Meet Amanda!
If it wasn't obvious already -- my name is Amanda! I'm a 24 year old avid runner and graphic designer living in the Empire State with a strong passion for health, wellness, food, and running ! I'm here to not only share good tips and tricks about running and nutrition, but i'm also here to share my story; my journey as a plant-based athlete born and raised in giant Italian family. My hope is that I can share my story with all of you and hopefully prove to all of you that it IS possible to be a competitive plant based athlete, and that it IS a healthy way to live. My life has drastically changed since I made the decision to go plant-based, and I am excited to share my journey with all of you! |
The Discovery
In July of 2015 I decided to change my life. After having been away at college for a full year and seeing the (awful) changes in my body due to poor nutrition, lack of sleep, and an outrageous amount of stress, I knew something needed to change. My running had gone down the drain and at the time I couldn’t understand why. I was putting in hard work every morning and evening at practice (as well as outside of it) but for some reason I was struggling to see any improvement. I must have over analyzed my workout plan 50,000 times and asked my coach the same two questions 2 times a day "What is wrong with me? Why am I running like crap?" (I am surprised he didn't kick me off the team for constant annoyance). I couldn't grasp what was possibly going wrong, I was going into my senior year; it was supposed to be MY YEAR. It was going to take quite a bit of discipline, but that summer I knew it was time for a change. At the time I did not know how big of an impact my eating habits would have on my overall performance, but at that point I was willing to do anything. As my running continued to crumble and progressively get worse, I immediately jumped to the internet for answers (because why else would Google exist?). I was astounded to find all the books in the world about plant-based athletes! (Note that prior to this change I HATED, and I really mean hated, reading). So what did I do? Research books that tackled the topics of running and nutrition of course, and I came across my now favorite book of all time: “Eat and Run” by ultra marathon runner Scott Jurek. After indulging in this fantastic book, I finally had devised a game plan — I was going to research the benefits of being a plant-based runner. I soon came across thousands of articles, blogs, websites, groups, EVERYTHING about being a plant-based runner; I was amazed.
The Results
I must have spent more time buried in the depths of Barnes and Nobles than in my own home (talk about a change). I was determined to figure this out; determined to make a change. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t vegetarian and/or vegan at first…it took some time. I found it rather easy to stray away from most meats such as poultry and beef, but initially I struggled to distance myself from seafood. I was born into one big italian family, so seafood is constantly at the dinner table; especially around holidays. However in the summer of 2016 I slowly eliminated seafood from my diet (even sushi which occasionally breaks my heart). I won’t say it’s easy..because it’s not, and I won’t say it’s the “perfect way to live”, but I will tell you all that it was truly the best decision of my life.
When I look back on my road races up until this point, I can hear myself saying that I will never run farther than a 5k or I will never be fast. Since becoming a vegetarian and on the road to slowly transitioning vegan, my 5k time has gone from 25 minutes to 20 thats a 5 minute PR!! Also, I have been able to push myself to survive 10 mile training runs without falling apart, I am able to build muscle mass (and keep it), heck I have even completed a 50k! I feel amazing, my skin is clear and soft, my energy levels allow me to wake up early to prep for work, and I am an all around happier human being.
I’ve learned to appreciate the world more, and never take for granted what delicious and nutritious foods it [the planet] provides us. I’ve learned that I can spend an hour in the produce section of the grocery store and find all that I need without having to load up my cart with processed foods. MOST IMPORTANTLY, I've finally begun to fall in love with my body, and can see progress in the hard work I put into my workouts. I love discovering new exotic foods and recipes everywhere I go, and let me just say that the plant-based community is FANTASTIC. I’m happy with the person I have become and I am appreciating the world a little more everyday living the live I have always wanted to.
That's a wrap!
I hope I didn’t bore you all with the story of my life, I am excited to bring you all in on my journey to becoming a fantastic plant-based runner. I will try to answer all of your questions on here and via my instagram handle: @amandaperri as much as I possibly can! I hope to inspire and motivate you all to find yourself through your fitness journey and to love yourselves. Our bodies are our only place to live, we have to protect them and keep them strong! I am excited to start communicating with you all!
Stay Green,
Amanda