Carlye Waters | Health and Wellness
I thought I was healthy,” Carlye Waters says of her breast cancer diagnosis at age 35. The life-changing news propelled Waters into an in-depth nine-year quest for health and wellness information. Eager to share her wealth of knowledge, she launched illume Health & Wellness, which has enabled her to work with clients of all ages, including her favorite group, teenage girls. “If I can make an impact in their lives before they go to college,” she explains, “then perhaps they won’t wind up where I did.” Waters offers individualized wellness plans, as well as grocery store tours and label-reading classes. Her advice to people who might be intimidated about making nutritional changes is to make them a little at a time. “I won’t tell you to throw everything in your pantry away,” she says. “Instead, I say use up what you have and replace it with a healthier option.”
Daily Schedule
5:00 a.m.
I always start my day with a warm mug of water, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar and cranberry juice. It’s super detoxifying. Then I’ll have green tea or coffee. I usually don’t eat breakfast, especially if I’m teaching an early class at Glow Yoga.
5:30 a.m.
Two or three days a week, I’ll work out at home. I like to jump on my mini trampoline for a cardio workout.
8:00 a.m.
My mornings are either spent taking or teaching yoga classes. The rest of the morning is set aside for seeing clients or holding workshops.
10:00 a.m.
If I’m not doing intermittent fasting, I’ll make a mid-morning smoothie. Water, chia seeds, flax seeds, collagen protein, blueberries and frozen spinach are perfect. I’ve even tried a chocolate cauliflower rice recipe.
12:00 p.m.
For lunch I’ll have leftovers from the night before or throw together a salad with romaine, kale or buttercrunch lettuce and chicken for protein. I always have chicken on hand, either some that I’ve baked or a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store.
1:00 p.m.
I always have follow-up appointments with my clients.
4:00 p.m.
For a late-afternoon snack, I enjoy an apple, a handful of nuts or homemade granola. A boiled egg and some avocado are other good choices. I love snacks with healthy fats and a touch of protein.
6:00 p.m.
I try to have my weeknight dinners already planned out. Soups, baked chicken and spaghetti are family favorites. My kids prefer spaghetti squash noodles to pasta noodles.
8:00 p.m.
Pre-bedtime I enjoy a square of dark chocolate. If I’m really craving dessert, a chia seed pudding made with chia, a can of coconut milk, vanilla extract, blueberries and cacao nibs is perfect.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Preparation is key. Think about what activities you have during the week. Are you going to be coming in late? Crock-Pot or Instant Pot recipes are quick, easy and efficient.
Spencer Callahan, DC | Functional Medicine
Sometimes, life hands you lemons. But in Fairhope-native Spencer Callahan’s case, he was handed mysterious health issues. After bouncing from doctor to doctor, Callahan dove into the world of functional medicine, which he describes as a more holistic approach to medicine in which root causes for diseases or ailments are sought. He then created his own proverbial lemonade by opening Bayview Optimal Performance, a medical practice that offers chiropractic care, sports performance therapy and functional medicine. Callahan says that in addition to environmental and genetic factors, health problems can usually be traced to one of three causes: lack of sleep, insufficient exercise or improper nutrition.
Daily Schedule
7:00 a.m.
I’ve never been a morning person, so my wakeup time depends on when my first patient is. But before I do anything else, I drink at least 16 ounces of water, sometimes 32. Most people are severely dehydrated and don’t realize it.
7:30 a.m.
I let the dogs out and start the French press. There is no consensus on whether or not coffee is good for you. I think you need to weigh the pluses and minuses based on your own health history.
7:45 a.m.
I think it’s important to eat breakfast. I’ll eat whatever is leftover from the night before. Sometimes it’s chili or lentil stew. I also take this time to read medical research.
9:00 a.m.
I see morning patients until about noon.
Noon
I go to restaurants around the office a lot. Lunch out is a guilty pleasure for me, since I eat breakfast and dinner at home. I make the “better bad option” when dining out. I eat a lot of wraps and sandwiches with grilled chicken.
1:00 p.m.
I take a break and walk down to the pier to meditate and get sunshine and fresh air.
1:30 p.m.
I spend the afternoon seeing patients.
5:00 p.m.
I work out three to four days a week before dinner. I do a lot of weights — more functional movement stuff, like dumbbell, stretches, squats and lunges.
6:00 p.m.
Dinner is usually something fairly healthy. CrockPot meals or sauteed chicken breast are easy.
