One Year Veganniversary! (What, When, Why and How)

It's my one year anniversary of being VEGAN and I am SO happy!

"Never, never be afraid to do what's right, especially if the well-being of a person or animal is at stake.  Society's punishments are small compared to the wounds we inflict on our soul when we look the other way." - Martin Luther King, Jr.

WHAT:  The celebration of one entire year of learning and experiencing being vegan!
WHEN:  August 4, 2016 - August 4, 2017 (to infinity and beyond!)
WHY:  For EVERYTHING - to aid in ending the suffering of innocent animals, to help make less of an impact on our already overburdened, beautiful planet and to find myself eating healthier and feeling better (both emotionally, physically and spiritually)
HOW:  By making more thoughtful and meaningful choices when I am choosing and purchasing food/items that I use every day in my home and in my life.  Also, to learn as much as I can about living a vegan lifestyle so that I can clearly, peacefully and intelligently take action in my life to help end the suffering of animals, our planet and ourselves.

"Do the best you can until you know better.  Then when you know better, you do better." 

- Maya Angelou

CHALLENGES that I faced this year:

1. Figuring out what to eat and finding easy recipes that I could make every day.
2. Trying not to let the comments of my family and friends bother me while I worked out how I was going to change my eating habits and other daily choices.
3. Realizing that so many toiletries and beauty products test on animals or have animal products in them.  (This was almost more difficult than changing my food!)
4. Deciding what to eat when dining out (ahhh...the stress!) and dealing with the reactions of family and friends when I was dining with them.
5. Learning to show myself love and kindness on my journey for love and kindness to animals.

HELPFUL ACTIVITIES as I transitioned to being vegan:

1.  Watching videos!

• Vegan-centered videos on Netflix, Hulu and YouTube kept me motivated.  My suggestion is to watch in this order - 101 Reasons to go Vegan, James Asprey's video, Vegucated, What the Health, Forks Over Knives, Plant Pure Nation, Cowspiracy, Terra and then Earthlings.  Re-watch as often as possible to keep you inspired.

• Inspiring and helpful vegan lifestyle channels that I highly recommend subscribing to - World of Vegan, Vegan Outreach, Pick Up Limes, Kate Flowers, Sustainably Vegan.

• Super fun videos on vegan beauty (if you're into that!) will cheer you up and make you feel like you have a new friend to share beauty tips and secrets with - plus these YouTubers just seem like fantastic people, too -  Sunny of Vegan Beauty Review, Rhian HY of WifeLife and Tashina of Logical Harmony.

• Vegan cooking/recipe videos are extremely helpful in finding new foods and dishes that you might like to eat.  I sometimes find that videos are much easier to follow than written recipes (plus, it's a treat to watch them!), so I subscribe to these fantastic channels - Minimalist Baker, Edgy Veg, and Hot for Food; as well as the channels stated above, which also have great recipes, too.

2.  Following Vegans on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest!  Join some groups!

• Seeing daily, positive vegan content really made a big impact on me this year.  Sometimes, just seeing a post from someone who was experiencing a similar issue I was or found a great new product to use (or food to try!) was what kept me going.  I'm going to list my favorite social media pages/people, but there are so many out there, you'll just have to discover the person or group that inspires YOU! :D

• Social Media that I recommend -  The Comforting Vegan, Vegan Outreach, Bosh, World of Vegan, Mercy for Animals, Vegan Food Videos, Minimalist Baker, Edgy Veg, Pick Up Limes, Vegan Food & Living, VegNews, Farm Sanctuary, Cruelty-Free Living, Kris Carr, Main Street Vegan, Go Vegan, I love Vegan, Your Daily Vegan, Vegan Humor, VeganFacts.org, Cruelty Free Kitty, Logical Harmony, Vegan Beauty Review, Vegansaurus, Happy Herbivore, Oh She Glows, Elephantastic Vegan, One Green Planet, Chocolate Covered Katie, Rhian HY/wifelife, Vegan.com, Happy Cow, Vegan Cuts...there are so many more, but these are suggestions to start with. 

