Turn our passion into purpose - Protect our winters

P @chanellesladics / @bprsnt

We can’t ignore the fact that the health of our planet is in a state of urgency, meaning we need to act and do something different in order to reverse and rebuild what has been worn and torn down... natural playgrounds are being polluted and resources are being depleted, rapidly. I think that the outside is a reflection of what is happening on the inside. Can the state of our planet be a reflection of what is happening on our inside? I feel like as a collective we humans are not so healthy. We have so many individual problems. We waste. We care about what we look like, what others think about us, if we are good at something and so on. We let the ego sit in the driver seat, wrapped up in our thoughts and beliefs, comparing and constantly finding ways to separate us from each other and from our surroundings. We have more disease than ever. Meanwhile, earth is getting warmer, oceans are getting contaminated and animals are trapped in our mindless line of trash... This blog post is not meant to be negative, yet I think it’s an important topic to speak about. I´m not saying that I’m doings something better than you, that is the ego again. I’m just saying that we have the opportunity to help turn things around for the better of our planet...

I’m a part of the @protectourwinters athlete alliance and I see what an amazing job #pow is doing to help protect our winters and beyond. With this message I hope to reach outdoor people who care for our planet, to get involved in the electoral process. I also hope to reach YOU, as everyone can be an environmentalist. @protectourwinters have just launched the @pow_action_fund where real action on policy can happen!!! Since there is power in numbers we hope you will join us on this new and important venture. Head over to POWActionFund.org to learn more about our mission, initiatives and ways to get involved. Together, let’s turn our passion into purpose and realize the true potential and power this community holds. And show the climate deniers in office the door.

P @chanellesladics / @bprsnt

During @bprsnt women’s adventure retreat in Lofoten Norway we got together a global community and brought a #pow flag out with us hiking the mountains. As a community of mountain loving, outdoorsy women, we hope to help create awareness around #pow

I love being outdoors & aim to help protect our natural playgrounds as much as I can, so future generations can enjoy it too 🌎 I experience that temperatures are getting warmer and snow seasons are getting shorter and I know that the environment is in a state of emergency. But in order to help the glove getting warmer we need everyone. We need a global cooperation

In April 2018 we hosted a @bprsnt women’s adventure retreat in Lofoten Norway. The week we were in Lofoten we saw rapid snow melt and we had to hike with our boards on our backs for a while before we even found snow. We still had such a good time,

connecting with each other and the outdoor. Speaking of, spending time outdoors is amazing, but with the current state of the globe & in order to keep our natural playgrounds accessible, we need to merge our passion for the outdoors with action that actually help protect it. Whether we have a large, medium or small stage, we are all role models for someone in our life’s and we have a footprint that matter... because in order to change everything we need everyone

If you want to be a part of @protectourwinters or any of their national extensions you can follow their account or go to powactionfund.org and www.protectourwinters.org to find out how, when there is a climate march near you and how you can get involved in general.

YOUR NEXT EPIC, MINDFUL ADVENTURE IN LOFOTEN, NORWAY

LOFOTEN, NORWAY 

PRSNT

SOLIDIFY YOUR DREAM ADVENTURE TODAY

THE RETREAT INCLUDES

7 NIGHTS & 6 DAYS GUIDED ADVENTURES

• 4 DAYS OF BACKCOUNTRY ADVENTURES, SPLITBOARDING & SKI TOURING. WE WILL EXPLORE NATURAL TERRAIN WITH NORTHERN ALPINE GUIDES & PROFESSIONAL SNOWBOARDERS KJERSTI BUAAS & CHANELLE SLADICS (3 days Skiing, 1 day Climbing) *Introduction to Split boarding and Ski Touring is available

• MORNING/EVENING YOGA & MEDITATION LED BY KJERSTI AND CHANELLE

• ALL MEALS INCLUDED. HEALTHY, VIBRANT CHEF PREPARED YUMMYNESS every day + SUPERFOOD SNACKS AND ACCESS TO TEA LOUNGE

• ARCTIC SURF AND SUP AT UNSTAD BEACH (OPTIONAL)

