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Day 1/75

It’s been a super busy year or two. I have found my self often oscillating between stressed about the demands of life as a physician trying to start a scientific research career and balancing friendships, relationships and enjoying life right now. Last year, I realized that I spent the better part of the last 10 years on a diet. Trying to lose weight for a trip, a birthday, a friend’s wedding, a diet bet, a New Years resolution. What I never actually learned or focused on is how to manage life stressors while eating to fuel my body and maintain my weight in a healthy range.

So after attempting yet another overhaul of my habits. I’ve always wanted to try 75 hard. So my boyfriend and I are going for it. My plan is simple. I’ll be focusing on building consistency of eating habits that I know work well. 1. Weekly meal planning or prep. 2. Eating veggies at every meal. 3. At least 2 servings of fruit daily. 4. 1-2 palm sized protein portions per meal. I’ll limit dairy and avoid processed foods/added sugars the first month.

Hope to post weekly updates.

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So it’s been a while. Today I ran 5 -0:45 intervals at ~5 mph on a treadmill and I’m thrilled. While it was not a super fast or long run it’s worth celebrating as I haven’t run consistently in over a year!

I started off last year, with some pretty ambitious goals. January 2021 I was doing sprint intervals 2 times a week, strength training 3-4 times and decided to jump back into tennis. Ooh I was also doing Yoga with Adriene’s annual daily yoga challenge. Also trying to get 10,000 steps on average each day. It was A LOT!

Tennis was the last straw. I played an open doubles game at an indoor tennis court near by. A few days later, had a sharp pain in my right knee. I thought it would be gone in a few weeks. It’s been almost a year and I am still working my way back to pain free activity.

In June 2021, after months of limiting my activity (no high impact like running, no squats, no tennis) I still had pain with more than a half mile walk, climbing stairs or long periods of sitting. I got a checkup, an X-ray, an MRI and a referral to an orthopedic surgeon. Luckily nothing was torn or broken. I just had chronic patellofemoral pain likely from muscle imbalances. The surgeon said it’s likely from weak glutes and recommended PT. I tried PT and started doing daily stretching and strengthening for my glutes, quads, hamstrings. It was helpful but after about 10 sessions I stopped to focus on mobility on my own.

In November 2021, I commented to one good session everyday. Stretching and strengthening my lower body and things rapidly improved! Workouts got easier, I started adding in movements I had to avoid because of pain. There are still days when I have some pain or tightness but most days I don’t.

It’s been a huge learning lesson. I would encourage everyone to incorporate mobility into your current routine. Right now, I usually do hip openers, straight leg raises, lying lateral raises, hamstring raise with or without a band, banded side laterals, banded diagonal walks and calf raises. I also do some bird dogs and cat cows for core activation and stability.

I’m excited to get back to running. My current plan is to practice running 1 day a week. I’m also really looking forward to barbell squats in the coming months.

Stay limber,

B

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About last night…new book and a sip of something tasty!

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Today’s simple lunch. Air fryer salmon, white rice, peas, asparagus, tomatoes. It was both filling and tasty. Not pictured: yesterday’s giant burrito 🤣

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Easy lunch...grilled chicken breast, roasted frozen veggies medley, topped with butter, and a side grapefruit. The goal for lunch is always to keep it simple and colorful. Happy Friday

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This week has been filled with lots of snow and sun-freezing temps here in New Haven, CT. I’ve been scrolling through old pictures from East Rock park. My fingers and toes are crossed for warmer weather that allows for long outdoor walks at sunset. In the meantime, I guess I’ll live vicariously through these old pics.

Happy Friday!

B

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My Current Exercise Routine

In the past 10 years, I have come to love, cherish and look forward to my workouts. This certainly has not always been the case. How did I get here? What’s my current routine? Initially, working out was part of my plan to lose weight. During the second semester of Freshman year college (2005/2006), I had transferred to local community college.  We had access to the YMCA near campus, so I would walk a mile to the gym on most days. At this time my workouts were from Shape Magazine with additional cardio on the elliptical. I met my goal to lose 30 pounds within a few months of working out and eating healthy. This was before the smartphone era, so there isn’t a good before and after picture. I found a couple of Facebook profile pictures from that time. Now, I see a young woman with an amazing smile, then, I think all I could see was how large I was. 

