3 Wellness Tips Fresh Restaurants Founder Ruth Tal Swears By

How Ruth Tal, founder of Fresh restaurants, maintains a healthy state of mind.

Ruth Tal, wellness tips

Ruth Tal has built a healthy-eating empire, but these wellness tips are the foundation to her success

The Fresh restaurants founder and author of five cookbooks, Ruth Tal, had a personal health transformation at 25, when she turned vegan due to ethical concerns about the planet and animal welfare in the meat and dairy industries. Eating greens and drinking juices recalibrated her sluggish metabolism, which led to meditation and a daily power yoga practice, a successful business franchise, and, over the next 27 years, a pure, healthy state of being.

Discovering cold-pressed carrot juice was a light bulb moment that grew into a healthy-eating empire. 

Her wellness tips:

Challenge your body

“Over the years, I’ve integrated other physical disciplines into my yogic lifestyle, like resistance training to build up bone density. I’m 52, and I need to work on my cardio so I started spinning. It’s important to try new things and get outside your comfort zone. Yoga is an easy win for me. Trying something new challenges the body and forces it to rise to the occasion.”

Listen to your body

“I’m always calibrating, and motivated to do the right things so I feel the best I can. Feeling so-so just isn’t acceptable to me. Our bodies are constantly sending us signals, and it’s important to stop and listen even when it’s not convenient. When I get these signals, I close my eyes, take a deep breath and  go inward. Inevitably, I reach for a glass of green juice to find my balance and energy again. I’m fortunate I built a business to support those habits for me.”

The success secret she lives by

“If women around my age are reading this, they need to add another layer to their health. It’s not just about how often you’re going to the gym or what you’re eating, but also understanding where your hormones are at and making tweaks, like avoiding coffee and alcohol and taking evening primrose oil and maca, to manage the huge change (menopause) you’re going through.”

Related: 12 expert tips on how to start a vegan lifestyle.

Originally Published in Best Health Canada