• STRESS MANAGEMENT SEMINAR

• GRATITUDE WELCOME DINNER @ LOFOTEN SKI LODGE

• PRSNTFIT FUNCTIONAL MOVEMENT CLASSES

• INTENTION & GOAL SETTING

• TECHNOLOGY REDUCED ENVIRONMENT

• WORKSHOPS ON NUTRITION, MEDITATION TECHNIQUES & MINDFULNESS 
• OTHER ACTIVITIES INCLUDING KAYAKING IN THE FJORDS, TRADITIONAL WOODEN SAUNA & STAR GAZING

Kjersti Østgaard Buaas I 4 x Olympian, Bronze Medalist & Meditation Guide & Chanelle Sladics I X Games Medalist & Certified Yogi & Meditation Guide

We are two weirdos and professional snowboarders hailing from opposite sides of the world. We were attracted to each other for the many passions we share, like outdoor adventures, creating community, an urge to protect our natural playgrounds and living mindful, healthy lifestyles. With the tools, knowledge, and experiences we have gained through our careers as professional athletes, we hope to empower people to integrate long-term commitments and intrinsic motivation towards adopting a healthy lifestyle, self-optimization, wellness, happiness and care for our environment.

A central goal for PRSNT ADVENTURE RETREATS is to inspire as many people as possible to spend time in the elemental outdoors, developing a deeper connection to nature, to each other and to themselves. As traveling nomads for over 15 years, we have seen a lot of incredible places on this earth. To give you the adventure of your life, we have invested a lot of time finding "out of this world" locations for our retreats. We have a feeling that Lofoten and it´s dramatic landscape have that extra edge that will give you the adventure you are seeking deeply in your soul...

What?!! I get to meditate, surf in turquoise arctic water & split board with a 360-degree fjord view?

Totally, we believe that everybody needs a little yin & yang in their life´s. That is why we mindfully select activities balancing these states of mind. To us, the power is in the PRSNT moment, so we aim to facilitate environments to get you there. A combination of split boarding & backcountry skiing, outdoor climbing, yoga, meditation, kayaking, arctic surfing, arts & crafts, fjord skinny dipping followed by traditional Norwegian wood sauna, healthy cooking classes & nutrition workshops, stress management seminar, PRSNTFIT functional movement classes and so much more.

 

We know that getting enough sleep is the key to being your most vibrant, energized self. Since we are aiming to provide you with an extraordinary, blow your mind experience (and make sure you are comfortable) we have partnered with Lofoten Ski Lodge , located and tucked away in its own private fjord in beautiful Kalle (only 20 minute drive from the closest airport Svolvær)It is worth mentioning that these renovated ROUGH-LUXE traditional fisherman´s cabins, all have fjord views and access to some of Lofotens finest backcountry terrain, straight out of your doorstep.

Okay, I'm getting pretty excited. Will I be safe on all these epic adventures? We want you to have the best possible experience, feel safe but also get to push outside your comfort zone. That´s why we have partnered with Northern Alpine Guides , world-class mountain guides we stand behind.

SIGN UP ON PRSNT.CO/LOFOTEN

3 MORE SEATS OPEN

BPRSNT

 

NEED TIME TO MEDITATE ON THIS...?

Pssst... THESE EPIC GIFTS ARE ALSO INCLUDED IN PRICE!!! 

• Free access to professional photos from camp shot to use on YOUR social media + print
• Goodie Bags filled with amazing products from our sponsors (valued at 3000 NOK)
• In the mix to win a Kjersti Buaas signed Snowboard + other amazing prizes!!

Cancellation Policy:  No Cancellations, but may transfer ticket to another name for 200 NOK

when good things go viral

WHEN PEOPLE #STOPSUCKING TOGETHER 

I am proud to be an ambassador for Simply Straws because they are a responsible brand, with an aim to make this world a better place. By educating people about how harmful plastics, and especially single-use plastics, are for the environment and by providing us with a reusable alternative, they are truly an inspiration to me. Their products are so elegant and I love bringing my straws on my travels. Recently the news channel Buzzfeed created a video where one of the employees challenged her co-workers to stop using plastic straws for a week. The #stopsucking was used to get people motivated to jump on the challenge. Co-founder of Simply Straws, Chanelle Sladics and I went up to LA and handed out Simply straws glass straws to everyone who joined the challenge. A few months later, the video they made has gone viral and been seen over 10 million times online!!  am so grateful and happy to see good things go viral. That is in my opinion what we need - not something silly thing about who married who or what celebrity had a baby. I feel that the anti-single-use-plastic movement is finally picking up some well deserved momentum. In 2002 Bangladesh became the first county to ban the use of thin plastic bags. That is almost 20 years ago now!! With more individuals waking up to the problem and governments jumping onboard, I see a brighter light at the end of the tunnel. Taiwan has for example a goal is to ban plastic straws entirely by 2030. I am so proud to be a voice and extension of Simply Straws and help spread the message to help eliminate plastic straws. So what do you say? Are you ready to jump onboard and #stopsucking ?!!

