Mel

Mel lives in Missouri and is doing her residency in Veterinary Radiology, while also getting her masters in science (so yeah, the gal is BUSY). Mel is one of ah.mi’s first members--she joined with two of her best friends back in January--and her friends jokingly call her the “spokeswoman for ah.mi” because she’s always there to motivate them to find time to eat healthy and be active. Mel has put in the work (holy abs!), and shared some of her tips about how to squeeze in a workout in the morning and eat healthy (while still having fun on the weekends).

How many times a week do you aim to work out? 

Every day if possible…but at least 3-4.

On a normal week, what do your workouts consist of? 

On weekdays, I try to do 20-30 minutes of an at-home workout first thing in the morning (Peloton, BeachBody 21 Day Fix, Nike Training Club app, etc.) This is a combo of yoga, pilates, body weight exercises, abs, strength, etc. After work, I usually take my dog for a long walk or do interval runs (~4 miles). Ideally, I would do this a couple times a week and then take longer walks, hikes or runs on the weekends. 

“The biggest challenge for me is learning to forgive myself when I make imperfect decisions.”

What are some of your healthy food staples?

Meals

• Boston lettuce wraps with a turkey burger or grilled chicken and a little dijon mustard, shredded carrots, feta or goat cheese

• Broccoli slaw with scrambled eggs and soy sauce 

• Caprese salad: tomato, mozzarella, basil, balsamic, olive oil, salt, and pepper

• Cauliflower rice with black beans, chicken, salsa, greek yogurt instead of sour cream, and avocado

• Colorful salads with tomatoes, chickpeas, cucumber, avocado, hard boiled egg, olive oil, and vinegar

• Greek yogurt with fruit (berries, banana), and a tiny bit of granola or nuts for some crunch 

• My Go-To Spaghetti Squash 🍝: spaghetti squash with tomato sauce, basil and Parmesan

• Portobello mushroom caps with tomato sauce, ricotta or mozzarella, baked with basil 

• The “Liz”: hard boiled eggs with avocado and a little soy sauce

Snacks

• Bone broth 

• Protein shakes (Vega Vanilla Protein Powder with half a banana and cinnamon) 

• Veggies (carrots, jicama, cucumber, mini sweet peppers, sugar snap peas) with hummus. Sometimes I'll even buy a party size veggie tray and snack on it through the week with hummus 

Beverages

• Cold brew coffee or any black coffee or espresso shots with a little whipped cream and cinnamon on top to kill the bitterness 

• Lemon water

• Matcha tea

Anything else you want to add about how you stay healthy? 

Intermittent fasting has also been a HUGE game changer for me. I started off with one meal a day for 2 weeks, and thought that was a good way to start. Eventually I switched to the 16:8 method, which is probably more sustainable (fast for 16 hours, most of which you are asleep, and then eat for 8 hours...in other words, skip breakfast and eat from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. or 2 p.m. to 10 p.m., etc). This helps to put your body into ketosis for extra fat burning. 

It's definitely not for everyone, and some people do best eating 4-5 small meals per day, but this worked for me, and I love it and will probably never go back. 

Also, meal planning is key. I NEVER order lunch. I bring my lunch every single day, and cook for myself most nights. I try to plan ahead if I know I'll be out eating and drinking with friends, and try to make good choices early in the day if I know I want to treat myself later. 

The biggest challenge for me is learning to forgive myself when I make imperfect decisions. Greasy street pizza at 12 a.m. is a rare occurrence and should be enjoyed, especially when you work out at 6:30 a.m. most days and practice clean eating most of the time. 

Plus, I don't like to draw too much attention to my eating/work out style because I don't want to sound like I'm preaching or judging my friends or coworkers who may have different habits. I prefer to stay under the radar and do my thing in private (or in the safe place of ah.mi group chat). 

My next experiment will be carb cycling...I'll keep you posted and let you know how it goes.

We followed up with Mel after 10+ months of living that ah.mi life to ask her what helped her to eat healthier.

First and foremost, there is no magic pill. Trust me, I've looked. When I finally got serious about getting my shit together in order to finally start feeling my best, a few things seemed to really help. Here’s what worked for me:

1. Tough love, with emphasis on the love. I was honest with myself and committed to making a change.  I got a little bit uncomfortable in the beginning to reap the rewards in the end. It got easier, quickly.

2. I took a before picture and then a picture at least once a week to watch how my body responded to eating healthy and being active.  Once I really started to make changes and could actually see my progress, my motivation skyrocketed.  

3. Enjoying every bite. I only believe in cooking or eating foods that I LOVE. Finding healthy foods that inspire me is key. From making a beautiful presentation on my plate and texting a pic to my group, to inviting a friend over for dinner and cooking up an amazing, healthy meal. 

4. Buying the pretty stuff. The most beautiful foods tend to be the healthiest. I get as much of a variety as possible and eat seasonally. 

5. Filling my fridge with healthy produce and committing to making sure none of it goes to waste.

6. Setting myself up for success by not buying junk food if I know I won’t be able to portion control.

7. Staying away from processed foods.

8.Packing my lunch every day.

9. Enjoying life!  If I know I want to drink rosé all day on Saturday, I chose to eat cauliflower pizza instead of regular pizza on Friday and wake up early Saturday morning to get in a little work out before I indulge. Also, just because I indulge doesn't mean I go off the rails. I’ll eat a nice salad or something healthy to go with the rosé so I’m not ruining all my hard work and regretting it the next day.