The Balanced Blonde Talks Burgers, HIIT + Her Weirdest Fitness Habit
Remember that series I started a while back and then totally forgot about?
Well, I’m bringing the Healthy L.A.dies posts back!
For those who don’t remember, the series features fit, fabulous women living inspirational lives in L.A. From their favorite sweat spots to their take on crazy L.A. fitness trends, these healthy living babes are giving up their best-kept wellness tips and local fitness secrets.
To kick off the series revival, I have the incredible Jordan Younger of The Balanced Blonde here today to share with you her advice for health and fitness success.
Jordan is a California native, avid yoga practitioner, healthy foodie, and expert on my favorite health topic: finding balance in an industry dominated by extreme lifestyles.
She just released her first book last month about her own journey to wellness, Breaking Vegan, and she’s graciously given me a copy to give to one of you!
Stick around until the end of the post for details on how to win this inspiring and educational read.
Q&A with Healthy L.A.dy
Jordan Younger
What’s your healthy living motto?
Consistency is key! Find a workout you truly enjoy doing and it will be easy to be consistent with it.
Also, when it comes to food: real food from the earth. It doesn’t have to fall under any dietary label, but if you’re avoiding processed food and focusing on real, whole, natural ingredients then you’ll find your ideal weight and feel amazing.
What’s your favorite studio workout in LA and why?
Love this question! My favorite studio workout in LA is Orangetheory Fitness by far. I love fast-paced, high intensity workouts that get my blood pumping.
I am not one of those girls who goes to the gym and doesn’t sweat — I almost always leave the gym dripping in sweat, and I like it that way. Orangetheory is a HIIT class that combines running, weight training and rowing for an hour long group-lead workout.
I also love the community there, which is a huge part of why I enjoy OTF so much — for me, the people and atmosphere have to be great on top of the workout! I like to make friends in the gym and I’ve met some of my favorite people in LA through OTF.
What’s your favorite spot for an outdoor workout?
Anything by the beach! I love to get a good ocean breeze while I’m working out. One of my close friends teaches yoga by the beach in Santa Monica every Monday night (when it’s nice out) and that’s one of my favorite places to workout outdoors.
I also love hikes — especially some of the beautiful hikes in the Palisades and in Malibu.
Favorite healthy LA restaurant + favorite dish?
Ah, I love so many! I am such a healthy restaurant nerd. I think it’s a tie between True Food Kitchen and Rawvolution — both in Santa Monica. At True Food I like to get the turkey burger wrapped in lettuce or the brown rice teriyaki bowl with tofu or chicken. At Rawvolution, I am all about the Sweet Greens smoothie (the best on earth) and all of their superfood salads. They also have killer raw chocolate desserts.
Oh, and Cafe Gratitude is another favorite and I like everything on their menu! << She’s in good company, it’s Jessica Alba’s favorite spot too!
Favorite LA spot to indulge + favorite dish?
There are a lot of places in Brentwood I like to go when I have a more indulgent type of night, especially because I can walk to a lot of restaurants in the neighborhood from my apartment. I love to walk after eating a heavier meal.
I like Baltaire on San Vicente and Bandera on Wilshire. At both places I like to get the burger. Believe it or not, I am a huge burger person now. But I am really picky about my meat. I love both of those restaurants’ burgers. And a good vodka soda with lime on the side!
Name your 5 healthy living must-haves?
- A Blender: I am all about the VitaMix when it comes to having a great blender for smoothies, soups and juices. I like the 5200 Series because it’s heavy duty and will literally blend anything you need — even nuts!
- A Superfoods Powder: One of my BFF’s has a superfood company called The Philosophie that is to die for. Her Green Dream superfood powder is something I add to nearly everything I make at home from smoothies to healthy desserts. I’d be lost without her powders among others to make all of my drinks and desserts as healthy and full of nutrients as possible.
- Comfy Workout Clothes: I can’t not tell your fab readers about my clothing line TBV Apparel! We have inspirational shirts with phrases from “Oh Kale Yes!” to “Make Your Own Magic” to “Yoga Junkie” and more. I think it’s great to have clothes that inspire you to be your best self, whether it’s the phrases on the shirts or how you feel in the clothes. Preferably both. You want to feel your best so you can act your best and put your happiest, healthiest self forward in the world. Other than my own clothing line, I am a huge Lululemon fan. I am in there WAY too much. PS: Use the code WHITNEY10 for 10% off all TBV apparel!
- A Running App: I use the app Runkeeper religiously to map my runs and keep track of my distances, times, workout history, etc. Runkeeper also has a feature where you can input when you want to exercise and they will send you reminders when that time of day comes! It’s a pretty awesome motivator.
- Stevia: I use this all-natural, calorie-free sweetener in everything from coffee to my nighttime tea. Stevia doesn’t spike your blood sugar which is a huge plus, especially for women who are working on keeping their hormone levels in check. I keep these sweet drops in my purse and use them at every chance I get! For those of us with a sweet tooth, stevia is a godsend.
Who is your celebrity “fitspo?”
Khloe Kardashian’s health and fitness routine is incredible — she’s got it goin’ on! Any woman who feels great in their body and works hard to be active and eat well is admirable in my book.
One health/fitness trend you’re currently loving?
Oh man, I’m such an acai bowl freak. Although, a word to the wise: skip the extra fruit on top of acai bowls and add nuts, nut butter and protein powder. That will round out your meal and not leave you with sugar cravings later in the day from a spike in blood sugar!
Another trend I am all about is Bulletproof coffee — I drink it every morning and I am obsessed with the lifestyle.
What’s one health/fitness trend you’re so over?
