I started this blog, having no clue what I was getting myself into back in 2013.
… all I knew was I had something I wanted to share with the world. A new found knowledge about health, what ‘REAL food’ really is and why organic, non-GMO food actually matters.
Our AMERICAN food industry is laughable and I hope someday, somehow, this Food Revolution that we are amidst will change the way Americans see food, purchase food, and interact with food all together.
Hi, I’m Briana, the girl behind this website.
I changed my name to ‘BeachLifeOrganic’, bought the domain & got serious about my own ‘brand’ and social media growth as of last October and am trying my best to stay consistent with new blog posts and social media while balancing a very busy and active life. Not to mention that thing called my career that I’m trying to balance all at the same.
I’m an ER nurse by career & helping people has always been my passion.
But, as I have grown as a person & figured out who I truly am among the years… my passion for helping people has shifted.
Don’t get me wrong, I still love every bit about ‘helping others’… that’s why I write this blog after all. It’s just that my approach has changed as my perspective throughout my career & experience within the ER has not delivered the dream I was hoping for.
Here’s the thing… I always dreamed of ‘curing disease, reversing poor health and truly helping people’.
Nothing about that dream has changed. However, the reality of how I’m going to accomplish it has.
As we all know, the health care system in America as it is today, just isn’t set up properly to keep up with nor handle the burden of poor health that has developed among us as Americans. We, as a society are suffering. We, as human beings have shifted our priorities away from our own health and towards profit, success and the sought after ‘good life’ while trying to balance raising a family, chasing our careers and making time in our life for social interaction when we get lucky enough to have that free moment amongst the chaos.
& yet all the while, we’ve been putting our own health on the back burner as we decide to ‘lose that weight next month’, reaching for that donut in the break room (every day) and forgetting to go to the gym (at all) even though you’ve been paying for that membership on auto pay for the past 3 years.
Que in Social Media…. Instagram, Facebook, SnapChat, Twitter…. the highlights of our lives. If only we put that time into actually living. Although, somehow we all miraculously find the time to keep up-to-date on the happenings in the lives of our closest friends, or people we’ve never met, even though we may feel as if we know them through their Instagram Feeds (aka the highlights of their lives) as well as the celebrities and brands we feel necessary to keep up to date with as though we might miss out.
People spend hours a day doing this. ‘Liking’, scrolling and commenting on images displayed on the smartphone in their hand. IMAGES that only help you waste time and disconnect from the things you should actually be doing in that moment. & don’t get me started on TV… that’s a whole other problem in itself. It yet again drains hours from our ‘busy and hectic’ lives, refocusing us away from what really matters.
YOU.
Don’t tell me you don’t have time to cook dinner or prepare your lunch for tomorrow’s busy workday if you just spent 30 minutes catching up on Facebook or binge watching the bachelorette.
HANG IN THERE…. I’M GOING SOMEWHERE WITH THIS I PROMISE!
SO, anyways…. back to the WHY.
WHY do I blog? WHY do I take hours out of my day photographing & posting the things I eat just to engage with my readers? WHY do I spend hours sitting down to write this weeks blog post or recipe? WHY do I care to share these things with people I don’t even know?
because, someday, somehow… I hope I can make a difference.
Even if my post changes one persons life, health, or food choices for the better that day, then in my eyes… It will be a day well spent.
Working in the ER doesn’t allow me to ‘reverse disease’ nor does it allow for the time to educate people on healthy and pharmaceutical-free lifestyles like I had always dreamed of.
But, this health food blog and wellness journey of mine just might.
My point being…. If I have time to work 40+ hour weeks, 12 hour shifts at the hospital, and still have the time to prepare a healthy breakfast, lunch and dinner in the meantime. (& post about it too) and take my dog on a 3 mile walk or ride my bike or go to yoga… & clean my house … & write this blog….
Then you. YOU…. Have the time to do it too.
I have this time because staying healthy is & always will be my PRIORITY. & It should be yours too.
‘HEALTHY’ can be as simple as focusing on these 5 things first to get your life back in order… while taking some of the chemicals and toxic products out of it: Read this post below.
Let’s be honest. We all have a little bit more ‘free time’ then we are willing to admit because so much of our day has been taken over by trivial things (like instagram, netflix, & reality TV) that we are no longer able to recognize what is truly important to us. Sadly, because of this, our HEALTH has taken the backseat for too many years for too many of us. & it’s time to change it.
THINK ABOUT THIS:
without your health, you can’t go to work.
without work, you can’t get a paycheck or support yourself or your family.
without a paycheck, you can’t live the life you have always dreamed of.
& without your health you may soon find yourself relying on prescription medication on a daily basis.
So, start again.
