I Lived Like Melissa Wood-Tepperberg for One Week—4 Wellness Practices I'll Keep 

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Earlier than the instances of COVID, I virtually by no means did at-home exercises. I didn’t assume I had the endurance to work out at house, and why would I, on condition that I lived in NYC and had an abundance of exercise studios and gymnasiums at my fingertips? In March of 2020, I out of the blue discovered myself fully misplaced with out the construction of exercise courses to maintain me accountable, and my health took a nosedive because of this.

Since I used to be dwelling in a 300-square-foot condominium with a roommate, many exercises had been out of the query—a standing bike or treadmill would have taken up our total front room (and doubtless most of our kitchen), cupboard space for weights was nonexistent, and any form of leaping is out of the query when you’ll be able to virtually hear your downstairs neighbors’ conversations. Enter Melissa Wooden Well being.

My then-roommate was the primary to find Melissa Wooden-Tepperberg’s on-line exercise platform, and we each rapidly latched on. Wooden-Tepperberg’s courses are bite-size Pilates exercises which might be efficient and fast and don’t continuously remind you that you just’re figuring out on the ground of an outdated tenement constructing, which was necessary to me, personally. We obtained by the darkish days of the pandemic by splitting a Melissa Wooden Well being membership, and we’ve each continued utilizing the platform ever since. 

I is likely to be a Melissa Wooden Well being devotee, however I’ve at all times been interested in what Wooden-Tepperberg’s morning routine is. I reached out to speak to her about her wellness practices, and I used to be shocked by how refreshingly laid-back she is about her routine (which is, I believe, a giant cause Melissa Wooden Well being has garnered a lot success). 

“From the second I began MWH, I’ve dedicated to a lifestyle with plenty of flexibility, particularly since having kids,” Wooden-Tepperberg says. Each morning, she wakes up and tries to get a exercise and meditation in earlier than her kids are awake, however she says that in the event that they get up throughout, she rolls with it, or waits till later. “I’m very intuitive and observe what feels good within the second. An important factor in my thoughts is carving out area to deal with myself. The extra I present up for me, the extra I’m in a position to present up for everybody else in my life.”

I requested Wooden-Tepperberg my most dreaded query—what does she eat in a day? I do know that many health and vitamin gurus observe restrictive diets. After years of battling dislike for my very own physique, I didn’t wish to attempt to decide to one thing limiting which may catapult me again into unhealthy habits. Wooden-Tepperberg, nonetheless, provided me a sigh of aid. “For a very long time, I thrived on a largely plant-based weight loss plan, however one of the best factor for me has really been releasing all labels in terms of meals,” she says. “Whereas sticking to largely vegetation is what makes me really feel my very best, I eat what feels good in the mean time and have been experimenting with attempting various things because of this.”

Wooden described her morning routine to me as follows: She wakes up and thinks of one thing she’s grateful for, drinks heat water with lemon on an empty abdomen and an oat-milk latte, takes a probiotic, does quarter-hour of meditation and quarter-hour of motion, which she notes just isn’t at all times actual, and makes her recipe for a inexperienced juice or smoothie. Right here’s my week journey dwelling like Wooden-Tepperberg. 

What I’m grateful for: my condominium, since I now now not reside within the shoebox the place I started my MWH journey.

I make myself a lemon water very first thing, which is one thing I by no means do however have heard many individuals sing praises for. It’s truly a extremely refreshing option to begin the day, and I instantly brew myself espresso (sadly no oat-milk lattes in my condominium). After that, I do an 18-minute basic full-body exercise on the MWH platform.

I personally keep away from meditation just like the plague, so clicking on the six-minute meditation video feels daunting. I’m somebody who A) doesn’t wish to be alone together with her personal ideas and B) finds my thoughts wandering to each process on my to-do checklist each time I attempt to meditate. Briefly, I’m precisely the kind of one who would actually profit from meditation. I attempt to focus for the whole six minutes (seems like 60), and my thoughts does really feel calmer afterward.

I ordered spirulina powder on Amazon for this experiment (since Wooden-Tepperberg’s smoothie recipe requires it), which I’ve by no means had earlier than. I attempt just a little bit blended in water to see what it tastes like, and it fairly actually tastes like concentrated seawater, so I can see why it will get blended right into a smoothie. 