Ugh, so many. I wish the “smoothies as big as your face” trend would end — yesterday. There are so many girls on social media who stand there with their huge smoothie jars full of every type of tropical fruit under the sun, and they are wearing nothing but a bikini and rocking a six pack. Those girls are naturally thin and would likely look that way no matter what their diet is. Power to them, but most women don’t do well eating that much sugar, even natural sugar, and it turns directly into fat and lingers on their body.
I am so sick of scrolling through Instagram and seeing the “10 banana smoothies” and the huuuuuge mason jars of watermelon juice. It’s just not healthy. Total myth.
What’s the weirdest healthy living habit?
Oh man! I do so many weird things related to health and fitness. For one, I have about 15 unused workout towels in my car at all times, just in case I decide to pop into a fitness studio or go for a spontaneous run.
I also stretch everywhere — which is a weird habit I’ve been doing since I was in high school. If there is a long line at the airport, I can guarantee you, you’ll see me bent over stretching my calves and stretching my shoulders above my head. I don’t have a lot of shame in public, especially when there’s space and I feel like getting my yoga on. My family and friends get so annoyed, haha.
And then there is the whole beverage obsession — water on coffee on kombucha on green smoothies, at all times.
Want to learn more about Jordan? Enter to win her new book, Breaking Vegan: One Woman’s Journey from Veganism, Extreme Dieting, and Orthorexia to a More Balanced Life. I just finished reading it and it is incredible.
I was so impressed with Jordan’s bravery in opening up about a very private matter in an attempt to help other people out there who are suffering. Jordan is a courageous young woman, a trail-blazer in the wellness industry, and an all around kind, funny, genuine human being!
Simply share the tweet below on Twitter for a chance to win her new book, and I’ll randomly select a winner on Sunday!
If you’re interested in scooping up one of Jordan’s adorable activewear pieces, head over to TBV Apparel and use the code “WHITNEY10” for 10% off your purchase!
Jennifer Dene says:
This is great, she definitely sounds like an awesome L.A.dy! Thanks for sharing : )
Whitney English says:
Thanks girl! Going to have to get you in the series next!
Ashley @ A Lady Goes West says:
Hi Whitney! Great interview! I am so intrigued by Jordan and have been following her for a while. I also love that she likes OTF — seeing as I’m a Coach there at one in the Bay Area! Thanks for sharing this!! :)
Whitney English says:
Thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed it! I’m a fan of OTF as well :)
Deborah @ Confessions of a Mother Runner says:
What a fun series! She is awesome and it’s always fun to read about others fitness journeys. The book looks great!
Whitney English says:
Thanks Deborah! Jordan was a great interviewee!
Barely Vegan says:
What a great interview! I’m so happy you decided to interview her. She seems to be getting A LOT of crap from the vegan community after releasing her new book and that sucks. She certainly is brave. I hate when people think there is a one-size-fits-all solution to healthy eating. I think we all learn what works for our bodies through trial and error. I’m over the “10 Banana Smoothie” instagram pics as well!! Haha. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE my smoothies, but some of these girls on instagram go overboard with it! One thing I disagree with is when Jordan said the 10 Banana type smoothies are not healthy. I could never drink anything that sugary because sugar gives me a headache. My smoothies are mostly veggies, but to say they’re not healthy…..hmmmm….I don’t know. It seemed kind of like an extreme statement. You can’t get potassium overdose from 10 bananas. What do you think? I’ve been learning from professional holistic doctors that whole fruit sugars are great, in moderation of course, like most things. Maybe that’s what Jordan was saying. Anyways, great post as usual!! :)
Whitney English says:
Thank you! Yeah, she has been getting a lot of backlash about her book and it’s unfortunate. If the critics actually read the book, they’d see that she wasn’t attacking veganism, rather sharing her own story of dealing with an eating disorder, and giving a cautionary tale about what happens when you let your diet get too restrictive. As for the comment about too much fruit being unhealthy, I think she was referring to fruit juices. In that case, I would agree that drinking massive amounts of pure fruit juice is not a great idea – they lack fiber and nutrients that whole fruits contain. The sugar that comes along with fruit is totally fine, just in moderation and in conjunction with the fruit as a whole. However, I do think ten of anything seems a little excessive. I think it’s important to have variety in your diet in order to get all the essential nutrients.
Barely Vegan says:
Ooookay! Yea, I agree about the juices. It’s one reason why I started drinking smoothies instead, and lowered the amount of fruit I use. I personally couldn’t handle the sugar spike! And yes, 10 of anything is excessive! Thanks for responding, have a great day. :)
Whitney English says:
Of course!! xo
Dani @ Dani California Cooks says:
Thus was so fun to read!! Can’t wait for more of the series. I totally agree with Jordan and the monster smoothie trend – my body prefers low sugar diets so I stay away from huge smoothies and acai bowls that might as well be ice cream!
Whitney English says:
Thanks so much Dani! I love smoothies and acai bowls, and it’s funny that you compare them to ice cream, because I do usually eat them for dessert!
Tara says:
Wonderful post ! What an inspiration you BOTH are x
Cel says:
It’s unfortunate she has to put down “the 10 banana smoothie” IG pics…just because one lifestyle doesn’t work for her doesn’t mean it is unhealthy or doesn’t work for others! The vegan community obviously has had a lot to say to her (and for good reason…you can’t write a book with a title like that and expect no one to speak up ;) but she should learn to be a bit more gracious and stop putting down other lifestyles.
*** note*** i am raw vegan and i eat as much fruit as i want and stay lean because i keep it low fat. fat prevents the sugar from moving in and out of your cells which in turn creates blood sugar spikes. all fruits and veg/plant food has protein and fat! There is nothing you cannot get from plant food if you’re eating adequate calories for your body/activity. Educating your self is key before jumping on another ‘bandwagon (bulletproof coffee….). But thanks for featuring her regardless! It opens up the conversation :)
@celinaeliz on IG xx