This month I want to recognize the incredibly talented, insightful, and seemingly tireless Russell Simmons as Sexy Fit Vegan® of the Month for October 2015!
Hip-hop star-maker, fashion mogul, philanthropist and social activist Russell Simmons has been a vegan for 17 years, adopting the lifestyle as it first became known in the US. “It started with my yoga practice and, you know, the practice of non-harming – ‘ahimsa.’ So I became a vegan because of compassion for the animals. The vegan diet was being discussed around me all the time, so finally, I just made the choice,” Simmons told Today Show correspondent Al Roker in July.
Simmons, now 57 (and looking great!) added that “the first thing I did was lose 20 pounds and I haven’t put that back on. Do I feel better than I felt 15, 17 years ago? Yeah, I think so. I think I’m in pretty good shape.”
These days, Simmons is all about finding happiness. He embraces yoga and meditation as a healthy way to find focus and happiness, and says these practices complement his dietary choices. “You do all kinds of twisting poses to clean your liver and cleanse your intestines, so when you think about what adds to your practice, what will nourish you, you know that you don’t want to put animal products in you,” he told Vegetarian Times magazine.
He expanded on this idea during an interview with CNN. “You want to be healthy, you want to feel light,” he said. “I’m a person who comes from a lot of drugs – for 25 years. All the drugs. All kinds of highs. Now, I find food as a drug. It’s become more subtle. Food is a drug. It makes you tired, lethargic or awake and clear. It’s inflammatory food or it’s anti-inflammatory food. You start to look at your body differently. You try to become more in your body.”
Now Simmons also has a new book out, “The Happy Vegan,” that offers an inspiring guide to the benefits of conscious eating and veganism.
The star is encouraged to see more and more people choosing veganism as a way of life. “Everybody around me seems to be going vegan. I’m watching the whole world transform in front of me. I don’t know if it’s my diet… my book being a best seller… These subjects were not subjects that were selling 15 years ago,” he told Vegetarian Times.
In an essay written for CBS news, Simmons summed up why he’s a perfect candidate for Sexy Fit Vegan® of the Month: “If you take some of your daily effort and direct it toward eating a vegan diet, your heart’s going to see an amazing return on your investment,” he said. We couldn’t agree more!
