Healthyself Healthyworld

I’m looking forward to joining a distinguished panel of medical and health professionals to speak on the importance of resilience and how to cultivate it in our everyday lives. If anyone is interested in joining us, the Resilience Summit is being held this Tuesday, November 12 at the Four Seasons in Miami. Thank you for the opportunity!

Restore, Renew, and Rejuvenate in 2024! I (an IFM certified physician) will guide you on your wellness journey!

Here’s what satisfied client Dawn P. says:

“ I enjoyed the personalized attention and the thorough approach to solving my health issues and complaints.
This program has had an overwhelmingly positive effect on my health and my life in just over one month’s time. I already feel better, I have learned what truly healthy eating looks like and I actually want to exercise now– because I already see its positive impact when combined with healthy eating habits in such a short period of time. What more can I ask for? With more energy and a clearer mind, I am able to focus on those things in life that fulfill me, fully partaking in each moment, instead of dragging myself along with minimal energy and virtually zero motivation. I am in awe of the progress I’ve made in such a short time frame and truly encouraged about the progress I will surely make over the months ahead.”
🎉💪🏽🎉💪🏽🎉💪🏽🎉💪🏽🎉
Schedule a free 20 minute consultation here:
https://chefcoachmd.com/services

Here’s to success in 2024!

Leveling up leftovers. 😋
Moroccan spiced roasted Brussels sprouts, chickpeas, pistachios and carrots over a bed of red quinoa and a lemon-garlic yogurt bean sauce. Side of mixed green salad with pomegranates.

Who wants to join me for the First Annual Black Friday Fast! Recover from a day of indulgence by not taking in any calories on Friday. Can’t commit to a full fast? Let yourself have a max of 500 calories. Let’s take control of our health this holiday season. Don’t wait for January 1st!! I’ll be joining you!! 💪🏽💪🏽💪🏽

It’s always fun to spread the Food As Medicine education one delicious forkful at a time! Thanks to the Medical Society of Delaware for having me as a speaker today!

Here’s a quick and easy, phytonutrient-rich meal. Sauté onions and garlic, add veggies of your choice (I added red peppers ) with spices, (here, I have salt, pepper, and garlic powder) organic tempeh, and then when everything has cooked nicely, add in kale until it wilts. Then make some space in the middle of the pan for an egg. Cook until the egg is cooked through to your liking. I added “everything but the bagel” seasoning on the egg. Then I took all of it out of the pan and placed it on top of a bed of arugula and sprouts. Full of fiber, healthy protein, and phytonutrients. You can also add some nuts and seeds to the top as well. So many combinations! It took less than 10 minutes to make. The hardest part was chopping the veggies. 🌶️🫑🧅
Enjoy!!

A little rehab for my torn meniscus. Just another step in the journey towards finally getting to be a part of the and making my dream come true! Thank you to Branden for squeezing me in on such short notice!

I’m usually pretty calm during a crisis, which is why I went into emergency medicine. Yet a week before Ironman Mont Tremblant I found myself having panic attacks out of the blue. It wasn’t because I felt unprepared. It was quite the opposite, actually. After having finished 8 self-coached Ironman triathlons I finally decided to go for it and hire a coach (Erinne Guthrie.) Despite multiple setbacks with injuries and clumsy falls I truly felt the strongest and most endurance-racing-fit of my life. My nutrition and supplements were on point and I was rocking muscle recovery with my Pinnacle roller. The anxiety wasn’t that I wouldn’t succeed, it was that I wouldn’t be able to compete at all. Canada’s wildfires had already canceled the 70.3 event in Mont Tremblant earlier in the summer and would go on to cancel Ironman Canada the following week. I was terrified that all of my hard work to qualify for the World Championships would be over in a puff of smoke. The closer I got to the event the more frequently I would consult the air quality maps. If time was on the X axis and frequency of checking was on the Y, my graph was increasing logarithmically. Dean was calm about it, of course, as he always is. He told me to stop looking since I couldn’t control the fires. I practiced breathing. I practiced meditation. Yet, like a doomed moth to the flame, I kept going back to the map. Fortunately rain moved in and what was threatening to ruin everything smoldered down and vanished. We were clear to race!!

The event morning was absolutely perfect. A mild drizzle gave way to puffy clouds that glowed pink in the sunrise. This was the calm before the storm. I ended up further back from the start than anticipated and the swim was like a contact sport of wrestling alligators. The crowd of swimmers pushed me, though, and I finished 5 minutes faster than my previous best in 1:17. On to the bike!

The bike part of the event is the longest and gives you the most time to reflect (and chafe.) I spent the first loop holding back, checking out the course, evaluating the hills, and feeling grateful that I was able to do this. I then let myself speed up for the second half, praying the whole time that I wouldn’t be one of the many sidelined with a flat tire. The tires stayed inflated and I averaged 16.6 mph with almost 6000 feet of elevation, my best performance to date. Bonus was that I got to see Dean a couple of times and yell hello! Total time: 6:44

Then came the marathon. I was so excited to get out of the saddle that I looked down at my watch and realized that I was running WAY too fast. I slowed down and promised myself that I would be smart about this race and not blow out at the beginning. Yet three miles in, out of the blue, something ZINGED in my right knee. I went from visions of glory to not being able to put ANY weight on my right leg. I stopped to massage my leg and to stretch. No good. I tried hobbling for a few steps but quickly realized that continuing like this was impossible. I could not walk. Other racers passed by me with eyes that said “my condolences.” Seriously? Is this how my race and dreams for a Kona slot would end? I stopped. What now? Then a ridiculous thought popped into my head. “Maybe I can run the race backwards.” I tried running backwards. No good. The pain was still there. “How about sideways?” If crabs can do it, why can’t I? After three steps into a sideways run something clicked and the pain in the knee disappeared. Gone. Completely. Hallelujah! Δόξα το Θεό!!!! My day ricocheted from complete failure to glorious redemption. I was free to follow the rest of the run plan- slower for the first half, then full gas for the second. A smile was plastered on my face, knowing that I was giving it my all. I saw Dean several times in the two-loop course and our high-fives kept me focused and energized, and I was able to keep up a good pace (faster than I had planned.)

The finish chute in Mont Tremblant village was lined with screaming, cheering spectators and I took it all in. The only finish line experience that rivaled it for me was when I first became an Ironman 9 years earlier. I finished in 4:18, twenty minutes faster than my previous best and better than many of my stand-alone marathons in the past. Final time: 12 hours, 35 minutes and 8th in my age group. I qualified for Kona!!!!! Best of all: I overcame an obstacle that at first seemed impossible to overcome and which threatened to derail my day and ruin everything. As the Ironman motto says, “Anything Is Possible.”

A special thank you to Full-CircleCoaching, Maria Brezler Kaysha Curro, all the folks at Annapolis Triathlon Club Iron Crabs, and last, but definitely not least, Dean (il mio fidanzato) for the support to help me reach my goals! And thank you all for reading!
🙏🏽❤️🙏🏽

Please join us for the trip of a lifetime! September 17-23, Paros Island, Greece.
💙🧿🌀 www.MedintheMed.com

My pomegranates are ripe! They may be small, but they’re mighty! Now my Akkermansia mucinophila should be happy. Does anyone else eat with their microbiome in mind or is it just me? 🤓

Searching for my led me to run health and wellness retreats on the island of Paros in my birthplace of Greece. Now I get to blend my love for and with my love for the 🌀🧿💙

Rejuvenating food after several hours of travel. 🌱