It’s a self-care day, as I’m re-evaluating my musculoskeletal health - there’s nothing like seeing /taking care of other people who are in sickness that somehow reinforces within you the importance of preventative health/well-being/maintenance and primary care!
Due to lack of meat-based protein available for me over the past few months, I’ve felt my muscles atrophy-ing at a quicker rate than I’m used to, even with plant-based protein sources – luckily, I’ve invested in building up muscle from the past, which helps to keep my strength in check. Areas that I’ve felt “flabby/skinny-fat” are: glutes, upper arms, thighs, and a weak core (which is worsening my mild scoliosis). I’m also protecting against this by doing 40-lb kettlebell strength exercises (today focused on glutes till the muscles started quivering from load, did a couple of farmer’s carrys (I will say that doing arm strength exercises in the past year, not too much, just consistently and enough to challenge my muscles to the point where I can’t go further), and working on my core (specifically targeting the transverse abdominis muscle, a muscle that wraps around one’s midsection and helps protect and stabilize the spine – a lot of people with protruding stomachs (if not from bloating, or too much fat, or a tumor of some kind) may just have a weak core, and strengthening the transverse abdominis can help tuck in the belly and give a flatter, more athletic appearance, prevent lower back pain and injury (it is also known as the “corset” muscle). From a past physiotherapist I had, Olga Kaltsou, I learned that some people can build strong core muscles just from disciplined breathing exercises! So one doesn’t have to be too intense about it. I am working on my core using Yoga with Adriene, body awareness in engaging the core (see here for specific instructions: Transversus Abdominis: Exercises for the Abs You Haven't Heard About, and walks.) When I engage my transversus abdominis, I can feel a deep tightening, almost like a vacuuming sensation, beneath my other abdominal muscles and support around my lumbar spine strengthening, as well as overall bodyweight distribution feeling a bit more balanced.
For nutrition this morning, I made a salad bowl, inspired by meals I had as a grad student at Sweetgreen – using carbon steel pan-roasted diced sweet potato chunks I meal-prepped yesterday, freshly rinsed baby arugula (Target’s Good & Gather) that I chopped – I LOVE the Good & Gather organic brand, they’re AMAZING for healthy affordable food, saffron rice that I prepared (saffron can have anti-inflammatory benefits)- I did add a smidgeon of MSG powder for taste but this isn’t ideal, freshly chopped cilantro as garnish, and a dash of Louisiana hot sauce (I first tried this with crinkle-cut fries at Shake Shack when I used to live on the East Coast – just so you know, for West Coast burgers, I’m an In-N-Out gal, but for East Coast I go for Shake Shack over Five Guys). My salad bowl was a delicious, holistically healthy treat that I believe would sell well and show others that the joy of eating healthy doesn’t have to be so difficult - I am still following my dream of cooking and providing these kinds of meals for people some day.
Since I’ve passed the 30 year bench-mark, I’m more careful about knowing the importance of strength-weight-bearing training to keep my joints and ligaments well-lubricated and strong, and help prevent the onset of any kind of arthritis. I’m inspired by violinist Filip Pogády, who I’ve followed on Instagram before and was happy to see that he prioritized his physical health by going to the gym while leading a stellar solo violin career. I’m also biologically a woman, so that does make a difference in muscle-building and retention, but I’ve seen so many exceptions to the general rule that I barely think of my gender unless someone makes a big deal of it, or if it’s really necessary.