Happy Wellness Wednesday,
This week, I decided to do a different type of post and answer some of your questions! I’m certainly not the master but I feel this is a good medium for us to learn from one another. If you like this format, let me know and we can make this a weekly or bi-weekly event!
1. Do you have any suggestions for a yoga retreat or fitness retreat?
This question is a good one! When picking a retreat you want to think about a few things: location, teacher, vibe, and what you want out of it. If you start with location, you can often find retreats hosted by wellness hotels or fitness professionals in the area. You’ll want to research the teachers to make sure their styles align with yours — (i.e. if you’re into HIIT workouts a retreat with a gentle yoga teacher may not be a good fit). Which brings me to the next point — THE VIBE! Are you looking for something Chill? High Intensity? Eco-friendly? A New Experience? Lastly, you’ll want to consider what you want out of the retreat. Are you looking to Relax? Reset? Detox? Learn? Meet New Friends? etc. For example, at the Fierce Reset, we want guests to feel relaxed, healthy, and reconnect with themselves + each other so we structure the days with a good mix of yoga/meditation + plant-based foods + workshops/downtime + spa time. Other retreats may focus more on excursions and action-packed adventures to create an adrenaline rush for their guests. Oftentimes, retreat hosts are open and willing to chat while you’re deciding on a retreat to help you understand their offerings. To recap, a few options to pick your next retreat are: sign up for the next Fierce Reset :), see what your local yoga or fitness studios are offering, check with wellness hotels in your desired destination, or (when all else fails) use Google searches!
2. How do I get started being plant-based? Any blogs, books, etc that you suggest?
Where to begin! Transitioning to a more plant-based diet can seem challenging but doesn’t have to be! I wrote a post about ways to ease the transition. However, to be honest, I haven’t used many books on my plant-based journey but I’ve done the Whole30 program which helped me become more creative with recipes. In general, I freehand my plant-based meals, find recipes on Pinterest, or recreate dishes I’ve eaten at restaurants. The true secret to eating plant-based is creating/findings sauces, spreads, and dips you like to add variety! Additionally, cooking with fresh herbs is a great way to enhance the flavor profiles. Some books/resources that friends have recommended are: Intuitive Eating, Food Heaven Made Easy, Thug Kitchen, and Forks Over Knives cookbook.
3. How do you find a passion and combine it with social media? How can you figure out a theme for your page/brand and grow your following?
Great question! I’ll answer it in a few parts:
Passion: I am still in the process of “finding my passion” because I believe discovering your passion/purpose is a journey (more marathon than sprint lol). It requires deep self-inquiry but I start by asking myself questions like “What do I love to do? What would I do for free? What activities bring me joy? When do I feel most at ease? When do I feel like myself?” You may not have an answer to each question at first, but keep asking yourself! Take time out of your schedule to sit in solitude and journal the answers. Keep doing things you enjoy. Keep moving forward step by step and each day you’ll get closer and closer to finding your true passions. Keep in mind your passions will evolve as you do.
Social Media/Page Branding: I’m a big proponent of posting what you love + enjoy. Not every social media page has to look the same so don’t put pressure on yourself to copy what successful influencers are doing. Think about what information/content you’d like to feature on your social media — Do you love photography? Want to give advice? Want to share quotes? Want to create a community platform? Want to highlight your work? Want to create a style blog? Getting clear about the core purpose of your brand will help inform your aesthetic. From there, you’ll know what hashtags to use and what type of users/brands to engage with to grow an organic following. For example, with Fierce Clarity, I post healthy, inspiring, colorful content and I engage with other professional women, yogis, health + wellness companies, etc etc!
4. What’s a good yoga pose for my back when I’m 6 months pregnant?
Yoga poses that open tight hips and hamstrings are the best solutions to stretch + alleviate lower back pain. I think pictures do the poses more justice and Popsugar has a great group including Malasana or Wide Squat, Goddess Pose, Wide-Legged Forward Fold, Butterfly, and Happy Baby — (I would add in Triangle as well!). Another great idea is to attend a prenatal yoga class at your local studio to have an instructor show you poses more tailored to you + your pregnancy. However, if you’re pretty familiar with yoga — you could also try this 15-minute or 30-minute YouTube class!
