Category: Self-Improvement
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Year of 40, Month 5: The One Where I Attempt to Become a Plant Lady
I came out of the gate hot on this one. I had visions of the beautiful and bountiful garden that I could cultivate in our newly renovated backyard. I went on a spree at Walter Anderson nursery and bought all the things. I planted strawberries, green beans, sugar snap peas, edamame, okra, kale, beets, tomatoes…
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Year of 40, Month 4: Adulting and Health Things
This was the month of catching up on regular wellness appointments. Getting general health check-ups, my first mammogram, dental appointments, and all the boring things. Not fun self-care, but necessary self-care.
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The magic you’re looking for is in the work you’re avoiding.
I was going super hard on a cardio set at F45 as per usual… when I had a sudden thought that I am not at the end of my story. This is not how my career story ends. If I plotted my story arc of my early career struggles with work-life balance and identity, my…
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February is the New January
January was a slow start. Amidst COVID and travel and other obstacles, so many goals and aspirations started off sluggishly. I have indeed been writing more, though not every day. I have been tracking my meals, but I’m just not motivated enough to stay under my calorie allotment, and my weight is creeping up rather…
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2024 Word of the Year
Well, now that we are one full month into 2024, it’s probably time for me to jump in and declare my new year intentions and word of the year (WOTY), right? A slow start is still a start. Last I spent my energy on building “relentless consistency”, which translated practically into enacting habits that were…
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I counted macros for 11 weeks and was shocked by my results.
At the end of last summer, I set a goal to lose 10 lbs over 12 weeks by tracking my daily food intake and counting macros (126g protein, 120-168g carbs, 56g fat, total calories ~1500-1600 kcal). I committed to weighing myself daily and continuing my exercise routine of strength training and HIIT workouts at 5…
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2023 Word of the Year: Relentlessly Consistent
My 2023 phrase, relentlessly consistent, was born from a recognition that the year would be challenging and would require discipline. We had just adopted a puppy who needed to be trained in all areas, I had body recomposition goals, and I was about to start Invisalign. All of these things required small daily actions and…
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Year of 40, Month 3: The Pivot
Knowing how to pivot is more essential than knowing how to plan. This third month in the Year of 40 challenge was June, the last month of school, which encompassed all the end-of school-year activities and parties, the kickoff to summer, and our much-anticipated trip to Yellowstone National Park. I was planning to learn iPhone…
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Year of 40, Month 2: Just Like Riding a Bike, or Not
Note: This post is part of the Year of 40 series, where I embarked on a year-long challenge to explore a new hobby each month. The first post which explains the premise and reasons behind the Year of 40 challenge can be found here. After a slow start in the first month, I was determined…
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Blink and You’ll Miss It
Have you ever felt like you can’t breathe, because you feel stifled by your life, the one that you worked so hard to build, the one that you prayed for and that you’re so freaking grateful for, but sometimes… it is just a lot. It’s hard to explain, because you love your life and you…
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Top 5 Takeaways from Huberman Lab Podcast Episode: How to Set & Achieve Your Goals
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Year of 40, Month 1: The Best Intentions and Slowest Start
It was an auspicious beginning, until the logistics brought it crashing down to reality. When I attended the Helen Woodward volunteer orientation, I was impressed by the scale and impact of their operations. I was also shocked by the number of people (like over 50 new applicants) and the 6-8 week timeline for the volunteer…