In the 15 years since I have tried SEVERAL workout programs and styles. (Maybe I could reflect and write about it 😅). But currently, my routine has several aspects for different reasons.

Strength Training- I started lifting in 2014 with a program by Jaime Eason called Live Fit. This was during residency (specialized medical training) in Texas and the first time I got introduced to compound lifts (squats, deadlifts e.t.c). I loved the structure of the program and how quickly I progressed to lifting heavier weights.Current Routine: I train 4 days a week with the program by Meg Squats called Stronger By the Day. I have been using this program since March 2020 and consistently (3-4 days/week) since July. I love the combination of compound lifts and accessory work. I typically complete the workout in the basement gym of my apartment using a bench, stepper, dumbbell weights and a set of bands. There has also been a weekly body weight at home program  included each week. I have used that instead when I my back pain flared up or when I am out of town with no gym access. For $8/month it’s a great program! I make sure to keep a log of what I do so I can refer to it when similar movements come up in the future.

Cardio: I used to be an avid runner. Unfortunately, this has been limited initially due to low back and knee pain. I started walking consistently in February 2020. I walk daily (usually end up skipping a walk 2- 3 days a month) with the goal of hitting an average of 9 to 10K steps. I enjoy being outside, and feel it gives me a chance to clear my mind while getting some fresh air, sunlight and sunsets. In December, I decided to include 2 sprint workouts/week for the added benefits to my heart. Though I’m hoping to transition to playing tennis regularly.

Current basement gym setup is actually quite nice.

Mobility/Flexibility: I am currently doing daily Yoga with Adriene videos on YouTube. Her videos range from 10 - 60 minutes. I like that with consistency it improves my mood, core strength, flexibility and willingness to try new things. I am just realizing that I will need a consistent stretching routine that addresses the issues that are causing knee pain. Though I don’t have a specific routine yet.

Here’s what this plan looked like last week (Feb 1 - 7 2021). 

I am certainly not perfect and not licensed to give fitness advice. Though, in my experience, it works to start with something simple that is easy with an emphasis on consistency.  Overall, I like my current routine and I am planning to stick to this format. Do you have an exercise routine? What do you love about it?

Cheers,

B

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What I eat in a Day:February 2021

I am a creature of habit when it comes to many things including my meals. Though, to be frank, my consistency with healthy eating comes in waves. There’s a direct correlation between how well I’m eating and how lean I look and how much I weigh. One of my goals for this year is to get leaner. This is more of how I want to look versus a specific number on the scale. Most years, my commitment to a balanced diet is very high in January 😊

This year was no different. I did a modified Whole30 to reset my palate (crushes my cravings for sweets) and lose the pounds I gained between Thanksgiving and Christmas. For the next few months, February to May/June I’ll be doing my best to track macros/calories on MyFitnessPal (MFP). My first day tracking this year was February 1st. The calorie goal I set is with the intention of losing a little less than a pound a week. I have used a macro counting app and template from Renaissance Periodization in the past year but find that eating 5 meals leaves me pretty hungry throughout the day. So I will be using the macros from the template that I purchased like 2 years ago but eating 2 to 3 meals/day as the volume in each meal keeps me fuller longer.

I currently have the Premium version of MFP. It allows customization of meals and to track macros. 

Here’s what I ate on February 1 with tracking in MFP. Calories are relatively accurate as I weighed portions. I also drank a 7-calorie Kombucha from Remedy, coffee and hot cocoa with almond milk that I did not track. I think I got in about120 ounces of water as well. I usually drink from a 40 ounce water bottle, (partially pictured in lunch photo below) and refill twice throughout the day. 

Breakfast: 3 eggs, egg whites, potato, spring mix, salsa (above)

Lunch: cauliflower rice, ground chicken, salsa, sweet potato, almond butter

Dinner: Air Fryer chicken Nuggets, green beans, potato, barbecue sauce.

At the end of the day, heres what the overall breakdown looked like.

 My goal is to hit the macros within 5 to 10 grams (above or below) at the end of the day. I was a little below the total calorie goal and calories and macros were split relatively evenly throughout the day. All the meals were delicious. I felt most full after lunch likely because it was high volume and high fat. I weighed in at the start of the week at 169, so I’ll keep an eye on my weight throughout this week and month and adjust macros accordingly. Do you count calories or macros? What apps do you use?

