Danielle Brown of @healthygirlkitchen
Keep reading this IG Live recap where Founders Rachel Johnson of ah.mi Health and Danielle Brown of Healthy Girl Kitchen get real about health and wellness and specifically, where the heck to start when it comes to healthy living!
How ah.mi started:
ah.mi Health was started shortly after Rachel had her second baby; she felt like there was no other programs or groups out there that she was excited to join to motivate her to step up her health habits. But, she wanted to START and needed the accountability of others to help her stick with it. As a result, she got a group of six of her closest friends together and they all committed to being healthy for three months. Their goal was to work out at least three days a week and eat significantly cleaner than they had been (whole foods, more veggies, salads, etc.). Through sharing fun and healthy recipes with one another and keeping each other accountable via a text message group chat, Rachel lost 25+lbs and everyone reported feeling happier and healthier (plus, it was actually (GASP) fun to commit together!).
Top 5 tips for a healthy lifestyle:
Start with food.
Rachel is busy as a lawyer with two kids (+ she’s pregnant with another one on the way!) and often feels like she doesn’t have time to work out. Rachel says, “You have to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner… and you aren’t going to start seeing and feeling changes if you’re eating out and ordering takeout every single day. You can’t work out past a bad diet.” Rachel and Danielle both prioritize eating three, balanced meals each day.
They also both prioritize cooking... but keeping it simple! As Rach explains, “I’m not a cook. But anyone can make simple, easy meals (or snacks) that are nourishing and actually taste good.” Danielle suggests you start with a small goal, like making a healthy breakfast for yourself each day for one week. Once you get into that groove, you can move onto lunch and dinner. As we say at ah.mi, live by the motto: Greens. Water. Move. Repeat. (get our goal tracker here!) Simplify it down to those three things each day and you will absolutely see progress!Consistency is KEY.
We all feel it… maintaining consistency on weekends is HARD. Maintaining consistency while traveling is HARD. That’s ok! Give yourself grace, but also try to maintain at least one or two small healthy habits. For example, on vacation try to move your body by walking to explore the city and eat at least ONE of your healthy meals each day (breakfast is usually an easy one to start with!).
Go out for that drink or eat that pizza, but you can also incorporate other habits that support your health journey. Danielle recommends taking a walk, going to a yoga class, or meeting a friend for a smoothie! “Maybe you start ordering a salad when you’re out to dinner. You can make changes in your lifestyle but still do fun things.”Have a start date!
And on that same note… don’t feel like you need to set an end date. “All of the popular 30-day, 6-week, etc. plans are good to get you started, but in some ways setting an end date is keeping you on that train of starting and stopping. Your lifestyle and dietary habits should be sustainable. Eliminating that “end goal” and “end time” can help you shift your mindset around what it means to actually get healthy in a way that works for you and can last… forever! Rachel said after the progress she saw with her 3-month original goal… she set a goal to stick with this way of life for a whole year. “Creating a long-term goal was a game changer for me.”
Danielle gave a great example… “There’s never a point in life where you’re doing nothing, so you need to learn how to incorporate a healthy lifestyle where you’re at right now.” There’s always going to be another birthday party, wedding, vacation, or celebration. Prioritize learning how to be healthy around those big events. “Pick the next Monday and just START! Don’t let events and due dates and little excuses keep getting in the way of you starting.” As soon as you start prioritizing yourself and your health, everything shifts.Find a support system.
It’s not easy, but it’s WAY EASIER when you do it with support. Find the people in your life that you know like to exercise, go for walks, eat healthy, etc. It’s motivating! Sometimes a partner or a best friend can do the trick… or maybe you’re like us and you don’t always want to listen to them 🤪… that’s where having a “third party” friend group like ah.mi’s Le Health Club comes in handy. Unbiased accountability and support. Sharing recipes and fun workouts with others is a great way to find joy in staying healthy!Shift your mindset.
As Rach says, “Mindset is everything,” (and yes, ah.mi has a Mindset Coach available for 1:1 accountability support, too!). Know that you CAN change your ways. It’s all about starting small and setting attainable goals for yourself that you can actually stick with for good. If you’re sick of feeling “blah” and you’re ready to feel good… this is your sign to prioritize yourself through health. “Once you find your thing and it doesn’t feel like a chore… it makes your health journey so much easier.”
How the heck do I start?
ah.mi has three main challenges for Le Health Club members throughout each year and our biggest one happens annually on the first Monday of January. The good news? It’s ALL about beginning or re-starting our health journey… TOGETHER.
When you become a Le Health Club member, not only do you get access to all of ah.mi’s easy tools and expert resources, but you’re also joining that motivated group of people that want to make changes just like you. Community support, motivation, and accountability is everything! Danielle agrees, “it’s much easier to get healthy when you have some sort of buddy system.”