u/ConsciouslivwithALI

“ DO HARD THINGS” 🙌🏼🔥

This has been my mantra for over a year now!

And these Bulgarian Split Squats are no joke. I’ve been progressively overloading…

Slow and steady. I finally made it to 55’s. My highest weight yet.

Driving through the front heel on the way up is where it’s at! 👌

1. Prioritize strength training — when you build muscle, you’re not just changing how you look. You’re improving your bone health, brain health, and insulin sensitivity. The goal shifts from simply looking good to creating a longer, healthier life.

2. Nourish your body — food is fuel, so make sure you’re giving your body what it actually needs. Hitting your protein, carbs, and healthy fats consistently helps support your metabolism, hormones, energy, and lean muscle.

3. Prioritize self care — you don’t have to live in constant self-sacrifice or people-pleasing mode. Honor your needs, protect your peace, and make space for balanced, healthy relationships.

4. Make quality sleep a priority — sleep is one of the most underrated health tools. When you sleep well, your body recovers, repairs, and replenishes on a cellular level. Better sleep impacts nearly every area of your physical and mental wellbeing.

5. Surround yourself with supportive people — being around others who value health and wellbeing makes a huge difference. Vegan Squad Community is filled with like-minded and like-hearted people all working toward better physical, mental, and emotional health together.

Meal 1: Amaranth breakfast bowl with berries, chia seeds, hemp seeds, & pumpkin seeds, 30g of protein

Meal 2: Seven grain banana pecan pancakes with sugar free maple syrup, 33g of protein

Meal 3: Daring chicken with butternut squash, arugula, and avocado, 28g of protein

Meal 4: Fusilli pasta with tempeh and mixed veggies in a dill hummus sauce, 37g of protein

Meal 5: Baby gold potatoes with fava bean tofu and mixed veggies in a sweet chilli sauce, 43g of protein

Meal 6: Seven grain blueberry pancakes with sugars free maple syrup, 33g of protein

Meal 7: Daring chicken with mixed veggies, baby gold potatoes, arugula, and avocado, 26g of protein

Meal 8: Fusilli pasta with mixed veggies and fava bean tofu in a sweet chilli sauce, 43g of protein

Nourish with Whole Foods – Prioritizing nutrient-dense, hormone-friendly foods with plenty healthy fats (avocado, seeds), fiber rich foods, gut building pre and probiotic foods, and of course good quality protein. I prioritize 30g of protein with every meal and especially first thing in the morning.

Movement – A mix of strength training, walking, mobility work, and yoga supports muscle mass, bone density, and stress balance. I listen to my body through the different phases but definitely prioritize strength training to build lean muscle as well as physical resiliency for my body as I age.

Quality Sleep – Sleep is hormone therapy for my body. I make 7-9 hours of sleep every night a non-negotiable.

Hydration & Mineral Balance – Water plus electrolytes helps my adrenals, thyroid, digestion, and energy so I no longer allow myself to get to a point of depletion.

Stress Support – Breathwork, meditation, boundaries, and herbal teas help keep my cortisol in check. I make sure I don’t run off of caffeine, sugar, or adrenaline any more!

Just to prove to them that vegans can be healthy and strong.

Life is created by a culmination of small daily habits. By moments you share with others. By the way you choose to SHOW UP for yourself.

1. Seated Hamstring Curls

3 sets of 10-15
Slow tempo, hold at the bottom 1-2 seconds

2. RDLs (3 sets of 10-15)

Hinge at the hips, chin tucked, allow your gaze to follow the movement instead of looking up in the mirror. Balance your weight on your feet firmly planting them into the ground. Flat shoes are best here. Once you feel your form getting compromised or you’ve reached failure stop.

3. Donkey kick smith machine (3 sets of 10-15)

Honestly I just started doing this exercise for an isolated upper Glute movement. I’ll let you know how it goes. I did squeeze at the top for 1-2 seconds on each rep.

4. Bulgarians Split Squats

2 sets to failure (I’ve literally cried doing this exercise before 😭) It’s my least favorite exercise but it’s what I know will bring me the most growth both physically and mentally. I primarily do these for Glutes so I lean forward here.

5. Hip Abduction (3 sets of 10-15)

Sometimes I squeeze for 1-2 seconds during the contraction to hold the muscle under tension longer. Other times I finish off with some pulses.

6. Hip Adduction (3 sets of 10-15)

Try to squeeze legs together here for 1-2 seconds as well

Honestly if it wasn’t for this SI joint acting up during my heavy RDL’s, I wouldn’t be prioritizing mobility work right now.

At first, it was really hard to slow down. I would show up to the gym - look over at all the weights and walk into the studio instead. Choosing to go slow with mobility work over “WEIGHT” training has been a struggle for me 😭

But now I’m so grateful for this experience 🙏🏼 As I say there’s NO wasted experience. This has brought me back to listening further to my body. Really focusing on the mind to muscle connection 🧠

Being really intentional with mobility work that stabilizes my pelvis and deep core muscles. I’ve always loved learning about the body. How to heal it. How to feel good in it. How to get STRONG! Well here I am doing just that 🙌🏼🔥

Clamshells have worked WONDERS for my SI Joint pain. These wall clamshells have quickly become a new favorite.

I love nourishing my body 💚

Breakfast: Tofu waffles with Mixed Berries, Peanut Butter, Pumpkin Seeds, & Syrup, 28g of Protein

Lunch: Fusilli Pasta, Fava Bean Tofu, Mixed Veggies, & Sweet Chili Sauce, 40g of Protein

Dinner: Tempeh, Ezekiel Avocado Toast, & Arugula, 28g of Protein

Dessert: Coconut Yogurt with Vedge Vanilla Protein Powder, Raspberries, Kiwi, and Edamame Puffs, 35g of Protein

Eat Whole Foods while hitting your Protein Goals 🙌🏼