I was raised eating biscuits and gravy out of my grandfather’s southern cookin’ restaurant. If you told me then that in 15 years, I’d have trouble remembering to eat, I would’ve laughed at you. I’m not going to sugar coat this and say that I have a perfect schedule 7 days a week that allows me to have ample self-care and meal prep time to lead the perfect well + healthy lifestyle. Doing your best is where the money’s at, so I try to eat as mindfully and healthfully as possible, sticking to real foods without beating myself up if a chicken biscuit magically ends up in my lap. Somewhere between planning a wedding and walking my precious pups, I have to make eating and eating well a priority. Any other brides out there feel me?

Get married, they said. It’ll be fun, they said. I don’t think I’m alone in saying this: planning a wedding is a full time freaking job. On top of serving in my role as Community Manager at Vegetable + Butcher, I also teach 6-7 yoga classes a week at 405 Yoga and VIDA Fitness and am currently completing a nutrition and health coaching course. While I LOVE everything that I do, there are only 24hrs in a day.

So, how DO I fit health and wellness into my day? Follow along and see. It’s not all crystals and unicorns.

5:30am: That Darn Alarm

I mean honestly, who wouldn’t have trouble waking up at 5:30am in a room that has no windows?! #sleepchamber. Fast-forward to roughly 5:48am.

5:48am: That Darn Alarm Again

Yep, that’s right, I snooze. It’s a T E R R I B L E habit but it’s one I have yet to break. Once I’ve found that tiny little button to make the noise go away and woken all humans and pups in the room, I take a moment to blink my eyes open and take a big breath of fresh air. With a proper log roll over my fiance, I’m feet to the floor.

6:00am-8am: To caffeinate or not to caffeinate

This where the schedule gets tricky, some days I’m teaching Power Flow or Abs and Assets and other days I’m sipping tea or coffee (cream and sugar bc I’m weak), reading, or planning for the week ahead (with candle lit and pupper by my side). As I’ve been planning a wedding, this when my mom slides into my DM’s and hits me with a wedding to-do list. Cue the head spinning anxiety of how the F do I get it all done?!

9am: Breakfast, because who skips breakfast?!

I am a hangry mess if I don’t eat in the morning. The best part about working for V+B is truly believing in the product. I eat V+B breakfast at least 4 days a week. When I’m not eating V+B for B, I’m usually eating Siggis Mango 4% yogurt (V specific) with either Purely Elizabeth or Michele’s granola. Two of my favorite breakfasts from V+B (because I had to choose a sweet and salty) are our Hummus Bowl and our Strawberry Cacao Granola. Yes, you read correctly, hummus for breakfast. Try it. You won’t look back.

12:30pm-1:30pm: YOGA, ‘nough said.

BREATH IN, HALEY - DON’T FORGET TO BREATH OUT, HALEY. Handstands are my stress relief. There’s been a lot of handstands in this season of life.

2pm: Did someone say Tikka Masala?

I often eat a later lunch because I try my best to get a yoga class in at least 5 days a week and a lot of times I join the lunch crew. Obviously, I’m a little biased, BUT V+B saves the day again. I eat V+B for lunch (sometimes I eat dinners for lunch depending on the menu) at least 4 days a week, and sometimes I’ll bump it to 6 if I’m feeling extra strapped for time. Our lunches and dinners are delish. If I’m not requesting the Peanut Thai Curry to be on the menu, I’m begging for the Brown Rice Veggie Bowl.

5-8pm: Werk, werk, werk, werk, werk.

In the weekday evenings, you will typically find me either teaching a yoga class or running a V+B sponsored event. We love to get our food out in the community (that’s right, I get to eat and share healthy delicious food as a J O B) and meet current and future customers. Not going to lie, sometimes this is where I really forget to eat. I get home from a long night and the last thing I want to do is cook or really eat at all. BUT I do it, most of the time.

8:15pm: MA, where’s the meatloaf?!

Jk, I don’t eat meatloaf for dinner. My dinner menu is back to the basics, the B 4 D basics. That’s right, 5 out of the 7 days in a week, you’ll find me eating breakfast for dinner. Why?! Because it’s delicious, duh, but it’s also extremely convenient and healthy. My go-to dinner is scrambled eggs (garlic, salt, + pepper) and sauteed kale (pink salt + paprika). Every now again again, I lose the war on bread (as my fiance has so aptly dubbed it) and add an everything bagel to the mix.

So now that you’ve seen my schedule, how in the eff do I plan a wedding and stay healthy? Well, first things first, you have to prioritize. Prioritize your health and your relationships. At the end of the day, these are the things that matter. Make a list and blow through it. Start at the top with the most pressing and important tasks, and from there move down the list. STEP AWAY FROM THE SMART PHONE, seriously, the to-do list texts coming in can wait and going down that instagram rabbit hole isn’t helping your cause either. Lastly, outsource your meals. I love eating real, healthy food, and V+B provides me with that + the convenience of not having to cook every. single. day. #mealprep be gone!

The pressure to stay healthy and fit in that damn wedding dress is real. If you’re looking to save time and stay healthy and energized all the way up until the BIG DAY, check out our Warrior Wellness Challenge by Vegetable and Butcher. Not only does it involve eating lots of delicious, healthy food but it also provides you with the tools to work more gratitude and mindfulness into your daily schedule along with fitness partnerships throughout the DMV. And the best part is you’ll get to hang out with me. I’ll be channeling my Warrior Wellness until July 28th (my BIG DAY) and beyond.