Healthy Eating Habits Archives - The Pink Chickadee

Hey y’all! Today, I have my first-ever guest writer on the blog – my good friend Ainsley! Ainsley and I met at Meredith College through social media and my blog of all things during my Senior year! She is a Sophomore at Meredith College studying Business and Theatre and a consultant at Arbonne who strives to share the importance of healthy living and empowerment for all. Today, Ainsley will be talking about her daily life holistic living experiences and how you can practice it, too. Let’s welcome Ainsley!!!

Hey everyone! I’m Ainsley- I met Katie through school and we’ve become good friends since! I’m so excited to share with you all today about something very dear to me and part of my daily life- holistic healthy living.

8 years ago, my step-mom came into my life, and she had just started her own business as an Arbonne Independent Consultant. With that, she introduced me to this whole new way to take care of myself in body, mind and skin. Before I was introduced to Arbonne and their approach to living well, I had never given thought to taking care of the largest organ in my body or taking care of my gut to help my mental health and skin clarity.

Holistic healthy living is about taking care of every part of your body to feel your best. Everything is all connected- what you put on your skin absorbs into your bloodstream; your gut health has a huge impact on your serotonin production and your skin clarity level. Living well this way allows you to take care of every aspect of yourself so that you can be your best self for others. It’s also about doing this self-care daily, and that’s where Arbonne comes in.

Arbonne has been around for 40+ years globally; we’ve been 100% vegan since we were founded, completely cruelty free because everything is scientifically tested on humans (the clinical trial results are available at arbonne.com), and we ban over 2,400 toxins and chemicals where the US only bans 11-15 and Europe only about 1,500. Arbonne is also a certified B Corporation meaning we are a force for good for people and the planet; not only are we committed to environmental sustainability in product packaging, but we also sustainably source the best ingredients from around the world. As a B Corp, we also have legal accountability, customer, and employee welfare programs. This company has continued to impress me with their products, service, and sustainability and accountability measures over the 8 years I’ve been around this. I love it so much because Arbonne provides pure, safe, and beneficial products as tools I need to help integrate healthy living into my daily routine.

For example, when I get up in the morning, I always do my skincare routine, and then I have a nutrient-dense smoothie as a part of my breakfast along with my B vitamins in the energy fizzies. To make my smoothie, I get 8oz of water and put in 2 scoops of the Arbonne FeelFit Pea Protein Chocolate Flavor, which not only has 20g vegan protein, but also has a blend of 24 vitamins and minerals that my body can easily absorb into my bloodstream. I also add a scoop of the BeWell Superfood greens because I struggle to get my greens in, and this has 37 different fruits and veggies all blended together! I then add a banana, peanut butter, and ice. It’s delicious!! So smooth and creamy and tasty 🙂 Having an EnergyFizz is also a morning essential for me. It only has 55 mg of caffeine from green tea and guarana, and only 2g organic cane sugar! The main ingredients are actually B6 and B12 vitamins to help my body generate natural, sustainable energy and help my brain function. My favorite is the Strawberry flavor!! I just mix it up in water and it’s delicious 🙂

After breakfast, I take care of my skin using the Re9 Prepwork skincare. This is my fav skincare because it’s super fast in the morning! Taking care of your skin is a really important part in holistic healthy living because what you put on your skin absorbs into your bloodstream; plus, it’s the largest organ in your body.

However, your skin clarity is only going to be as good as your gut health- which is why I also have the GutHealth digestion and microbiome support to give my gut an extra boost. It’s got prebiotics, probiotics, and digestive enzymes to help your body break down the crap sitting in your intestines (yes, we all have it- usually anywhere from 6 to 21 pounds of it just sitting there! yuck!). If you’re just getting started with holistic healthy living, I would highly recommend the GutHealth as something to help your body get started in healing itself. Using that to help you along with tuning into the messages your body is sending, moving your body daily, and starting to take care of your skin will help you establish daily habits for taking care of yourself.

Ever since I started taking care of myself this way, I’ve seen a huge difference in how I look and feel- some people have told me I just glow differently in a good way! This has made such a difference in my life and been a huge gift to my family, friends, and everyone I’ve encountered that I now have my own business as an Arbonne Independent Consultant and District Manager.

I’m so grateful that Katie has invited me to come and share some tips for holistic healthy living with you all today! Taking care of your gut by fueling yourself properly, getting enough rest, tuning into the messages your body is sending, moving your body regularly, and surrounding yourself with good friends and a positive mindset will take you so far!

If you want to shop any of the products I mentioned to help you out as you get started on living well holistically, here is my website link: www.ainsleymengel.arbonne.com

Thank you, Ainsley for your wise words. Hopefully we can ALL learn a bit from Ainsley and her empowering holistic living experiences!

XOXO – Katie <3

With a new year, well not so new anymore, comes new goals, habits, and achievements to be made. For 2021, I decided that I wanted to shift some of my not-so healthy eating habits and rather establish some healthy one’s. Here, I will be sharing with y’all some of those.

Drink or Dessert Rule

As much as I love a good glass of wine or even a cocktail, I also know that it adds up in calories. The same goes for desserts. So, the rule is to only have dessert or a drink in the evening’s. Well, unless the occasion is worth celebrating with both!

Vegetables Over Carbohydrates

In the past, I used to eat a ton of carbohydrate-consumed dishes, whether that be mashed potatoes, pasta, fries chips, or practically anything that is fried. Since vegetables are a lot lower in calories, I have decided to switch out my carbohydrates for vegetables, especially when it comes to side dishes. Although, I do make sure that I enjoy my favorite carbohydrate-loaded dishes in moderation!

Crystal Light Over Soda

This may sound crazy, but I drink Crystal Light’s low calorie caffeinated packets and mix them with water ALL. THE. TIME!!!! These drink packets are low in calories, but they also help me stay awake and fueled as I finish out my afternoons and evenings of schoolwork amongst everything else that I have going on. I have never been much of a soda person, but drinking Crystal Light’s packets has given me the feel that I am drinking an enjoyable flavored drink like soda.

Low-Calorie Snacks

I used to be a BIG snacker. However, I have strived in the recent months to be more careful with what I snack on. So, I have limited my snack intake and included more fruits and vegetables within my snacking mix. At the same time, I have been careful not to buy ice cream (a favorite of mine) as much along with other snack favorites of mine. However, I still do enjoy them all in moderation!

Use a Calorie Tracker

I will say that this DOES NOT WORK FOR EVERYONE!!!!! Personally, I have had some luck with using calorie trackers such as My Fitness Pal. I see tracking my calories as a way of helping me to eat a healthy amount of food each day. Additionally, I can see what my eating habits are and make the changes that I need to accordingly. Similarly, the My Fitness Pal website also has a ton of recipes that they share on their site amongst other ways to stay healthy.

Limit Sweet Treats

If I am around anything sweet, specifically cupcakes or chocolate, I will probably eat it. That being said, I do not buy anymore sweet treats. Well, not nearly as much as I used to. At the same time, I still find it important to enjoy and indulge in something sweet every once in a while!

One of my biggest priorities throughout 2021 is to make myself a priority. Through changing my eating habits, I have been able to work towards fulfilling that priority. Healthy eating habits will also help me moving forward in years to come, too!