Crystal Schwanke

Crystal Schwanke has been on a fitness and health and wellness journey for more than a decade. She used to do wellness-related ghostwriting work and content writing for several well-known websites.

During this time, she tried all the protein powders, meal replacement shakes and mixes, and workout programs. She's always learning more about the pros and cons of different supplements and diets. She experiments with different diets to see how they work. However, Crystal doesn't take on any diet that isn't healthy and nutrient-dense. She also steers clear of anything that feels too extreme or restrictive. She mainly does this for fun because she wants to optimize how she feels and it's a good excuse to try all the recipes, shakes, and protein powders in the name of learning and satisfying curiosity.

Crystal's favorite way of eating is Paleo(ish) and even when she isn't writing about health and wellness and fitness, she often spends her time researching for the sake of learning. Her goal is to better equip herself so she can build a framework that will allow her to handle anything life throws at her.

She takes time to workout and fuel herself and it's been an important part of her daily routine and has greatly helped her physical and mental health. Now, she takes her combination of experience and knowledge and shares what she's learned with others to help them find the best diet, program, etc., so they can see what works for them. She believes everyone deserves to feel their best.

Her must-know advice to someone just starting out in the pursuit of a healthier lifestyle is to start slow. Consistency with smaller changes—like working out three days per week—instead of going all-in and committing to six days a week right away or removing all dairy or sugar from your diet, or getting into a complicated program tends to work better. However, if your doctor recommends it, Crystal urges that it's best to go with whatever your doctor says.

After gaining some traction by being consistent, she tells people that there is always time to tweak things here and there to see more steady progress toward your goals.