Life Archives - Page 31 of 34

Knee Update and a Few Personal Prevention Tips

I would do anything to go back in time about five years and tell that Parita to be a well informed runner. If nothing else, I would have made her buy the right running shoes for her feet. That may have prevented the issue I’m dealing with today. Grrr…

So I saw an Orthopedic doctor yesterday. He thinks I could have arthritis OR a problem with my meniscus OR an even “erosion” of my knee cartilage OR a slow chipping off of my knee cartilage. Oh boy!

He basically offered two options. One, from this point forward, only engage in low impact workouts and activities. Or two, get an MRI to understand what the real problem is and go from there. I told him I was too young to just accept my knee pain as a part of life and that I would be getting an MRI soon. There we have it. More updates to follow.

Based on my experience, I wanted to share a brief list of things I wish I had/had not done. This may be handy for those of you who are as stubborn as I am.

Get fitted for running shoes. Please. I did so (too little too late at that point) and my knee actually started to feel better. The pain wasn’t quite gone but it was better. And I know that these new shoes are going to cost $100+, but trust me, it’s worth it.
If your pain (knee, back, arm, etc.) steadily continues for a period of time, don’t just sit there and wish it away. GO SEE A DOCTOR. I should have gone to see someone three years ago, but I didn’t. Like a lot of people, I thought the pain would just go away on its own. But guess what, it didn’t and now I have a potential surgery on my hands.
Don’t workout through the pain. I remember so many times where my knee would start to ache start half way through a run, and I would just push through it. Why? Who the hell knows! Know that it’s ok to stop and that doing so doesn’t make you any less of a runner.
Don’t let the word ‘low’ deceive you…low impact workouts are awesome. Walking is probably one of my favorite ways to get moving. All you need is the “right” pair of shoes – that’s it! Yoga is also a great workout – for the mind and the body. And I’ve also found that strength training has been great for my knees (you just have to know which moves to avoid), and it’s a great way to tone up.
And finally, if your pain wakes you up in the middle of the night (not just one night, multiple nights), it’s time to see a doctor. Basically, don’t wait for something big to happen before you take action. There comes a point where you have to see an expert and let them help you.

And in an effort to find the humor in this and every situation, I leave with you with this…

Festival of Chocolate

written by Parita 19 Comments

I can’t believe it’s already Monday. Sometimes I’ll say things like, “I wish the workweek was four days long so that the weekends were longer.” And then Vishnu will respond by saying something about being grateful that we even get days off, and that people had to fight for the concept of a weekend. I know all that but still…

On Friday, instead of relaxing with wine, cheese, bread, olives and The West Wing on our comfy couch, Vishnu and I had dinner with my boss. We had a great time talking about things like spirituality, the medical profession, and our personal experiences and beliefs. By the time we got home, I was exhausted – early morning (5:10 am) and late night (getting home after 10:30 pm) makes for a tired me!

I was able to tick off some things on my Saturday to do list. I cleaned, worked out, and then headed to Bed, Bath, and Beyond, TJ Maxx, Ross, and Kohl’s. After almost 3 hours of shopping, I came home with pillows and a lipstick. That’s it. I couldn’t believe it either.

P.S. My friend Monica introduced me to this lipstick a few weeks ago. It’s Flirt brand and sold at Kohl’s. I love it because of the no fade wear. And the color is beautiful and intense. If you’re in the market for a new lip color, I suggest you try this brand out.

After my shopping excursion or lack there of, Vishnu and I made our way to the bowling alley to meet up members of the Student Advocate Association (a club dedicated to the significant others of the medical students). We had a great time bowling and chatting it up. One of my goals is to meet more people in this area, and this organization is great for that. It’s nice to meet people who understand your situation and can relate to your stories.

We woke up bright and early the next morning to attend a panel discussion at Vishnu’s school. I suppose I was technically not supposed to be there, but Vishnu’s friends with the organizer and she okayed it. The panel was about international health, mission trips, and student doctors. I found the discussion and the personal accounts incredibly interesting and an amazing showcase of how a small group of people can make a huge difference. Vishnu is very interested in doing an international rotation so this was a perfect introduction (for the both of us).