www.simplystraws.com

WORDS OF REFLECTION

Words of Reflection

 Women’s Olympic Snowboard Finals 2018

TEAM SLOVAKIA DURING TRAINING THE DAYS PRIOR WHEN THE CONDITIONS WERE GREAT

Photo by Premysl Vida

The past 48 hours the brutal conditions during the women’s slopestyle finals has been a hot topic, both among athletes, coaches, media and people who watched the event. It has been a discussion, weighing heavy on my heart, as I care for snowboarding and the people in it. Needless to say, Monday’s event was definitely not reflecting the amazing level I know of women’s snowboarding.

Photo by Espen Lystad

I have been competing professionally for 20 years and I have never seen snowboarding progress faster than the past 4 years. Both the men’s and women’s fields are stacked and the riders are working harder than ever, progressing the sport we love to a whole new level. It’s impressive and inspiring. Up until recently, I find snowboarding to have been quite male-dominated, but with the rapid progression these past years, women are finally starting to grab both more attention in the industry and from more mainstream channels.

Being a four-time Olympian, I know that the road to the Olympics can be hard and challenging and sometimes not even that fun... I've always told myself that if I’m not having fun, it’s not any point doing it and I try my best to stay true to these words. Yet. I would lye a little if I say I don’t care about the “end goal” as I believe it’s in our heritage as humans to celebrate when we receive some kind of a reward. Needless to say, when you invest so much energy and resources into something and qualify for the big show, the least you expect is to get a fair opportunity to perform on an elite, world stage.

As I stepped into a new role as a coach during this event, I was really excited to watch the women of snowboarding put on the show I know they are all capable of. From my own experience, I know how fun it is when you finally get to showcase what you have been working on for so long. My intention in my new position was to be the best support I could possibly be. Not just for the rider I am helping, but for anyone that might need an extra hand in the heat of the moment. These ladies also happen to be my very good friends, that I have laughed and cried with, competed against and high fived a million times before I dropped into my runs.

It has always brought me feelings of fulfillment when I can help uplift others, as they set course for their goals and dreams. This time the Olympic dream was ready to become reality for these ladies, who are working so hard and putting their bodies on the line to progress snowboarding. It was their turn and opportunity to play on the worlds biggest stage for sports and to thrive in their element

Unfortunately, we did not get to see the women of snowboarding thrive in their element of slopestyle in #pyeongchang2018 ... rather they were trying to hold on and survive. For sure they all made the best of it and more!! I was so impressed by how amazing everyone handled the challenging conditions, physically, mentally, spiritually... The bad part is that the ladies did not get a fair chance to showcase anything close to their best riding, which they so respectfully deserved.

Honestly, if it was me competing, I would not want to ride in those conditions. I would hope I had the confidence to say no, which can be tricky when you are under that kind of pressure. Add in emotional attachments, fear, stress, expectations, nerves and someone telling you that they might just cancel the whole thing... Then you got yourself a recipe for chaos, confusion, bad decision making and sometimes even apathy... It was pretty obvious that things were not working, yet the show kept going on.

Photo by Espen Lystad

I like to think that I would dare to voice my opinion as a rider, in this case having the event stopped halfway into the first round when we all saw that things were not working. Maybe my 20+ years experience as a competitive athlete would give me the courage to say no, I’m not dropping in? Or maybe not? Honestly, I’ve gotten quieter over the years, as I have often felt judged for standing up, trying to make things better for the community. I have experienced being called out to be a wimp for not being able to handle tough conditions. I guess this has made me toughen up and rather just stick with it than being honest... and maybe that is what the other girls are going through as well. I can only imagine how that feels for a younger girl at her first Olympics, with all the extra pressure and attention. I don’t know - but what I do know is that we need to draw the line at some point because there is a fine line between celebration and someone getting seriously injured.

Many say that snowboarding is an outdoor sport and we need to adapt to ever-changing weather conditions. I can connect with this, but I have also experienced that adapting sometimes means pulling back and letting Mother Nature do her thing.