• Follow me on Pinterest and Instagram!  Or at least find out who I follow and see if you want to follow them, too!  I'd love to follow you in return :D

• Get a Mentor from Vegan Outreach - I was so glad that I reached out to do this.  Vegan Outreach found someone who lived within 20 minutes of my house and it was such a treat to get together for tea and talking.  It was a great experience and it's really nice to know there is someone around to give me advice and offer support when needed!

3.  Reading many books!

• My favorite books to read this year have been - Main Street Vegan, Good Karma Diet, 30 Day Vegan Challenge, Vegan's Daily Companion, The China Study, The Ultimate Vegan Guide, The Vegan Way, How to be Vegan, Vegan for Life, Becoming Vegan, Skinny Bitch, The Kind Diet, Eat Vegan on $4 a Day and Vegan Cheat Sheet.

• My favorite vegan cookbooks are - Oh, She Glows, Happy Herbivore, Forks Over Knives, Dr. McDougalls Program for Maximum Weight Loss, Vegan Instant Pot Cookbook, Vegan on the Cheap and Homemade Vegan Pantry.

4.  Spending time in nature and with animals!

• I'm not really an outdoors type of person (I am more of a snuggle-up-inside-the-house bookworm), but I love walking on our local rail trail, going to the beach and looking after my small garden and rose bushes.  Every time I take a few minutes to spend time outside or go for a walk around the neighborhood, I'm happier, more grounded and feel less stressed.  Definitely try and make time for nature to soothe or energize each day.

5.  Receiving lots of hugs from family and friends! (if you like that sort of thing...lol)

• This is essential for me, but if you're not the hugging type, sometimes just connecting with family or friends can lift up your spirits - go out for some drinks, meet at a bookstore, hang out at the local park, see a great movie, etc.  I tend to get into the habit of spending too much time in my head (either journaling, knitting or reading) and then I forget how important connections are between people, especially when you're on a new journey.  You might be focusing too much on trying to "become vegan" and forget to just live and enjoy your life.  Taking a break from the constant focus might be just what you need!

These are the things that worked for me, so use them as a guideline, not a necessity.  Good luck to you and please know that this is a lovely journey to take for yourself, for the animals and for the planet, so be gentle and compassionate with yourself always.  You'll most likely make mistakes, screw up or just make bad choices.  The most important thing is to just pick yourself back up, get re-motivated and inspired through friends/family, videos, books, spending time in nature and with animals.  Don't be afraid to ask for help.  You are a wonderful person for considering to become vegan and I am sending much love and many hugs to you right now :D 

"Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony." 

- Mahatma Gandhi

My Daily Routine

Before I get into the WHEN, WHY and HOWs of my meat eater to vegan lifestyle change, I wanted to share this with you.  (And while I'm motivated to type it! lol)

You know what?  I love routines!  I love lists!  And, so far, I LOVE being vegan!

I feel energetic, happier, more peaceful and more accepting of myself.

Living this new lifestyle is more helpful (to me!) with some sort of structure.   At least, at first.

I wanted to share with you what I'm aiming for each day.  I don't want to say that I'm following this routine strictly because...you know...life is not the same every day.  Things come up, right?  In the past, I would have quit immediately (or felt terrible about myself) if I wasn't able to PERFECTLY follow my routine or schedule or reach a goal that I was trying so hard to achieve.

Since I am trying to love myself and accept myself more, I've decided to give up being perfect (Screw you, Perfection!) and to be happy with whatever effort I've made (or could make) during each day.  Some days I might do a "better" job, while on other days, just getting up in the morning might be the best I can do.  Either way, I am accepting my limitations and embracing my intention or effort.

Below are my daily routines and I hope you might find some inspiration from them to create your own.  Make sure they are routines that bring you joy or health or relaxation - please do not follow my routine if it is not right for you.  We are all unique in the world (yay!) and we all have different needs, joys and loves - which is AWESOME!


