Mailbag -- Q & A

Big city living, marathon nutrition, future plans, and beyond.

Thanks to all who posted questions on the anonymous forum!

I haven’t done a Q & A for quite some time and thought it was overdue as we’re done and dusted with over 150 posts on the blog.

If you missed out, this won’t be the last opportunity, and you can always use the DM link below to get questions answered!

What does this summer and future look like for you?

Well, I’m sitting at my desk writing this on a Wednesday at 10:17am if that gives you any idea.

Summer break has already arrived for me after finishing up my last clinical, graduating from Northwestern with my DPT, and passing board exams. Now I’m just awaiting my sports residency to begin in early August at the University of Illinois – Chicago (UIC).

Although I’m incredibly pumped to hit the ground running, I’m also really going to lean into this time off as I know it will more-than-likely be the longest break I have until… retirement(?).

In terms of my day-to-day, I’m not sitting around binging Netflix shows and setting any records on Candy Crush. I’m continuing to maintain personal training clients, write for HIB, and other endeavors that arise.

I’m also taking this time to be a full-time marathon trainer which I must admit – it’s not the worst lifestyle.

Are you currently taking personal training clients? Do you only work with athletes?

Speaking of extra free time, yes absolutely and I’m opening a couple extra spots if you or someone you know is interested in getting right for the summer! I’m always happy to hop on a free overview call to lay out what I offer.

It’s open to everyone at every level – not just athletes!

What type of social media do you use the most?

I wish I could answer with “I actually don’t use social media” but that would be far from the truth.

Currently, I’m using Instagram more than any other platform. I can gladly boast that I rarely (if ever) use TikTok which is seemingly the most addicting nowadays.

All in all, I attempt (but often fail) to keep my screen time under 3 hours/day and be extra cognizant about not using social media as a crutch for boredom and/or social comfortability but that’s easier said than done.

What are the pros and cons of living in a big city like Chicago?

Great question.

Pros – endless entertainment, great restaurants, abundant opportunities to meet like-minded people your age, the lake and lake-front running path, and summer in Chicago is hard to beat. Of course, the career opportunities in a big city are also typically more plentiful.

Coming from a small cow-town, there are also some cons of the big city lifestyle. For me, it’s the noisiness/busyness, not as much open nature, commute times are rough, it can be hard to slow down, and the cost of living is of course a nuisance.

You pay for city living if that’s something that you’re interested in, and I’ve found it to be absolutely worth it!

Thoughts on the face plunge movement?

I was wondering when this would come up.

Currently trending on social media is people dunking their face into a bowl of ice water first thing in the morning. I haven’t read into it much, but I assume the outcomes they’re striving for are a jolt of energy and reduced facial swelling after a night of slumber.

My thoughts?

Well, I did my first face plunge last week just to give myself more ground to stand on for this response and candidly, I’m a fan. Especially as seasonal allergies and puffy eyes are at their peak, I noticed a difference after a few dunks in the plunge.

And it’s a nice gateway to doing the real thing – whole body cold immersion.

Why stop at the face?

What are the benefits of creatine for women over age 40?

If I had to summarize in one word – endless.

Every adult, regardless of age, should be consuming creatine so long as they don’t have any pre-existing conditions that it could negatively impact. But again, I’m no MD and don’t play one on the internet.

Creatine has profound positive impacts on the “fast energy” systems of our body. What needs fast energy? Our brains, heart, muscles, so on and so on.

Why is this ever important for women over the age of 40 you’re asking?

Well, women in general don’t inherently produce or consume as much creatine (primarily found in meat) as men. In addition, women are more prone to muscle and bone degradation after menopause due to hormonal changes.

It’s one of those habits that’s so simple and cost-effective that it just doesn’t make sense not to.

5 grams per day at any time of day. If you aren’t yet, consider starting.

Heck, research has shown that creatine can be incredibly beneficial even during pregnancy!

How do I get out of a slump of bad habits? I know what I need to be doing but continue going back to old ways.

