Day 46 of 60 | Bonjour, Paris! 🇫🇷✨
Every day I write here to inspire, but some days I strive to make you smile. A funny photo… a ridiculous moment in class… or just the simple joy of scratching my own internal funny bone. Yesterday was one of those days.
But today, I want to share something a little more serious - how I’ve been maintaining my health journey while living in France… while attending cooking school… while eating food I didn’t plan, portion, or even expect until the moment nine ingredients are placed in front of me to turn into a masterful dish.
The truth is: the routines and discipline I built in Miami over six intense months didn’t all make the trip across the Atlantic. And that’s okay. Growth sometimes means adapting without losing yourself.
Let’s start with what I’ve had to put on pause:
1. My daily 20-minute cold plunge. There is one in Paris, one, but it’s an hour away. Not exactly a daily ritual anymore. I’ve made it a few weekends, and I miss it more than I expected. Cold showers just aren’t the same.
2. My 45-minute post-plunge walks.
They’ve been replaced by Paris itself, the city is my treadmill. I hit 10,000+ steps most days without trying. It’s not “workout walking,” but it’s movement, and movement counts.
3. Preparing all my meals on a disciplined intermittent fasting schedule. Seven hours of culinary classes a day, five days a week… never knowing what we’ll cook or taste until the moment class begins. It’s the opposite of controlled nutrition, and yes, it absolutely messes with routine.
And now, the habits that did cross the ocean with me - the ones I protected because they protect me:
1. Strength Training.
I joined a gym and lift three days a week for an hour or more without fail. I’m getting stronger. My physique is actually better than when I left Miami.
2. Constant walking.
Paris makes this easy. Every errand, every adventure is on foot.
3. Saying “no, thank you” to desserts and pastries daily. And yes… in France, that is practically a heroic act. 💪🤣 Instead, plenty of protein and fruit to defend against all the carbs in class!
4. Warm water with lemon + Himalayan salt every morning, followed by waiting 60 to 90 minutes before my first coffee.
5. Full supplement routine. Every day. No exceptions.
6. Seven minutes of stretching each morning + push-ups to failure (currently 31), 100 dead-bug crunches, and a 60 second plank. Only takes me 10 minutes, but boy do I feel great after!
7. Eight hours of sleep most nights.
(To the chefs reading this: I know, I know. A miracle.)
8. Daily writing for my pure joy and hopefully your enjoyment too!
9. Presence practice while exploring Paris. Truly being here, not rushing through it.
10. Cheerfulness and kindness with everyone I meet. Energy spreads and I do my best to spread the good kind. Learned this from my wonderful Mom. Cheerfulness goes a long way!
And here’s the surprising, beautiful truth:
Despite the unfamiliar food, despite the schedules I can’t control, despite what feels like overeating most days…I’m healthier today than when I arrived. My muscles are strong. My mind feels razor sharp. My vitality is the highest it’s ever been. And when I’m back in Miami, I expect it’ll take me just a week or two to reset my gut fully.
I have to give credit to France, the quality of the food here is extraordinary. Even when I think I’m eating “too much,” my body feels nourished, not weighed down.
And if we’re keeping score, the only thing I’ve truly lost in France is that fabulous brown dye job I did for my last photo shoot, as the gray hairs are staging a daily comeback tour. 💁♂️
This journey has taught me something powerful:
Discipline doesn’t mean perfection. It means staying rooted in what matters most, no matter where you are.
And for that, Paris has been not just a culinary school…but a life school because I will not always have the perfect health environment of Miami at my beck n’ call.
I can be healthy anywhere!