Cheers,

B

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Bookworm: what I read last year and my goals for this year

In the past year, I have found new joy and excitement from “old” hobbies. One of my favorite things to do growing up was to get lost in a book. This zest for knowledge, was inspired by my father. He traveled often for work and he would return with so, so many books. The very first set of books, was a reader that featured a brother and sister duo. He must have bought my brother and I every single In the past year, I have found new joy and excitement from “old” hobbies. One of my favorite things to do growing up was to get lost in a book. This zest for knowledge, was inspired by my father. He traveled often for work and he would return with so, so many books. The very first set of books, was a reader that featured a brother and sister duo named Tom and Kate. Now that there’s google, I was able to find it online. It’s the Ladybird Read With Me series (link, image). He must have bought my brothers and I every single book in the collection over the years. At that time, it was exciting to get a new present at his return. 

Now, I realize that these interactions and lessons were invaluable and planted the seed that books open up worlds of imagination, provide new perspectives and so much more. As I grew up, there were periods in high school when I enjoyed going to the library to borrow books to read for fun. Some favorites include Little Women, Pride and Prejudice, and A Tale of Two Cities. Though, once I got to college and in the past 10 years since, I have read sporadically. In that time, I discovered and cherished books by Malcolm Gladwell, Chimamanda Adichie and Chinua Achebe.

In 2020, I lived in Pittsburgh during the start of the COVID-19 epidemic. I live alone and after about a week of staying home, I was desperate for a comforting routine that made me feel supported rather than isolated. I made sure to continue to take daily walks with social distancing measures usually while I listened to a podcast. I soon rediscovered my love for reading. In 2020, I read about 40 books. This included several paper books, ebooks and a handful of audiobooks. Also, I covered several genres fiction, non-fiction, romance, historical fiction, suspense, and psychology.

This year, my goal is to read 52 books/an average of 1 book per week. So far I have read 2/4 (Anxious People and Untamed). I am currently reading Daring Greatly and A Promised Land. I seem to have gotten stuck because President Obama’s book while eloquent and well written is quite long. I initially planned on reading 50 pages/ day but I have certainly gone many days without reading it. I then started Daring Greatly. Last year, most of my reading was on weekends and I have to say that has not been the case this year. I am still committed to the goal and I will keep reading, as it’s been so exhilarating and relaxing.  Do you enjoy reading? How do you prefer your book (paper, audio, ebook)?

2021 Books read so far

Anxious People by Fredrick Blackman

Untamed by Glennon Doyle

*Daring Greatly by Brené Brown (aim to finish this first week of February)

*A Promised Land by Barack Obama

*in progress

P.S I reorganized my TV stand/book shelf this week. I had seen a few people arrange their books by color and thought it was an AMAZING idea. I found myself at Ikea on Saturday and got the blue square boxes to make it visually appealing. Then decided to rearrange ALL the books. Now, every time I sit in the living room, I am like WOW, I am SO organized!

Before: Not the best use of the space

After: Rainbow books, crafts hidden, pictures and books on display!

Cheers,

B

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Sunsets and good books

I have read all of Jasmine Guillory’s novels. I discovered her first one, The Wedding Date, by chance. My quarantine self-care included daily long walks while listening to podcasts. At first it was “Reply All” hosted by two middle-aged white men with The Office-style humor. One of their featured podcasts “The Nod” hosted by two black best friends came highly recommended. I listened to a few episodes and came across one about romance novels. Specifically featured was Jasmine Guillory’s The Wedding Date. She seemed like a fun-loving, successful, driven black woman and this piqued my interest. Later that evening, in the comfort of my bedroom, I purchased The Wedding Date and read through that and two of her other books within a week.

Her writing feature, young, successful, curvy, witty, career-focused black women who happen upon understanding lovers after a ‘meet-cute’. As a lover of romance, I was thoroughly intrigued. These stories moved, inspired and give me hope that I to (a 30-something, career-focused, occasionally witty, yet reserved black woman) may find a beau of my own that looks at me the way Drew looks at Alexa or listens to my rants about work, fitness, food and whatever book I happen to be reading or listening to with rapt attention.

