My First Blog Post!

WOW! FINALLY! I think designing this blog took me about 2000 times longer than I could have ever expected. I thought I loved the first design and spent so much time figuring out how to use Wix (super user friendly and beautiful options-btw) and exploring new ideas that days had passed before I realized I actually deeply disliked my original design. Repeat the whole process again and voila! Here we are with my third design and truly most minimalistic but wow it took quite some time to get everything just right! I wanted you to like it OBVIOUSLY! :)

I am truly excited for this new journey- I have never written a real blog before (in high school I definitely had a month long tumblr-esque online diary blog type thing.. very high school if you know what I mean). I've wanted to start this blog for a little over six months but college life and theater life kept me a little too busy. Now it's summer break- from classes- I'm still in rehearsal for one show with another show on it's 4/5 weekend but I'm making this blog a priority because I believe with all my being that this can grow into something really special and meaningful and I'm excited that each and every one of you is going to be a part of it!

I thought it might be nice to use this opening post as a place to establish some ground rules I've set for Happier Healthier Singer (rules- gross)! I want my readers- YOU- to trust me. I want you to know that I'm writing each and every post with my best intentions and never claiming that my way is the only right way or even the right way for you. I simply want to share information with you that I've learned- either through research or experience- and offer suggestions or support for questions you may have about creating a healthier lifestyle. I am going to stay away from terms like diet because I think that it has a certain connotation in our society that suggests something temporary. I just don't think healthy living should be temporary.

I've done my fair share of "diets"- most of them incredibly unhealthy and based on fads rather than science- and it took me some time to understand why the results of these diets just never seemed to last. I'm not the person that is going to tell you how to lose weight or promote dietary restrictions- that is not my goal. I love food. I really love sweets, especially, and I can't imagine living the rest of my life without eating some of my not so healthy favorite foods. Are there times where I eat healthy and other times where I eat not so healthy? OF COURSE- life is a balancing act and sometimes I want ALL THE COOKIES! It's just important to balance your cookies with all the other important nutrition your body desires in order to operate at top function. Instead I like "lifestyle" because after all it's about creating a maintainable lifestyle so that you can be the best version of yourself. Oh, and because FOOD is LIFE. It just makes sense.

I don't like feeling sluggish or overly tired and irritable all the time and I find that eating good food and getting regular exercise helps me maintain a happier outlook on life, a clearer and more optimistic mind set, an improved physical appearance in body and skin/nails/hair, and less mood swings. But in a busy day it can be hard to even find the healthy options near you or make time to prepare a meal at home- I GET IT! And buying "healthy food" can seem intimidating when you walk down the grocery aisle and every company is trying to sell you their "low fat- fat free" or "28 grain this" and "superfood packed that" at way too much per box or bar. What does it even mean and what do YOU even need?

I'm all about keeping it simple. I figure if I'm the one putting together all of the ingredients then I'm 100% sure of exactly what I'm eating. And if I make it myself there is a little more room for adjusting to my own tastes and cravings. For example, not everyone loves raw kale but there are so many different ways to use kale in a dish that I'm sure anyone could incorporate it into their daily life as long as they found the way it worked for them. One of my favorite healthy lifestyle additions has been SMOOTHIES and I plan to write multiple posts about why I love smoothies and what kind of smoothies I make- coming soon for sure!

So here are the rules:

1. I want you to trust me so I will NEVER claim to be a weight loss guru or tell you how to live your life. This is NOT a diet blog- it's a lifestyle blog. I simply want to share what I know!

2. I want you to trust me so I will NEVER claim that content on this blog or any blog I run is mine when it is NOT. I intend to write my own posts with my own voice and I'm excited to even use my own pictures as a way of increasing personalization AND my photography skills.

3. I want you to trust me so I will ALWAYS strive to use the most appropriate and sensitive language I can. I want every reader's experience to be positive and inclusive. If I ever fail at this, PLEASE call me out! Contact me and let me know where I'm mistaken so i can correct myself. I have sincere intention to write positive and uplifting posts that will inspire you and support you.

4. I want you to trust me so I will ALWAYS research and research and re-research a topic before I write about it and tell you FACTS. I will even cite my sources when applicable. And I will keep it real! I will speak with my own voice and only share honest experiences and opinions with you. I want to write quality posts that YOU want to read and I want to write!

So there we go: four pretty straight forward rules that I think serve as a solid foundation for how I want this blog to operate. And my first blog post is done! Stay tuned because there is MUCH more to come.

#intro #about #firstpost #rules #health #happiness #sing