In May, I launched my first group nutrition program, Ready, Set, Glow!, in partnership with my friends at Urban Juice Press here in Ottawa.  The 4-week program was designed to not only help people adopt healthier, more nutritious diets, but to make complimentary lifestyle changes as well.  Through emails, workshops and our private Facebook group, participants learned about meal planing and prep, how to improve digestion and the body's natural ability to detoxify, and they also received tons of new recipes and had the opportunity to try out new foods.

Launching and running Ready, Set, Glow! was a great experience for me. Particularly because I was responsible for pulling together all the recipes each week. I wanted to make sure that I offered meals and snacks that were not only tasty, nutrient dense, and macro-nutrient balanced, but also easy enough that people wouldn't feel intimidated. Since all of my meals were vegan and gluten free, many of the participants were worried that they might not feel full or satiated, but I was happy to hear that most people not only felt satisfied, but their cravings started going away, they noticed increased energy, and they felt "healthier" overall.  It was such a great experience that I'm going to offer the program again this summer!

On a related note, my wedding is fast approaching (just over two months away!) and for that reason I'm even more motivated to run the program again. Mainly because I want to make sure that I'm taking good care of myself. When I say this, I'm not talking about weight loss, but rather I'd like to make sure that I'm eating fantastic food, feeling great, stress free and as rested as possible leading up to the Big Day.  Wedding planning can be overwhelming, especially since both Jeremy and I are running our own businesses, and I want to make sure that this is a fun, memorable time! That said, having glowing skin on my wedding day may be a motivating factor in all of this too! 💁

I already cook at home regularly and eat very well for the most part, but I figured that setting up another round of Ready, Set, Glow! would keep me on track and it'll be beneficial for others as well. I'll be pulling together loads of healthy recipes for myself and focusing on sleep, hydration and stress management... and I'd love to invite others join in on this experience! Although summer can be a busy time with travel and vacations, I think it presents a great opportunity to eat well (thanks to the abundance of local produce), spend time outdoors, connect with nature, and focus on optimal health before Fall rolls around.

If you're interested in signing up for Ready, Set, Glow! you can read more about it and get all the details HERE. I hope you'll join me!