I make Wooden-Tepperberg’s smoothie recipe and am shocked that my smoothie seems black. I’m no stranger to a inexperienced smoothie, however I’m a stranger to a black smoothie. After sniffing it to ensure I didn’t unintentionally poison myself someway, I attempt it and am pleasantly shocked by how good it tastes. In Melissa Wooden-Tepperberg we belief! I chalk up the colour to too many blackberries in my berry combine and maybe an excessive amount of spirulina powder. (I didn’t measure it out as suggested, due to course I didn’t.)

What I’m grateful for: the truth that I don’t have COVID, since many individuals I do know are getting COVID. (I hear there’s a brand new Kraken variant.) This seems like a cop-out, but it surely’s true!

This morning, I stand up early to make lemon water, my espresso, and the spirulina smoothie. I like that Wooden-Tepperberg can be a proponent of getting a number of drinks without delay as a result of I’m not pleased except I’ve a minimum of three in entrance of me at any given time. As an alternative of doing a MWH exercise, I’m going to a yoga class, which I resolve counts for each meditation and motion. The theme immediately is clearly cop-outs.

What I’m grateful for: I wrote down “idk lol,” which I’m mad at myself for, but it surely was additionally a Friday, so I believe I used to be most likely grateful that it was a Friday. If I needed to guess.

Once more, I make lemon water, espresso, and a spirulina smoothie. I usually solely make espresso and drink it within the bathe, so including the lemon water very first thing and the smoothie instantly after have been really optimistic additions to my morning routine. I attempt to do a exercise, however my pal is doing a MWH exercise on the similar time (and as I discussed, we’ve shared a login since 2020, although we’re now not roommates), so I skip it and reserve it for later.

What I’m grateful for: that I’m not hungover, since I had a couple of glasses of wine the night time earlier than. (I didn’t ask Wooden-Tepperberg for her stance on alcohol, maybe subconsciously deliberately.)

After making my lemon water and low, I do a 23-minute energy planking and plié squat exercise and a 10-minute energy ab exercise, adopted by a seven-minute meditation. I attempt to drive my boyfriend to do the meditation with me, however he abandons me after two minutes to get our bagels from the supply man at our door—our kitchen sink’s pipe is leaking, so I forgo the inexperienced smoothie in favor of not attempting to scrub out my blender in our rest room sink. Figuring out Wooden-Tepperberg’s emphasis on flexibility, I’m assured she’d be okay with this—plus, what’s life with no bagel every now and then?

What I’m grateful for: that it’s not raining. 

My pal and I deliberate a six-mile run immediately. (We’re coaching for a half-marathon within the spring and the New York Metropolis marathon in November.) Since my sink remains to be damaged, I’ve my lemon water and low and eat a couple of dates for power. I think about operating a meditative type of figuring out, notably larger distances. Bear in mind how I mentioned I’ve bother clearing my thoughts? Working is probably one of many solely instances I really feel laser-focused.

What I’m grateful for: sleep.

Right now is the day that I completely fail at copying Wooden-Tepperberg’s routine. I begin the day by convincing myself that the healthiest factor I can do is to maintain sleeping since I watched a video of Wooden-Tepperberg the night time earlier than the place she says she is specializing in sleep. I can now not discover this video, so I’m undecided if it was a dream or delusion, however I take advantage of the video as an excuse to sleep in and do none of Wooden-Tepperberg’s wellness pillars. The one factor I put in my physique till 2 p.m. is espresso, and I proceed to have the worst day I’ve had in per week. If nothing else, this proves to me {that a} routine like Wooden-Tepperberg’s is crucial to optimistic psychological well being, a minimum of for me.

What I’m grateful for: that I’ve a therapeutic massage appointment immediately as a result of my again feels prefer it’s product of wrenches. 

My sink is lastly working once more, so I make all the drinks—smoothie included. I do know I’m going to maintain these in my routine since they’re quick and wholesome and provides me tons of power. I do a 24-minute elevated Pilates exercise on MWH after which a six-minute meditation. I preserve desirous about every part I’ve to do, however I inform myself that if I can’t deal with six minutes of doing nothing then I would like a actuality test. I’ve tons of power all through the day, and I’m in an excellent temper, which is in main distinction to the day earlier than.

Wooden-Tepperberg is clearly on to one thing. This is smart since she’s constructed a platform with so many devoted followers (myself included). I’m going to proceed copying her routine—particularly gratitude, morning drinks, meditation, and motion—as usually as I can for my very own sanity. Sure, spirulina powder included.

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