Some people blame the organizers, some the coaches, some blame the rides themselves and some blame Mother nature. Who’s fault is it really? That is a complex question we may not be able to answer right away or ever at all... and it is always easier to be “after smart” - As I am not a big fan of drama, I quickly realized that I am not interested in playing “the blame game”, rather learn from this and look forward to better solutions. Since Monday’s I have had some great, constructive conversations and dialogues with riders, other coaches and people who watched the event, where we focus to seek out solutions to make better calls for the future.

My aim is always to move forward. To grow and learn from my mistakes and my celebrations. No matter what my role is, weather I’m acting as an athlete, as a coach or as something completely different, I strive is to become better at communication, be more comfortable with voicing my opinions, listening even more, be constructive and seek solutions. To me a solution in this case lies in becoming more organized, unified and get our priorities as a collective group straight. As riders, as coaches and as humans. When we get distracted by glitter, gold, money, greed and fame, we need to slow don’t and remind each other to stop and take a moment to see if it’s really worth the risk.

Photo by Premysl Vida

As the sun rises again, Mondays chaos is starting to feel more like an opportunity to reflect on something that probably needed more attention anyways... as the conversation continues I hope we will be smart enough to not let this separate us, by trying to blame each other. I manifest that this rather will bring us closer together as a snowboard community and inspire solution based conversations. Most media articles I have read has portrayed what happened in a positive figure for the women athletes. At least people seem to understand that they missed what could have been a heck of a good show!! That is at least a first step in the right direction...

YOU. WE. ALL

REVITALIZE WITH MIND BODY GREEN

THE DESERT IS CALLING AND I MUST GO

Last weekend I traveled out to the Arizona desert together with my partner in #PRSNT adventure retreats, Chanelle Sladics. We are both curious and passionate about health and wellness and are always seeking to expand our knowledge and develop our tools. Therefore, we were both thrilled and honored to be invited to #REVITALIZE, an exclusive health & wellness retreat hosted by www.mindbodygreen.com - one of the biggest online health & wellness platforms in the world.

The beautiful Ritz Carlton hotel & spa, located in the vast outland near Tuscan, AZ, was ready to hold space for over 200 leading health experts and influential thought-leaders. The goal of the event; to come together, cultivate and share progressive, bright ideas & revitalize the way we think about human and planetary health and wellness.

I hit the road with an adventurous and open mind, ready to learn & immerse myself with inspiring, mindful leaders. I am pleased to take you on this “recap adventure” of my experience and I hope you enjoy looking #throughmylenses.

Photos by Chanelle Sladics (@chanellesladics) | words by Kjersti Buaas (@kjerstibuaas)

YOU. WE. ALL

I opened my eyes and saw the sun illuminating the pokey, prickly cactus landscape outside our hotel window. A deep breathe in filled my lungs with gratitude. Actors, doctors, yogis, athletes, bloggers, meditation guides and nutritionists flocking towards the performance dome with their yoga mats under their arms, grabbed my attention. Humans with access to big platforms and world stages had committed to come together with a “we-mindset”, to share, to inspire and learn and to bring progressive ideas to the world. I got up from my seated meditation (I use a pillow that also acts as my sleeping and travel pillow) and reached my arms towards the ceiling. Then I let them fall down towards the floor. “Ahhhhh” - the air pushing out was warm and soft and I felt a deep sense of connectedness rushing through my body. To myself, to nature and to the community that had gathered out here in the desert.

BREATHE IN. BREATHE OUT

The big, white, dome-shaped tent was hot, foggy and filled with an energy that can only be created from when 100 people breath consciously together for 45 minutes. I walked up to thank Brian Mackenzie; athlete and co-founder of XPT; breathing techniques to optimize human potential and performance, and it felt like every little cell in my body was buzzing. Through my athletic career, as an avid free diver and a student of meditation, I am fairly tuned in with how I can to utilize my breath to channel a PRSNT mindset, distribute energy, focus, calm fear and enhance my performance. Yet, the XPT breath work definitely introduced me to new ideas and took me deeper into the world of performance breathing. We live in such fast-paced, noisy, environments, so I don’t only find conscious breath work and meditation important for performance and athletes. Creating stillness to go within, calm down and to tune in, helps us stay more connected to our whole being. Hidden in this relationship resides a divine power and awareness, elemental to unlocking the unique and unyielding potential of personal strength living in all of us.