And finally, after the panel discussion, we made our way to the Festival of Chocolate!! The minute we walked through the doors, my nose was in heaven. It smelled amazing! But first we had to buy “chocolate coins,” so that we could sample the goodies from the various booths. One coin equaled one dollar. So with $15 worth of coins, we headed into a chocolate wonderland!

Excited little me wanted to try the first thing I saw, so Vishnu and I split a dark chocolate and sea salt square.

That little thing cost $2!!! It was the most expensive piece of chocolate we’ve ever eaten!

Next, we tried waffle bites drizzled with Nutella. We’re now convinced that we need to own a waffle iron.

We also sampled a Nutella, strawberry, and whipped cream crepe. I think this was Vishnu’s favorite item. The way the crepes were made reminded us of the dosas (savory Indian crepes) that our moms make at home.

We also indulged in a chocolate praline cupcake that was by far my favorite treat. Y’all, the frosting was to die for. The lady described it as a light buttercream made with egg whites. It was so incredibly fluffy. Yum. In fact, this particular cupcake won first place in a competition that was held the previous day. Very deserving!!

We tried a few other things that went undocumented – a dark chocolate almond truffle, a cold hot chocolate drink, and a chocolate granola. All very good!

The event was very well organized, and the chocolate nerd in me enjoyed all of the non-food aspects as well. For example, there were lots of facts and figures on display throughout the venue, and there was also a section set up with step by step descriptions of how chocolate is made. My favorite, however, were the chocolate horoscope signs – the chocoscopes!

By the way, the second Aquarius bullet is completely false for me. I love my chocolate plain if possible!

I’m so glad we went to this delicious festival – it was definitely a fun way to spend a Sunday afternoon! And there’s nothing like starting your week with a sugar-filled body!

Happy Monday!

What I’m Looking Forward To

written by Parita 4 Comments

HAPPY FRIDAY! I thought the weekend would never get here. We don’t have much going on, as you’re about to see, and that’s exactly why I’m excited. It’s the little things.

I’m thinking tonight will be a good night to watch a couple episodes of The West Wing (a GREAT show by the way) and eat a simple meal at home. I’m thinking a glass of wine and a plate of cheese, bread, and olives would be absolutely perfect. A great way to kick off the weekend!

I’ll be on my own for a good portion of Saturday since Vishnu will be attending a conference at school. My to do list is quite long – clean (so I don’t have to do it on Sunday), sort through paperwork, go to the library, go to Bed Bath & Beyond and TJ Maxx (a must!), make a dent in thank you card writing (my hand hurts just thinking about it), etc. As you can see, I have nothing of great importance going on Saturday – phew!

And if all goes well, there may be some napping involved. We’ll see.

Sunday may actually be my favorite day of all. We are going to a chocolate festival! Yes, you read that right, a festival full of chocolate…my heaven! I’ll share more next week, but until then, here’s a little highlight from the Miami Herald.

The Festival of Chocolate, named Top Ten Chocolate Festivals in the USA, is the Ultimate All-Chocolate Event with an incredible Vendor Showcase featuring the best local and regional chocolatiers and confection companies; demonstrations by world renown pastry chefs, chocolate and wine pairings; hands-on classes for the home chef; Kids-4-Chocolate workshop; crazy chocolate contests; an adult chocolate clubhouse; chocolate game show stage; live professional chocolate showpiece competition and featuring the Cocoa Couture Fashion Show on The Festival of Chocolate Yumway.

And finally, I’m excited about going to see an Orthopedic doctor next week. I’ve been putting this off for way too long (3 ish years). And even though my knees haven’t been giving me as much trouble as before, they still act up. I just want to know what’s going on and fix whatever it is before it gets worse. Fingers crossed that it’s not a big deal.

Well, that’s what’s going on for me – not terribly exciting but just what I need! Tell me – what are you looking forward to in the coming days, weeks, or even months?

