Healthy living has been a rising trend in the past few years. More and more people are starting to see the value of wellness and good health. Globally, the health and wellness industry has grown into a total worth of 4.7 billion dollars. Trends show that the value will keep going up in the next few decades.
One of the best practices in healthy living is adopting a vegan lifestyle. Many influencers have started advocating the alternative, boosting better physical, emotional, and even social well-being. One such influencer is Yoniara Montoya, also known as YoShee Vegan. The plant-based influencer has grown in influence recently due to her effective programs and inspiring content. But at the core of her mission is a deeply personal story of transformation.
Yoniara didn’t always live the way she does now. She used to be a food addict, taking no notice of the kinds of products she would intake. “I let food control me to a point I looked in the mirror one day and no longer recognized my body,” shares Yoniara. “I was disgusted with who I saw, but I acted as if the extra weight was not a problem for me. I never felt like doing anything. My life was about punching a clock, coming home to shower, cooking and sitting on the couch the rest of the night eating dinner and snacks.”
Just five years ago, Yoniara was 310 pounds with chronic health issues. The extra weight made life very difficult for her. She always felt tired and would often miss out on essentials of life, such as engaging in physical activities with her three daughters. She shares how her eldest daughter Jaidyn, who is now seventeen years old, was always deprived of quality time with her mother because she often didn’t have the energy. This realization led Yoniara to make some changes so life would be different for her 5 year old daughters Aza and Arria.
Yoniara started with a 21-day plant-based challenge. It was far from easy, and there were many times where the mother of three wanted to give up. But she pressed forward. She completed the challenge and started to aim for greater progress. She gave up meat and switched to a full vegan lifestyle in 2015. Yoniara even started to adhere to a regimen of exercise to help her build muscle to compensate for her weight loss. At that point in her life, she was just coming out of a divorce. But she muscled past the emotional rollercoaster and started hitting the treadmill.
Fast forward to today, Yoniara has lost a total of 135 pounds and she’s married to her very supportive husband Robert who’s also vegan. But after experiencing success for herself, she’s still not satisfied. Her new goal is to help others who are struggling with the adverse effects of weight gain by teaching others to go vegan as well.
Yoniara started a blog called “Roar Like A Vegan,” which features some of her best vegan recipes, tips on how to make the switch, and a 21-day challenge of her own. The challenge comes via a subscription to her blog newsletter, after which subscribers gain access to the challenge and a support group on Facebook. Thinking about the future, Yoniara is building up her brand YoShee Vegan, her YouTube channel and revamping her website, where she will offer more resources to people who want to practice self-care by living a healthy lifestyle.
Yoniara is inspired, and she’s ready to challenge people to become the best version of themselves by making the right lifestyle choices. To learn more about Yoniara a.k.a YoShee Vegan , you can check out her blog, Facebook page, and Instagram.
