My name is Manon, I’m 20 and I’m a just little French girl from the French Riviera. My passions and interest in life are fitness, health, self-development, and animals.
The gym and lifting are now a full part of my lifestyle and I’m completely dedicated to it. I’ve started an Instagram a few years ago to share my journey through a binge eating disorder recovery, and I didn’t expect that much from it at that time. Now I’ve just started a blog because I want to do my best to bring happiness and motivation to people’s lives! I’ve even made a guide on how to grow glutes without squat, with fitness tips, as well as a nutrition guide (based on a plant based diet). If thanks to this, I can also promote and show how good it feels to follow a plant based diet, that you don’t need to kill animals to kill your workout, I would be the happiest girl. I believe that we are all learners of life and that we can all bring something great to everyone. We should support each other to live life at our highest level!
I graduated with a degree in Psychology, and I want now to evolve into digital marketing & communication. I don’t see myself working all my life with office schedule, stuck in front of a computer all day. That’s why from July, I’ve decided to give myself one year to start my own business and try reaching my goals! Hard decision but at least I try!
I believe doing what you love in life is crucial and essential to be able to feel fulfilled. If you don’t wake up each day with the desire to do what you do, you maybe need to question yourself.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/awaytohealthy/?hl=fr
Blog: https://awaytohealthy.wixsite.com/awaytohealthy
Feel free to interact with me on social medias, I love to see other Inspirational Souls out here!
What was the moment you realize that you wanted to go vegan?
It started gradually. Around the age of 13, I started to see few videos of slaughterhouses, especially one where the cow kept moving and was still alive when she was supposed to be killed before being actually cut… I’ve so started to cut out red meat. Then slowly I realize it was the same thing for the other animals. Consequently, I decided to cut out all kind of meat, I went vegetarian and this till my 14-15 y/o approximately. I’ve never been a huge meat eater by the way, but dairy was the main part of my diet.
I also would like to mention that I’ve always been around animals since my younger age, so it wasn’t hard for me to make the connection between a piece of meat on my plate, and a being with feeling who was murdered before this. It wasn’t worth it.
I had aaaaaaaaaaaabsolutely no idea of what happened in the eggs and dairy industry. Like you’ve probably already heard “we just took her a little bit of milk, that doesn’t hurt anyone! No one is harming!” But … Yeah, that’s not really the true… What makes me go vegan and realize all of this was watching earthling … I remember crying during the whole documentary. I had to take poses so many times to just breathe and realize THIS was the reality? Was it even possible? But I told myself I HAD to face it and watch the whole thing. Because, if I couldn’t even see it with my eyes, how I could put in on my plate and in my body?
After watched this documentary, I immediately follow by watching “The best speech you will ever hear” by Gary Yourofsky. It brings me a little hope because after watching Earthlings you feel kind of lost. I immediately turned vegan and cut all animal products overnight. I remember waiting at the door for my mom came home from work and immediately jump to her and told her everything so randomly while crying! She didn’t understand what was happened! Haha Slowly but surely, I do my research, I find all the health benefice to veganism, how we’re actually physically not made to eat meat, and all made sense. (I was deep into an eating disorder though, and veganism just helped me so much… I was doing things according to my values. I started to switch my mindset on food.)
How long have you been Vegan?
For more than 6 years now.
Do you have a favorite movie or videos or your own media that you want to share?
I share my journey, my tips, and advice on my Instagram. I love to interact with people so please, If you read this article, come and leave me a little comment so I can know who you are! As I mentioned before, I have a blog now I have a glute guide available if you are interested. It’s all on my website! (Or in my bio on Instagram)
Do you actively promote veganism? How? Please share any stories you would like.
I’m not one of those aggressive vegan activists… I don’t believe it’s the right way to reach people to try and make them switch to veganism. (That’s just my opinion, and I don’t criticize people who act like this. The main thing is to promote veganism at the end.) But for me, veganism is all about compassion and kindness. So I like to act with this approach as well! For example, with my friends and new people I meet, I just started by saying that I’m vegan and eventually explain what is it. If I feel the person interested, I then explain a little more what it involves, showing her the reality and make her do the connection between a piece of meat and an animal. I also like to bring vegan goodies and meals to show her how easy and tasty is it to be vegan. That you actually have full of varieties on a plant based diet. It’s a win-win! Beneficial for everyone: your health, the environment, and the animals.
I’ve made a few people go vegan. (Yeah, I’m proud … Haha) And made others drastically reduce their meat intake. You have to adapt to the people you have in front with your approach to promoting veganism.
What is your favorite Vegan meme?
Oh my god! It’s so hard to choose only one!
What is the vegan stereotype you hear the most and how do you respond to it?
“You can’t gain muscle on a vegan diet.” I respond to it while showing every day my healthy lifestyle and all the gains I’ve made being vegan!
Please share your favorite vegan recipe?
I’m not a huge cooker, I like to keep it simple! So I would say an old and basic avocado toast! I think it would make everyone agree on right !? I’m a pretty basic girl, and I have a staple: bean, greens & tofu! hahaha
Some encouraging words for new Vegans?
Don’t be discouraged by anyone, you know you’re doing the right thing, so keep going. This lifestyle only brings positivity and amazing things into your life. By changing the way you eat, realize how many beautiful impacts it will have on you, the earth and the animals. Your vibe attracts your tribe! 😉
What does living cruelty-free mean to you?
I simply don’t see animals as food! Animals are beings like us, they have feelings, brains to think, eyes to see, central nervous systems, … Like all of us. They FEEL the pain, the joy, they have compassion, … And all. I don’t think there is a way to humanely kill an animal, like any humanely way to kill a human who doesn’t what to die! Especially nowadays that we actually have other options and endless affordable possibilities to not eat meat. So it simply doing the thing that is right to me.
What is the toughest Vegan item to find that you need?
In France veganism just started a year ago I should say… All the meat replacement and stuff just start to appear, and still really overpriced! But I’m happy to see all the changes and enthusiasm for veganism! At the age of 15, when I said I was vegan, no one knew what It meant and I was seen as an alien. Now they just say “Oh! ok! cool!”. That’s awesome!
What is one question you would ask other Vegans? Please answer it.
It’s not really a question but please, stop bashing other vegans because there are “not vegan enough” for you. Try to congratulate and encourage them to do what they already can, and help them to do even more. We all evolve on a different pattern.
Just for an example, on one of my Instagram posts I posted 10 favorite things of mine. In the caption, I mentioned cat (simply because I’m a crazy cat lady), and a girl commented like “Cat as a favorite? Are you even vegan?” There was nothing wrong with my word, it’s just WORD. It just brings such a negative image on vegans… Vegan is not a religion or a sect with rules. Everyone does their own version of veganism because we’re all different and that’s awesome.
Beautiful life and philosophy