3 Things I’ve Learned in 3 Months

written by Parita 24 Comments

The other day my mom asked me what I thought of marriage so far. It’s kind of funny because she remembered the fact that it’s been three months since the wedding while Vishnu and I didn’t even talk about it. Vishnu even goes as far as saying that July 4th (our dating anniversary) means more to him than our wedding anniversary because that’s when we actually began our journey together. Cue the awwws…

Anyway, my conversation with my mom got me thinking about the things that I’ve learned in the past three months. Honestly, nothing about Vishnu and being married to him has surprised me…in a “I want to strangle you” kind of way. What has surprised me is that I’ve learned a few things about myself that have me rethinking my entire life….jussssst kidding! Truthfully, I think marriage has changed me a tiny bit and that does make me think a little. All my thinking has led me to this…marriage is a discovery process, where if you’re brave and open, you’ll learn things you never thought to be true or even possible. And if both people are open and willing to learn, develop, and grow TOGETHER, everything will be all good!

So in honor of 3 months of marriage, I’m going to share 3 small things I’ve learned.

1. Marriage has toned down my type A personality. Shocking! While there will always be a part of me that craves structure, organization, and exactness, I am already seeing a shift in my mindset and priorities. For example, I sometimes choose doing nothing (either by myself or with Vishnu) over tidying up the apartment, making the bed, etc. This is big for me because a year or so ago getting things done was more important than just “being.” And sometimes, we all need to be and not do. Like I’ve said before, the dishes will be there tomorrow and so will the laundry…don’t you worry!

2. Vishnu and I are more compatible than we seem. Don’t get me wrong, we definitely have our fair share of differences. But for me, that was very expected. The differences between us seven years ago are still present today, we’ve just learned how accept and in some cases deal with them. Ha! What I’m really talking about is our taste in home décor. I know that sounds dumb, but based on all of our pre-marriage conversations, I really thought this would be one area where we would just clash. Surprisingly…not the case! Our views on furniture, accent pieces, wall décor, etc. have magically aligned for the most part. And when we do disagree, we find a way to compromise and meet in the middle. Hmmm…so that’s what this marriage business is all about!

3. I’ve always been proud of the fact that Vishnu and I are best friends above all – we make each other laugh a lot, we share our thoughts openly, and we allow each other to be individuals. However, over the past three months and more so recently, I’ve learned that the key to our relationship is that we truly adore one another. Again, don’t get me wrong. We also annoy each other to no end sometimes and fight a little here and there, but at the end of the day, I feel so lucky to be married to a man that I’m crazy about. And I know for a fact that Vishnu’s smitten with me as well (he told me so yesterday…in not so many words)! Over all else, we cherish our relationship and feel blessed to be able to spend the rest of our lives loving and annoying one another. Winking smile

No marriage is perfect. In fact, if anyone ever tries to tell you otherwise, laugh…and then laugh a little more for me. In reality, marriage is a lot of hard work. But if you’re working hard with the right person, it’ll feel more like a challenging game, one where you’re both playing for the same team!

90 Days

written by Parita 13 Comments

Have you ever worked for someone who is more of a friend than a boss? Well, my boss is that person for me. She’s incredibly wise and open. She’s a strong, intelligent woman but at the same time she’s spiritual and has an enormous amount of self-awareness. In a few short months, she’s left quite an impression on me. Since she travels a lot, I haven’t spent a lot of face to face time with her – our communication runs the gamut of email, telephone, and instant messenger. However, when she is in the office, we talk about a lot of different “life” things. I can tell that she loves sharing the knowledge gained from years of personal “life” experiences. In fact, she wants me to start a young women’s professional group in the Miami area. She even volunteered to be a sponsor! We’ll see…

Anyway, we were talking about bad relationships the other day, and she shared a story about one of her friends from years ago. This friend would go through a rollercoaster of emotion every other day over the guy she was dating – one day she was happy, one day she was sad, one day she was upset. Basically, she didn’t know how she felt and what to do about it.

