Oh, what a journey it has been! I even hesitate to call this a ‘health’ journey, because it’s a lot more like a ‘learning how to best support my personal existence’ journey. I am always changing up my routine, learning new things, dropping what I don’t need anymore, and figuring it out as I go. But as others have shared their own ‘this makes me feel good!’ processes, I have picked up little bits and pieces I wanted to try for myself. Tiny inspirations that culminate into something that I make work for me. And maybe that’s something you’re interested in, too!

So, I thought it was time for a little update on what’s currently working and what my current routine is (since I get asked about it on a daily basis!). Without further ado, let’s talk about what’s (still) working, what I’ve let go of, what I’m curious about, and how this whole thing has affected those around me.

I haven’t shared this part of my health journey

I wanted to share something that has been super tricky for me to navigate and something I haven’t really shared about because, quite frankly, it’s hard to even talk about and I don’t want to give any time to the negative voices! When I was at my heavier weight, I would often get comments that I was promoting an unhealthy lifestyle and people would say things like, “If you really have all this money, why are you not investing it into your health?”

Now that I’ve chosen to invest my time, energy, and money into my health, I’m getting comments that I’m not relatable anymore or that I must not have loved myself before because I’ve made so many changes. The biggest lesson in all of this has been to do what is best for YOU and to welcome the evolution of who you are.

Another tricky thing to navigate is that for such a long time (and for so many people) I was an example of a “curvy” woman who loved herself. I look back at photos of myself at different weights and I smile because I truly have loved myself in every iteration. It stinks to feel like people can’t connect with this version of me but I also totally understand it. Heck, it’s confusing for me sometimes. I hope that no matter what size I am, the message can remain the same: “Do all things out of love for your body.”

Shifted the Focus 

I was recently with friends who have known me for decades and we were talking about my current routine (keep on reading) and they asked me what’s made the biggest difference for me. I said, hands down, focusing on improving and optimizing my insides reflected the most on the outside. Does my body look different? It does and that’s what most people comment on, but I’d wish instead they would ask me how I feel. Because I feel AMAZING. When I focused on things like improving my blood work, eating nourishing foods, getting more sleep, managing stress — my outsides started to reflect what the reports were saying. 

Before I share more info today, I get that in putting this all out into the open, it might make me unrelatable, but at the same time, I want to share what I am truly doing. Did I ever imagine a world where I dedicated that much time to my health each day? No, no I didn’t. Did I ever think I’d spend thousands of dollars on my health? Nope. But do I feel better than I have ever felt? Yes, yes I do. Is it a privilege to be able to spend that much time and money on my health? Absolutely, I recognize that! But have people been asking what I do? YES, so here it is.

Current Routine

One thing that’s interesting is that I feel like my routine has remained really consistent, something that I absolutely struggled with in the past. I’ve figured out a way to just integrate these items into my daily life. I recently made a daily list of what my goals are (and I definitely leave a lot of room for flexibility on the weekends since I’m with the kiddos!) One of my best friends is my accountability partner. She and I are both on a mission to really continue to prioritize our health as busy entrepreneurs. Each day we’ve been texting each other to check in on how we’re doing! Not only has this been awesome to stay consistent, but it’s also been fun feeling like I’m not alone on the journey!

My daily priorities include:

• Hot lemon water with chia seeds
• Taking a ketone aid (tastes like gasoline, gives me tons of energy)
• Daily supplements
• Red light therapy
• PEMF mat
• 20 minutes in the sauna
• 3 minutes in the cold plunge
• 30-60 minutes of movement
• Nourishing food with a focus on macros: fat, carbs, protein 

Yes, if you add all of that up, I’d say that I am spending anywhere from one hour to two hours a day on my health and no, that’s not realistic for everyone. But here’s what’s awesome, a lot of times I am habit-stacking while still prioritizing my health.

