Hi! Many of you have asked how I changed my physique in less than a year. (I shed -22.5 lbs of excess body fat -14% in 10.5 months and dropped my visceral fat -7 levels.) I am no expert -- not certified in anything nutrition and/or fitness, just a regular human who wanted to improve my health; but more than willing to share what worked for me.

*Edit* FYI just to clarify, my day job is still sedentary behind a desk; I am NOT qualified to work at a gym by any stretch of the imagination and am still a n00b learning lots everyday. I plan to consolidate my notes and various resources I've gleaned from on my website, but until then -- here are some tips at top of mind in case it helps for now until I get around to writing more.

1. MUSCLE
Muscle is the organ of longevity. In 2023, I joined a gym that plans workouts for you and was close to my place (FNS Training Center) to make sure I'd show up consistently and just went hard at all their equipment in class to throw on as much muscle as I could and didn't care too much about the details. I gained +10 lbs of skeletal muscle mass in the first 6 months of learning to work out consistently (think of dollar-cost averaging in portfolio investing: regular investment contributions over time is more important and reliable for long-term wealth gains vs. chasing the latest fad stock featured in the news / latest ig influencer's fad exercise promos) and it made a world of difference -- my metabolism revved up to burn even more at rest resulting in losing -15 lbs of fat simultaneously, balanced my hormones and normalized my menstrual cycle, fixed my back posture and eliminated all pain in my neck, shoulders, and lower back that I put up with for many years. We lose muscle as we age, so it's never too late to start building a reserve to work for you in every way. Women: don't be afraid to go heavy, because strong is the new sexy and strength training has become my new best friend and I never want to let her go lol

2. NUTRITION
I do organic groceries whenever possible (primarily for fertility preservation), do all my meal prep in bulk batching (Costco is my Disneyland lol) and read a lot about sourcing for any supplements that go into my body. I dose 40g protein isolate (without the fillers of regular protein powders that taste like chalk bleh) at least 3x / day to make up for not eating real food often enough. I try to keep a steady rhythm of my staples during weekday late lunches: chicken tenderloin or breast, wild fish (low mercury varieties) and seafood, eggs, seeds, and as many different kinds of vegetables as I can cram into a week. Vitamin and mineral absorption is so critical to overall health, and paying attention to changing up vegetables and fruit has really helped restore wellness to my body. When we order takeout or dine in at restaurants, I still eat what I love but am mindful of better choices. I don't do sugar and finally kicked my lifelong cheese addiction hahaha; while I still love cheese and have it once in awhile, I'm in charge of my body and have full control over what I choose to eat and how much of it. FYI to my fellow ladies, keep in mind that the pre-ovulation half of the month will be much easier to control cravings and volume vs. post-ovulation so please flow with your body, give yourself great grace, and respect your body for being so intricately amazing. And for goodness' sake, hydrate hydrate hydrate -- your body can't function properly in chronic dehydration like I was for so long not realizing it!

3. SLEEP
I was the worst offender in not being a good sleeper for most of my adult life. I had a voracious hunger for life's highs, epic excitement, maximizing every moment; I chased the sunrise late into the night and around the world, constantly on the road and totally dysregulated in my circadian rhythm for so long that I was just resigned to being a vampire destined to feed off of the darkness of night and dread the morning's arrival lol! In 2024, I was determined to become a morning person, which I never thought would ever be possible. I was done "hoping" that "one day" I could be that disciplined because I wanted to train this area of my daily existence to become someone I could depend on in every small thing. So I dragged myself to the gym in the early mornings barely awake like a ghost in the beginning, was realistic that I couldn't train as heavy but still did my best while being conscious of my body to take it easy, and it took about a month to adjust but I now go to bed and wake up consistently -- I now prefer morning workouts to start my day off with all the endorphins and begin morning meetings with clarity. And, since I started this new morning routine (+ made the spiritual commitment to abstain from alcohol for 2024) -- I've lost 12 lbs! Sleep is arguably the most important piece of the puzzle that makes or breaks it all -- without it, everything suffers and so do you.