We have hit triple digits and been in the high 90's. What is everyone doing to battle the heat? Definitely do most activities in doors and drinking extra water, any other ideas?

PART 2 I started questioning.. What are we doing? Like how is this happening that A THING like a phone can become such a great necessity that if it’s gone you’re gone.. it may spiral you into a deep depression like it did me 😢 I know l needed to get a new phone that would’ve been the answer but I was too poor I couldn’t afford a new phone my life is done even though I was still breathing like woe is me hit rock bottom hard 🤦🏽‍♀️ Ugh when I tell you my depression got worse 😓 all of a sudden I started beating myself up again focusing ONLY on negativity and started abusing myself… 🤦🏽‍♀️ emotionally I started to hate myself.. verbally I started calling myself a loser a good for nothing, a terrible person, a crumb on this earth even a tree is better than me providing oxygen for us, being a home for so many animals, giving us shade when we need it, some even offers us good food.. but me what the hell am I existing for im too poor to do anything, I'm a nothing because I’m so poor 😩 and NO WAY will I beg my family for money that will make me look even MORE pitiful 😡😤🤦🏽‍♀️ But then... I all ofa sudden seeing my cat how protection my cat looked woke me up 😳 "wait" I told myself "no no no no no 🤦🏽‍♀️ I can't do this moping around like this not good for my cat he looks depressed too 😞" I looked around.. not only did I let myself go but my home too it was in a disarray what am I doing 😱 depression means I gave up ON EVERYTHING means I’m not living im just existing. Is that really what I want? 🥺 UGH 😩 I Can’t believe I revisited this horrific dark place and it’s affecting my cat 😭" I bounced back and told myself "I have to do something! I can’t be like this forever NO" 😤 something has got to give 🤦🏽‍♀️ So I decided to muster up courage to do what I did not want to do and it was to humbly beg my family for money to help me get a new phone 😰 [This concludes Part 2; please stay tune for Part 3]

Hi! I am NASM certified: personal trainer, nutritional coach and wellness coach. I have four degrees in all different majors. I love learning new things. I have been vegan since the early 1990's. I am excited to be a part of this group. I got banned from Facebook for sharing too many posts - I guess they thought I was a share robot. I am on Instagram @1_HappyVegan - I don't post, but I do share.

Hello there! As you can probably tell my name is Kevin. I was invited today because of a Reddit post on VeganChill that John followed up with me on. I 40 living in Austin for 15 years who came from Kansas working in Radio as a broadcast DJ to working as a Strip Club DJ for way too long, working with bands in Austin before transitioning into being head chef of a vegan restaurant. My history includes a lot of nightlife and the accompanying abuses that come with that life even after altering my diet almost 10 years ago. The switch to focusing in on my health came when I got Covid just before the vaccines were available when not only did I get the virus but contracted a heart condition out of it: afib. Since then I’ve learned a lot about what my potential afib triggers are and have since cut all vices out of my life: alcohol, caffeine, weed (legit miss smoking even though it is terrible for you). Now my days are just water and doing better at not just being vegan but going for whole food ingredients, not the ultra processed (I’m grateful it’s out there as an option for new people transitioning, as it helped me, but it’s still processed in the long run). One of my joys as a chef is engaging my creative thinking when making. In traditional diets you want enchiladas just season your animal proteins, wrap, sauce and bake— but what if you had to make all the elements, proteins, sauces, cheeses instead? As a musician that type of thinking helps me keep my creativity focused. I’ve always have been overweight and have been working on that with even more focus now since the owner of my restaurant is a body builder as well. Lately we have been each other’s accountabil-a-buddy’s (to borrow a phrase from South Park) where we regularly check in on each other’s weekly progress and share tips (I just learned about Monkee-grips last week and picked up a pair for my dumbbells). Where I would like to see progress with myself is actually cutting my body fat significantly and not become super ripped or anything but rather HEALTHY at a proper weight, blood pressure, and everything. Right now my daily routine (5 days consecutive) is 20-30 minutes on my rowing machine (it’s a cheaper ‘Sunny’ that doesn’t have the water thing but there is a resistance part on the bottom), and walking between 1 and half or 3 mile’s depending on if it’s a workday or not. I have a small dumbbell collection of 5, 15, 25, and 45lbs and I also have the DDPYoga DVD program that I would really love to get back into. My work hours are a lot of time on my feet with the last three days of my work week being 9, 11, and 9 hours standing (work week being Wednesday through Sunday). I workout before going into work and would like to get to a point where I do a light yoga workout after work with focus on loosening up my body after the stress.

I was a medic in the army doing what I could to help others, and in my time in the service I learned some ugly truths. As my contract came to an end, I continued goin’ down the rabbit hole, and as a result, I went vegan. It’s been over 8 years and I’ve never felt better, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. While I no longer wear the uniform, I continue my service to both my country, and humanity, as an ambassador of peace, creating pockets of harmony wherever and whenever I can. I own an art studio hosting community events in El Paso, Texas, and would love to host any vegan squad members that find themselves in the southwest. I’m grateful to have found a community of likeminded individuals, it gives me strength and hope, knowing there are more of us out there, fighting the good fight. Let’s create a paradise for the generations to come! 💚🌎🌍🌏