the plan - may 2025

how I'm taking care of myself this month

April turned out to be my most consistent month of the year - and one of the most peaceful.

A big part of this was starting a GLP-1, which I’m going to share more about in a separate post. The medication felt like a missing puzzle piece for my health (surprisingly, my mental health most of all), and was the key to sticking to April’s plan.

May is a busier month for me - ramping up for a major critical path item at work, lots of birthdays and family celebrations, and summer preparations (packing Rho for sleepaway camp and our move to PA for the summer). As tempted as I am to ramp up my workouts and meals, I also know that I’ll end up burning out and abandoning this well-intentioned plan.

Thus, May’s theme is ‘consistency.’ I’m slightly leveling up when I’m up for it, and defaulting to the bare minimum plans I created earlier this year when I’m not.

Let’s get into it. And if you haven’t yet, subscribe so you never miss a plan or an essay.

---

My current morning routine

• My alarm goes off at 5:30. I take my thyroid meditation and drink the tumbler of water on my nightstand (I sip half of it before bed, and finish it in the morning). I force myself out of bed to open the windows and air out the room for a bit.

• I set a 5 minute timer and do a quick scan of email, social media, check my horoscope, and update my Storygraph profile with what I read the night before. Once the timer goes off, I set a 2 hour Forest timer.

• I pick a meditation (whatever feels right, whether it’s a Peloton meditation or an Activation) and practice for 5-10 minutes.

• I journal 2-3 pages (1 page of manifestations, 1-2 pages of whatever feels good). I’m switched back to my normal notebook last month, and have been using the pocket notebooks for my daily to-do lists (which I’ll jot down after journaling).

  • I don’t know what magic Rifle Paper Co puts in their notebooks, but they’re the only ones I’ve ever finished (and finished multiples of). You can get 20% off with code HITHA20 (through May 17)

• I grab my iPad and write for 20-30 minutes (usually a smart read’s commentary).

• I get out of bed, tend to my teeth and skincare and change into workout clothes, and jump into the morning rush with the kids.

---

May’s workout plan

As tempted as I was to level up to longer strength workouts and more lifting days, I resisted the urge and decided to stick with the same overall weekly stack - thrice weekly strength sessions (20 minutes, with warm-ups and stretches before and after), 2-3 cardio days. I never practiced yoga the way I had planned, so I’m letting that goal go for now.

At the beginning of April, my weights baseline were 10 lbs (medium) and 17.5 lbs. By the end of the month, I was between 12-15 lbs for medium, and 20-22.5 lbs for heavy. My starting weights for May are at 12 lbs (medium) and 20 lbs (heavy), and a 20 lbs kettlebell for Katie’s workout.

May’s strength stack

• Robin’s 20 minute full body strength (my heaviest lift)

• Callie’s 20 minute Lady Gaga full body strength (my fun lift)

• Katie’s 20 minute kettlebell strength & conditioning (my try-something-new lift)

I bookend each lifting session with the same warm up and stretch. I know there’s something psychological about this, but I’m just lazy and I really like these.

May’s cardio stack

• 1 Peloton ride (usually an Power Zone Endurance ride, a low impact ride, or a pop punk ride)

• 1 Peloton treadmill workout (a walk-run or an artist series/theme run) or an outdoor run

• 1 long walk (every other Wednesday, I meet some friends from the kids’ school for a walk after drop-off, and I end up doing therapy over the phone while I continue walking)

---

Meals

Last month’s general meal plan really worked for us. I’m resharing it here:

I continue to offer a fruit plate on the table before the kids come down in the morning, and the veggie plate waiting for them when they get home from school. I make it easier by buying prepped fruit bowls and veggies, so I’m just throwing it together with minimal prep.

Our weekly dinner plan has stayed consistent:

• Indian food on Mondays

  • ‘chicken’ tikka masala with Abbot plant-based chicken or seitan, simmered in Brooklyn Delhi’s tikka masala sauce with whatever vegetables I have on hand (I love it with a kale-spinach blend or with peas), served with rice or mini naan

  • Instant pot kitchari, served with Greek yogurt (I add Paro’s tarka to my and my husband’s servings)

• Mexican food on Tuesdays

  • quesadillas or enchiladas (I prep a veggie-cottage cheese filling, and use these high fiber tortillas for us and regular flour or corn tortillas for the kids)

  • enchilada quinoa (I usually add cottage cheese for creaminess and extra protein, or Abbot’s plant-based chorizo)

• Pizza on Wednesdays

  • Order in (Williamsburg Pizza’s vegan pizza is incredible)

  • We also keep a few Banza pizzas in our freezer, just in case

• Scavenge Thursdays (whatever I have the energy or time to throw together and can quickly be reheated when I bring the kids home from karate)

  • Broccoli cottage cheese pancakes

  • Loaded mac & cheese (we love Goodles, and I’ll throw in whatever veggies we have in the pasta, or serve them on the side)

  • Snack plates (I’ll do ramekins of fresh veggies, cheeses, crackers or a grain we prepped earlier in the week, fruit, and Greek yogurt arranged on a plate for each kid)

  • Kimchi fried rice with egg (I make a simple fried rice - egg, peppers, soy sauce - for the kids)

• Burger Fridays

  • Pizza burgers for the kids, Juicy Lucy burgers using Beyond Meat for us

  • Order in from Shake Shack or Bareburger

---

Fun Things

I’ve been in a TV watching rut, but I’m incredibly excited for these shows:

• Etoile (Amazon Prime)

• Ludwig (BritBox)

I reserve my reality tv watching for chores, and can’t wait to dig into the new season of Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.

I remain committed to my Gentle Wednesdays routine. This is what I have planned for this month:

• catching the Cosmic Splendor jewelry exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History

• seeing Oh, Mary!

• an afternoon visit to the New York Historical (all of the current exhibits look amazing)

• a massage