Fridays with Celia
Week 1 of my 60 Day Body Composition Journey. Plus, the surprising, extraordinary results from my laid-back summer routine!
Welcome to Fridays with Celia (New!)
I’m excited to introduce a new weekly update where I’ll share insights from my health optimization adventures. In these posts, I'll share very personal learnings about my experiments with nutrition programs, fitness routines, peptide protocols, and other biohacking strategies I’m testing.
These are N-of-1 experiments — studies focused on how my body responds to different health interventions, giving me personalized data and insights.
While I typically tailor protocols to each client’s unique body, lifestyle, and genetics, there’s incredible value in identifying broader patterns that can help people like you!
Because I’ll be sharing personal details (like health metrics) and occasionally expert advice as well as answering questions in the comments, these updates will be partially behind a paywall. This recurring post is best suited for readers who are curious, motivated and ready to take action. Is that you?
If so, upgrade for just $6/month by clicking below. It’s an affordable way to benefit from my insights (or at least be entertained by my journey) while supporting my ongoing experiments, research and writing. Thank you!
My 60 Day Body Composition Journey 💪🏽
Last week, I committed to a two-month, intense body composition program. I might regret it, but there's no turning back now!
My Goals:
Build muscle (increase lean tissue)
Burn fat (reduce body fat percentage, including subcutaneous and visceral fat)
Improve bone density (boost my Z score)
Notice I didn’t say "lose weight"? The scale is irrelevant for me because I'm at a “normal” body weight. However, after my first DEXA scan last year, I realized my body composition was no longer optimized for longevity. Looks can be deceiving. Read my story [here].
This journey is about body recomposition — getting rid of the belly fat (thanks, perimenopause) and rebuilding the muscle that will keep me strong and resilient as I age.
While longevity is my focus, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t care about how I look. But I refuse to sacrifice my health for aesthetics, a mistake many of us are unknowingly taught to make.
My Partners:
Everyone needs guidance, and I'm fortunate to know who to call. Here’s what I accomplished in Week 1:
1/ Joined Hume1: The most beautiful gym I’ve ever seen, with a zen vibe, top-of-the-line equipment with custom weights, and a spa-like locker room with a sauna, steam, and cold plunge. Just being there motivates me — half the battle!
2/ Hired a trainer: Meet Kolton (below), who brings the best energy and education on form and technique. Our full-body strength training sessions, twice a week, are tough but dynamic and super fun.
3/ Started a peptide protocol: Under medical supervision from Joi Women’s Wellness and dietician Jessica Dogert, I’ve added Sermorelin to help build lean muscle and reduce fat. (Use CELIA15 for 15% off your peptides)
4/ Got a DEXA scan: I went to BodySpec to get an updated scan so I could track my body composition progress from Day 1. And, I got a BIG HAPPY SURPRISE 🎉 (Use code CELIA and this link for a special price of $50/scan)
It turns out I started my journey from a better place than I expected. Pressed for time and needing a quick fitness fix between trips to Europe, last summer I began doing EMS (Whole Body Electrical Muscle Stimulation) workouts every 5-7 days. Read my story [here].
I felt stronger and noticed some definition, but I never imagined that such minimal and inconsistent effort would lead to such a dramatic improvement in my body composition.
My DEXA scan results: 🤯
Lost 6 pounds of fat
Gained 9 pounds of lean tissue (muscle)
Gaining that much muscle while losing fat simultaneously is tough—especially for women over 40 when hormones are fluctuating or declining.
The craziest part? My summer routine was pretty relaxed. Here’s exactly what I did to contribute to these incredible results...