MINDFULL MOVEMENTS

As the weekend continued we immersed ourselves deep in the practice of mindful movement, with yoga, meditation, and togetherness.

Amazing food experiences (a lot of plant-based options, well-sourced ingredients and everything on the menu was gluten-free and delicious) workshops around entrepreneurship and opportunities to get running assessments, reiki healing and ear acupuncture was also on the agenda.

A delicate blend of flow, balance, strength, and alignment happened during @caleyayssa ´s yoga class. She introduced new postures that challenged and supported my body, mind, and spirit, accompanied with a really good playlist. And off course, we ended with laughter and smiles

YOUR HOLY KEY

We headed towards the revitalize stage, sipping on our green superfood smoothies, and felt the buzz of progressiveness fill the space. Talks, live interviews and forward-thinking discussions about healthy eating, mindful movement, sustainability, and spirituality was about to go down.

The opening speech was presented by Hill Harper, the actor who passionately reminded us that “what scares us the most, is also our holy key”. We should find this key and fuel our intrinsic passion, do what we love and use our time on earth to support collective community. By expanding our circle of care to include more people (even people that are complete strangers to us) we will find that we are supporting the bigger picture. He finished the talk off by bringing his newly adopted son onto the stage, leaving the most masculine men in the audience teary-eyed.

OUR INTERNAL GARDENS

The audience were drying off tears and sharing hugs as an expert panel of doctors and nutritionists took on the stage. We were invited to dive deeper into the human microbiome and they explained that basically, our guts are little eco-systems who needs similar care as a garden. They had me at “garden” as truly connect with the concept of nature being my guide and I love gardening.  I studied permaculture on the Big Island of Hawaii back in 2013 and have my permaculture design certificate. I often translate the principles and philosophies from this natural way of working with the land, onto other compartments of my life.

Our bodies are miracle workers and always seek to heal. Providing good soil and a happy environment for growth is elemental to a life of health and longevity. By resetting (weeding out bad bacteria) & rebuilding our gut flora with good bacteria (soil) we can get our internal gardens in order.

The conversations continued with topics like thyroid issues, “leaky gut” and fasting. I had heard and read about these before, but the shocking news is that that these experts claim that almost all of us suffer from one or the other, or all of them. I don’t have any big signs or symptoms of poor health that I can see or feel, and I pay a lot of attention to what I put in my body and how I exercise, so hearing this came with a slap to my ego. With that said, an elemental reason why I went to this event was to challenge my self, to learn from progressive professionals (that knows way more than I do) and to take home new tools and knowledge.

HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT OF BREAKFAST MEANING TO BREAK FAST?

Ironically, as the delicious lunch was settling in my stomach the discussion hovered around fasting and specifically intermittent fasting. A 12-14 hour window of IF each day is proven to support good brain health. This break from eating increases blood flow to the brain and gives us an opportunity to flush out toxins from the brain. The intermittent fasting structure suggests finishing your last meal 4 hours before bedtime, to prevent our bodies from “stealing” the energy and blood flow when we sleep. Then, 12-14 hours later you break fast aka breakfast :) This seems kind of hard to do, even in theory, as I sometimes don’t eat dinner before 8pm and my travel schedule is quite unpredictable. As the next speaker entered the stage, I was still pondering on how realistic I could be about successfully integrating any of this into my daily life. I figured I would at least give it a try as soon as I returned home.

DON´T LET YOUR WELLNESS BECOME YOUR ILLNESS

Breakfast at the Ritz Carlton in Arizona was worth breaking fast for :)

Lisa, a slim and fit looking yogi was passionately sharing her story about how she thought she was living a healthy lifestyle. She was eating consciously, spent a lot of time educating herself on the newest health topics and exercised often In front of an engaged crowd of health and wellness experts, she told us how she had neglected to see any doctors for a long time, simply because she didn’t believe in the system. The crowd was nodding, as most of us certainly do not connect with the approach of traditional medicine, where you eat a pill to get rid of a symptom or a disease in the body. Yet, our confidence shrunk as we learned how her wellness had become her illness and she was diagnosed with cancer. Her story opened my mind and made me rethink the way I am looking at “health” and healthy living. I still believe that we need to take responsibility for our own health, but I want to seek out a team of doctors (holistic that is) who specializes in functional medicine (look for the root cause instead of chasing after symptoms) I have a better understanding of the importance of having a balance between what we do ourselves with the tools we have, and getting regular check-ups, tests and diagnostics. My next move is to take a gut test and follow up with a cleanse. I want to find out more about what is actually happening inside my eco-system, rebuild and restore my gut with good bacteria. After all, to have real guts is to be able to let go of past belief systems and open up for new ideas and ways of life.

