Happy New Year!!
I am so excited to be BACK with my weekly newsletter after my vacation. For those who follow me on Instagram, you know that I spent December back home in Saint Martin enjoying time in the sun, relaxing & unplugging, and much-needed family time. I am now back in Boston and getting back into my routine.
With the new year, there is a shared sense of people reflecting and being grateful for what the past year brought us and setting intentions for the year ahead. I honestly feel so great about 2025. The past year - in all the crazy, heartache, and challenges - gave me an indescribable sense of peace that I hope will only grow this year.
I am still continuing on my elevate journey - we are just 3 months into this journey since I turned 25, and I can only imagine what my final reflections will be when September rolls around again. I plan to continue with these weekly elevate check-ins and hope you will continue to join me for updates, wellness tips, fitness, and more as we elevate together!
Workouts of the Week
I started the new year with a body pump workout with my girl Aisha. This full-body workout focused on working our muscles to fatigue…and y’all, I am still sore! I want to focus on strength training for the winter months, so this was the perfect way to start my goal.
Then, on Friday, I went to my first pilates reformer workout of the week. This was an early morning class, and I loved starting my day with movement as the sun rose. The reformer flow was calm enough for my tired body to handle while also challenging my body and allowing me to focus on my mind-body connection.
I was fighting off a cold earlier this week, so only two workouts this week, but I am excited to increase my movement next week. For January, I am aiming for 2 pilates workouts a week, 2 strength training a week, 1 miscellaneous workout, and 2 rest days.
Meal Prep of the Week
I returned to Boston to an empty fridge, so my first task was grocery shopping for the week + my essentials. This was $115 at Trader Joes and allowed me to make some delicious meals this week with enough snacks and essentials to last to next week.
This week’s salad was so YUMMY! To make it, I made the following:
Lentils - I got a pre-steamed pack at TJ’s and warmed this up in a pot.
Beets, Radish, and Red Onion Salad - I cooked the beets, chopped the radish and red onion, and combined them in a pan with light salt.
On a baking pan, I put (washed and dried) chickpeas, kale, and Brussel sprouts. I lightly season all three with salt and pepper and add a little turmeric and cumin to my chickpeas.
For the chicken, I cleaned and cut chicken tenders and cooked in a pan with tomatoes, spinach, and mushrooms.
Finally, I cooked some quinoa and plated it with a side of arugula.
The best thing about this meal is that there are a lot of ingredients to cook at the start of the week, but then you can mix and match them throughout the week. It is so flavorful when mixed up, as you see below.
For New Year’s Eve, I have a tradition of making myself a nice dinner and setting my goals for the year. This year I was joined by my friend and made this healthy and yummy meal. I got this spinach linguine from Trader Joes and baked salmon and served with roasted tomatoes, corn, and chickpeas. It was super light and delicious.
Ginger Tumeric Shots
It is cold season, and I want to give my body the best fuel to fight off these viruses…also, I’ll be working in the emergency room this month, so I will be exposed to a lot. I bought some oranges, turmeric, and ginger and made them into juice.
I pour out a shot glass-sized amount and drink this in the mornings—the punch of the ginger is a great way to wake up!
I love love and love to read
Lover girl and book worm meets her match. I went to the new Lovestruck Bookstore in Cambridge and feel in love! This one of a kind bookstore is focused on romance novels and is so beautiful, if you are in Boston I recommend checking it out. There is a beautiful collection, fun ambiance, super cute items such as mugs, totes, and candles. Honestly I was in a dream.
Seven Days in June was one of my favorite romance novels so I was excited to read more from Tia Williams - this one is also highly recommended. I’ll share my thoughts!
Setting our intentions
This week I am starting my first sub-internship of medical school! I am just in awe of this journey all that I have learned, and how I have grown, I am honestly not nervous for this first week I am just excited to continue to become a better doctor each day. My emergency medicine schedule will be an adjustment as I’ll be working various shifts, including nights and weekends, but I know thats with my wellnes routines, I will be just fine. Stay tuned for next week’s newsletter to hear how my first week went!
My intention for the week is to enjoy where my feet are. As I enter Sub-I season and have talked of residency beginning, it is easy to want to skip ahead mentally by being more focused on the future than the present. I hope to continue to prepare myself for my next steps while remaining grounded.
Until next week & Happy New Year!
Kye