I usually am checking email while I lay on my mat with my redlight on me (stacking three tasks in a 20-minute chunk of time!) I’ve gotten in the habit of walking on my treadmill in the morning while I respond to Slacks, outline work needs, or review content, knocking out my exercise using no extra time. When I sauna and plunge, I usually listen to a podcast or an audiobook, again, things I’d normally do in a day, but just stacking my work and things I’d normally be doing with my health activities.

One thing that has been wildly transformative for me is having our treadmill and working while on it. I questioned as someone who can get motion sick very easily if it’d make me queasy to work or if I’d struggle to focus or type while I walked but I’ve actually found the opposite is true. It helps me stay focused and most of the time I forget that I’m walking. I’ve watched my “activity” score on my Oura ring soar since incorporating this into my routine and it’s been a total game changer. Most days I’m easily breezing past 10,000 steps which once felt impossible!

Health is Contagious

One of the highlights of this entire journey has been taking others with me on the ride. I was on a mastermind call yesterday and my friend Natalie said I had inspired her to get her labwork drawn, my mom spent the night last night and showed me her vitamin case that she traveled with, Coco now talks about protein in her food with pride (and makes me check her muscles with every bite she eats!) Drew and I listened to a podcast on sleep health on the way home from a date… it’s been interesting to watch the domino effect of me getting serious about my health (and sharing that journey with the people I love!)

That question “What’s something you could jump on a stage and speak about unprepared” would be about health and biohacking and my experience with it. I’m so passionate about it because for years upon years my health was in the backseat of my life. Now with it at the forefront, I see how it affects everything: my energy, my work, and my family. When I flipped my priorities around to “health first” I noticed the positive impacts ripple through my entire life.

Things I’m Exploring

Cortisol response: I just completed a cortisol test (something I actually did for the first time years ago after my second pregnancy loss!) just to see if anything that I am currently doing is affecting my cortisol response. I absolutely love my current routine and I feel incredible, but I want to make sure that I am supporting my body and my hormones without stressing it out!

Stable blood sugar regulation: The more I learned about my body from the inside, the more I wanted to make decisions that supported my health. This past month I did another round of Levels, which is a software that will read and help you understand your blood sugar response to the foods you are eating. Since I am really focused on energy, it’s an incredible way to understand how your food impacts your energy.

Strength training: One of the biggest things I want to focus on is getting and feeling stronger. Now that I’ve worked consistent movement into my routine with walking on the treadmill, I want to focus on doing more weight-bearing exercises — even if it’s 10 minutes a day! There’s so much research around how powerful weight training can be with hormone regulation, muscle mass, and bone density!

Peptides for brain health: Since I am still nursing Quinn (that girl is still going strong!) I am in the research phase of peptides and how they can help support your overall health goals. Let me tell you: the more I learn, the more I am intrigued by the science behind peptides. I was diagnosed with ADHD about a year ago and since I’ve been nursing, I haven’t really done anything beyond taking some supplements to try and help support my brain and my ability to focus. One thing I want to explore are peptides that can help with cognition and brain fog, so I’m in the curious research phase on that.

Eating more breakfast: I haven’t been a big breakfast person for as long as I can remember. I genuinely do not wake up hungry or crave breakfast in the morning but I am trying to find ways to get some protein in before lunchtime because truth be told, while I’d ideally eat lunch between 11:30 and noon each day, I often don’t get a good meal in until a little later in the afternoon. Most mornings I just have Bulletproof coffee and I feel great but I really want to make sure if I’m getting in more movement in the morning, that I am fueling my body well. A few things I am trying to incorporate: full-fat greek yogurt with almonds and fruit, meat sticks, peanut butter, protein shakes, fruit and nuts. I’ve been trying to get in 20 grams of protein before noon just as a way to fuel my body (and my work better!)

Other resources on my health journey 

• Links to my Favorite Health Products 
• A Vulnerable Look Inside My Health Journey and Why It’s Stuck
• I Tried Biohacking and the Results Might Surprise You
• Biohacking for Beginners: 8 Tools that Have Optimized My Health This Year 
• My Dietician Reveals the Health Issues That Were Holding Me Back 
• Your Biggest Q’s About My Health Journey Answered