Another Trip Around the Sun
Today, January 25th, is my birthday. I am celebrating my 39th trip around the sun. As is often the case with birthdays, especially ones that comes before a new decade, I look back and think about how much my life has changed over the past ten years. And I look forward to what’s to come.
Have I changed in the past ten years? My goodness, yes! Ten years ago, I had a 17-month-old and was pregnant with my second child. I was a recent PA grad, trying to make it through each day hoping I hadn’t accidentally killed someone that day or missed some major illness. Since then, I have lived in three different states, have had five different jobs, and have found my calling as an obesity medicine specialist (which I didn’t even know existed ten years ago).
My day-to-day has changed drastically, and my body has changed as well. Can I jump on a trampoline without peeing myself? No (sorry, TMI?). Can I run a marathon, a half marathon, or win a 5K the way I could just a few years ago? No. In fact, I have had to stop running all together, which I long thought was the key to maintaining my sanity (but don’t worry, I have found some substitutions, so my sanity is still intact…most days…). And yes, the past ten years have come with stretch marks and some wrinkles, but I wouldn’t change it for the world.
I don’t run anymore, but I walk every day. I ride a bike now, instead of running, and have found my happy place with my favorite Peloton instructor, Cody Rigsby, who I affectionately refer to as my “spirit animal”. I am more gentle with my body and myself. I take time to stretch. I focus on strength training and feeling strong. I meditate (most days) with Andy from Headspace, who has been essential in helping me tame my anxious brain. I really like my sleep and prefer my bed over a night at the bar, although if there was dancing and really good 90’s music, I could definitely be persuaded! I eat food that makes me feel good, rather than eating foods that I hope will make me look good. It turns out, that the foods that make me feel good also happen to be the ones that keep my health and my weight in check, so that works out! I am also aware of how fortunate and privileged I am, that I can walk in a safe neighborhood, own a Peloton bike, and can afford to buy healthy food for myself and my family.
Another thing I have found as I round out my 30’s is that I am more willing to speak my mind. By nature, I am a “people pleaser”, and I avoid conflict like the plague. Or, should I say, like COVID? However, I am more confident now, and slightly less afraid of what will happen if someone disagrees with me. I am so much more informed and educated now than I was ten years ago. Even after finishing two undergraduate degrees and spending over four years in graduate school, culminating in a medical degree, I really knew so little about health. I have had to seek out much of this education on my own and continue to do so. Fortunately, I am a huge nerd, and have learned that, for my mind to be happy, I have to constantly be learning. Hence, my birthday gifts this year include four books: The Case for Keto, Why We Get Sick, Tiny Habits, and the Cancer Code.
After countless hours of continuing medical education, helping thousands of patients improve their health, and after developing numerous obesity medicine programs, I am finally ready to step out on my own. I will publish my first book, Developing an Obesity Management Program; the Healthcare Provider’s Roadmap, within the next month. It’s exciting and scary, but I feel ready now. This is why I am excited about the future. I’m not worried about the big 4-0 next year. I look forward to looking back in ten years from now and thinking about how I’ve changed and how I have grown. I look forward to watching my children grow into adults and can only hope that I am doing my part in helping shape them into people who are kind, compassionate, inclusive, and who change the world for the better.
I feel so fortunate and blessed on this day. I want to thank every person who is reading this for your support. And to anyone who has posted a birthday message to me, I appreciate you more than you know. I have moved around a lot, and this has afforded me amazing friends and family all over the world. I wish I saw you all more often, but I feel your love from afar and am so grateful for every one of you.
Thank you!
Karli
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