prescribe nutrition: Meet Shelley: Fashionista & Digestive Guru

Sometimes we get sick of our own voices, so we introduce people we love who are willing to share their experiences with us. As you know, feeling your most beautiful is what we're all about this month at Prescribe Nutrition. Of course we know this all starts by feeling your best from the inside - out, mind, body and ~~shoes~~ soul. Meet Shelley Young. She is a dear friend of Megan's, a fashion guru, connoisseur of gluten-free/dairy-free baked goods, and perhaps has the best hair Megan has ever seen in real life. Likes the outfits she puts together? Find more of the good stuff at www.youngshelley.com.

My life changed two and a half years ago. My health got turned upside down, but in a good way. I was never even slightly overweight but also never overly fit (sports are seriously the worst). I started having some digestive issues my senior year in college and I chalked it up to being stressed about graduating. The weekend after I graduated, I beelined for San Francisco (I am from Texas and, for the record, I still miss Walmart), leaving behind job offers only to find that without connections it surely was difficult to land a job in my desired field: fashion.

I've always appreciated a good boot.

I lived off of yogurt, granola, and television (all really wonderful things) until I found my first post-college job. I made several trips to the doctor's office for issues I had for years - chronic sinus problems, migraines - and for my new and progressively worse digestion troubles. For the sinus issues, I was on several rounds of antibiotics a year. For the digestion issues, they prescribed all sorts of things, like coffee, large amounts of Metamucil, Tums, and some other crap that did nothing to help me crap and seemed to only make my issues worse. I started having severe acid reflux and gained 20 pounds. So life was great!

Then came Megan Morris. In addition to her beautiful blonde hair and guidance, she introduced me to an amazing acupuncturist and holistic allergy specialist. I made the decision to stop relying on the medicine and get to the root of what was going on. I am now gluten, dairy & soy-free (and I attempt to avoid eggs and chocolate). Basically, I am a hippie. Seriously though, my life is exponentially better. My body is certainly more aligned. I take a fair amount of vitamins daily and I am not going to lie: some days my digestion is better than others. Although I have made some great changes, my body still requires a lot of healing to undo the damage. The point in me telling you all this: all of the things I did to my body over the years played a part in my digestion issues. The stress, the medicine, the bad eating habits, all of it contributed to my pain. Oh, and I'm a Pisces, which means I'm ruled by my immune system (and my feet). So there's that. I had to make a lot of changes and although that can be daunting, Lordy is it ever worth it. Megan taught me how interconnected all of our bodily systems are. I haven't had a headache or a sinus infection since my diet change. Most important of all - the real reason I feel better - those twenty extra pounds just fell right off! Megan, relax I'm only kidding. Truth be told, THE most important part of all this is that I feel more comfortable in my own body, which is an invaluable feeling.

If you look closely, those pants are turquoise and purple striped lamé pants with a tan and black vertical striped cropped blazer and a tan and black horizontal striped tank. Oh yes I did.

I am currently a wardrobe stylist, a field I got in to about two years ago. It is one of the last professions in fashion where you actually get to touch clothing, ever since computers took over the world. I truly love design, I love being creative, I love the materiality of fabrics, I love sewing, I love originality. Are you rolling your eyes? I mean, I get it: in the scheme of things, who gives a rat's rear about clothing? Life shouldn't be about buying material things (FYI, my brilliant autocorrect wanted me to insert "thongs" for "things"). The thong is, clothing truly is more than designer labels and superficiality. Looking good makes you feel good, and confidence is one of THE most rewarding emotions a person can have. Insecurities keep us from healthy relationships, from dream jobs, from being our true selves. And I know this from personal experience. I'm not delusional; I realize that clothing isn't a cure-all. I do know though, that when someone looks in the mirror, wearing something new, something tailored, something that reflects their personality, that person stands a little bit taller. I am talking about dressing for yourself, not to impress others. You catch my midriff?

Just another work day with a model skipping next to a railroad.

I think nutrition and fashion have a common thread (Pun intended. I know, I'm funny), putting forth effort in both a healthy body and happy appearance help me feel grounded and confident. I have seen countless others experience that same thing. It is all about the whole picture. All the parts of our bodies work together to create health, and all the components of an outfit work together to create design. Similarly, all the positive and beautiful things we put into our life (like nutrition and fashion) help to create happiness and love for ourselves (and in turn, love for others). THAT is what makes life worth living.

One more thing that contributes to the quest for happiness? Keeping your finances in order. One way to do that: finding a great sale! So, I pulled together a couple outfits from my favorite retailers/websites, all of which are made up of bargain beauties. I really enjoy mixing high and low fashion. I love vintage clothing. And vintage shoes. And vintage everything. The trick is balancing it all - don't break the bank but also, don't dress in head-to-toe 70's garb. Boy oh boy I sure do love a discount, and not only are all of these items on sale, but a few of the retailers are offering an additional 40% off the sale price plus free shipping (be sure to read the website banners to access any uber sales). As always with fashion, use your imagination… If these outfits don't tickle your fancy, think of a way to incorporate one or two of these pieces into your current wardrobe.

Feeling like you're on the prowl? Hey, why don't you layer some animal prints and tribal beads?