MY MORNING ROUTINE

• Wake up at 6 am (stretch a little!)
• 16 oz. of fresh, filtered water with the juice of 1/2 lemon or acv (organic, if possible)
• Brush Teeth and tongue scraping (definitely helps with bad breath)
• Dry Brushing Body (if you love having your back scratched, you'll love this!)
• Shower (so nice!)
• Probiotics on an empty stomach (I keep mine in the fridge.)
• Breakfast - Smoothie with 1 cup frozen fruit, 2 scoops Orgain protein powder, 1 cup water, 2 tbs. ground flaxseeds, 1 tsp. powdered Matcha green tea (yummy!)
• Vitamins/Herbs (I'm currently taking Vit D, C, E, Vit B Complex and Tumeric)
• Go to work! 

MY AFTERNOON ROUTINE

• Drink 16 oz. tea at my desk (Currently, I love a mix of Oolong and Peach Herbal!)
• Healthy Snacks (almonds, fruit, crunchy veggies, rice cakes with almond butter, etc)
• Get up as often as possible to walk around (a challenge at my job!)
• Lunch - Leftover vegan dinner or vegan frozen meal (try not to have more than 1/week) with a large salad and nuts
• Drink 16 oz. water (I love my glass water bottle!)
• Work, work, work!

MY EVENING ROUTINE

• Small snack while waiting for dinner (fruit and some unsalted nuts)
• Drink a cup of tea in my favorite comfy chair and read a book (so lovely!)
• 10 minutes of breathing (either listening to a relaxing music or a guided meditation app)
• Make, eat and clean up dinner  (this is where vegan cookbooks shine!)
• Take a 30 minute walk outside or do some sort of exercise/activity (I also like watching an inspirational or funny show while exercising)

MY BEFORE BED ROUTINE

• Yoga Poses (especially after a long day of sitting at work!)
• 8 oz. of water (refreshing!)
• Wash face, brush teeth, etc. (do whatever you need to...)
• Rub feet with a few drops of sesame oil mixed with essential oils (I love using some lavender, sandalwood, bergamot, vetiver or cedarwood and chamomile!)
• Write in my gratitude journal (at least 10 things I am thankful for during the day)
• Read an inspiring or relaxing book in bed (nothing too exciting or stressful)
• Lights out at 10 pm (this is a hard one for me!)
• Optional (though exciting!) - talking with your partner...and, hopefully, sex! (lol)

OTHER ACTIVITIES (that I try to add in during the week or weekend when I can)

• Dancing
• Singing
• Journaling
• Archery
• Knitting
• Trying new vegan recipes
• Trying new DIY beauty recipes
• Rebounding
• Weight Lifting
• HUGS, HUGS and MORE HUGS (*grin*)

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

What are YOUR favorite routines?  Favorite activities?  What helps you to stay on track with your vegan lifestyle?  Do you have books or movies that you like to read or watch to keep you inspired and motivated?    Websites that you like to visit?  I would love to hear some of your suggestions!

On the right sidebar, I've added MY favorite books and movie links.  I hope some of them might help you :D

Have a wonderful night and, very soon, I'll share my reasons for going vegan.  If you want to comment below with your reasons for going vegan, I would love to hear about your experience!

Goodbye for now!! xoxo

Hello Stranger!

Why, hello there! Thank you for visiting my new blog!

I've just started out on an awesomely amazing adventure - the slow, steady path from meat eater to vegan (one month in!) and I'm anxious to share some of my newbie experiences with you.

I can't promise excitement. I can't promise suspense.  I can't promise popcorn.  But, I CAN promise that everything you read will be heartfelt, honest and, sometimes, hilarious.  (crossing fingers)

As a recovering perfectionist, I know that my journey won't always be smooth sailing.  I'll probably stumble along the way and, even more likely, FREAK THE HELL OUT.  (Advanced apologizes to all.)

BUT, I am eager (like Spongebob Squarepants) to try and experience all that this wonderful, topsy turvy adventure has to offer me.  I am lucky to have the most wonderful veggie friends to help & encourage me along the way and I hope to find new friends, too (like you!)

Are you with me??

Infinite hugs to all and (as Arnold S. declares in Terminator 2), "I'll be back." :D