10 minute read
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF… Brittney DeClerck, MD
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF CLINICAL PATHOLOGY AND DERMATOLOGY, KECK MEDICINE OF USC
BY CAROLYN MEERS
Balancing patients, lab time, family, daily exercise—and don’t forget hydration—DeClerck’s daily routine is admirable, to say the least. She sees general dermatology patients and those with cutaneous lymphoma, her subspecialty. Here, we tag along for a day, which starts with a jog, ends with The Great British
Bake O —and covers a lot of ground in between.
6:15 a.m. I’m up. No alarm needed. Actually, I can’t remember the last time I set an alarm.
6:30 a.m. Ideally, I go for a run in the morning, just around the neighborhood. Anywhere between 3 and 5 miles. I have a running playlist that has good beats that motivate me to keep going—artists like The Teskey Brothers, which is folksy, ’70s-inspired soul. Also some Harry Styles, Leon Bridges, Lizzo, Beyoncé. On the days that I don’t exercise, I always feel a di erence in my energy and focus. A good run sets the tone for the day.
7:00 A.M. When I get home, my kids— they’re 6 and 9 years old—are usually up and we work on getting breakfast together and their lunches made for school. For breakfast we keep it simple with toast, eggs, and fruit. But sometimes we’ll make some breakfast burritos, which we all love. I’ll have whatever they are having, make co ee or English breakfast tea, and listen to the news, shower, and get ready for the clinic. I’ll often listen to The Daily or NPR’s Up First to get all the day’s news.
7:45 a.m. I head to the clinic. I need to be there by 8 a.m. to start seeing patients, so on my clinic days my husband takes the kids to school. My husband is a great smoothie maker, and most mornings he’ll make one that I’ll take with me and sip throughout my clinic appointments. Lately, he’s been making fresh turmeric smoothies with carrot, lime, coconut water, ginger, honey, and a dash of cayenne. Such great avor and great antiin ammatory bene ts, too.
—BRITTNEY DECLERCK, MD
8:00 p.m.–Noon I see patients at the Keck Medicine of USC Healthcare Center here in Pasadena, on the corner of Fair Oaks and California. I see general dermatology patients and I also see patients who have cutaneous lymphoma, which is my subspecialty. I don’t do any cosmetics from a dermatology standpoint.
I don’t usually break for lunch—I might still be sipping on my smoothie or I’ll have packed a quick sandwich or leftovers from the night before. If all else fails, I grab a chewy granola bar from the Costcosize box I keep in my o ce. It’s basically a bar with peanut butter and semisweet chocolate. They’re an easy pick-me-up.
12:15 p.m. Around noon I might have a video meeting about sta ng and protocols for our satellite COVID vaccination clinic in Pasadena. USC is partnering with the city of Pasadena for COVID vaccinations and I’m in charge of getting the physician volunteers for that clinic.
12:45 p.m. I wrap things up at the clinic and hop in the car to drive down to the Keck Hospital of USC near in East L.A. That’s where I do my pathology work. I look at biopsy samples of dermatology patients. So whether they have a skin lesion that might be a cancer, or a rash that the dermatologist needs some help figuring out, they might take a biopsy. Any skin specimen from the USC system or some of the local private practice doctors that we work with will send their specimens to us. And then I look at the slides from the specimen at Keck Hospital and create a report for the dermatologist. 1 p.m. I get to the hospital and start looking at biopsies. I usually have some kind of music on in the background that can help you stay in a good ow. Not a lot of people are familiar with pathologists’ work, but there is this natural ow that you get into looking at cases and typing them up and keeping your mind focused. Upbeat songs keep my flow going— or classical.
3 p.m. I make sure I’ve been hydrating. I’m trying to be better about drinking more water during the day, so I have a bottle with me all the time. It’s three quarters of a liter and I’m trying to drink three throughout the day. Which is a lot, but doable. When I don’t have the water bottle to remind me I definitely don’t hydrate enough.
5 p.m. Head home. While driving I can catch up on podcasts. I’ll listen to Armchair Expert or Experts on Expert with Dax Shepard. He does some nice interviews. NPR has another one called Life Kit. Also love Vox’s Today, Explained. 5:30–6:15 p.m. My husband works from home and is there with the kids. We’ll all be together for a while, sometimes jumping on the trampoline or playing outside. Then we prep for dinner. My husband does most of the cooking. I love to cook and am pretty good at it, but luckily he takes over most of the responsibilities for that, given our schedules.
6:30 p.m. The kids set the table and we sit down for dinner. We’re basically pescatarian—but sometimes have chicken, too. Some of our favorite meals have been vegetable curry with rice, shrimp tacos, and pesto chicken sandwiches with mozzarella.
8 p.m. We get our kids to bed around eight. After they’re in bed, we usually decompress with a show. Lately we’ve been watching The Great British Bake O or The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.
I have been trying to practice more mindfulness, and have been using the Headspace app. So right before bed I might do a mindfulness moment. With COVID, things have been so crazy, and obviously everyone has things going on, so I feel it’s important to implement mindfulness practices not just at night but throughout the day to help manage day-to-day stressors as well as larger stressors that impact us from around the world.
