3 Wellness (and Life) Lessons From an Instagram Foodie

To celebrate women embracing their power at every age, our “Better With Age” series with MitoQ—a mitochondria-supporting super supplement that powers your cells to fuel your ambitions as you age—is telling stories of inspiring women who have loads of game-changing advice for generations behind them.

Living a healthy life should be simple (eat well, exercise, repeat, right?), but wellness has become a whole lot more than salads and workouts—which is where confusion enters the scene.

That's why when you find someone who's a little farther along in their wellness journey and killing it, it's like hitting the jackpot of wellness advice. Since they've done a lot of the legwork for you (praise), you can avoid the frustrating trial and error that often comes with navigating the world of health.

Sharing the wisdom she's gained from her journey is exactly what Nicole Modic, recipe developer and founder of KaleJunkie, set out to do after her experience with overcoming disordered eating.

"Once I got the healing I needed from my eating disorder, I wanted to share my story with others in hopes of inspiring them," she says. Her blog turned into her platform for inspiration, where she shares healthy recipes, parenting tips, and general wellbeing wisdom. Here, she's sharing some of her top pieces of wellness advice, from her take on actually finding balance to a quick hack for avoiding hanger.

Scroll down for 3 pieces of wellness advice you can apply to your life today.

1. Share your story

Modic started out as a litigation attorney, but quickly realized that health and wellness was where her passion was really focused. The first step in transforming her life? Overcoming her eating disorder. She enrolled in twice-weekly therapy sessions and a yoga teacher training in search of inner peace, but she credits learning to be open about her struggles as the most important part of her overall healing.

"Once I stopped feeling like I was flawed because I had issues with food, the true healing began," Modic says. "Once I started sharing my story, it became clear that there were many people struggling with the same issues and afraid to talk about it. My passion is now showing others that true healing is possible."

This sharing led her to start her blog, which flourished into her current career. The lesson? Be open about your struggles—whether they're with food, relationships, career, etc. Walking your path with people who can support you (because they understand what you're going through) can help you grow faster than trying to muscle through it alone.

2. Snacking is key

If you needed further proof that snacks are life, here it is: Modic credits always having a snack at the ready as one of the ways she maintains her healthy lifestyle.

"I keep snacks in my purse at all times," she says. "I don’t go more than two hours without popping a little something in my mouth to tide me over to the next meal. This really helps keep the hanger at bay, and makes me happy! When my blood sugar starts to get low, I get really moody and irritable."

Her advice for successfully living well 24/7 is finding products that support your wellbeing and keep you feeling like yourself (instead of hangry). Stock up on grab-and-go bars made out of real ingredients, essential oils that promote calm, and balancing supplements like MitoQ Blood Sugar, which helps you sustain your energy levels throughout the day—thus helping to avoid the aforementioned hanger meltdown. "Around 3 p.m. is when my sweet tooth hits, and MitoQ actually helps curb that," Modic says.

MitoQ helps with blood sugar balance by looking after cells that produce insulin. Without insulin, the body doesn’t absorb glucose into the cells, which can cause issues down the road. The supplement also features cinnamon and chromium picolinate, ingredients used to help regulate blood glucose. All of the ingredients are able to help more with energy boosting and minimizing cravings thanks to mitoquinol, which helps deliver them to the mitochondria—where all the magic happens in your cells.

3. Find the balance

Okay, okay. We know you've heard this one before. But Modic has an awesome take on #balance that turns it into something achievable you can really apply to your life, rather than some pie-in-the-sky wellness notion that no one ever actually finds.

"Wellness is about enjoyment of all things and no deprivation," she says. "I used to think wellness was this rigid concept that didn’t allow for cupcakes and pizza. [...] But wellness is really living a well life—meaning enjoying life’s pleasures, all things in moderation, with no rules against anything."

Moral of the story: Don't obsess over being perfectly healthy, because true wellness is about cultivating a sustainable relationship with your wellbeing over the long haul. "I want to live a long and healthy life so I can see my boys grow up," Modic says. And that's really what wellness is all about.

Sponsored by MitoQ

Photos: Nicole Modic