Shauna Harrison’s Rule-Breaking Wellness Habits For Optimal Energy & Happiness

I have never been good with rules, coloring inside the lines, or cookie-cutter anything—except for actual cookies! This is partially because I think confinement thwarts creativity, partially because I celebrate individuality, and mostly because I know that what works for some doesn’t necessarily work for others.

Let’s take my own training, for example. I run. I do yoga. I lift weights. I do Pilates, calisthenics, plyometrics, and HIIT. Sometimes all within one workout. I’m all over the board—on purpose. I love movement in its many forms and I like to play around with applying things I learn from one modality to movement patterns in another modality. It’s mentally stimulating, physically challenging, and often emotionally humbling.

I apply the same thing when it comes to my diet, both in concept and in actual foods. I hesitate to use the term “diet” because it’s one of my least favorite words. I refuse to put strict rules on my food behavior, especially in the name of appearance.

So what does that actually look like in terms of the foods I choose? Probably as all over the board as you would expect given what I’ve already told you. I am full of quirks and random choices, and I embrace every single one.

Let’s take breakfast. I could eat breakfast foods for any meal of the day (especially eggs for dinner and Kashi GOLEAN cereal as a late-night snack), but don’t even think about giving me anything other than breakfast foods for my first meal of the day.

Sometimes it’s a protein-based bar (I love the new Kashi GOLEAN Dark Chocolate Cashew Chia flavor—chia seeds for protein, chocolate for sweetness), and a banana; sometimes it’s Kashi GOLEAN Clusters Vanilla Pepita cereal with almond milk or even coconut water (yes, they really do #GOTOGETHER); maybe it’s soft-boiled eggs with avocado and sweet potato and; no matter what, there better be some green tea in the mix!

Knowing what the first part of my day has in store is comforting, especially knowing that the rest of my day and meals may be chaotic. It’s for this reason that I function best when there is some sort of movement before I go about my day.

In my world, mornings and ritual, breakfast and movement, and routine and chaos all amount to more than the sum of their individual parts. The result is something greater that fuels my needs and my choices. And this could work for you, too.