Entrepreneur, Laura Knapp, talks about how fitness, Wilson Phillips and nut butters to balance her heart, body, and soul.
Laura Knapp is a serial entrepreneur who is too busy to keep up with, but she does have her regular rituals and habits that attempt to keep her sane in the midst of planning her own wedding, a global pandemic and running multiple businesses. See how this spitfire entrepreneur keeps it all together with a smile in today’s balancing act
What does life balance look like to you?
I feel most balanced when I am able to get in a morning workout (daily ritual), follow a routine for how I begin my work day (shower, get dressed, brew a cup of green tea). I know that I also need a daily dose of fresh air by stepping outside - even if it's 10 minutes. And to round out a tough workweek, I balance my week out with wine and spending time with friends.
What do you do to stay active?
I make daily activity a priority by waking up by 5:30am to get in a challenging HIIT, strength or toning workout. When time allows, my fiancé and I love riding our bikes around our neighborhood - not as a workout but just a way to do something active together.
What kind of diet do you stick with if you have one?
I could talk about diet and food preferences for days but, generally speaking, I eat a vegan diet. For the past 3+ months, my fiancé and I have been eating the vegetables from our garden and have noticed improvements to our energy levels body competitions which we attribute to eating primarily organic and seasonal produce.
I eat at least one salad a day and am a big time snacker. My favorite snacks include anything dipped in tahini (usually carrots), tortilla chips (my biggest weakness), popcorn, nuts and seeds. I sip on green tea throughout the day but cut myself off around 4pm.
What is your guide to managing stress?
I use a variety of tactics to manage stress. The quickest stress receiving tactic for me is to either write or update my to-do list. There's just something to be said about seeing all your to-dos listed out so you can cross them off.
I also truly enjoy catching up Instagram Stories after a long work day - as it allows me to see what everyone has been up to whether that's clients, family or friends
And finally, I really enjoy distressing by spending time in the kitchen cooking (vegan) recipes and/or going on casual bike rides.
What do you do on your day off?
On the weekends I can most often be found sleeping in an extra hour, working out a little longer and spending time with friends. Well, these days my free time is also spent on wedding planning which is a whole other topic - in short, wedding planning during a pandemic is not ideal.
What is your guilty pleasure?
As far as guilty pleasures go, I have a few. I love a good reality show (Real Housewives, Southern Charm, Keeping up with the Kardashians, etc. - although I haven't watched any of those shows I watch over a year (so sad!). Other guilty pleasures include indulging in good wine, Pressed Juicery Freeze, and eating spoonfuls of nut butters.
What is your mood music?
Top three music moods - I am usually always in the mood for a good Top 40s playlist. I also love music from the 80s (currently listening to Wilson Phillips!).
What is your advice to those trying to attempt balance?
Balance is not the same for everyone and I think it's important to remember that. We don't all need to meditate, we don't all need to do yoga or eat three square meals a day. Decide what's important to you - choose 3 - 5 top things - and, from there, determine how to incorporate those items into your weekly routine more often than not each week.
And Amen to that!