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Wanderlust 108 - Destination Happiness
Wanderlust 108 - Destination Happiness

When I think of my health journey with my autoimmune disease, I think of how grateful I am to be in a place where I have so many tools at my disposal to help me manage my symptoms. It hasn't been an easy journey to get here, but having the knowledge of what I need to support my body and keep it performing at its best has been key.

I've been taking a number of supplements to help me manage my hormonal health, but…

Hi! I'm Minna.

I'm a bit of a Jill of all trades, as you can see.

This space is all about life empowerment & enrichment through health, fitness, food, travel, and experiences on life's journey. 

Ever learning, ever growing.
Join me, will you?

RECENTLY IN:

Exercise (Fitness)
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3 Tricks to Staying Healthy during the Holidays
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Switching to Natural Beauty Products + My Current Favorites
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How to Make Your Fitness Progress Stick: Look at the Long Game
How to Make Your Fitness Progress Stick: Look at the Long Game
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The 5 Priorities for Optimal Health
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Beauty of Our Bodies
Beauty of Our Bodies
Body Shaming/Judgment Part 2.
Body Shaming/Judgment Part 2.
4 New Year NON-Resolutions for 2016
4 New Year NON-Resolutions for 2016
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Lifestyle Changes: Little Steps = Big Outcomes
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Exhaustion: Not a Proxy for Effort or a Status Symbol
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Trainer Tip Tuesday and Touchbase
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Training Tuesday News
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4 Reasons to Start NOW
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Your Workouts: More isn't Necessarily Better
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Fitness: One Size Doesn't Fit All
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Build-a-Booty PART 4: Finale
Build-a-Booty PART 4: Finale
Build-a-Booty PART 3
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Experience (Life/Travel)
Wanderlust 108 - Destination Happiness
Wanderlust 108 - Destination Happiness
Happy 10 years, NYC
Happy 10 years, NYC
5 Ways to Gain Genuine Self-Confidence
5 Ways to Gain Genuine Self-Confidence
How to Start Reducing Waste + Live a Greener Lifestyle
How to Start Reducing Waste + Live a Greener Lifestyle
All about Menstrual and Reproductive Hormonal Health
All about Menstrual and Reproductive Hormonal Health
Live 24k now at Free People!
Live 24k now at Free People!
New Year, Same Amazing You
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Settling my Mom into Brooklyn
Settling my Mom into Brooklyn
Thank-Full: The Skill of Gratitude
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My Journey with Hashimoto's
My Journey with Hashimoto's
The Importance of a Nightly Wind-Down Routine + My Routine
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My Move to Brooklyn + Tips for Moving with Roadway
My Move to Brooklyn + Tips for Moving with Roadway
My Healthy Morning Routine
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This is 27
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How to be an Introvert in an Extroverted World + Career
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Dear Daddy /아빠 : Happy Father's Day
Dear Daddy /아빠 : Happy Father's Day
Asking for Help is Not Weakness or Giving Up
Asking for Help is Not Weakness or Giving Up
Where to Stay in Paris: Le Narcisse Blanc
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Women Who Inspire Interview Series: Dale of The Daley Plate
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While I'm Gone...
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6 Things That Happen When You Aren't Living Authentically
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Current Clean Skin Favorites
Current Clean Skin Favorites
Why Do We Call Stoicism "Staying Strong?"
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Women Who Inspire Interview Series: Amisha of The Jam Lab
Women Who Inspire Interview Series: Amisha of The Jam Lab
Eat (Recipes/Nutrition)
Blueberry Lavender Tonic
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Spring Vegan Thai Curry Pasta with Mushrooms + Chives (GF)
Spring Vegan Thai Curry Pasta with Mushrooms + Chives (GF)
Choco Chaga Tahini Cookies (GF, DF) Recipe and all about Chaga Mushrooms
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How to Make the Perfect Pourover Coffee
How to Make the Perfect Pourover Coffee
Collagen Fat Balls Two Ways: Cinnamon Pecan Chia + Sesame Tahini Walnut
Collagen Fat Balls Two Ways: Cinnamon Pecan Chia + Sesame Tahini Walnut
Golden Fuel Tarts
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Golden Fuel Crepes with Simple Mills
Golden Fuel Crepes with Simple Mills
Gluten-Free Gingerbread Cookie Sandwiches with Cranberry Chia Jam: Cookie Swap
Gluten-Free Gingerbread Cookie Sandwiches with Cranberry Chia Jam: Cookie Swap
Holiday Spice 'Sweet n' Spicy' Blender Muffins
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Matcha Mini Muffins with Collagen (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
Matcha Mini Muffins with Collagen (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
How to Make Bone Broth: Tutorial + Tips
How to Make Bone Broth: Tutorial + Tips
Protein-Packed Overnight Oats
Protein-Packed Overnight Oats
Shroom Super Soup with Bone Broth
Shroom Super Soup with Bone Broth
Why I Eat Local + Urban Farming w/Gotham Greens
Why I Eat Local + Urban Farming w/Gotham Greens
My 3 Spring Produce Favorites + 9 Recipes
My 3 Spring Produce Favorites + 9 Recipes
6 Quick Post-Workout Breakfast Ideas + Tricks
6 Quick Post-Workout Breakfast Ideas + Tricks
Roasted Cranberry Orange Maple Chicken
Roasted Cranberry Orange Maple Chicken
12 Festive Holiday Recipes
12 Festive Holiday Recipes
Gingerbread Pancakes
Gingerbread Pancakes
My 5 Tips for Thanksgiving Prep + Favorite Thanksgiving Recipes
My 5 Tips for Thanksgiving Prep + Favorite Thanksgiving Recipes
Butternut Squash Purée
Butternut Squash Purée
How to Peel and Cube Butternut Squash (without losing a finger)
How to Peel and Cube Butternut Squash (without losing a finger)
Spaghetti Bolognese
Spaghetti Bolognese
Pumpkin Overnight Oats
Pumpkin Overnight Oats
Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pancakes
Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pancakes
5 Healthy Fall Squash Recipes
5 Healthy Fall Squash Recipes
Shrimp w/Charred Corn, Basil, and Aleppo Pepper Brown Butter Pasta
Shrimp w/Charred Corn, Basil, and Aleppo Pepper Brown Butter Pasta
Matcha Cacao Crunch Granola
Matcha Cacao Crunch Granola
Nutrition and Food Non-Negotiables
Nutrition and Food Non-Negotiables
Iced Matcha Latte + Collagen
Iced Matcha Latte + Collagen

