My Health and Wellness Routine

A few people were curious about what a day in the life of Jazzie Pigott looks like. Given the writer’s block I’ve had recently, I figured that an overview of my current routine would be a great way to end the month.

To sum up my day, I wake up at 6:30, exercise, practice, cook, wind down, and go to bed at 10:30. I have a schedule for every day of the week that accounts for devoted exercise time, practice time, writing time, and composition time. While it’s flexible, I tend to not waver too much from it on a daily basis. Of course, there are meetings and appointments that have no choice but to be scheduled in one of my devoted hours, but I try to avoid this when possible. I have found that for me, this is the only way I can stay consistent with all my habits. Here is a more detailed look at my current health and wellness practices.

My exercise routine

My exercise goals right now are to build muscle mass and train for a sprint triathlon this summer. I’m currently following a workout program that consists of two to three full-body workouts a week. On four of the five non-strength days, I focus on my cycling and running. Since I took time away from both running and cycling back in November, I am currently working up my stamina and endurance. I’m using the C210K app to train to run a 10K. This involves around 3 runs a week. This app has been incredible at helping me slowly build up my running skills over the past year--a year ago I could barely run for a minute! For cycling, I am using an indoor cycle to get comfortable with road bike posture since my bike is a hybrid. I’m working on increasing speed and stamina to get 10K under 30 minutes for now. As the triathlon gets closer, I intend on training more back-to-back with cycling and running. I’m also waiting for the warm weather (and access to water) to begin swimming.

In terms of less involved exercise, I make sure that I get at least 12,000 steps a day. When it's not a running or cycling day, I bring this goal up to 15,000. In general, I tend to spend around an hour and a half walking over the course of the day--it's the only way I am able to have the mental focus to practice for 4 hours a day. Additionally, I used to do yoga to center myself in the morning, but in the past few weeks I have switched that to a mindful walk. (I’ll get back to my wellness/meditation routine in a few paragraphs.)

My nutrition

Right now, I’m working on weaning myself off of calorie counting. I have an embarrassingly high streak on MyFitnessPal (670 days strong!) and realized that tracking for the rest of my life might not be the best for my mental health. Tracking was very important for achieving my weight loss and establishing the habits that have helped me maintain thus far, but I don’t want to rely on it forever.

I eat three to four meals a day and am maintaining at around 2200 calories with 1g of protein per pound of body weight. To hit that target, I make sure to center each of my meals around a protein source and have a complex carb and healthy fat to balance that out and promote satiety. I also make sure to eat whenever I am hungry--if I am hungry, that is my body's way of telling me it needs more fuel, and that signal should not be ignored.

If you want meal ideas, here are the specifics for what I generally consume throughout the day:

For breakfast, I make a batch of protein oatmeal bars to last me each week—using my protein powder, Greek yogurt, and eggs to get them to 20g of protein each. These oatmeal bars are what I use to quickly jumpstart the day or fuel me pre-workout. On days I have more time, I start my day with a half-egg white omelet (1 whole egg and 3 egg whites) full of vegetables, ham, and feta or goat cheese with a side of whole wheat toast and a clementine.

Lunch is my most variable meal. I will often make leftovers from dinner earlier in the week or I'll make a salad kit topped with a large serving of grilled chicken. Generally with my salads, I have another slice of whole wheat toast, a piece of fruit, or some Cheerios to add more fiber to the meal. Lunch will give me an additional 30g of protein.

For second-lunch (or my snack-meal), I often have grilled chicken, broccoli, and hummus—a small but filling meal to tie me over from lunch to dinner. On my busier days, on which it is hard to sit down and eat a whole food snack, I will have another oatmeal bar, a bowl of Magic Spoon cereal, or a protein bar/shake. 15-25g of protein.

Dinner is almost always meat accompanied by roasted vegetables (primarily Brussel sprouts, broccoli, or green beans) and a complex carb (usually potatoes, beans, quinoa, farro, or brown rice). I tend to cook in larger batches so I have leftovers for dinner or lunch later in the week. I’ve never had a problem eating the same things multiple days in a row if I make sure it tastes great. At dinner, I plan for an oversized portion of protein to make sure I'm satisfied. Dinner will give me anywhere from 30-50g of protein on most days.

For additional snacks, I have been recently obsessed with roasted chickpeas, baked pork rinds, and Magic Spoon Cereal (grain-free, high-protein cereal that's definitely worth the price tag). I don’t have endorsements by any of these products (yet), but I swear by them as they are healthier versions of my former indulgences.

I also don’t want to give the impression that I am a healthy-eating saint either. I tend to order Chipotle once a week, enjoy pints of Halo Top, indulge in caramel or kettle corn, and get nutrition shakes from my local nutrition shake and tea place (Look these up if you haven’t already! They’re everywhere and are incredible). For me, the key to success has been moderation—no foods are off limits to me (well, except for fried foods because they make me feel terrible).

A word on wellness

Since the pandemic began, I had sworn by yoga for a while. I would start my day with a practice each morning to clear my head and generate energy for the day. I loved it, and it worked really well for me, until it didn’t. I hit a wall in February in which I wanted to avoid yoga in the mornings at all costs. While I forced myself through it for a month, thinking it was a phase, I realized that I just needed to cut it out of my life for some time. There is no reason for me to be wasting the resource of time on something that I dread doing. I still encourage everyone to try yoga because in the time it worked for me, it was amazing and I saw great progress both mentally and physically. If it is not something that resonates with you, however, do not waste your time.

I have replaced the meditative time with mindful walks—walks in which I unplug completely and focus on the moment. The purpose of a meditative practice is to exist with your thoughts for a little while. In today’s society, it is all too common to be constantly engaged with something else, whether that be scrolling social media, listening to music, or watching TV. It is important to just exist with your mind and see where it wanders. We shouldn't be uncomfortable with simply existing.

My wind-down routine

To wind down before bed, I put on blue light blocking glasses as soon as the sun goes down. This blocks some of the blue light from electronics so it does not mess with your body’s melatonin production. At around 9, I stop any work-related communication. At 9:30, I limit my personal communication and end all work I am doing for the day. At this time, I try to avoid looking at screens entirely for the remainder of the night. Then, I put on a podcast, feed my chinchillas, fill out my daily journal, read, and shut the lights out around 10:30 so I can get a restful night of sleep.

How to find what works for you

This has been my routine for the past few months, and it really works well with me. Given I have the luxury of no regular classes this semester, I am able to make this work while still practicing 4 hours a day. Most other people do not have this option and should find what works with them. Try out a few things. You can use some of what I have laid out here, but do not expect it to automatically work for you. We all have unique lives, personalities, schedules, and bodies, and we should all have routines that reflect the particular blend that makes us who we are. Take a look at some of my previous posts for pointers on what to prioritize and tips on how to find time for things during the day.

Thanks for taking the time to read about my routine! If you try any of what I do, and it works for you, let me know! Next week, I'm going to make a post about some of my insights as a personal trainer on preparing for a performance like training for an athletic event. Subscribe for email updates to be notified whenever I make a new post, and mark your calendars for my recital on April 9th at 6PM EDT!