GingerLee

I just became a member a few weeks ago after being a creeper for quite some time When I was planning on becoming vegan, I came on to this site every single day to check out the profiles and learn how to be a healthy vegan. I think the profiles and pictures of all these vegan athletes really motivated me to finally give up animal products once and for all. There is nothing sexier than a lean vegan body, I mean really.... I thought I would introduce myself in order to meet new people and maybe learn some fun and healthy vegan tips along the way! I became vegan about a year ago practically overnight after switching from being a pescatarian. (Its impossible to unsee animals being tortured in many of these well known documentaries-I just couldn't eat or hurt animals that were so full of fear). Lucky for me my younger sister has been vegan for years and was so happy to find out that I finally turned to the dark side. Ha ha. One of the toughest things I have noticed about being vegan is that society and many of my friends did not understand or want to understand my lifestyle....I have changed quite a bit after becoming vegan (It is not just a diet-but I have learned that it is a way of life). I am a 26 year old elementary school teacher living in sunny Southern CA. What do most 20-something year old girls do in Southern CA you ask?? Party, lay out at the beach (I would pack my SPF 100 - I'm a pale red head, we can't handle the sun), party some more, eat shitty food, oh and party some more. I used to be that girl until I met my boyfriend and became vegan. We started getting healthy together! I currently workout 6 days a week and eat a very healthy vegan diet. After losing about 15 pounds of unnecessary fat and gaining some sexy muscle, I feel more healthy and happy than I have in a long time. Let me tell you that partying takes away so much our our needed energy and life just starts to seems *blah*. When I explain to friends, coworkers, and acquaintances about wanting to be healthy, which includes my began diet, no drinking (well maybe a glass of wine here and there), and transforming my body while exercising my butt off, I get the typical questions that vegans are usually asked. I used to be teased that I was a hippy (This didn't bother me, I want to be a hippy!!) They don't believe me that I can do pull ups or push ups - I mean I'm a girl, I should be weak. Ha ha. Then I started showing them my new muscles and even show off my push up skills (Seriously, I'm a weirdo like that and have bragged about how many push ups I can do in a minute. Ha ha), then show off the veganbodybuilding profiles and explain how these people are my role models. After months and months of feeling like a social outcast, I now have old friends asking for health and exercise advice. It feels nice! Well, I could go on and on about all of this....thanks for taking the time to read and get to know me. Have a wonderful day everyone!

Hi there! I am brand spankin new to this forum, but I saw your post and thought I'd share I meditate every morning - if I don't, I physically and mentally feel off the whole day. I started mediating and doing yoga a couple years ago after experiencing some pretty bad anxiety attacks. I swore to myself I would never allow myself to get so worked up in my own head again! I honestly think meditation has saved my life.... Well that and becoming vegan I get asked a lot about how I meditate. There really is no correct answer to how one should meditate. If you have just 5 minutes every morning, I would suggest sitting in a chair (or on a pillow-cross legged) and just breathe. Count your breaths, slowly, inhale 1, exhale 2, inhale 3, and so on. Repeating the sequence after 10 or 100. Once you get the hang of it (sitting quietly without your thoughts can be very hard for beginners-some days it is still hard for me), you can start your compassion meditation. I use apps on my iPhone and YouTube all the time for new ideas on how to meditate. You can be guided through a meditation that can help you feel more compassionate towards others or yourself. It's such a wonderful feeling! Good luck - I wish I had more advice. But I would just recommend sitting quietly and letting your mind feel free for awhile!