9 p.m. I go to bed pretty early. I am absolutely asleep by 10, but sometimes by 9. I usually read on my Kindle right before bed, and I’ve been known to fall asleep watching TV, on occasion.
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF… Michele Canon
THE FOUNDER AND OWNER OF MICHELE CANON FITNESS & NUTRITION, CERTIFIED PERSONAL TRAINER, AND NUTRITION COACH SHARES HER DAY.
BY CAROLYN MEERS
Move, refuel, repeat— that’s what you’ll nd Michele Canon doing day in and day out—always with a healthy dose of enthusiasm. A certified personal trainer and nutrition coach,
Pasadena-based Canon is owner and founder of Michele Canon
Fitness & Nutrition (michelecanon t.com) and creator of the MC Fit
Method—a free 21-day tness program. She is also a beloved coach at Stride, the Pasadena-born treadmill studio. Canon’s typical day starts early and is lled with training sessions, protein-packed smoothies, energy-smart snacks, and plenty of dog walks. We could hardly keep up.
5:45 a.m. My alarm goes o , but I never hit snooze because my 2-year-old golden retriever, Easton, never lets me sleep past 6 a.m. I brush my teeth, change, and then we are o for a walk. I never used to be a morning person until him. Now I look forward to getting sunlight rst thing in the morning.
6:15 a.m. Easton has his breakfast while I take all of my supplements, starting with Prüvit Keto/OS Nat. I have been doing the keto diet for three years and drinking these ketones in the morning gives me energy and keeps me in ketosis. I also take iron, vitamin D, vitamin B, and a probiotic.
6:30 a.m. Wash my face with Le Mieux cleanser, put on sunscreen, then choose from one of the hundred or so pairs of activewear out ts that I own—I have a problem. I love Ultracor (but only buy it on sale), Athleta, and Lululemon.
6:45 a.m. If my 16-year-old son is with me (I share custody with my ex-husband), I peek my head in to check on him—he is typically sound asleep. Then I head out to see my first clients. My one-on-one sessions start at 7 a.m. On Wednesdays I coach at Stride Pasadena at 6:30 a.m., but I can walk to work, so that is a plus.
7–10 a.m. I usually have two or three training sessions back to back in clients’ homes or outside. I set up various pieces of equipment depending on what we are working that day—could be TRX, battle ropes, weight vests, agility ladders, you name it.
10:30–11:30 a.m. I head to Equinox to work out on my own. I switch out my ketone drink for XTEND Natural BCAAs. Drinking amino acids is really important for muscle recovery.
Noon Home and time for my rst meal of the day. I intermittent fast for 14–15 hours per day. And I always have a protein smoothie. I hated all of the proteins on the market, so last year I made my own. I have three go-to smoothie recipes and all consist of my MC Fit Natural Whey Protein powder, in chocolate or vanilla unsweetened nut milk; a healthy fat like nut butter or avocado; ber ( ax or chia seeds); some fruit; and lots of organic greens, like spinach.
1:30–3:00 p.m. This is usually the block of time that I reserve for check-in calls with nutrition clients. I set aside time each week to help them with any issues or make sure they are on track with their goals.
3 p.m. Lunchtime! I eat a huge lunch that consists of a ton of greens or cauli ower rice, 4–6 ounces of protein, and avocado. I pair it with sparkling water with lemon.
3:30–6 p.m. In-person client consults at Stride Pasadena. During these consults and assessments I use the InBody scale, which provides data that helps me set goals and meal plans customized to each person’s metabolic rate. I also teach my clients the importance of building and maintaining lean muscle rather than focusing on weight.
5:30 p.m. Snack. My go-tos are a piece of Base Culture grain-free bread with cashew butter or one-half cup of sheep’s milk yogurt with a
—MICHELE CANON
scoop of Ancient Nutrition vanilla collagen, berries, and a tablespoon of Catalina Crunch keto cereal.
6:00 p.m. I wrap things up for the day. Take Easton for another walk. Then I like to jump on my stationary bike and do an easy ride for 20 minutes to unwind. I pop on a Spotify playlist with ’80s or ’90s jams. This is my meditation for the day.
6:30 p.m. I feed Easton, put on a podcast—love The Doctor’s Farmacy by Dr. Mark Hyman, Bulletproof Radio, and The Marie Forleo Podcast—and start prepping dinner. Faves include turkey burgers, grilled salmon, and chicken stir-fries— anything quick and healthy.
8:00 p.m. Shower, put on pajamas, and make a collagen hot cocoa. I add one caffeine-free chai or ginger turmeric tea bag to hot water and a scoop of Primal Kitchen chocolate coconut collagen powder. This drink is soothing and takes away my chocolate cravings.
10 p.m. Catch up on nal emails or todos. Clean my desk for three minutes. I set my timer and put things in order. This little habit has made a huge di erence in my stress levels. I love waking up to a clean desk.
10:30 p.m. In bed. I try to get at least seven hours per night otherwise I am not a happy camper.
