Day in the Life: Food Blogger + Health Coach in Training

Hello! It’s such a treat to be contributing to Cara’s blog today. I’m Zoe, the voice behind the blog One Beet, a Health Coach in training, total foodie, traveler, herbalist, amateur yogi, and all-around wellness warrior. Cara and I went to college together at Wheaton College and have stayed friends since graduation. In fact, Cara met her husband at one of my birthday parties, way back in the day! It has been so inspiring to watch her transition from the corporate world to full-time fitness instructor. I’m excited to be following in her footsteps in my own transition from non-profit fundraising to food blogging and wellness coaching.

Cara asked me to share my typical day with all of you. It’s a funny question because one of the best changes in my life since starting a fulltime health and wellness career is the variance in my days, but I’ll do my best!

Wake up! (7AM): I am someone who needs a lot of sleep, so I try to keep myself on a schedule where I go to bed when I’m naturally tired (between 10 – 10:30), and wake up when I’m naturally awake (7 – 7:30). I feel thankful every day that I live a life where I can sleep according to my natural rhythm.

Morning Writing + Meditation (7 – 7:30AM): As part of my Health Coach training program at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (more on that later), I’ve been introduced to the concept of Morning Pages from Julia Cameron, the author of The Artist’s Way. Morning pages are an opportunity to release all the chatter from your mind so you can start the day with a clean slate. You can write about gratitude, frustrations, what you need to accomplish during the day, a creative dream, or whatever stream- of-consciousness comes to you. I start my day with morning pages and then often follow with some spiritual reading and 10 minutes of mediation. Here are some of my favorite spiritual books at the moment – May Cause Miracles, The Book of Awakening, and The Anatomy of the Spirit.

Shower, dress, + have breakfast (7:30 – 8:30AM): I start almost every day with an overflowing bowl of oatmeal topped with fresh fruit, flax & chia seeds and walnuts. I have a blog post on my whole oatmeal routine if you’re interested in learning more. I also have a hot mug of green tea with a squeeze of lemon.

Email + Social Media (8:30 – 9:30AM): I can usually be found on my living room couch with my laptop at this time of day checking my email, posting to my social media sites, and generally catching up with the One Beet community (the “One Beeters”). One of the fascinating things about growing a business is the amount of social media time required. It’s a lot! Getting yourself out there in as many ways possible and on various platforms is essential to grow a following.

School work (9:30 – 11:30AM): As I mentioned above, I’m a student at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN). I’m studying to become a Certified Holistic Health Coach and enjoying every moment of the year long program. Getting this certification also represents the expansion of One Beet into One Beet Wellness. Starting this summer, I’ll be working with clients to create individual food and wellness plans to help them reach their fullest potential. I have a non-preachy, personalized, and whole-body philosophy about food and I bring the same approach to my work with clients.

I’m also in the midst of completing an advanced apprenticeship in Medicinal Herbalism with Thyme Herbal. I’m fascinated by the world of herbs and their gentle energy for healing and nourishing the body. I use lots of herbs in my cooking – both for their flavor and their nutrients. In fact, I’m teaching a Cooking with Herbs class at Herbstalk on June 8th

Recipe testing + lunch (11:30AM – 1:30PM): Since I am a food blogger, I spend time every day experimenting in the kitchen. I love to make my One Beet recipes at lunch, because the photos are always so much nicer when taken in natural light. It feels great to put down my computer after a morning of work and head into the kitchen. I listen to a podcast (Wellpreneur Online, This America Life, Planet Money, and TED Radio Hour are my favorites) and get busy. I’m very careful to only put recipes up on One Beet that are fabulous, so that means lots of trial and error until I get things just right. I also enjoy eating the fruits of my labor when I’m finished!

Here are a few of my recent recipes that I really love –
Roasted Vegetable Salad
Butternut Squash and Prunes
Tuscan Kale Salad

Yoga! (1:30 – 3:30PM): I’m not a gym fanatic, but try to workout 4 – 5 times per week. My favorite form of exercise is yoga, but I also do some pilates, running, and cross training. I come back from my workout feeling refreshed, relaxed, and ready to tackle the afternoon. It’s also a great way to get out of the house since I work from home. I often meet up with a friend while I’m out – either at the gym, or for a cup of tea.

One Beet Time (3:30 – 6PM): In the afternoons I set up shop in my sunny home office with a glass of my homemade kombucha (gotta love that detoxification!), or a pot of herbal tea. I spend this time working on my blog and building my wellness coaching business. I download and edit photos, write posts, work on guest posts, pitch ideas to journalists, and manage my social media sites. I also work on developing classes to share my love of food. I’m currently in the midst of teaching a Tuesday Night Dinner Series and plan to list more class dates soon.

Dinner + enjoying the evening (6 – 10PM). I often take a walk with my husband when he gets home from work, play around in the kitchen, or head out to meet a friend for dinner. Lately I’ve also been attending events and meet-ups for entrepreneurs and wellness professionals. It feels great to be connecting with so many like-minded people who are doing amazing things in the world!

So that’s the re-cap of my typical day. It’s always changing and I love it. Come on over to www.onebeet.com if you’re interested in seeing more!