About Me

Welcome to my blog!  My name is Ami, and this blog is my way to share my fiery passion for all things vegetarian food, fitness, and health!  I am a 30-something year old high school teacher living in Providence, Rhode Island who is just trying to balance work, family, friends, and healthy living, which can be extremely tough given the high-stress environment many of us find ourselves enmeshed.  Having had my share of minor health-related bumps in the road, I hope this blog can document my journey in finding that “healthy place” that is just right for me!

So, what can you expect here? 

Well, definitely lots of food!  Daily eats, recipes, restaurant meals, grocery hauls, culinary ruminations. . . expect it all!  I am a long-time vegetarian of Indian descent (hence my undying affection for all things curry) who was raised by two hard-core veggie parents.  While my folks only prepared vegetarian food for my siblings and I, we were allowed to make our own choices outside of the house, free to consume meat, eggs, seafood, or poultry if we so wished!  My older siblings (bro and sis) ended up embracing all the non-vegetarian offerings the world had to offer, while I chose to stay entirely vegetarian.  I’m always asked by my students why I “eat fresh” (which I know is the Subway slogan, yet they equate that phrase to vegetarianism!).  Truthfully, it is a hard question for me to answer.  I suppose it is a combination of culture and upbringing, personal morals, ethics, and philosophies, and just the fact I believe it is a more peaceful and therefore more healthful way for me to live.  I believe all should make their own decisions about their dietary choices and paths, and truly place no judgment on non-vegetarians.  In fact, my husband, who is beyond supportive, and even defensive, of my vegetarianism, counts sushi and steak as some of his favorite foods! 

You can also get ready for some of my musings on the fitness front.  I have been consistently active in some way or form since I was 4 years old (before of course I knew I was actually “exercising”).  I participated in team softball from ages four to eighteen, basketball and tae kwon do in high school, and even had a stint with cross country running.  Once I entered college, I began my love affair with going to the gym.  Ellipticizing, stair-mastering, treadmilling, free-weights and machines– these kinds of activities became my daily workouts.  Over the last five years or so, I have dabbled in other activities like pilates and yoga.  Running, in combination with cross-training and weight-lifting, have become my fitness fixes as of late.  Let my clarify one thing– I am not a natural runner by any means! It is hard!  I truly struggle with even labeling myself a runner because I often have doubts about my abilities (do I go fast enough, far enough, to be a “real runner?”)  While such thoughts are obviously futile, self-defeating, and void of any rhyme or reason, I think it is something many new runners and new-to-exercise (and even old-to-exercise like me) folks experience.  One of my goals with this blog is to help build my confidence as a runner, challenging myself while still remaining content with what I do accomplish. At the same time, I want to be careful of defining myself through exercise, which is a road I have been down before and never want to set foot on again!  Hopefully, many of you will be able to relate to my journey of continuing to enjoy exercise while reaching some fitness goals without it taking over my life!

Finally, my overall health is certainly to be a main focus of my blog.  I am pretty hard on myself when it comes to most facets of life, and that has undoubtedly created much unnecessary stress.  Going forward, I strive to be less stressed out– especially about the little things!  My perfectionist tendencies may have gotten me quite far in life, but they have definitely also prevented me from actually enjoying many of my academic, personal, and professional successes.  Hopefully, this blog will be a place to remind myself that striving to be my best does not mean I can’t sit back and enjoy the ride at the same time!  Recent diagnoses of some mild inflammatory issues serve as further reminders that I need to take care of myself physically and mentally, and actively work to reduce stress that could worsen these conditions. 

I am quite sure there will be much more to come “About Me!”  Thanks for reading, and I hope many of you can relate to my healthy living quest and will come join me in my journey to find a more healthful balance in life!