Habits are interesting and something I’ve spent a lot of time looking into the past several years.

First and foremost, you must acknowledge the current habit you’re stuck on and what you want to replace it with.

Write it down, make it specific.

Next, what are the barriers that are preventing you from sticking to this more positive habit and causing you to fall back to old ways?

Maybe it’s after a stressful day of work, night of drinking, or argument with a loved one. Are there any trends you can recognize?

Be brutally honest with yourself.

After reflecting, there are a few actions I’ve found incredibly useful.

First, inundate yourself with information and motivation from the outside. Read books such as Atomic Habits, listen to psychological podcasts, and allow yourself to have those daily inputs that fuel you to lean into the discomfort of a behavior change.

Because a habit change isn’t going to be comfortable. No matter how much it’s going to benefit your health, any change from status quo will be a stressor… until a new brain pathway is established.

Next, make it visible.

Start a weekly habit tracker and give yourself the pleasure of checking off the box when you reach your goal. These small wins add up.

In the same breath, establish a punishment if you don’t follow through. Maybe it’s a $100 donation, deleting a social media app for a month, or signing up to sing the National Anthem at your kid’s rec league game.

And finally, it helps to have others along for the ride.

I’ve found that when doing a challenging endeavor (i.e., a week without coffee), it’s incredibly advantageous to have someone in the trenches with you going through the struggle.

Not only can you commiserate but you can also fuel each other to keep going and not give up.

What are your thoughts on wearables for sleep tracking?

I have mixed emotions about them.

For the average individual – especially those prone to overanalyzing – they’re probably not so good as they can lead to rumination about getting the perfect sleep score and getting thrown off when they don’t.

I’d say I fall into that category.

But for those athletes who are making their living by optimizing their health status, sure, tracking sleep and uncovering trends that may lead to that 1% boost in performance is warranted.

I’ve recently read that many athletes using sleep trackers aren’t actually the one’s analyzing their data as it can lead to that overthinking. Rather, they have their performance coach do the tracking and adjusting as needed. Makes a ton of sense.

With that being said, I think tracking objective measures such as sleep can be a fun hobby (without obsessing over) and I envision myself doing more of this at a future timepoint.

Do you think massages should be part of a fitness regimen?

Absolutely! Massages are a great tool to release muscle tension and promote relaxation. I’m personally a big fan and attest they should be in the toolkit.

However, just like any form of manual therapy, one must apply the benefits from massage to use in establishing improved movement patterns (i.e., exercise) so that they don’t continue to have the same issues that lead them to a massage in the first place.

That is, unless you are just getting a massage for the enjoyment and relaxation aspect, then I’m all for it!

Have you ever used the Headspace app or another one for meditation?

Going back to the conversation on habits, meditation is one of those that I’ve relentlessly tried to establish and haven’t had success yet. For some reason, sitting still for minutes on end is one of the hardest things for me to do – which is precisely why I’m the type of person that could benefit the most.

To answer your question, yes, I used the Calm app throughout college and have tried various others such as The Way most recently.

While I really enjoy the guided meditations, I can’t justify paying the monthly premium when meditation is simply the act of sitting quietly with your thoughts and focusing on your breath. Instead, I’m going to continue using the cost-free non-sleep deep rest (NSDR) scripts on YouTube and set a timer to simply sit with my eyes closed and let my mind go where it goes.

The barrier of entry for meditation is incredibly low and it’s one of those habits we all could benefit from.

What does your nutrition look like while training for a marathon?

A lot of food and a heart-wrenching grocery bill.

With a higher volume of training comes the need for a higher volume of food consumption for optimal performance and to prevent overtraining/injury.

Typically, I consume 4 meals per day with each boasting roughly 50 grams of protein. But re-iterating, I don’t track calories or macronutrients and haven’t for years.

Here’s the gist:

• Meal 1: 3 egg omelet w/ veggies + meat. Sourdough w/ honey. Cottage cheese.