I recently finished reading Jasmine’s most recent novel Party of Two. It came at a perfect time in my life. I have just moved to a new city, New Haven, Connecticut because I felt it was the right career choice. I have one childhood friend here and I moved almost on a whim. Well not quite, but pretty close. I decided to pursue a career as a physician scientist and my mentor was leaving and headed to Yale. It seemed like too good an opportunity to pass up. All my interviews were virtual, thanks to Zoom and I accepted a position without ever seeing Yale, New Haven, the hospital or my new two-bedroom apartment. Olivia Monroe is at a similar point in her life. She had just moved back to California from the big apple to start her own law firm with her best friend Ellie when she met Max at a hotel bar. Their love for good food, specifically desert is an easy conversation starter. Though they both head up to their respective hotel rooms in the same elevator, Max did not ask for Olivia’s contact info or invite her back up to his room. Olivia soon discovers he is actually Senator Maxwell Powell when she sees him on the evening news. Weeks later, he spots her in the crowd during a speech, gets officially introduced to her and sends cake to her new office with a note and his digits. She eventually calls him after an internal debate and the story unfolds thereafter.

While I won’t delve into the details of their story, it was inspiring, heart-warming and compelled me to write this within an hour of finishing the book. I would recommend ALL of Jasmine Guillory’s book to any lover of romance novels or rom coms alike. Reading about women who look-like me who are succeeding in life as a whole gives me hope. These stories provide a much-needed retreat from the racial tensions and injustices that are inevitable in my life as a Black woman in America. Yet, race and racism are themes in Jasmine’s novels. Olivia is a black woman and Maxwell Powell is a white male senator and while this isn’t a central theme in their story or their relationship it is a topic of discussion. Olivia’s ideas and perspectives are valued by Max who appropriately understands and checks his white privilege.  In these times when the world is searching for stories that highlight the experiences of Black Americans, Jasmine Guillory’s novels present stories of black women falling in love and experiencing a romance that celebrates all they have to offer the world.

p.s I will be joining in on Jasmine’s Facebook live with Books are Magic on July 1st at 7pm and hoping to ask about cake recipes and character development. 

p.p.s here’s a glimpse at my first beach sunset in New Haven, CT at Hammonasset Beach State Park. 

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Workouts- squat till you drop

So my first real venture in to the world of weight was back in January 2013 when I trained for my first tough mudder. (Read about it here) Since then, I have lifted on, and off. Last October, I joined a local gym and worked my way through Jaime Eason’s Live Fit trainer. Initially it was very, hard. Mostly because i was adjusting to a new workout regimen as well as a new gym. But as the weeks became months, I realized I really, really enjoy lifting weights, particularly squats. The program builds from 4 workouts a week to 6 workouts a week with intensity increasing as the program progressed. At the start of the program, I could barely squat with the 45 lb bar, by the end I could squat 145 lbs for 8 reps. (i knew nothing about 1 rep max)

Fast forward to this month and I decided to give Cory’s Squat Every Day program a whirl. Unlike your average 30 squat program, this one involves several squat variations, majority of which I have never tried before. I started on May 30 and skipped June 1st so am about 12 days into the program. The first few days where so INSANE and part of me was like what the heck? But now that am a little more than a third of the way through, I mostly enjoy/look forward to the workouts. So far I’ve done the following squats

* Close stance squats (deep, with belt)

* Wide stance squats

* Front squats - these are the MOST challenging. The first time I tried them, I gave up halfway through and switched to a different squat variation. I had the most difficult time figuring out how to balance the bar on my shoulder. If you’re wondering what these are.... Trust me, it’s harder than it looks! By the third time, I was pretty comfortable with them, 

* Above squats with a pause

*Front to back squats.

If you’re looking to increase your lower body strength or squat heavier, I would HIGHLY recommend this program. He also includes the standard lifting program and 5/7 days (there are NO rest days) also focus on Chest, Pull, Arms, Chest&Back and Shoulders with ab work scattered throughout the week. Its been great so far, but I will likely do a detailed review once I complete the program. 

