Episode Overview
Episode Topic
In this episode of the Holistic Health Habits podcast, host Surani Fernando sits down with Ella Magers, founder of Sexy Fit Vegan, to explore the intersection of veganism, fitness, and holistic health. Ella, who has been a dedicated vegan since 1995, shares her journey from a young vegetarian to a world-renowned advocate for plant-based living. The conversation delves into the challenges of maintaining a vegan lifestyle, especially in the early years when options were limited, and how Ella’s commitment to compassion shaped her path in the fitness industry. This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in veganism, fitness, and a holistic approach to health.
Lessons You’ll Learn
Listeners will learn about the importance of a mindful approach to eating, with practical tips on how to connect with food on a deeper level. Ella discusses the pitfalls of calorie counting and restrictive dieting, offering insights into how a balanced, plant-based diet can support athletic performance and overall well-being. The episode also covers the challenges of transitioning to a vegan lifestyle, particularly in social and family settings, and provides strategies for overcoming these obstacles. Ella’s journey from disordered eating to a holistic, compassionate approach to health serves as an inspiring model for those looking to align their diet and fitness goals with their values.
About Our Guest
Ella Magers is a leading voice in the vegan fitness world and the founder of Sexy Fit Vegan, a platform dedicated to making veganism accessible and appealing. With a background in social work and a passion for animal rights, Ella has spent decades promoting a plant-based lifestyle that emphasizes health, compassion, and sustainability. Her journey began at the age of seven when she made the decision to stop eating meat, and it evolved into a lifelong commitment to veganism. Today, Ella is known for her holistic approach to fitness, which focuses on building a healthy relationship with food and body image. She has helped countless individuals through her coaching programs and her signature Reboot 22 program, which offers a structured approach to improving health through nutrition, movement, mindfulness, and sleep
.Topics Covered
This episode covers a wide range of topics, including Ella’s early experiences with veganism, her transition from vegetarian to fully vegan at age 15, and her rise in the fitness world as a competitive bodybuilder. The conversation touches on the challenges of maintaining a vegan lifestyle in the 90s, the evolution of vegan options over the years, and the role of processed foods in a plant-based diet. Ella also shares insights into the mental and emotional aspects of health, discussing her struggles with disordered eating and how she overcame them through mindfulness and self-compassion. Finally, the episode offers practical advice for those looking to adopt a vegan lifestyle, with tips on mindful eating, meal planning, and navigating social dynamics
Our Guest: Ella Magers
Ella Magers is a trailblazer in the world of vegan fitness and holistic wellness, with over 25 years of experience as an ethical vegan and a decade of work as a transformational coach. She founded Sexy Fit Vegan in 2013 with the mission to make veganism mainstream by highlighting its alignment with fitness and health. Her journey into veganism began at the young age of 7, and by 15, she had fully committed to a plant-based lifestyle. As a fitness professional, Ella sought to demonstrate that one could achieve peak physical form on a vegan diet, which she proved by winning first place in the bikini division of the FAME Fitness World Championships. Her early career as a personal trainer and fitness director was marked by a deep commitment to ethical living, but also by personal struggles with disordered eating—a challenge she later overcame, fueling her passion for helping others find balance and compassion in their lives.
Ella’s dedication to holistic health extends beyond physical fitness; she is also a certified Eating Disorder Recovery Coach with a Master’s Degree in Social Work. Through her coaching programs, including the popular 22Reboot transformation system, she guides clients in aligning their lifestyle with their values, fostering a healthy relationship with food, and cultivating self-compassion. Ella’s approach is not just about achieving physical goals but also about empowering individuals to live joyful, meaningful lives. She emphasizes the importance of mindfulness, movement, and sustainable nutrition, encouraging a shift away from restrictive diets and toward a more compassionate, plant-based way of living. Her work has garnered attention from major media outlets, and she has been featured in publications such as Women’s Health Magazine, Shape Magazine, and The Today Show.
