Oh hey there lovely blog reader! Curious what this 'healthy happy life' blog thing is all about? Well today I set some Ground Rules, some content goals if you will. So listen up kiddos. *finger wag*
But wait, these ground rules aren't for you.... they are for ME! Today I share ten goals for myself with this blog that I have had since 2007. Geez, took me long enough.... Ten ways that I hope my blog adds value to your life ... aka, why I hope you keep coming back again and again.
Oh yeah! In case you didn't notice, things are a bit shinier around these parts since my blog got a bit of a makeover! I officially switched from Blogger to WordPress. (More about that huge shift on another day.)
But for now, I want to establish some blog ground rules. Some goals. Some sassy, fun, real reasons why I hope you keep showing up to Healthy Happy Life!..
What is this healthy happy life blog all about?
You can read my about page or browse the recipes, but really, this blog has some very basic goals. Ten things I hope to inspire..
10 Ground Rules
Aka, I Hope My Blog Inspires You to...
1. Get in the Kitchen.
Get in the kitchen. Put down the takeout menu and turn away the Postmates guy and finally -- cook more meals at home. *Applause* We can do this. There's something magically nourishing about homemade food. And there's something really prideful about being able to feed yourself well. Start from the beginning or refine your cooking skills.
Pro-Tip: Just pretend the Food Network cameras are rolling and hop in the kitchen. (Narrating yourself as you cook is always a fun idea to confuse fellow housemates...)
2. Snag Some Recipes.
Recipes are here. I really and truly hope HHL helps you discover new recipes - new faves that soon become old faves. Recipes you make again and again and again.
.....And again, until you get sick of them and need to come right back here to find NEW recipes to try. (Or nose-dive into one of my cookbooks or FVMeals if you are sick of screens.)
3. Eat. More. Plants. (see the note)
Eat more plants. Read that again. Because really, that's my greatest goal. Just eat more plants. It's easy. It helps the planet, animals and you! Eat more plants. (Note. The ones at the grocery store or farmer's market, to be clear. Leave your Fiddle Leaf Fig out of this.)
Oh! And plants does not mean just salads! Plants = legumes, grains, fruit, veggies, nuts, seeds, all that good stuff.
Bonus Points: If you dive in and go vegan -- or just commit to eating a bit more vegan-ish. Wait, no, bonus points for EVERYONE reading this. You found a vegan blog and are curious. Hooray! Gold stars all around. Really, however you eat, am 100% here for you, plant-based recipes stacked high, eagerly waiting for you to grab one.
4. Curate + Nurture Happiness.
Nurture happiness, joy, bliss, gratitude ---- everyday.
Because mental health is just as important as physical health. Please take care of your spiritual and emotional self just as you nourish your physical one. Life will trip you up at some point. Don't let the 'bad days' win. Practice creating 'good days' from just about anything and you'll always win.
"Mental health is just as important as physical health."
- K
5. Adventure.
Go on more adventures. Travel! Daytrip! Wander! Get lost! Just back away from the screen and no one gets hurt. (Unless you are really lost, then omg, right now - grab that screen and pull up GoogleMaps!)
6. Start a Blog.
Write it out! Start a blog! Start sharing your own story or life journey .... or just a bunch of photos of your cats! People love cats. Pet squirrel, even better!
7. Love + Protect Animals.
Love Animals with Your Whole Beautiful Heart. I hope my work inspires you to be proud of your compassion for animals. Animals are why I am vegan. Cruelty to animals is something I will NEVER understand and always want to stick up for and fight for. You too? What's true: Animals make this world a more beautiful, honest, magical and mysterious place to live.
"Animals make this world a more beautiful, honest, magical and mysterious place to live."
- K
8. Be Silly. Laugh at every Chance. (Embarrass People with it.... read how below.)
Be Silly. This is a very serious ground rule. Failing to do so will result in immediate termination of blogging duties. (Shoot, I better listen up.)
Silliness. Important. I hope I encourage you to embrace your silly + nerdy + quirky sides. Dance it out. Blast Disney music. Or 90's pop. Country. The soundtrack to Reality Bites. Hip hop. Broadway tunes. Fangirl. Or don't. Be a snob. Whatever. Just be YOU. (But really, life's short, dorkiness encouraged..)
PS. 8.5. Laugh whenever you can. Little story. I was seven years old. My mom brought my sister and I to the movie theater, the Aptos Twin, to see Chevy Chase's new movie "Funny Farm." My sister and I sat MORTIFIED for the entire 104 minute run time as my mom loudly cackled and cry-laughed - with abandon. Loud laugher alert. Her wet soggy tears glistened as they ran down her cheeks to the flickering twinkle of the movie screen.
In all my seven years I never knew public humiliation like that. The biggest eye roll ever sat on my face as we limped out of the theater. That is. Until I grew up. Looked back. And realized that laughing loud and hard in a quiet movie theater is one of the most magical things in life. Thanks mom. Oh, and I re-watched that movie and it's really not that funny. *Can you tell I'm the sarcastic daughter*
"..laughing loud and hard in a quiet movie theater is one of the most magical things in life."
- K
9. Create Healthy Habits.
Healthy Habits. In my mature, wellness professional voice... Blog ground rules, number nine!.. I hope to help you cultivate healthy daily habits for yourself and your family. #WellnessLife - and yes, that definitely means dessert and balance and self-compassion. \
Healthy habits are SO very different for everyone. Example one, I crave salads at the end of the day. Not every day, but often. Love them! But I know some people who groan through salads. Example two, my husband runs almost every day. It actually makes him feel good. Me, I can't do cardio everyday, or I feel like crap. And sometimes I take months off from a cardio routine - like right now, hi - then drift back when I feel ready. Different strokes for different folks, guys.
10. Feel all the Feelings.
Feel all the feelings. Cry. Scream. Laugh. Emote. I'll totally listen if you want to comment a five paragraph vent about your day. Be human. It's okay to be not okay. And it's okay to be amazing.
Bonus one .... for 11 Things...
11. Create a life you love -- a life that is healthy, happy, yours!
Sound good? Cool. You can hold me to all of these blog ground rules, kay?
xoxo, Kathy - founder, healthyhappylife.com est. 2007