LATEST 'GRAMS

☕️i love traveling but it also feels so good to be cozy at home with my plants and pourovers🌿 i have so much I'm excited to tackle this fall, but I'm feeling a little scattered after bopping around so much this past week. i actually feel pretty good for just having come off a travel trip with eating out and drinking more usual-- it definitely helped to have prioritized working out 4/6 days I was traveling and also sleeping decently well. 〰️ but to really ground myself so I can be really productive, and also to be on top of some physical goals I have for myself over the next few months, I'm doing a lil challenge with myself - 🍴I'm not eating or drinking out during the weekdays (minus work/social obligations already set and my birthday) for the next 2 or so weeks 〰️ not only does this make me more conscientious of my spending + budgeting, I definitely become much more mindful of creating nourishing and delicious meals for myself at home. I know that this probably doesn't sound like a big deal to many people out there, but esp when you live in NYC where healthy food is available everywhere, it's really easy to spend a ton of money on meals that still don't hit your nutritional tenants like they would if you made it at home. so I like to actively challenge myself to do this once in awhile to keep myself in line☺️ 〰️ thought I'd share this, in case anyone feels like joining in! 👇would also love to hear more about your biggest hurdles with your nutrition game-- ASIDE from "time"😉
✨as I was training one of my clients this morning, I said something I've said a million times before to my clients when they're stretching or doing SMR: "take a deep breath into that place of discomfort right now and resist fidgeting or the urge to escape the unpleasant sensation. if you're holding tension, not breathing, and just waiting for it to pass, your body won't make that positive change and progress through this sticking point. it's once you breathe into it, and welcome in the discomfort to affect you, it changes you for the better." 〰️ this made me think of how applicable to life this same thinking is. 〰️ whenever we are faced with something novel or uncomfortable, we instinctively have the urge to find whatever escape we can to just get the hell out of feeling those things. to find the freedom of release. we squirm. we run. we drink. we bury. we distract. we destruct. whether it be pain of loss, crippling insecurity, fear of intimacy + love, pressure to succeed, loneliness, etc. 〰️ but the thing about escaping? it finds us temporary relief. not release. because you don't work THROUGH the source of the issue. the root of the pain. the heart of the feeling. 〰️ so for this Tuesday, can you all do something for yourself? when you feel that instinct to flee, breathe in all that discomfort, and resist the urge to wriggle out of it. stick with it. find your true release ❤️ 〰️ //styled by @yogaoutlet with @fpmovement ✨ #yogaoutlet
🍂🌸thanks for the joy (and wildflower crowns), Seattle! met many wonderful new people, got to get creative, and made new cherished memories I wasn't expecting. am super excited to hit the ground running when I get home, with all the things I'm looking forward to in the fall with both work and personally☺️🍁 working up a storm on the plane, typing, editing, and brainstorming 🤓see you soon, NYC! #TravelingMinnaly
🐶unsure if I've ever looked this maniacally happy in a photo, but I'm just living my best life🤗 〰️ Leaving Seattle soon, but I can go to sleep easy tonight, knowing that I got to play with 3 adorable puppies this visit, including @theminniegrams, @coffeeandcardio's new baby😍 I've got a puppy hangover and need to find me some fur babies in NYC...
✨🙏 it allows you to feel the kiss of falls breeze on your skin it allows you to feel the power of your legs as you hike those hills with those muscles it allows you to feel the burning of your lungs when you run + play it allows you to embrace and hold another soul close with those arms it allows you to take in the beauty this world holds with those eyes it allows you to stop time by kissing with those lips it allows you to experience full-body joy with those laughs pulling at the corners of your mouth it allows you to feel the world beneath your feet with those toes. 〰️ what a gift we’ve been given with these bodies. these bodies that allow us to be warriors of the soul. let’s love on these miraculous vessels of ours a bit more, yeah? 〰️ and the key to being able to thoroughly experience all of the above though? mindfulness. 〰️ for me, one of my favorite ways to let my inner warrior out + get mindfully connected is by getting outdoors. no better way to feel more mentally and physically invigorated than to get your blood flowing, fresh air in your lungs, and to feel alive in your body! my meaningful @alexandani stacking bracelets are my favorite little reminders of this as I go explore and play in this world I get to call home. 〰️ For more on how to channel your inner warrior, head to the link in my bio. #Ad #IAmAWarrioroftheSoul #alexandaniWARRIOR #wearyourchakra #DesignedToConnectYou //📸by @justintjamison