My boss, being the honest person that she is, didn’t tell her friend that it would be ok, nor did she tell her to breakup with the guy. Instead, she told her to create a 90-day calendar (because important decisions can only be made over an extended period of time). And going forward, for every morning where she felt truly happy to be in the relationship, she was to mark that day with a huge red circle. And for every morning where she felt any other conflicting emotion, she was to mark the day with a big black X. After 90 days, depending on whether her calendar was filled with more circles or X’s, she had a clear idea of what her emotions were telling her.

When my boss finished telling the story, I excitedly thought about how the concept could be applied to any situation in life where you are uncertain – a relationship, a career, etc. From personal experience I know that my thoughts/emotions about certain things vary based on the week. Some weeks are awesome while others are filled with doubt. Luckily for me, the good weeks outnumber the bad, and even during the bad, I’m able to eventually focus on the positive. However, I do remember the times when I had to make big decisions about going back to school, accepting a job that would require me to move around for two years, etc. If only I had this “tool” back then to help me!

I wanted to share this because I’m assuming there are a lot of people out there that are conflicted about a relationship, a job, a major life decision, etc. And those kinds of thoughts/emotions can’t be sorted out in one day, week, or even month. Sometimes it takes time and a 90-day calendar to really put things in perspective.

P.S. Today’s my sister’s birthday! Just wanted to say happy birthday and I love you so much, Aek!!!

What helps you make major decisions/sort out your emotions or thoughts around important things?

We Are Here to Love

written by Parita 17 Comments

Hello hello. Happy Wednesday! I’m ready for a great lineup on ABC tonight – The Middle and Modern Family anyone!?

So I’ve been away for the past week or so. My uncle (dad’s older brother) passed away last week, and it affected me quite a bit. I haven’t had to deal with death in a long time, so this was a reality check…it really does happen. And it sucks. A lot.

Quite honestly, my mind has been all over the place. But my random thoughts always lead me to one thing…we are here to love. That’s it…simple stuff. Love your family. Love your friends. Love everyone. And no matter what…just keep loving because that’s why you are here. I’m 100% certain of this.

And that’s where my [coherent] thoughts end. However, over the past week I’ve come across a number of messages that have made think, smile, and feel more love than I ever have before. So, I’ll share those and hope that they do they same for you.

***All of these images were taken from the Purpose Fairy Facebook page. If you enjoy messages like these, I highly recommend the website. It’s one of my daily must reads.

Have a wonderful day and please don’t forget to spread the love!

My Truths

written by Parita 21 Comments

Colleen wrote a great blog post today about her true statements. Since I read her blog pretty regularly, it was fun to learn about the things that make her who she is. In fact, I loved her idea so much that I’m stealing it! Thanks, Colleen!!

Here are some of my truths in no particular order…

I 110% believe that Vishnu is my soul mate.

I absolutely cannot stand slow drivers in the left lane.

I am superstitious.

I am kind of obsessed with makeup – not necessarily wearing it, just owning it.

I love to laugh and find myself doing so a lot, often at myself.

I regret not taking Spanish classes in college.

I sleep with my eyes half open and it freaks people out.

I would do absolutely anything for my family.

I love a good love story.

I am spiritual.

I love to vacuum but hate folding laundry.

I am obsessed with my iPhone…to the point that it’s starting to irritate me.

I can’t stand mean people, especially those who know they are being mean and do it anyways.

I love Jillian Michaels and even more so after discovering her podcasts.

I am the worst surprise keeper in the world.

I am super emotional and will cry at the drop of a hat.

I think brown M&Ms taste more chocolaty.

I am quickly learning that I dislike Florida drivers…with a strong passion.

I am so grateful for the parents that I have.

I want to travel the world.

I am afraid of bugs.

I think Saturday is the best day of the week.

I love my in-laws – not something many people can say.

I could spend hours walking up and down the aisles of any grocery store.

I think my friends are some of the weirdest people I know and that’s why I love them.

I love annoying my husband…until he returns the favor of course.

I am obsessed with quotes and love finding new ones.

I try to be the best me everyday.

What are some of your truths!?

Festival of Chocolate

What I’m Looking Forward To

3 Things I’ve Learned in 3 Months

90 Days

We Are Here to Love

My Truths

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