 

THE CLIMATE CHAOS HAS ENDED

My favorite talk the whole weekend was by Paul Hawken, an environmentalist, entrepreneur, journalist, and author, who at age 20 (now 60 +) dedicated his life to sustainability and changing the relationship between business and the environment. He spoke about his non-profit organization Project Drawdown who is dedicated to researching when and how global warming can be reversed. The organization maps and models the scaling of one hundred substantive technological, social, and ecological solutions to global warming. His presentation had our kombucha drinking spirits in ahhhh as we learned about how marine permaculture, educating women and feeding cows seaweed (basically because it makes them release (yes fart) less CO2) is on top of the list to reverse global warming right now. The research is analyzed based on math and peer-reviewed science, not opinions or beliefs, like in the past. It has made the climate change conversation transparent and available for anyone to understand. For each solution, they describe its history, the carbon impact it provides, the relative cost and savings, the path to adoption, and how it works. The goal of the research that informs Drawdown is to determine if they can reverse the buildup of atmospheric carbon within thirty years. To learn more visit http://www.drawdown.org/ -

Paul finished his talk a with stating that reversing climate change is about coming home. His team, his passion, his dedication and his humble and approachable “self” ended up awarding him the prestigious avocado trophy (yes it was a trophy shaped as an avocado) at the end of the night. 

 

WE ARE ALL ZEAL

I’m leaving Arizona and the desert with more tools, knowledge and also questions than when I got here. I guess that means growth. Thank you for following my adventures - hope you enjoyed looking #THROUGHMYLENSES

After dark we let the sounds of the desert take us into the deep pockets of our souls, expanding our vision to see beyond our selfs. As I gazed at the stars up in the dark night sky, I got a strong reassurance that we are here to support each other and that we are all leaders and guiding lights. We often think that we don’t have an impact on or affect the people around us, but the truth is that we are inspiring each other more than we think are, most likely when we least expect it. The time is now to embrace our most authentic self, to step into the fullness of our beings and to follow what our hearts are communicating to us. It is your time to #FINDYOURZEAL. 

WHY WE NEED TO STOP SUCKING!

By 2050 there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish. It is fair to say that our natural playgrounds are being polluted and compromised on a daily basis. One of the biggest issues is single-use plastic, like plastic straws. They are used for minutes, then disposed and they never really break down. Therefore they become poison to our marine life, our environment and eventually to us as we eat the fish.

STOPSUCKING

#PLEDGEAGAINSTPLASTICSTRAWS

TAKE THE PLEDGE

WHAT IS THE SOLUTION?

SIMPLY STRAWS REUSABLE GLASS STRAWS

We go through soooooooo many plastic straws each day (Americans alone use over 500.000 each day - yes that's almost two straws per capita) - I am officially shocked!

This is a real problem, that needs our attention so we can work on solutions to reverse it. The good thing is that radical things are happening in the STRAWLESS world.  Adrian Grenier (the very good looking actor from Entourage) has started an NPO called Lonely Whale Foundation and they have launched a HUGE campaign that is going viral around disposable plastic straws!! Together with Simply Straws, they challenged me to #StopSucking. Now I'm challenging WHOEVER reads this, to join me and put attention on this issue.

WHAT TO DO:

#StopSucking and take the #pledgeagainstplasticstraws now to receive a FREE reusable glass drinking straw. Unlock your SIMPLY STRAWS coupon

OR 

Use my challenge code to accept the challenge

WHAT ARE SOME ENVIRONMENTALLY-FRIENDLY ALTERNATIVES TO PLASTIC STRAWS?

Maybe you are a sucker for straws and are wondering about earth-friendly alternatives to plastic straws. I was personally never I big user of straws, but when I learned that they can help protect our teeth from stains, sensitivity and erosion, I was intrigued. When I realized we go through soooooooo many plastic straws each day (Americans alone use over 500.000 each day - yes that's almost two straws per capita) I was shocked! As I don't want to create more waste just so I can sip my drinks, I started seeking out reusable alternatives.

