USA

This week's princess on the blog is my dear cousin Emily from USA! We met face to face for the first time last year, together with our sisters Rachel and Ida, in Southern California where Emily lives. The four of us instantly bonded and spent a few days chatting away like old friends. It was magical. Not only does Emily post some of the funniest comments available on Facebook today, she does not shy away from sharing about some really deep and very important issues. She is a fellow blogger and I will link her blog here: http://oneandonlymle.blogspot.com

Do you have a “ritual” you do every morning to get your day off to a good start and if so can you please explain it? Every morning I put tinted moisturizer with zinc oxide sunscreen on my face. It reminds me of how far I’ve come in terms of respecting, and caring for, myself. We get a lot of sun in SoCal, and I had terrible sun damage that required laser treatments. Obviously, I have not always used sunscreen. I also drink a giant cup of coffee. I’ve tried to give it up, but coffee makes me so happy. 

If your parents utilized some techniques to promote healthy eating while you were growing up, what did those techniques look like? My parents introduced vegetables to me at a very young age. I have always loved veggies.  I remember when I was a kid, I would pretend to not like broccoli if I was at a friend’s house, because I didn’t want to look like a weirdo. I love broccoli!!

Any easily accessible workout tips you can share for when someone is traveling? I started doing the 30 Day Challenges online. The charts are available online, and it’s free and easy. 

What is the most underrated veggie in your opinion? Brussels Sprouts…those are so good. We toss them in olive oil and roast them in the oven. Yum!

A famous quote from “Aung San Suu Kyi is:” If you are feeling helpless, help someone.” Do you have a suggestion on how to brighten up someone’s day? I try to make eye contact and smile brightly at strangers, when I’m feeling down myself. Sometimes just making that human connection in this busy world helps pull me out of my funk.  

If money and time was no object, where would you go for an active vacation in your home country? Zion National Park. I explored it a little bit when I was moving to California from Wisconsin, and have told myself that I will go back. I would also like to mountain bike in Sedona, Arizona, and see the redwoods in northern California. Oh, and Moab, Utah…and Big Sur, CA…so many to choose from!!

What is the biggest challenge in today’s society in your home country to staying fit and how can we change that? We do not have enough accessible open space. I live in a heavily developed region, and the new developments are incorporating nature preserves into the planned communities. We just moved into a neighborhood with easily accessible hiking trails, and I’ve spent more time outdoors in the last three months than I have in the previous 5 years!

Any guilty pleasures (food wise) you have? And do you have a healthy variety/spin on that? Ugh. Tortilla chips. I try not to buy them, but they always seem to appear (*cough chough* husband!!). I have actually cut up corn tortillas, sprayed them lightly with olive oil and baked them in the oven. Tortilla chips are my weakness!!!!!  Chips and salsa, I love you!!!

Thank you so much my dear cousin for being part of my Worldwide Wellness Series! And thank you for sharing your opinions and experiences with the world via your blog. You are an inspiration to many! And I KNOW you, me, Rachel and Ida will have another meetup somewhere in the world! Hopefully sometime soon!