As a thought leader and advocate, Ella continues to push the boundaries of what it means to live a compassionate, healthy life. She is also actively involved in animal rights, serving as the vice president of the board at Hogs & Kisses Farm Sanctuary, where she works to create a better world for both animals and humans. Whether through her podcast, visionary writing, or coaching, Ella is dedicated to inspiring and educating others about the profound benefits of a vegan lifestyle
TRANSCRIPT
Surani Fernando: Welcome to the Holistic Health Habits Podcast where we explore the many facets of holistic nutrition and wellness. I’m your host Surani Fernando and today we have a very special guest who has made significant strides in the world of vegan fitness and holistic health. I’m thrilled to welcome Ella Magers, the owner and founder of Sexy Fit Vegan, a vegan since 1995. Ella founded Sexy Fit Vegan in 2013 to pave the way for veganism to enter the mainstream by making it sexy. She’s known for her holistic approach to fitness and nutrition emphasizing a healthy relationship with food and fitness without the pitfalls of calorie counting and dietary restrictions. Welcome to the podcast Hello. It’s great to have you here.
Ella Magers: Thanks for having me on the show Saronni.
Surani Fernando: Great. So just to start off you know your story is super interesting. You know it goes back to when you were seven. Can you tell us just a little bit about your early journey as a vegan and how that’s really sort of shaped your path to where you are now?
Ella Magers: Sure. Yeah. So I was just seven years old and I got in the car after school one day and my mom asked how my day was and I told her we’d learned about this guy named Daniel Boone. So if anyone doesn’t know who Daniel Boone is he’s one of our first American folk heroes. And he was a wilderness guy carried around a shotgun wore a raccoon hat and and I told my mom you know this guy was really mean. He’s supposed to be a hero but he killed animals and he ate them. And my mom kind of looked at me and said well Ella you know we’re just very fortunate. We don’t have to do that ourselves anymore. We get to go to the grocery store to buy our meat. And it was at that moment that I really connected the food or the meat on my plate with the animal that it was. And yeah I was horrified. And I told my mom well that’s it I’m never doing that again. And I never ate meat again. So that’s how it all started.
Surani Fernando: Did you you know miss it when you know you obviously grew up eating it. Did it? Was that an easy switch for you?
Ella Magers: It really was for me. It was just this idea of. And you know as kids we look at animals and we see happy cows in books. And you know we have this innate kind of connection to animals. And it was just this realization that I had that that was what was on my plate. So all of a sudden for me it just became completely unappealing. And so no that wasn’t an issue at all. In fact I really knew kind of intuitively at that point that I wanted to be a voice for animals. That was kind of why I was here on Earth and I started sharing about that with everybody that I could. Yeah.
Surani Fernando: And was it did you start off as a vegetarian or was it straight into vegan like you kind of understood the difference there. There’s a seven year old. I mean I can imagine it would be a bit steep.
Ella Magers: Yeah. No I didn’t understand the connection with dairy and eggs yet. So I started out as a vegetarian and by the time I turned 15 years old I did make those connections. And I started to do my own research and understand the cruelty of the dairy and egg industry. So by the time I was 15 I was fully vegan. And this is you know I was an athlete since I was five. So I was doing all this going to gymnastics practice four times a week for hours on end and taekwondo and dance and then volleyball. And so I’ve been an athlete really my whole life. So all this time I’m kind of it was eating the sides of the dishes on my parents plate or on the on our dinner table. But pretty soon my parents kind of followed suit. And so we became a relatively plant based household on. When I was in my teenage years.
Surani Fernando: Well that’s quite fortunate because I can imagine. I mean you grew up you know in the mainly the 90s like 80s 90s. I can imagine it was quite difficult to be a vegan. I mean at home if you’re sort of making those choices possibly you know that that’s helpful. But just going out you know being with friends there’s not a lot of vegan options on menus and things like that. Now there is. But um yeah but back then how was that for you?
Ella Magers: Yeah there was not a lot of options out there. And I made do because it was so rooted in this value of compassion. It didn’t you know it didn’t feel hard. I just sought out you know the side dishes or whatever I could. I asked questions and I did the best I could with what I had. And yeah at home you know I always I always say you know we didn’t have a lot of choices out and about but I almost feel really lucky that I got in before there was a lot processed vegan food because my only choices were whole basically whole foods you know beans and tofu existed back then and vegetables and fruits. And I was also very fortunate to have parents that were health conscious enough to help me navigate that you know before I could do it myself.
