health and wellness

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Truth be told…

Ok, I’m just going to say it- I am overweight. Every time I go in for a physical, my doctor is like “Christina, you need to lose weight.” Of course this is based on the BMI scale of height x weight and before any body-positive boss babes start bashing on BMI, I have to admit there is some truth to it. I don’t recall the last time I was at the gym and I’m guilty of sneaking in french fries every time it’s TOM 😭 My LDLs (the bad cholesterol) are slightly elevated… but honestly, maybe this is that little push I need to take control of my health.

I’m always advocating for mental health and discussing self-care tactics to feel good, but I end up neglecting my physical health along the way. It’s time for change!!!! Since the month of January is coming to an end, I woke up this morning thinking about what should be February’s goals. At that moment, I realized time is passing by quicker than we think, and before I know it, it’s going to be March… AKA the month of spring break and my birthday! That was my slap in the face so this week’s FF is dedicated to health and wellness… here are my 5 personal goals.

1) Good-bye rice. I can’t ever go full keto because I end up eating some form of carbs, like in the form of a vegetable… and then I ruin the entire diet. BUT I’m going to try super hard to cut back on rice, at least for this month, to see if there’s any difference in my weight. Going to stick with low-carb meals or sub the carb for a salad and stay away from the french fries!!

I’m jumping straight into this diet TODAY, so for tonight’s dinner we had chicken wings with a Laotian salad as our side dish. It was always a special day when my dad makes this salad for us, so I had to give it a try tonight. The dressing is homemade- egg yolk as the base, and it’s pretty darn good for a salad… I was impressed 😅 If you’re interested in the recipe, please reach out to me!

2) More protein! I’m not going to lie…. I hate protein shakes. I can’t stand the “milky” taste and then it leaves this nasty after-taste in my mouth. Lucky for me, I found a new protein supplement, Isopure! I bought the tropical flavor from Target today for $24.99.

First impression: amazing, exactly what I needed!! Use a blender bottle to shake it up and let the foam sit for a minute before consuming. It’s kind of like flavored water so I guess if you prefer the milkshake taste, then this isn’t for you. But I really like the fruity taste so it’s a win for me. Since it doesn’t have that milkshake consistency, I felt like it didn’t make me feel over-stuffed/bloated and I really like how refreshing it is. I think this is the first time I’m going to finish a protein bottle 😅

3) Gym at least 2x/week. This one is straight forward. I know there’s people out there who go way more than 2x, but I’m creating SMART goals and this is realistic for me. I want to lift weight on some days, but I’m ok with going in and doing the classes because they’re very HIIT and as long as I’m moving my body, I’m satisfied with myself.

4) Home workouts (especially on days I have to stay home to study).

On days where I can’t make it to the gym, I want to incorporate home workouts at least 2x/week as well.

Today I bought Tone It Up booty bands and jump rope from Target.

I tried them out today and I think it’s going to be super efficient. On the back of the jump rope’s box, there’s a sample workout and that’s what I followed and will continue to follow. Scroll down to see a pic of it.

The resistance band was $7.99 and the jump rope was $10.99. Honestly, I think these were reasonably priced and I’m looking forward to using them more!

5) Positive self-talk. Last but definitely not least, I know eating healthy and working out is NOT easy. Like… I can barely get myself out of bed on some days and now I’m forcing myself to go to the gym?? But I have to remember to be kind to myself during this journey because there’s definitely going to be a lot of sweat and pain. Although losing weight would be awesome, I mainly just want to be more healthy so I can live a better life style and live longer. Too many times I’ve seen people come into the ER for sudden heart attacks or stroke and I don’t want to end up like that 😦 I have to practice what I preach: discomfort = growth.

I’m looking forward to starting this journey and I will make sure to keep everyone updated on my progress, tips, insights, or any new products I find along the way. Thanks for reading, I recommend everyone to start a healthier life style… it doesn’t have to be anything intense, you can even go outside for a walk 🤗

PSA ‼️ Let me spit some patient education at ya: high blood pressure is called the silent killer because there are no symptoms! And what causes high blood pressure is salty foods!!! High blood pressure leads to stroke and 140,000 people die each year in the U.S. due to stroke. Pass this around, tell your loved ones and take care of yourselves, pls ❤️