Begin by PRIORITIZING your health and take a look at what things you can eliminate from your day. Going to a restaurant for breakfast, lunch or dinner takes just as long if not longer than it would ifyou made a healthy meal in your kitchen.
Stopping at a Starbucks or the McDonalds drive through on your way to work doesn’t save you as much time as you may think. I pour boiling hot water on my organic coffee grounds in my French Press and over my TO-GO bowl of oats in a jar filled with superfoods and nutrients to start my day faster than you can answer the question ‘What can I get you today?’
Watching your favorite TV shows after work? …. Cook while the TV is on. Better yet, turn off the TV & have a conversation with someone in your house or over the phone. & go for a walk outside after dinner instead of sitting on the couch all night. Your body will thank you for the movement.
That being said… HOMEMADE is always better. It allows you to understand and control what is going into your food, as long as your not ‘cooking’ out of a pre-packaged box or frozen meal tray.
& INGREDIENTS are key if you do eat out (I eat out too) but just make sure you’re choosing places that care about what is going into your food. Just because they are licensed to serve you ‘food’ doesn’t mean they focus on sourcing ingredients properly … & I can guarantee you they’re adding in the cheapest meats, oils, sauces and prepackaged ingredients money can buy…. because if they don’t care about ingredients… then the only thing they truly care about is PROFIT.
You can take a closer look at what I mean by ‘INGREDIENTS’ and what you should be avoiding here:
Your health doesn’t matter to them (corporations), especially if it doesn’t matter to YOU.
Now, if you’ve made it this far through this post, THANK YOU. thank you for listening and giving me a few minutes out of your busy day. If you take anything away from this rant of mine I hope you do this:
SIT BACK
CLOSE YOUR EYES
THINK ABOUT WHAT MATTERS TO YOU MOST
…
CAN YOU DO THAT WITHOUT YOUR HEALTH?
If you chose health to begin with… I admire you.
Let’s spread the word & help get our society back to REAL food. LOCAL & ORGANIC whenever possible. Search for local farmers markets in your neighborhoods and/or organic grocery stores. If you have no other option but to go to a big box store for your groceries choose to stay on the outside perimeter and focus on buying mostly fruits and vegetables, beans/legumes, grains, nuts & seeds and if you must have meat,eggs & dairy… do your best to look for pasture raised, organic options.
You can start by making a homemade, plant-based meal for your family tonight.
LET’S GET BACK TO FOOD. REAL FOOD. REAL HEALTH.
the way it was meant to be enjoyed.
think about it.
x, bri
Want to know what book I’m currently reading to keep myself motivated and educated on how to live my healthiest life possible? It’s Called:
‘SUPER LIFE: The 5 Forces that will make you Healthy, Fit & Eternally Awesome’ by Darin Olien
& you can get your copy on AMAZON by clicking: HERE Disclaimer, I’ve been working with him and his team since August 2016. I wouldn’t reccomend it if I didn’t agree with his message. His view point and knowledge on nutrition, hydration, deep breathing, and superfoods is incredible.
8 thoughts on “Health & Food and why I Blog about it.”
This really was a great post! I love “Nothing about that dream has changed. However, the reality of how I’m going to accomplish it has.” because that exactly where I am in my life right now, trying to figure it all out., thanks for being so transparent!
Thanks Saprina! I truly appreciate your support! Being transparent is what I plan on focusing on most now in order to help people discover what they can do to get healthier. It’s not all about pretty food and pictures… there is so much more to this health journey! Can’t wait to share more, hope you’ll stop by again soon!
Organically yours, Bri
GIRL – that’s my motto!! Without your health, you have NOTHING!!!
couldn’t agree more! we’re on the same page babe!
Was just discussing this with my hubby’s cousin who is an ER doc. He says its horrible dealing with so many sick people that do not need to be sick but they just are not taking care of their bodies. Its nuts since we all know what we should do. Eat healthy whole foods and get regular exercise. Just society has made us into something else. Getting back to basics is what we really need. Love your mission!
It truly is babe. ‘HORRIBLE’ is an understatement sadly. the health of our society is so poor and it’s so frustrating to stand by and watch. I do what I can in the hospital as far as health education but our time is limited and I truly believe that ‘preventative health’ has so much potential to actually keep people from getting sick in the first place. If only we could spread the word to the entire world that soda, chips, candy and prescription medication just isn’t the answer!
LOVE this girl and So happy for you and your passion. It is so true. Taking care of ourselves should be such a big priority. I don’t understand how people can think that the things we put into our bodies don’t affect us in the long run!
Thank you so much for the support Allie! I saw you signed up for my Newsletter too. This is truly my biggest passion in life & I hope to change so many lives for the better as I go. thanks so much for joining in on the ‘beachlifeorganic’ way! so happy to have you here!