Surani Fernando: Yeah. And you mentioned you know the athlete part of it. You know I always think when I think of you know athleticism at its highest I think of you know Novak Djokovic how he just had this massive transformation with his performance. Just because he realized what he was eating wasn’t you know doing well with his body. And he felt better with doing plant based. And I think that’s been a big you know you know proof that I mean we’ll get a bit more into you know what listening to your body and figuring out what what works best for your body. But you know be proof that you can be you know at the top of your performance and just be eating plants. So.
Ella Magers: Absolutely. Yeah. The athletes nowadays that are moving in that direction and seeing benefits in not only their performance but their recovery time and inflammation and and all of that is pretty extraordinary. Yeah.
Surani Fernando: And you know so I guess that background got you into the health sort of you know you developed an interest in health. How did your fitness journey start? And getting into the fitness world and being a personal trainer?
Ella Magers: Yeah. So I actually went to school and graduated with a degree in social work. not because I wanted to be a social worker but because I knew I wanted to be in service to humanity and in some way shape or form. So it seemed like a good approach. I didn’t quite know what I wanted to do but right after college you know I had always been into sports and fitness so I went ahead and jumped into the fitness industry. I had a boyfriend at the time who had a health club consulting company so I started working with him and I got certified as a personal trainer. Started doing training really enjoyed it started teaching was the fitness director at gyms and I ended up actually competing. I wanted to at that time. Still this is in the early 2000 like 2002 2003. And you know a lot of people didn’t even know what the word vegan was back then. And so this was kind of my new way of promoting veganism or plant based diet was becoming this kind of shining example of the physique that most people wanted. And people would come up to me and ask me what I was doing to get so strong and lean and I would be able to share with them you know my nutrition habits and what I knew about that as well as you know helping them with their with their workouts. and that’s when I decided to compete in a bodybuilding competition in the bikini division and ended up winning first place in the bikini division of the World Championships. Really just to prove at a time when you know most people didn’t think that was possible that you could have a strong muscular lean physique on plant protein alone. Yeah. Okay.
Surani Fernando: You know your whole story involves that. Then going into like the falling under the pressure and then you know having some struggles with that pressure. Do you want to talk a little bit about that. And you know that part of the journey. Yeah sure.
Ella Magers: So at that time you know I was surrounded by bodybuilders and who are obsessed with protein and terrified of carbs. And I was really trying to meet the same macro counts because back then again there was just not a lot of information out there about how to do the plant based thing correctly. Right. So I was really trying to meet those same macro counts and I got very obsessive and very restrictive. And you know the bodybuilding culture really normalizes disordered eating and a lot of sense. A lot of my friends would you know have extreme restriction Monday through Saturday. And then on Sunday it would be this day long or yeah day long binge on things like pizza and donuts. So it was really unhealthy on so many levels. You know we think about the fitness industry. We want to think it’s about health but really it’s often about what we look like you know on the outside. So so I would restrict restrict restrict as long as I could. And although I didn’t eat donuts or pizza I would my willpower would run out like anyone does and I’d end up binging on things like nuts and cereal. And sorry we are having an incredible thunderstorm out here. Okay actually we might as well.
Surani Fernando: There’s been some it’s been hot and then thunder. So yeah. Yeah.
Ella Magers: So there were nights. I mean there was a night. I remember eating an entire jar of peanut butter in one sitting you know and then hating myself for it and then starving myself for it to make up for it. So as healthy and kind of in shape. As I looked on the outside there was a lot going on inside and I really hid that the best I could from everyone because I wanted to be this shining example of health.
