Archive for May 14th, 2009

Team Giles chats with “Oh She Glows”


The other day I got the privilege of e-interviewing the fabulous Angela at “Oh She Glows“.

“Angela has a contagious enthusiasm for health, nutrition, fitness, fashion, and beauty. She got healthy after university and she wants to show others that it is possible to live a happy and healthy lifestyle…without deprivation!”

Angela also has her own Shop that has fantastic clothes like this one:
ohsheglowsshirtTo purchase, click here {all her stuff is adorable!}

and without futher delay, here’s our chat:

Angela, thanks for taking the time to have a chat with me, why don't you tell the readers about yourself?

Oh boy where do I start?? :)  How about here- it's my birthday on May 16th!
Shameless, aren't I? lol. I will save you my life history lesson and simply
say this: I struggled with eating issues since I was about 10 or 11 years
old. I remember thinking that I was fat compared to my friends. Throughout
my teen years I focused on the scale, calories, dress sizes, and other
numbers because I thought that was the key to weight loss success. It
actually drove me crazy and resulted in many up and down struggles with my
weight and my emotional well-being. My weight went up and down many times
throughout university because I never quite 'got it'. I finally started to
'get it' when I was in graduate school working towards my Master's degree. I
started to loosen my tight grip over food and what I realized is that losing
weight became easier. The more freedom I gave myself, the happier I was. I
stopped counting calories and I started to experience food as a joy and not
as a number. Do you ever stop and think about how much energy goes into
counting calories? Some days I think it took up most of my thoughts! Once I
stopped focusing on numbers and listening to myself, I felt free and alive.
I started to glow and my friends and boyfriend Eric (now my husband) noticed
the change. From then on, each day got a bit easier and each day I grew a
bit stronger.

YEA! Happy Birthday!! That's awesome! That's so great, you gave yourself the freedom to just live.
When did you start blogging and why?

I started Oh She Glows on October 31, 2008. I felt like I had a story that
would benefit other women and save them years of doing what I did. It is now
my goal to empower others and challenge them to see their health in a new
light.

I definitely think your story and your daily blog posts are inspiring!
What's a normal daily schedule for you?

Early in 2009 I left a full time research career to start up a healthy
home-run bakery. It has been a lot of work but I have honestly never been
happier in my life. I have my readers to thank for giving me the nudge to
listen to my heart. I don't think I would have had the courage to make such
a huge change had it not been the kind words and shared personal stories
from my readers.
My daily schedule now is great because it is all up to me. I love being my
own boss. I have always been an independent worker; I excel that way.

My day usually goes a little something like this (but it varies widely!!!)

- Alarm: 7:30am
- Stumble downstairs and make a green monster, take pictures of said green
monster, gulp green monster, feel more awake
- Make a Japanese Sencha Green Tea (a little caffeine kick!) Throw in a bag
of white tea if feeling really sleepy ;)
- Check email. Wonder how in the world I am going to respond to emails and
still get work done.
- Delete spam. Realize that inbox is much more manageable.
- Read comments. Smile, laugh, respond to quick questions via email right
away.
- 8:30am approx.: AM post- write, revise, add photos, edit, publish. Fix
typos. Drink more green tea. Wonder what I am going to write about at lunch.
Pray that I can think of something.
- Work on Glo Bakery (www.globakery.com) 'housekeeping'. This can be
anything related to marketing inquiries, excel tracking (e.g., receipts,
bills, etc), recipe revision, nutritional information, researching about
food substitutes and cooking techniques, looking for inspiration, applying
for business licence/incorporation/GST/PST number, logo/business cards,
studying for food safety exam, consulting with BIL (the accountant), etc.
- 12:30: Lunch (sometimes lunch can be as late as 2pm depending on how deep
into my work I am). Prepare, take pictures, eat, clean up
- 1pm: BLOG
- finish up any computer work I was working on, make phone calls, etc.
- Pick up some bakery food items if I am low
- 3pm: WORKOUT (on average 45 mins.)
- 4-6pm: In the kitchen testing new recipes! And most likely ruining my
appetite for dinner :)
- Cook dinner
- 7pm: Give Eric a big kiss when he gets home :)  eat dinner, clean up, have
some sweets.
- BLOG
- Home renos, catch up on blogs, reply to emails
- 11pm: Watch an episode of 24 with Eric
- Midnight: Bed!

Congratulations on your new bakery business! That's fantastic!!
How do you make eating healthy and exercise a part of your daily life?

It is such a part of me now that it is a complete HABIT to live the
lifestyle that I live each day. It's like brushing my teeth- very automatic.
I am on auto pilot. I don't question whether I will workout each day, I just
do. Unless of course I am tired, sore, or ill. Same with healthy eating. I
LOVE healthy foods and I love the way eating healthy makes me feel. When I
eat good I am rewarded because my energy levels skyrocket. When I eat poorly
I start to drag and yawn.

I love that you've made having a healthy life a HABIT and not a diet. :)  What keeps you motivated?

My wedding and honeymoon pictures! I was in the best shape of my life! :)
Other bloggers and readers keep me motivated too because they are so
encouraging and always challenging me to try to approach things in different
ways. I am a huge creature of habit so breaking out of the box is a BIG step
for me!

You looked gorgeous in your wedding pictures, and I agree other bloggers and readers are so encouraging!
Finally, what advice do you have for everyone out there trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle?

The biggest thing for me was when I realized that I had to learn how to
create a lifestyle for myself that I could see myself doing in 5, 10, 15,
30, 40 years down the road. That's how I knew counting calories didn't fit
in my lifestyle anymore. I couldn't see myself keeping up the tedious task
my whole life. I knew I had to break away from it and learn to listen to my
body and trust myself. A healthy lifestyle is not a quick fix and it is not
something that I learned overnight. It was through constant trial and error
to find out what worked best for me. I think every person needs to find that
for themselves.

Thank you for this awesome interview! I really adore your blog. :) 

Thank YOU Angela, it's been great chatting with you!

So be sure to check out Oh She Glows and send some love Angela's way!
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