Giving Back

Hey welcome to Try-Athlete the blog where I try all the latest fitness and diet trends so you don't have to. Since Christmas is just around the corner I wanted to share a couple things I have done to give back. 

I believe it is as important to receive as it is to give back. Being a healthy person also involves helping others, during the month of December I helped three charities and here is what I did.

My boss teaches a cooking class to the local Boys & Girls Club every year. This year it started December 5th and helped out last year so I decided to volunteer again this year. It's a strange feeling you get from helping others, it makes you feel just as good as they feel. Each Thursday we have taught the Boys & Girls Club about nutrition and how to make a healthy meal. This last week, we taught them how to bake a potato, sweet potato,  make chicken soup and broccoli soup. Each week I'm thrilled when I see how excited the kids are to cook and create healthy food for themselves. I always leave feeling really good about myself and I am genuinely happy I got involved.

The second thing I did this month was donate toys to the Los Angeles Children's Hospital. My sister and I won't be spending Christmas with each other this year so we got together before to celebrate a "Sissies Christmas" which stands for sisters Christmas. We met up at Chateau Marmont and had a wonderful breakfast together. We wanted part of our day to be helping out at a charity or giving back, so we researched and found out the Children's' Hospital was doing a toy drive. My sister and I set out to find toys and the specific items they had requested such as playing cards, coloring books, baby rattles, bubbles and more. We didn't stop till we found everything on their list and we had a great time doing it as well. We went to a couple different stores and listened to Christmas music on the way, it was truly a great time. After we purchased all our toys we headed to the Children's Hospital to drop off the goods. The helpers thanked us for our generosity and we felt like we had made an impact. We decided that every year we would make giving back/helping a charity a Christmas tradition.

The third thing place I helped  was a soup kitchen my friend helps out at. She had told me about it and I really wanted to help. Since I just went out and bought all new baking ingredients (all gluten-free, sugar-free and organic) I didn't know what to do with the other stuff I had. I wasn't going to use the baking supplies ever again but I didn't want to throw them away. I remembered the soup kitchen and had a thought, I should donate my baking stuff to them. I asked her if that was something they would take and it was. So I donated all of it. 

I know it's the holiday season and that's when most people give back but after this month I want to start making this a monthly tradition. Each month I want to give back in some way. I think it's healthy for the soul. Well from one Try-Athlete to another have an amazing holiday, whatever you celebrate and until next time stay strong and stay fit!!! Xoxo