Surani Fernando: Yeah. And that’s so like interesting that someone and you know people in the fitness industry I think people on the outside look to these people like personal trainers you know people who are giving advice as though they’ve got everything sorted. You know they’ve got so much discipline and we just need to like be like them. But yeah I guess everyone is human and there are pressures. And you know I think it just reminds us to you know have have grace with ourselves in terms of we can’t you know be that perfect perfect human. It’s okay to have slip ups where you know just get back on that horse and also not putting so much pressure on yourself. I mean the I mean as a women we just are constantly under the scrutiny where everything we’re judged by that outside you know look versus you know what’s on the inside. And especially growing up in the I grew up in the 90s as well born in the 80s grew up mainly in the 90s when it was the you know the magazines and the stick figures and things like that. And I was a ten year old curvy ten year old going through puberty. And yeah it’s um I think there’s a lot of things that we as humanity need to think about when we’re projecting these ideals on people. Because if it’s impacting people like you like who we think is a shining example then yeah we’re doing something wrong for sure. So how did you get out of that? What was the snap moment?
Ella Magers: Yeah. You know and it wasn’t necessarily this you know one aha moment. It was gradually kind of learning to it was a realization that I had so much compassion for everyone else and for animals. And you know there was there was this realization that oh wait a minute. I’m really lacking that compassion for myself. And there was that realization. And part of that was you know training clients. At that time I was personal training pretty much full time and it was seeing that in some of my clients that helped me reflect and see that in myself. And that’s when my healing journey really began. I went back to school got my master’s degree in social work and I started practicing yoga. I was a which was really hard for me at the time because I was this you know very tough tough woman. I was a muay Thai practitioner I was sparring I was weightlifting I was a go getter doer. And to really slow down and to focus on the being over the doing was really hard for me but I was really breaking down my body with all the training I was doing. So I kind of forced myself into yoga but gradually started to embody that mindfulness and started to learn more about myself and approach myself with curiosity and compassion. So I started to see movement as medicine as well. and just started shifting my whole relationship. And at that point everything changed for me and it started my new job.
Surani Fernando: So you know do you want to tell us a little bit about your business you know your coaching business and you know also your reboot 22 program?
Ella Magers: Yeah sure. So I specialize in working with people that have an unhealthy relationship with food in their bodies. And so instead of you know one of the things that differentiates me is that I don’t ask for before and after photos because we’re not focused necessarily on the outcome. The outcome is going to come you know what we do is focused on the process. We focus on each step of the way. We focus on discovering blind spots. We focus on the subconscious programs that are keeping us stuck in unhealthy habits and really getting to the root of why we’re choosing foods and choosing to move or not move our body in ways that are not aligned with what we want for ourselves which are not aligned with holistic health. So we work on really getting to the root of that and then learning some tools for self-coaching coaching ourselves through so that we can create new habits and new patterns that equate to a lifestyle that’s really aligned with health on every level physical mental emotional spiritual. So that’s what we do in our coaching program in the coaching I do and then the 22 reboot program I created really to have a very simplified quick kind of quick and easy system for people to go through over 22 days that is founded on a few principles the four principles of holistic health and that includes nutrition movement mindfulness and sleep. And so we learned some really powerful tools each day with 5 to 10 minute videos resources along the way that help you make choices that will really uplevel your health holistically.
Surani Fernando: And what should you see at the end of those 22 days? Is are there goals that your clients have? You know what are some examples of like what type of clients come to you?
Ella Magers: Yeah. So it’s really rebooting your sleep habits. So understanding sleep hygiene and making those conscious choices each night to help yourself get a great night’s sleep. Because a lot of choices that we make during the day are so much harder right when we don’t get a good night’s sleep. So sleeping better people you know it’s been really extraordinary that in just 22 days people’s numbers in terms of blood pressure and cholesterol even some of these markers have already begun to improve pretty dramatically for some people. There’s been weight loss in just 22 days. And again this is not a program where you’re counting calories or macros but you’re really looking at making choices that are aligned and looking at those habits and learning learning how to coach yourself into new habits. So really and we chose 22 days. You know they say it takes 2021 days to change a habit. So 22 days you own it. And it’s pretty it’s intense yet doable. You’re asked to do 60 minutes of movement a day. I have a guided mobility routine. So this is not just about you know going for the hardest core workout but this is also getting in tune with your body and learning how to make intuitive choices about how you move and how you eat their resources on creating meal planning that is easy. That doesn’t take a lot of time in the kitchen. This is really designed for busy people. Busy professionals. So I’ve got great resources on there. I’m not somebody who loves to spend a lot of time in the kitchen and yet I know how to. I’m kind of a master at at getting things done quickly but also healthfully. So you get a you get all those resources you do some journaling along the way and I guide you through every step.
