Healthy Lifestyle interview with Nashville Singer Song Writer Lindsay

1) Tell us a little about yourself! How did you get started in the music industry?

Music has always been a huge part of my family. I grew up with it all around me, everyone in my family plays an instrument. I started playing piano when I was 6 years old and picked up the guitar when I was 8. After playing my first show in my church when I was 10 years old, I knew that music was going to be a huge part of my life.

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2) How do you think your nutrition plays a role in your success as a singer/ song writer?

Nutrition is something I value greatly in my life and I look it as a a primal part of my success as a singer/songwriter. Traveling as much as I do it is so important that I keep a close eye on having a balanced healthy diet. I’m not always able to get as much sleep as I need to, sometimes I’m on an airplane 5 times a week for 4-7 hours a day. Playing a show every night for up to 75min forces me to have great athletic endurance, which nutrition of course is a huge part of.

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3) Is it hard to stay on a healthy diet while traveling? Do you have any tips for others out there for people that might have a busy schedule work / travel and how to stay healthy?

It is definitely hard to stay healthy on the road, but not impossible. When we’re traveling on a bus when you have access to a fridge, it’s best of course to bring your own food with you. Lately, we’ve been flying a lot, which of course restricts the amount of food you can bring. I usually have lemons, ginger, and almond butter travel packets in my bag at minimum. I usually try to fit in a stop to Whole Foods once we land, but if there is not even time for that, I just try to stick to as healthy and clean as a diet as I can at restaurants.

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4) What is your life motto?

My grandpa used to always say… “If it’s gonna be, it’s up to me.” I’ve always taken this to heart. I know that hard work is never left unseen. Eventually all hard work pays off. I’m also a true believer in surrounding yourself with good people, and always showing up. With good influences around you, you’ll be focused on making better decisions. And as long as you show up to work everyday, on time, you’re setting yourself up for the first step of success.

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5) Do you have a favorite go-to healthy snack?

Right now I’ve been loving carrots with a tsp of tahini as an afternoon snack, or celery and almond butter. I’m a huge fan of meal prepping. It makes making good decisions throughout the day a lot easier. When you’re traveling, you can’t do this as much. But having healthy snacks in your bag helps avoid bad decisions for sugar or fast foods.

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6) What’s a day in the life of Lindsay Ell look like?

A typical day for me when I’m at home starts at 6am. I work out, come home, shower. Usually have a couple radio phoners, or phone interviews in the morning. I drive into town listening to podcasts, or doing vocal exercises. Then I usually stop by my management office or label to handle a few things of business, before I start writing for the day. Writing/studio sessions normally start around 10am. We work straight through lunch usually (I pack food and eat while we’re working), and on a typical day usually finish writing around 3-4pm. Then I proceed to work on the track for another couple hours. Usually when I’m in town for a day off, I have some sort of engagement at night, either a show to play, or something I need to attend. So I’ll get there for soundcheck around 5, and play the event. Usually events run from 7-10pm. Drive home, do emails. Fall asleep around midnight to 1am. Then, wake up and do it all over again!

For days I’m on the road…it’s usually composed of similar elements, just adding 3-7hours of travel in there too.

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7) Are you a goal setter? If so, has it helped you in your career or in any other areas of your life and do you find it important to have goals?

I am a huge goal setter. Goals help you organize your life and your dreams. It helps you visualize where you’re going and what you want to do with your life. I’m a firm believer in setting your mind on something you want, and going after it.

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8) Do you have a favorite exersize routine?

Lately I’ve been really into circuit training. Short bursts of quick, solid, circuits. Sometimes when I have a really packed day, or I’m traveling for over half of the day, I only have time to fit in a 45min workout. I warmup for 5 min, and do 2-3 sets of 4 different exercises.

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9) If today was your last day and all of your accomplishments were forgotten and you only got to leave three truths about life written down on a piece of paper what would those three truths be?

-Debuting at the Grand Ole Opry

-Touring the world, playing in over 11 different countries

-Getting to share the stage with the likes of Keith Urban, Brad Paisley, Buddy Guy, Blake Shelton, Dierks Bentley, The Band Perry, Jennifer Nettles and many more.