​As I always say, there is more to being healthy than being physically fit. It also encompasses your mental and emotional well-being. They are interconnected.

In Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before?, Dr, Julie Smith helps us understand our minds and shares tools for coping with our emotions. As a fitness competitor, the chapter on motivation is key! I've always said doing something is better than doing nothing. Dr. Smith adds a helpful practice of reflection on your experiences and how you responded to them. As she says, "You cannot change what you cannot make sense of."

She also tackles topics such as grief, self doubt, fear, and stress. If you are human, you can benefit from the wisdom in the book, gleaned over many years as a clinical psychologist and therapist.

One of my friends has started reading this with her 10 year old son. Now how about adding this to every child's required reading list?!

Make your salads in bulk. I make 4 with different dressings. Toast your seeds or nuts with some spices like chili lime or use the crunchy chick peas recipe here. Don't put the dressing or seeds in right away. Put them into a separate container and add them when you are ready to eat. 

For smoothies, I make 5 servings in my vitamixer and them put into jars. My go-to recipe is 5 cups coconut water, 5 cups spinach or kale, chia seeds, 5 scoops of protein or collagen powder, and 3 cups of berries or 2 bananas. Blend and let settle for 10 minute before separating them into 5 containers.