Surani Fernando: Yeah it’s really interesting. And do you have is there a success story like some one of your clients that you might be able to share a turnaround?
Ella Magers: Yes. Well in my one on one coaching I’ve got a couple on these on the website as well. But I think Bonnie was one of the big ones. She had some disordered eating in her past but she felt like she had kind of overcome that to a large degree. But she still had about 10 pounds that she really wanted to lose. She didn’t feel great about herself. She felt like she was making pretty good choices. She’s actually a an addictions therapist and so she’s got a lot of the tools but she just had some blind spots that she couldn’t see herself. And that’s the thing about blind spots they’re hard to discover yourself. But when you have a coach asking the right questions you know that’s the whole thing about coaching. It’s you get to be challenged with these questions that help you discover the answers because really only you know the answers. But you need to be asked the right questions. So I worked with her. I helped her with her training plan her her nutrition just really tweaking some things and then some mindset shifts about how she was looking at her choices. And by the end she had finally lost it. And she had been trying to lose those 10 pounds for I think the last 20 years. And she finally lost them. And now a year later she’s kept them off and feels great about her body. Wow.
Surani Fernando: Yeah I think that’s the main thing doing it. But then also maintaining it because you know you see you going of you know these crash diets and then everyone’s just lost. So I guess moving on to practical tips. So for those people listening who you know have decided they want to start their journey towards a vegan lifestyle what would be some practical tips and best practices you would recommend? You know to avoid common pitfalls and build a sustainable you know healthy habits in life? I think one of the things you mentioned earlier was you know the amount of processed ultra processed vegan food that’s out there and I feel like that might be the biggest stumbling block for people. But yeah if you want to share some tips.
Ella Magers: Yeah actually the first tip I have is really around mindful eating which is not not very sexy sounding. And it can make the biggest difference in the world starting with chewing your food thoroughly to a paste before swallowing and really paying attention. So for let’s say the next well so just let’s say 22 days I’m going to challenge anyone listening to eat undistracted at least one meal a day to start eating undistracted. Really paying attention to your food looking at the food using all five of your senses to connect with the food. Where did this food come from? What’s this? What’s this food about to do for me? How is it going to nourish me or harm me? You know really connecting with that. And then as you put the food in your mouth you taste it you chew it you feel the texture you smell and you think about how that food is what that food is going to do in your body. And creating that connection with your food is going to really help you start to pay more attention and make choices. Also chewing your food to a pace which doesn’t sound you know that appealing right? Like I always say to make a smoothie in your mouth with your food before you swallow.
Ella Magers: Which sounds pretty gross but difference it can make is huge. I mean a lot of people even I before I started mindful eating had a lot of bloating issues after meals. A lot of people struggle with that. A lot of people struggle with eating past the point of being full right? Eating more than your body is nourished. So even without counting calories we can know that by eating slowly by chewing your food you can start to recognize when your body is full recognize your satiety signals and stop eating before you get overly full. When you’re fully satisfied. And right then and there you’re going to cut out without having to count and spend all this energy and time you know tracking. You’re going to cut out a lot of calories right there just by not by not overeating right. Mindful eating is a really really powerful tool that’s made a huge difference in my own life and the life of a lot of my clients as a great place to start.
Surani Fernando: Yeah and we talked a little bit about this before with the macros. You know there is a lot of conversation with all the health influencers out there. You know you’ve got vegan diet the carnivore diet and everything in between. And you know with the conversation about veganism there’s a lot of talk about where do you get the protein from? And you know the struggles to get enough protein the struggles to get enough of the essential amino acids into your diet you know what would you say to that? And what how do you circumvent those challenges? Do you see it as a challenge? Do you see it as you know something that’s not so much of an issue?