Simply straws are at the forefront in providing reusable glass straws that can be used over and over and over again. They go in the dishwasher and frankly, the beverages taste so much better when sipped through glass, compared to plastic, paper or aluminum. Glass does not leak any chemicals that harm our hormone system and to me that makes so much sense. I simply don't want chemicals in my body. Learn more about the  Simply Straws collection and find out what their best-selling straws are.

Use your voice to be a force for good. The less plastic we use, the less end up in our oceans and marine life. Are you in or are you gonna keep sucking? :)

INTERVIEW I THE GREATEST WIN CAN BE OFF THE PLAYING FIELD

INSPIRE. INTERACT. IMPACT.

New interview up on THE GREATHEST WIN website about how I use my platform as an athlete as a conscious force for good. I feel honored to be featured on the site and for this space to share my athletic philanthropy.

" Inspire. Interact. Impact. Those three words are in the bios on her social media accounts. By Skyping with Kjersti I became familiar with a thoughtful athlete who was not only grounded in her identity as a human, but never, not even once, mentioned her accolades. Instead, we spoke about a number of topics that are relevant to the world of philanthropy: the environment, health, and generally making the world a better place"

CLICK TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE

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BREAKFAST BOWL WITH POACHED EGG

As I work out 6 times a week it is important to fuel up with good, nutrient dense food. Since I eat mostly a plant based diet and do not eat many grains (I have almost cut out all bread of my diet, but I eat real sourdough when available) I challenge myself to be creative with my meals. My favorite healthy, yummy breakfast bowl (that actually fills me up after a big run) is a yummy, healthy breakfast bowl, filled to the brim with good quality ingredients. You can add anything to this really, but check out the list below for what I love to add into my bowl. I eat eggs (happy chicken) so that adds a lot of value for me to this bowl, but if you are fully vegan, jackfruit,  is a great addition.

INGREDIENTS

(Organic, well sourced and local when possible)

Fermented Sauer Kraut, Red and Yellow Cherry Tomatoes, Mixed Greens, Cucumber, Lemon, Chick Pees, Spicy Avocado Salsa, Carrots, Macadamia Nuts & Blueberries

Drizzle over cold pressed olive oil, chia seeds and add the poached egg

I also like to add avocado and coconut yogurt, especially if I dont have the egg :)

CREATIVE WORKOUTSWITH MINIMAL EQUIPMENT

My passion about for health and staying fit is growing and I want to share my recent training videos with you. As I love to train outside, I aim to take most of the workouts out in a natural setting. I always seek to be creative and have fun in life, and my workouts are no different. Check out some of the selected videos here or visit my youtube channel - please share with people you know want to get and stay shape

TRAVEL FRIENDLY TECHNOLOGY

ENHANCE YOUR MOBILE EXPERIENCE

DJI OSMO MOBILE  - CAPTURE STABLE, PROFESSIONAL LOOKING IMAGES WITH YOUR IPHONE

REINE IN LOFOTEN IS ONE OF THE MOST AMAZING PLACES I HAVE EVER BEEN

I have been interested in film and photography since I was very young and I always bring a camera of some sort on my travels. People that know me might even tell you I am slightly obsessive, but to me, it´s so fun to be able to capture magical moments and bring them back to life later. Admiring old film clips, going down memory lane or creating a piece with movement and music.

PHOTO BY CHANELLE SLADICS

With new, smatrter technology is easier than ever before to capture the magic on the road. I am especially in love with the DJI OSMO MOBILE grip, that allows me to capture stable, professional looking images with my iPhone.  I can easily upload the data and share it with people after, either through the smart app or by editing on my mac.

 

 

 

CREATIVITY IS IN EVERYONE

I believe everyone needs creativity in their life. It keeps us curious, spontaneous and childlike. To me, film and photography are passions that inspire my growth. I am proud to be able to present these beautiful short films and images from Lofoten in Norway, and Moab in Utah. The beautiful music is created by some amazing, female artists from Norway. Check them out @ ARY and AMANDA TENFJORD

Through my new partnership with the Norwegian based, family owned business EPLEHUSET, I am able to enhance my digital lifestyle and broaden my platform so I can share my passion for film and photography with a bigger audience. 

CHECK OUT MY NEWEST VIDEOS FROM MOAB AND LOFOTEN IN NORWAY