Moringa who?

I've never wanted something so much that I was willing to not only change my lifestyle, but endure being the person who pulls all-nighters to get a B on an  exam. I've never liked feeling like I wasn't the person who had an extra step up on others. I never wanted to be the person who had to work their butt off to hopefully come in slightly above the average.

Until I sparked the fire in me.

My first semester of pre-med was one of the most mentally and physically exhausting things I have ever put myself through. I was not ready for the long hours of study. I wasn't ready for the conceptual test taking skills that I needed in order to pass an exam. I went into my first semester of pre-med with a full load and high hope... two weeks into that semester my mind was screaming RETREAAAAT. But I felt like if I gave up on this shot I had, I would always resent that moment in my life where I didn't push myself hard enough to see if I could get somewhere.

So I buckled up, had a few melt downs, and went for it guns blazing. I learned study tips that work wonders for me:
flash carding
copying down all of my notes before the class
recording lectures(with the professors consent)
dedicating my time every day to learning the materials

One of the worst feelings I have ever experienced was knowing I was behind the curve. I worked as hard as I could to keep up. By the end of the semester I did it. I know the road to medical school requires much more complicating classes but I have dedicated this year to finding the proper techniques to keeping up in my classes... And keeping my mental sanity.

Even if my goals end up pushing me in a different direction at least I will be able to tell myself, I did it. I gave that my all. I left everything on the field. My best wasn't geared for that. This is where I am meant to be.

Update on my midterm: I got an A out of 175 students, only 22 students in the class got A's.

What I am working on now is learning to expect the A and not be surprised when I get one. I need to build up the confidence in my academic abilities and believe in myself.

On the health side of things, I'm feeling really great.. but I have been bloating. I used to bloat so easily, it used to actually be painful. Lately I've been experiencing slight bloating which I know is normal here and there but it has been making me feel insecure. Which is totally normal for a woman. In order to combat this I am  increasing my water intake slightly and trying to get my digestive tract moving efficiently.  Bloating sucks. And I can't imagine I'm the only who feels self conscious about it but hopefully it will subside soon.

My workouts are consisting of mostly plyometrics and abs recently. Plyometrics have been the most enjoyable type of workout for me and I love the high intensity of it. I was so nervous for so long about looking clean in a gym and specifically going in there doing some reps and getting out. But lately I've been taking my time, experimenting with different movements and getting the best results. A key break through in my success so far is definitely accredited towards the fact that I am taking time on myself and finding what works best for me. If I want to go in the gym and do hand-stands for a half hour, you better believe that's what you'll see me doing!(I've also dedicated time to stretching and foam rolling.)

I've recently invested in a powdered form of Moringa Olifera, so far I'm obsessed with it. This plant is a good source of the 9 essential amino, beta-carotene, and antioxidants. I am going to reduce my intake to half a teaspoon every morning mixed in with my post workout protein shake.

An extra drink recommendation: Green tea has been my go to morning and afternoon pick me up.

There are two links below with very good, credible sources on the benefits of green tea and Moringa Olifera in case anyone would like to do their research on the exact effects.

I shall conclude this blog by saying...DRINK YOUR RECOMMENDED AMOUNT OF H2O, YOU WONT REGRET IT. :)

Sites:
 Green Tea-  http://www.health.harvard.edu/press_releases/benefit_of_drinking_green_tea
 Moringa Olifera- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/17089328/

February 21st

During the summer of 2016 I made the most impactful life decision thus far. This decision was a clear indicator that I was moving forward and jumping into new horizons that were to challenge me. What was this life changing epiphany? 

I decided I was going to go to school to become a doctor. Typing this for anyone to see gives me such chills. My father has always told me, "Hailey Lynn Petetti you can be anything you want to be, as long as you are being the best version of you". After talking with many influential people in my life about my change of course there was one thing I was sure of... I had to reinvent myself. If I were to try to reach my peak, the best version of me, that began with one crucial step. That step was to change EVERYTHING. This meant the friends I surrounded myself with, my eating habits, my study habits, my overall consciousness of my own health, everything had to change. Some people might think I was going a little crazy with this and that's fine. Every choice, every CHANGE I have made in my life has benefit my lifestyle. 

The biggest thing people ask me is how I went from a girl who partied and had some extra chunk on her to a young woman who works hard in the gym and in school. This blog is for anyone who wants to know how I got to where I am and where I am going. But more importantly, it is for me to hold myself accountable for my actions here on out. 

My Health:

Over the summer I went to a doctors office and he informed me that I had hyperlipidemia, I tried to act as if I was okay with hearing this but I was so embarrassed. I know there was nothing to be embarrassed about regarding that it is something people face all the time but I was embarrassed because I did that to myself. It was not something that couldn't be controlled, it was the fact that I went from an athletic healthy individual to someone who drank four nights out of the week and binge ate cafe rio the next three. With that being said I was mortified. For someone who preaches healthy living and is majoring and Kinesiology with a minor in Biology I was disappointed in myself for being so conscious the entire time of what I was doing, but continuing to fail at making the right decisions. This is where my biggest health changes occurred. I was constantly researching macros, looking at fitness youtubers, sitting with dietitians, I was absorbing all of the information I possibly could in order to make the best choices for me.  In my research I learned that for my body personally I should not consume more than 23 grams of artificial sugars a day. Let me tell you this right now... look at all of the food in your pantry and try to find something appetizing with less than 7  grams of sugar. I have THE BIGGEST sweet tooth and discovering that almost everything that I thought made me happy in life has gross amounts of sugar... lets just say that was not a happy day. I slowly learned that I didn't need all of the artificial sugars because fruit is delicious and curbed my sweet tooth just as well. Another big thing that I limited in my diet was saturated fats, trans fats and cholesterol. We do not need cholesterol, our body makes its own. However, cholesterol is in meats and we do in fact need proteins. SO unfortunately unless I was planning on going vegan, it was not possible to completely cut this out. This is where lean meats, chicken, and fish came in handy. Saturated fats are so hard for your body to break down, they pack tightly together and are solid at room temperature(think butter and lard). I didn't cut this out completely either however I definitely limited it as much as possible. In regards to my physical activity, I started out with lifting but the matter of fact is in order to blast fat, I had to kick my body into overdrive and do high intensity training. I call these my "ninja" workouts. Around two to three times a week I will do weighted exercise. The other days I will do high intensity body weight training(pushups, pull ups, handstands, lunges and so much more). One thing that has stayed constant is my rest day is Wednesday,  I focus all of my energy into studying and I give my body a break. THE LAST MOST IMPORTANT CHANGE I HAVE MADE SO FAR IS DRINKING 64 OUNCES OF WATER A DAY. ( I put this in caps BECAUSE IT IS SO IMPORTANT. My body made such huge change after I hydrated myself correctly. Everyones water intake will vary). 

I intend on posting to this blog frequently about my progress with my studies, my progress with my body and the over all making of me. As much as I would love to keep typing up a storm, I have huge midterm tomorrow at 8 am so its time to get back to the flashcards. I hope that little summary of health changes was helpful, there will be more to come. Welcome to the corner of the internet that will be dedicated to building a better lifestyle and reaching for what seems like the impossible, my way. :)