Ella Magers: Yeah and it really does depend on your goals. Are you trying to really gain a lot of lean muscle then? Yes we need more protein. And I’m not saying it’s not helpful sometimes to figure out how much protein you’re getting. And to be very knowledgeable about nutrition and about where protein comes from and and plant based sources for protein. So all those things are very important. I’m just saying we don’t necessarily need to spend all this time and energy tracking every calorie. Put your body right. So choosing foods. So in creating this way of eating with the help especially of a coach but you can do it on your own to make these choices. So if you’re not eating legumes, soybeans tempeh or choosing a really clean plant based protein to supplement with. You know those are things that are important. If you’re on a plant based diet and you’re training and you want to build muscle. So we’ve got to get those things in the diet. So it’s about making the most of the calories that you do have really packing that in both the micronutrients which are very very important. Getting in all your vitamins minerals minerals which you can really do for the most part by eating a wide variety of plant foods you know eating lots of different types of vegetables and fruits and legumes and then cutting out. You know when you’re trying to get the most nutrient density. We talk about getting the most bang for your caloric buck right. Getting the most nutrient density in fewer calories especially if you are trying to lose the weight as well. So I eat for example I eat a salad for breakfast. I which sounds you know to a lot of that sounds.
Surani Fernando: Good to me. I’m about that. I like you.
Ella Magers: Oh my God. Yes. It has changed my life. You know just thinking outside the box. It’s these programs that say here’s what a breakfast food is. And most of those breakfast foods are crap. They set you up for terrible nutrition right? Yeah. Um so instead I eat my first meal of the day. Is this kale salad that I make? I put this nutritional yeast on it that has four grams of protein four tablespoons of protein of nutritional yeast within the salad with lemon juice and some white beans or different types of beans and some pumpkin seeds on top. This one little salad which tastes delicious has almost 30g of protein in it in a salad. So it’s really about thinking outside the box and not you know not just going with the norm and really starting to say how can I get the most bang for my buck? How can I pack in the most micronutrients? And if I’m training and wanting to build muscle how can I also make sure to get max plant protein in those meals as well? Yeah.
Surani Fernando: And you know you mentioned your breakfast. What would be a typical day after that for you? Like you know where you get all your macros that you need. Obviously you’re not counting them but you as a person know what your go tos are.
Ella Magers: Sure. Yes. So and I go through kind of phases because I’ll get bored and then I’ll change it up. So right now I actually am starting my day off. I train at around 930 in the morning. I’m up around 444. 44 is when my alarm goes off. So in between there I’m first drinking a 32oz of water with lemon in it. I have a supplement called Live Ultimate. It’s these highly powerful greens that I use in the water as well. And then I do have been using a plant based protein called feta which dissolves right into hot water. So instead of coffee it’s a Protein that’s upcycled barley made by the same people that created the movie Game Changers which is a great documentary if you guys haven’t watched it. James Cameron was one of the producers there and my friend James Wilkes is the main main character in that movie. Anyways his protein it’s a great protein. So right there I’m getting 30g of protein to start my day. I go train come home and eat my kale salad which has like I said 30g of protein. And then I listened to my body like so I don’t have like oh now two hours later I eat. If I’m hungry two hours later I will have a snack that could be um chickpeas with avocado and tomato. Something like that is often an afternoon snack. Sometimes apple or peanut butter Apple with peanut butter or almond butter dinner. It’s sometimes a box of pasta. So instead of all you know white pasta if I’m going to do a pasta I’m going to do a legume pasta. So a pasta made out of chickpeas or a pasta made out of mung beans which has 25g of protein in the pasta alone. So add that and add some tofu and sauteed spinach and zucchini and get all these different vegetables and broccoli in there. Again I’m having another 30 40g of protein. So it’s so it’s so much easier once you have that kind of way of eating mastered to get in all the protein. And it’s phenomenal.
Surani Fernando: Yeah. And I think what you said about you know doing something and then changing it up I feel like that’s a really good tip to have some go to’s where you just know the the amount the general range of everything you’re getting your protein your fiber your carbs your fats. And then just like repeat it because until you get bored because you know it’s just easier. Sometimes it can just be so hard to be like what am I going to have for dinner today? And then think about it you know? So I think if you just have it on autopilot it makes it so much easier to get what you need.
