One of my all-time favorite things to do is creating playlists. Here is a list of some of the songs that I've been loving this past month!

My lifestyle has changed drastically over the past two years, and I wanted to share my story of how I got to where I am today. 

Growing up I was what most people considered to be healthy. I consumed almost anything my parents gave me (except milk, I hated milk), and I was active and played with my little brother and my friends every day. When I was old enough to figure out how to work my mom's video camera, I spent my afternoons writing my own scripts and making my own movies.

It wasn't until I reached the ages of 10/11 (around the time that puberty begins for most girls) that I started to develop serious self-esteem issues. I began to compare myself to the other girls at the dance studio. I wasn't as tall and my legs weren't as long and lean because I simply wasn't built that way. I developed a really bad relationship with food because I didn't look like other girls and it turned into a binge eating disorder. Some days I would be really picky about what I ate and skipped meals to "detox" or "cleanse" in an attempt to lose weight, but it would only be a matter of time until I binged again. I would eat until I felt so sick and so disgusted with myself that I felt the need to skip meals and "cleanse" again. It was a vicious cycle. My anxiety was through the roof and it eventually led to depression.

I thought playing competitive sports like soccer, volleyball and track and field in middle school would help break the cycle and it did help a bit. I got into much better shape and that itself boosted my confidence. I fell in love with working out, but my relationship with food didn't change. I knew I was eating more to compensate for the calories I burnt during my workout, but I still felt guilty.

I discovered veganism through a close friend of mine that was vegan and had nothing but good things to say about it, so of course I wanted to try it. What did I have to lose at that point?

I didn't quit cold turkey because I knew myself and I knew I would be setting myself up for failure. For the first four weeks I was vegan until dinner time. Breakfast, lunch, and any of my snacks were 100% plant-based. At dinner time, I gave myself a little more flexibility to consume animal products if I felt I was really craving them. Even then, I found myself making better choices when it came to dinner time. I didn't miss meat, dairy, or eggs much because I realized that I didn't enjoy them as much as I thought I did. I was just used to animal products being a part of my diet.

Within the first month of eating a plant-based diet, I noticed drastic changes in my energy level, my mood, my skin, and my sleeping habits. I felt like I was glowing! I had the energy to go out and run multiple miles a day whereas before I was lucky if I could huff and puff my way through two miles! I felt inspired again. I was choreographing my own dances and writing more. I felt like a new person!

Of course, with veganism comes criticism. There were a lot of people in my life that didn't exactly understand what I was doing and why I was doing it. They thought I was extreme and expected me to fail. One person even told me she "felt bad for me." Fortunately, I had the support of my family. I watched lots of documentaries, read countless articles, and my Instagram feed was flooded with other young vegans just like me.

I have fallen head-over-heels in love with this lifestyle and I finally feel healthy! Veganism is about what feeds my tummy AND my soul. I always get the question, "How have you been vegan for so long?" and the answer is that I found a reason to stick with it that is bigger than myself. I have chosen compassion and kindness not only towards my self, but also to the animals and the environment. I have chosen not to contribute to the violence and cruelty against innocent animals that leads to the destruction of the very planet we live on. 

(P.S. I'll make another post just on vegan resources!)