The power of us: meet my big sister

Everyone, I’d like to introduce you to my big sister Jill! If you follow me on social media, you probably recognize her because she just got married a little over a month ago! Jill is not only my sister, but my best friend, and who I go to for advice on nearly everything. One thing I know I can ALWAYS go to her for is anything related to health and fitness!

Even though Jill and I don’t live in the same city anymore (insert sad emoji), we are always sharing new healthy recipes with each other or bouncing ideas off each other for new workouts! Jill is a certified personal trainer and seriously has the coolest background/testimony…read more about it on her blog or her instagram!

Jill and I went to the Dallas Farmer’s Market when I was in town last weekend. This is such a fun spot to buy fresh and local produce! There’s also tons of booths set up where we tried gluten free chocolate chip cookies and more! I’d encourage you on the weekends to grab a girlfriend, head to your city’s farmer’s market and stock up on tons of fruits and veggies for the week ahead! The key to healthy eating is being prepared and planning ahead.

A few ways Jill and I encourage each other to make healthy choices, even though we live states away:

Pinterest! We find and share tons of healthy recipes with each other on pinterest. I’d say about 95% of the meals I make come from here! (Here’s a link to my pinterest if you don’t follow me already!)
Instagram tags. This sounds so silly or simple, but Jill and I are constantly tagging each other in different fitness posts on instagram. It’s a great way to share a workout with a friend or get new ideas for your next workout.
Send a text. Every now and then Jill and I will just text each other and ask “how have you been doing with meal planning / eating lately?”. It sounds like an odd question but it’s great accountability. There are plenty of times when one (or both) of us will respond with ‘um way too many Mambo Taxis and ice cream this week’, but it’s always good to have to fess up to that, and helps get you back on track!

So, Jill and I share recipes with each other, send each other good workouts…but the biggest way Jill and I inspire each other (specifically in the health/fitness world), is we always remind each other that our bodies are so much more than a number on a scale, or what size jeans we’re wearing. Yes, we greatly value eating healthy and being active – it’s a MAJOR part of our lives. But, more than that…Jill is the person in my life that constantly reminds me that who we are as women is so much more than what we look like or what size we are. True beauty and joy and satisfaction lies in something so much deeper than that.

When I heard about the ‘power of us’ campaign that Sole Society was doing in honor of National Women’s Month, Jill was the first person that came to mind. She empowers me in so many ways – to eat healthier, to push my body physically to get stronger every day, and most of all to root my identity in true beauty, that lies so much deeper than skin-deep.

My outfit details: Striped tie front top | High-rise distressed skinny jeans (also available here) | Tassel earrings | Round crossbody bag (under $50!) | Perforated cutout booties

Jill’s outfit details: V-neck tee | Chambray shirt | Studded sandals | Crossbody bag | White denim

Quick note about our outfit details…both my round crossbody bag and jill’s perforated leather bag are under $50, if you can believe that! They quality is amazing and they look super high end, but are SO budget friendly! AND my booties and jill’s sandals are both under $100! One of the many reasons why I’m hooked on Sole Society.

So, if you’re in a rut with your eating or workouts…I’d encourage you to reach out a girlfriend or sister who you look up to in that arena, and ask for accountability! Women really are so much stronger together…so let’s empower and inspire each other to be the best version of ourself that we can be!

This post was created in collaboration with Sole Society. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own!

xo Lauren

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