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Why I decided to go Vegan

Several months ago, in the middle of a Netflix binge, I decided to watch the documentary Forks Over Knifes. Honestly, I really don’t remember how I came across it. It follows two prominent physicians and their quest to prove that animal-based diets are detrimental to our health. One physician is a cardiac surgeon and he found that placing patients who had undergone coronary artery bypass surgery on a plant based diet improved their health outcomes. The other physician did extensive research with the Chinese to find the correlation between diets and various cancers throughout various regions in China. He also looked at how feeding rats with a predisposition to cancer animal protein increased expression of the cancer gene. (They were more likely to get cancer and the risk increased based on how much animal protein the received). 

After watching the documentary, my thought process about food changed. I used to think that protein from chicken, turkey, eggs, occasionally beef was a necessity. It probably is not. I am not against eating animal products, (i kept eating them for months after watching the documentary) I am simply trying out this theory. I do not have any current health issues, so I will simply be trying to eat plant-based for the month of June and see if I feel any different. 

A huge boost to this decision came from Jenell Stewart who i follow on YouTube and IG. She’s a naturlista/blogger/editor who along with her hubby and two young kinds recently went vegan. She has sooooo many videos about her daily meals and discussions about how she made the decisions and the challenges she faced. She has been such an inspiration. Basically i thought, if she can do it, then I can at least TRY.

I prepared for the switch by pinning vegan recipes on Pintrest. However, it’s 4 days into this new lifestyle and I have not really tried any of them. So far I’ve eaten the following meals

Breakfast

     - Chia pudding with berries, banana and peanut butter *

      - Green smoothie (banana, mango, flaxseed, pea protein, cashew milk, kale)

  Lunch/Dinner

      - Sweet potato with mixed veggies and red kidney beans

       - Basmati fried rice with red kidney beans

       - Spaghetti with tomato sauce, spinach and matchstick carrots

       - Whole wheat wrap with roasted sweet peppers, avocado, kidney beans *

Sweets/snacks *

       - Nature valley granola bars

       - Brownie mug cake made w/ flax egg and cashew milk 

        - Strawberries, blueberries, banana 

* Favorites so far.

When i made this decision, I did not think extensively about what I would be giving up. There was a bowl of snack-sized chocolates (including my favorites Reese’s) and i realized there made with REAL milk. Sigh. So am on the hunt for alternatives.....Any thoughts?

I discussed this with both my brothers. The older of the two, was open to joining me. The younger one suggested that my wrap creation would be best served with chicken! I have not really been taking pictures of what I like, but I probably should. i am attending a co-worker’s wedding later today and I anticipate that will be the biggest challenge thus far. 

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How to make a comeback

It’s 3 AM here in Galveston and I’ve been up for almost an hour. As the usually soothing sounds of rain proceed, am plotting and planning how to get back to the things I enjoy. The past two years of residency in Galveston have been challenging, rewarding and life-changing all at the same time. But i somehow gave up some things I enjoy in my quest to becoming a Pediatrician. A few things I’ve changed in my life but many remain the same. There are things I long to change but a lot of the time my goals/dreams do not become a reality. So today, instead of continually plotting in my mind am taking action on one of them, blogging again. In the past few months these are some things that have changed:

1. Adopting a plant based lifestyle 

2. Focusing on primarily strength-based workouts (i.e weight lifting)

3. Trying to live on a budget

4. Starting the final year of residency and planning for fellowship

5. Building a robust social life. 

6. Building a better relationship with God (really should be #1)

Before I started this post, I was trying to figure out what direction I should take this blog in. Based on my above goals/priorities it’s pretty clear. Faith, Food, Fitness, Finances, Future, Fun. Kinda terrified to post this. I don’t want to keep planning to do this and failing to deliver. I’ve set a reminder for tomorrow morning. I will updated on what eating plant based (for past 3 days) means to me. Pray for Houston/Galveston area that this crazy rain storm will STOP. 

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DOUGHNUT = 110

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Remember to invest in yourself, your education, your dreams, and your passions. Don’t skimp on your future. Imagine where you want to be and the steps you need to take to get there. Then go take them. Tag a friend who needs to hear this. 👭

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“You cannot change the circumstances, the seasons, or the wind, but you can change yourself. That is something you have charge of.” - Jim Rohn

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