10:00 p.m.
I am a big proponent of sleep. For me, getting seven to nine hours a night is ideal, but it’s not always realistic.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I think a lot of people have this false idea that you have to wake up in the morning and have egg whites and spinach and rice and a dry chicken breast. In my opinion, people can take it to the extreme when trying to become healthy, and sometimes that can become unhealthy.
Jessica Watkins | Fitness Pro
Ever the student athlete, Mobile-native Jessica Watkins felt lost when she graduated college. “When I quit training for cheerleading, I didn’t know how to stay healthy,” she explains, adding, “That’s what threw me into fitness.” After receiving her master’s degree in nutrition and journalism — she is a former news anchor and magazine contributor — Watkins branded her own fitness regime, FIT by Jessica LLC. Among the wheelhouse of offerings are kid-friendly mama boot camp classes, on-demand workout videos and meal plans. Watkins knows healthy lifestyle goals can be intimidating. “Just focus on one transition at a time,” she says. “It’s the small adjustments that lead to a lifestyle change.”
Daily Schedule
3:45 a.m.
I work out 6 days a week. I run three days with a goal to get in 10 miles each week, followed by circuit training. The other three days I focus solely on strength training. No impact; I’m not trying to get my heart rate up. I always take one day off.
5:00 a.m.
I teach early morning classes twice a week. I don’t usually eat breakfast before class, just maybe half a banana.
6:45 a.m.
For breakfast, I’ll either have plain Greek yogurt with nuts and a drizzle of honey, or I’ll fix a bowl of sauteed kale and a poached egg.
8:00 a.m.
I’m back to teaching classes from mid- to late morning.
12:30 p.m.
I always have vegetables on hand, so I like to make salads in jars and eat them with balsamic vinegar. I also love quinoa bowls with tomatoes, bell peppers and Italian seasoning. Sometimes I’ll even make a vegetable sandwich, which is just two pieces of toast, hummus, Dijon mustard, and layers of cucumber, bell peppers, spinach leaves, avocado, alfalfa sprouts, black pepper and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.
4:00 p.m.
Every afternoon I have a sweet indulgence; a bite of dark chocolate is my happy place.
6:00 p.m.
I like to follow the Fit by Jessica meal plan. Monday, Wednesday and Friday are my cooking nights, and the rest of the week is for leftovers.
FINAL THOUGHTS
We’re not here to weigh stuff all day long. That’s where people tailspin. You have to enjoy life. Food should be enjoyable and used to recharge.
Adam Heisler | Athletic Trainer
For some, playing baseball professionally might be dream enough. But for Adam Heisler, former Chicago White Sox center fielder, announcing his retirement meant returning home to do what he’d been dreaming of since childhood — establishing Heisler Heat Baseball Academy, a training facility that offers strength training and conditioning for athletes at all levels, from youth to current professionals. Despite the demands of running a successful business, Mobile-native Heisler still finds time to concentrate on his own personal fitness goals and is often found sprinting or pumping iron alongside trainees. “But the focus now isn’t on how much weight I can lift,” Heisler says of his current mind-set. “It’s more about keeping me healthy.”
Daily Schedule
8:00 a.m.
I get up a little later than most people would think, mainly because we work so late into the night.
8:30 a.m.
Breakfast is the meal I usually cook, and I include things like eggs, bacon or sausage, fruit and coffee. I’d rather cook something good than hit a drive-through.
9:30 a.m.
Five days a week I do strength training, and the workout varies from day to day.
11:00 a.m.
I go back home and shower and get a protein shake to hold me over until lunch. If I have errands, I’ll run those. Otherwise, I do some reading on new drills that are out there. I’m a big believer that things will change and evolve — I don’t want to get stuck in the past.
12:30 p.m.
By this point I’m back up at the facility where I’ll eat lunch. I’ve been doing meals from Clean Eatz, a place that does the prep for you.
1:00 p.m.
I spend this time doing administrative work, like making travel ball, practice and lesson schedules.
3:00 – 9:30 p.m.
The first lessons start coming in around 3, and we go until about 9:30. Throughout the afternoon, I’m drinking water and snacking on almonds.
9:30 p.m.
As soon as I get home, I’ll eat. I’ll either stop by Chipotle or I’ll cook something like ground turkey tacos or red beans and rice.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I think the main thing is to be accountable for how you spend your time. Don’t let yourself go, because once you do, it’s hard to get it back.
