn’t we want to be fit and healthy all year round? Second, what in the actual heck is so special about a bikini body? I want a functional body, and I sure as hell can’t move the way I want to in a bikini. And seriously, if the shoe fits… freaking wear it! In my book, summer is about having freedom to do what you want (and wear what you want, but really that’s not the point of this blog), without the restriction of school or weather. BUT, to be able to do what you want during the summer, your body must be able to work properly and allow you to stay out all day and night, going hiking, road tripping to the beach with friends, and not spending the whole season stuck on the couch without the energy to walk to the farmer’s market. It honestly doesn’t take much to give your body the extra energy, and your mind the extra confidence it needs to do everything on your summer bucket list. Now, I am by no means an expert, but I know first hand what it’s like to feel like crap, and these are some ways I help my body feel better. So here’s to feeling good and making the most of the sunniest season of the year!
 Now more than ever, as we face a future where the climate of our planet will get worse and worse, everyone needs to start contributing to the well being of our world. Humans are selfish. It’s a fact. The other day, I was driving down a highway when the car in front of me threw a hamburger wrapper out their car window. I was shocked at this entitlement I saw. Could this person not wait until they got home or stopped for gas and emptied their trash the appropriate way? Instead, the wrapper will sit on the side of the road until an animal comes for it or a kinder human walks along to pick up all the other trash that litters the streets. We may live here, but this planet is not ours. We share this planet with many other species, and if we aren’t kind to the earth, it will not be kind in return. And it’s not that hard. There are many easy ways to live a sustainable lifestyle that have a larger impact than keeping a recycling bin under the sink.
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