Ella Magers: 1000% like the salad. You know some days I use kale. Some days I use arugula. The general mix of it is pretty similar. I just mix up the greens and do a different bean and do a different flavor. You know you add a different flavor profile in a salad can feel like a completely different salad even though most of the ingredients are really similar. Yeah.
Surani Fernando: And what would you say are the most common issues that your clients face when you know they come to you for one of your programs or your coaching and they want to transition into a vegan lifestyle? You know how do you help them overcome them?
Ella Magers: Yeah I mean oftentimes it’s family. That’s a big one for people. Social family having their household not on board and especially for women feeling like okay well now I got to keep I have to keep making the same dinner for my family. And now I’ve got to make a second dinner and I’m working full time. And how am I supposed to make two separate dinners? And for me and in my podcast The Vegan Life Coach podcast. Stephanie is my co-host there and she helps me with the group coaching program. She’s a mom and she talked about when she made the transition. She said hey I’m making one dinner and it’s going to be a healthy dinner and it’s going to be a plant based dinner. And if you don’t like it you can go in the kitchen. I’m not a short order cook and you can go in the kitchen and you can make yourself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. And then that can be your dinner. So really you know taking ownership and the fact that this is a healthy choice that you’re making for your family they may not like it but they might have choices. They can make another choice if they want to. It doesn’t have to be all up to you to meet everybody’s needs.
Surani Fernando: Yeah just with the growing popularity of veganism now you know you’re getting a lot of restaurants and cafes lots of products that are out there. How have you navigated that and educating your clients about what to avoid when it’s just you know a label of veganism you know the you know these are some of the pitfalls. I know that there’s you know a really amazing donut place that’s in my neighborhood. That’s it’s vegan. But obviously there’s a lot of bad stuff in there. Yeah. So you know to eat on a regular basis just to be like fueling my needs as a vegan.
Ella Magers: You know one of the tips that I use with my clients is to pause. We call it the power pause. Right. To pause before you make a choice about what you’re going to eat before you put anything in your mouth and say what would the best version of myself choose? Or what would I choose if I really loved myself right? Because we think about veganism it’s all about compassion. And if we’re having compassion for ourselves we’re making choices that are good for our bodies that are good for ourselves that are going to help us you know live long healthy lives. Right. So looking at foods that are packed with sugar or you know processed oils or processed grains and flours. These sorts of things are not going to help us live long healthy lives. So just because it’s vegan doesn’t make it healthy. So look at those ingredients and make a choice. That doesn’t mean you can’t have a treat every now and then right? We don’t want to get to that point but to say and if we do make that choice like you know what I’m going to treat myself to this vegan donut today. Yeah. Then just know eat that donut mindfully. Enjoy every bite. Chew that donut. Say how delicious it is. You know take your time and don’t feel guilty about it. Right. Because then we set ourselves up to feel bad. And what happens when we feel bad about ourselves? We end up making even worse choices. Or we say oh I already screwed up so I’ll just eat three donuts you know and I’ll start fresh tomorrow. How often do we say that I’ll start fresh Monday. I’ll start fresh next month. No we get we get choice every moment to start fresh and make new decision.
Surani Fernando: So yeah that’s great advice I think moderation and also just yeah being kind to yourself and rewarding yourself and enjoying it. I think that’s the best part of it is just to embrace those moments where you can have a treat. Well this has been super interesting. I’ve really enjoyed this conversation. Thank you so much for sharing your insights and experiences with us today. You know it’s been inspiring to learn about your holistic approach to fitness and vegan living and also just hearing about your super colorful journey you know starting off really strong and then having some struggles and then you know coming back and you know sort of reinventing yourself in your business. So um for those interested in learning more about Ella and her programs be sure to visit Ella Magers.com and Sexy Vegan com. And don’t forget to subscribe to Holistic Health Habits for more episodes on holistic wellness and nutrition. Until next time I’m Surani.Take care and stay healthy.