✨Have you guys seen a more fitting room color scheme for me? Hashtag live 24k 🤣 〰️ Checked into the @fairmontolympic today, toting my new @lojeltravel along. Out and about today, but I snuck a peek at the gorgeous pool + health center here (will be sharing on stories in a few minutes) and I cannot wait to get into the gym and for a swim tomorrow! 💪 #FairmontOlympic #LojelTravel 〰️ linked the details of my mustard jumpsuit here via @liketoknow.it http://liketk.it/2xmaD #liketkit bc I know you all always ask about my "hard-to-pee" outfits aka jumpsuits that I live in hehe❤️
✨🍃purely magical time @cascadianfarm + @thefeedfeed -- that dinner was like a wedding tablescape straight out of Pinterest! In fact, the whole day was filled with beautiful nature and experiences out of dreams- and the dinner by @thechefryanross was unbelievable and had options for us special crew with every dietary restriction under the sun 🤣 I'll be posting the food pics on my Stories for you to drool over, but I also had to share a few of my favorite photos I took yesterday before heading out for the rest of the day to explore Seattle! ✨ #OutgrowOrdinary #partner
🌻👩🏻‍🌾I'm on the bus back to Seattle from a dream day of pretending to be a farm girl w/@cascadianfarm + @thefeedfeed -- got to learn about a company doing great things for us humans + the environment to #OutgrowOrdinary (can't wait to share more details soon), play creatively w/my DSLR, hang out with my friends, eat wild berries right off the bush, and finished with an ultimate dream dinner (wait til you guys see these pics 😭) on a farm in the mountains-- #I am a very grateful girl. Especially grateful I wore stretchy pants today🤣 〰️ I'm posting on Stories all on the bus ride back so hop on over to watch🌱🌲🐝🍁🍂
✈️🌲☔️a lil note on anxiety today, instead of my planned caption for this pic about being off to the PNW (but still so excited!) 〰️ I'm laughing right now bc I took this pic yesterday while all calm, watering my 🌱babies, getting packed early for once bc I was didn't want a stressful morning rushing to the airport. fast-foward a few hours last night, I shattered a mason jar eeeeverywhere in my kitchen as I was about to go to bed🙈so I spent an hour cleaning up and slept 4.5 hours (6am clients woo!). I got back from training clients, needed to eat breakfast bc I planned on fasting during my flight (more on this later), then saw my TSA pre-check wasn't on my boarding pass.... then I got disconnected from 2 @delta agents, and scrambled to get an Uber. 〰️ i'm currently en route, waiting to see if my new boarding pass will have pre-check + allow me to make my flight 🤣 but what I wanted to say is that I was feeling the familiar anxiety monster that makes me check Google maps every 2 secs to see my ETA-- but then I noticed what's now a familiar second sensation come over me: SURRENDER. 〰️ it's funny bc I've become that person everyone knows as calm/effective during a crisis/stressful situations-- whereas my entire life, I actually suffered from major anxiety during these situations and would try to control everything to the T to avoid it. 〰️ but that's bc a lot of stuff beyond my control happened. autoimmune disease, surgery, deaths, etc. it forced me to re-program my gut reactions to things like this, especially minor things like this. also bc one of the things physically hurting my AI was the extreme level of stress hormones (oh hay, cortisol) from this constant anxiety. 〰️ so. I want to share what helps me, in hopes that it helps you. 〰️ the next time you feel that anxiety rising in your chest about a specific situation (as this does not apply to general anxiety), ASK yourself: "is there anything I can do about this situation?" 〰️ if the answer is no, sit back, close those eyes, and try to surrender to those 🌊. what will unfold, will unfold-- your anxiety will not alter that course✨it's a practice that gets easier over time, so be compassionate w/yourself❤️