Healthy Habits: Planning meals, setting exercise goals key for Dr. Richa Shukla

November 13, 2017 Dr. Richa Shukla, Gastroenterology, Healthy Habits, Nutrition and Wellness

Taking care of your health is a priority and nobody knows that more than physicians and healthcare providers.

It can sometimes be difficult to find ways to stay healthy, so we’ve asked members of our Baylor College of Medicine community to share what they do in their daily lives to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Dr. Richa Shukla, assistant professor of medicine-gastroenterology at Baylor, shares some of her healthy habits with us.

Q: What health decisions start your day?
A: I like to start my day by planning my meals and trying to map out a healthy option for each meal. Ideally, some of this planning starts the day before! I also like to set a time to exercise and stick to that time as much as I can.

Q: What is your go-to healthy breakfast?
A: I love overnight oats. You can make them ahead of time and they make a filling, nutritious and tasty breakfast option. There are tons of recipes for how to make your overnight oats more interesting.

Q: What is your favorite type of exercise?
A: I love spinning. I think it’s a great, low-impact, high-cardio workout that usually incorporates some component of weights. I like to make sure I can incorporate some primarily weight-based workouts during the week as well.

Q: What keeps you motivated during your workout?
A: I try to set some kind of a goal for myself – either an amount of time I want to complete or a certain number of repetitions. When I set these goals, I can better motivate myself to actually finish the workout!

Q: What activities do you do when you can’t fit in a full workout?
A: I try to take the stairs as much as possible. I also park my car as far from an entrance as possible to get as much walking in as I can.

Q: What is your favorite healthful snack?
A: Almonds and mixed berries.

Q: How do you make an unhealthy recipe healthy (healthy substitutions)?
A: I’ve recently discovered cauliflower rice as a pretty good substitute for rice and sometimes even pasta.

Q: What hobbies do you have to help you relax?
A: I love to exercise and certainly make time for this 3-4 times per week. I also love exploring the great food Houston has to offer. And finally, I’m a big Houston sports fan and try to tune in to the Astros, Rockets or Texans as much as possible.

Q: What is your go-to Houston restaurant for a healthy meal?
A: True Food Kitchen is a great option for healthy but flavorful meals.

Q: Do you use a pedometer or Fitbit and what is your daily step goal?
A: I use the Apple watch pedometer and set a step goal of 10,000 steps a day.

Q: What is your favorite health tip that you live by?
A: There is no substitute for getting enough sleep!