Dr Monique Brown finds solace in wellness, creates reset challenge

A few years ago, Dr Monique Brown found herself at a pivotal crossroads. This once superactive athlete traded in her sportswear for scrubs. But with illnesses knocking at her door, she decided to shift her mindset, balance her nutrition, make movement her daily mission, and feed her soul with positive energy. The results were so mind-blowing that she is now encouraging others to find solace in wellness through her reset programme.

“My journey didn’t start from inspiration per se; it was born out of necessity,” she told Lifestyle. Channelling her emotions through football and running, young Brown was always active. But as an adult, she placed all of her energy into building her career, neglecting her own well-being as a result.

“I got really sick. And you know how they say, ‘A sick person’s one wish is to be healthy’? That’s exactly how I felt. And I’ve had that wish too many times to count during my 34 years of existence.” She continued to work, even with the sickness, using quick fixes to get her through each day. “My gastroenterologist told me that I had the stomach of an 80-year-old. I was constantly vomiting,” she added.

On top of that, Dr Brown was experiencing severe menstrual cycles, even missing a few months, and was eventually taken to the emergency room.

Noting that she couldn’t live this way any more, Dr Brown took the opportunity to learn more about nutrition and self-care. “Nothing I was doing was working, so I had to re-evaluate and go back to ground zero – the basics.”

Diagnosed with hormonal imbalance, she also had some small fibroids. “I learnt that nutrition, gut health and stress levels really had an impact on your hormones and how your body functions as a woman,” she explains.

As a student of life, health, and medicine, her typical day now includes a morning routine that consists of prayer, meditation, and hydration, “I found that drinking lemon water with a bit of salt does wonders for my gut health and digestion.”

Next, she incorporates some movement. Dealing with severe back, hip, and neck pain, she stretches to ease her body.

Breakfast usually consists of shredded chicken and avocado with sourdough, or fruits like apples and grapes. Alternatively, she might opt for boiled eggs with green tea, no sugar. “I try to get 30 grams of protein in the morning. Having a high-protein breakfast keeps you fuller for longer, reducing the cravings. It also helps with your blood sugar management for the day and keeps you energised.”

By lunchtime and dinnertime, the medical practitioner is having oven-roasted chicken breast, cooked or stewed lentils, salmon or beef (baked or air-fried) with sweet potato and vegetables.

While Dr Brown doesn’t have a cutoff time when it comes to consuming food, she sticks to the regimen of having her last meal two to three hours before going to bed.

Exercise, she says, shouldn’t be a form of punishment; people should find activities they love. She stays active by going to the gym and walking for 30 minutes to an hour each day, especially after eating.

“Having variation in my workout is very important. I trained myself before, but I’m currently working with a personal trainer because I am doing Olympic lifts. I don’t like getting bored, and this is fun for me,” she added.

After starting her journey in 2019, she lost nearly 40 pounds and has maintained her weight ever since. “For me, it was more about reshaping my body composition. The fat loss, getting my waistline below 30 inches, those were the bigger benefits for me. Being able to run up and down the stairs pain-free also did it for me. Then the stress was being managed, the period cravings disappeared, and the gut health drastically improved.”

With a new lease on life –shedding fat, gaining confidence, and embracing a fresh outlook – Dr Brown began taking on various challenges to keep her wellness journey exciting. When her social media followers noticed her success, they started asking for advice. This led to the creation of her 120-day reset challenge.

“I get a lot of direct messages with persons asking questions and I would debunk the myths. But I realise that people have some deep-rooted issues that are woven in our culture and thought process. It’s okay to shed that layer and evolve,” she shared.

The reset is all about putting an end to what was pressing pause, taking accountability and actually making that commitment towards self.

“I’ve been talking to women who have been going to the gym and living relatively healthy, but they weren’t seeing true results. They kept binging over the weekend and starting over. They felt restricted and did detox teas every month, because they were so stressed out and confused about what it took to take care of themselves,” she said, adding that’s where her programme comes in. “It allows them to be flexible, but gives them the opportunity to show up for themselves every time.”

As she continues on her path to optimal health, Dr Brown hopes that people, especially women, will take their health more seriously and take the necessary steps to create the change they often admire in others.

“Make the decision and remain consistent; your body will love you for it. You will develop great sleeping hygiene, thereby elevating your energy levels. Your cravings will be reduced, you will feel less stress, and you will start to feel like Superwoman or Wonder Woman.”

krysta.anderson@gleanerjm.com