Say what? I was super shocked and excited that Mer in America nominated me for the Liebster Award a few days ago!  Thanks girl :)  I love this kind of stuff!

This is what you do to nominate your fellow bloggers: 

Acknowledge the blog that nominated you (Thanks Mer!)

Tell 11 facts about yourself

Answer the 11 questions the nominating blogger created

List 11 bloggers with less than 200 followers that you believe deserve some recognition

Post 11 questions for them to answer

Notify them that they've been nominated

You can't nominate the blog that nominated you

11 Facts about Pretty Strong Medicine (Hey! That's Me...Heather)

1. I’m an only child. 
2. I want a big family one day - like a basketball team of kids. With matching hair bows for the girls & bowties for the boys.
3. I don’t like boats or water or getting my hair wet. But I do like sitting by the pool drinking margaritas.
4. I own over 200 t-shirts - thanks to cheerleading, my sorority, and school. (Any T-shirt blanket makers out there?)
5. I can peel a banana with my toes.  Yes, I won money because of this.
6. I wear size 12 shoes and my running shoes are size 13!!!  Anyone else think I should be 6’0” tall?
7. I was a cheerleader for 9 years - competitive & school but I wish I would’ve stuck with competitive instead of switching in high school.
8. I don’t like touching raw meat so I rarely eat it unless someone else makes it.
9. I am a converted Catholic - I wasn’t baptized until I was 13.
10. I’ve worn glasses since 3rd grade, contacts since 6th, and braces 6th-9th.  I was super cute with my GOLD braces and glasses in the middle of my ugly, awkward stage.
11. Peanut butter is a food of the gods. 

11 Questions from Mer in America
1. You have one hour left...who would you call?
Oh goodness...I can’t pick just one person!  Probably Nick or my Mom...and anyone else I could get in touch with in an hour. 

2. In one word, describe your personal style.
yoga-chic (the hyphen makes it one word, obviously.)

3.What music do you listen to when you are sad?
I gravitate towards Alternative - Shinedown, Theory of a Deadman, Evanescence - you know, the emo-kid-eating-icing-in-her-bathroom kind of music.

4.If you could pick another time period to live in, when would you live (i.e. 20's, 60's)?
I would love to have been part of the “greatest generation” - those who grew up during The Great Depression and World War II.  I love the 1920s-1950’s.  The ‘60s are when things start to get weird...

5.Do you run...and if so why?
I do something in between a jog and a prance - if you call that running, awesome.  I run because I’m starting to enjoy it, it requires very little equipment or time, and it’s a socially acceptable activity.  But really...it seems like everyone runs and I was feeling left out.

6.What is the healthiest thing you eat or do?
I laugh a lot!  If make me laugh, we are basically best friends.  It adds years to your life so stop Grumpy Cat-ing it up and crack a smile!

7. What is your unhealthiest habit?
Using food as a coping mechanism.  Unlike exercise or writing or dancing in my room, food doesn’t ever help the problem.

8. What is your favorite movie?
That’s a toughie.  Probably Legally Blonde.  I love Reese Witherspoon!  

9. If you were a color, which one would you be and why?
Glitter.  That’s a color, right? Because...it's pretty & makes everything better.

10. What is your favorite reality/competition TV show?
There are so many great ones - definitely a guilty pleasure of mine.  Probably The Biggest Loser because it’s pretty dramatic but also inspiring.  I've also always wanted to go on The Amazing Race...

11. What is one thing you will never forget to tell your children someday (or currently)?
I will always love them and support them no matter what (but that's no excuse to not make good decisions or do something with their lives). 

I Nominate:

Erika @ Stethoscopes, Style, and Grace

Nicole @ A Heart Like Mine 

Dani @ That Fitness Chic

Ashley @ Work That Ash

Kailagh @ Love Always, Freckles

Andrea @ Fluent in Sparkle

Cortney @ The Little Things...(and Vodka)

Jessica @ Bottled Up Lightning

Sara @ Sara in Texas

Amy @ The Diary of a Fat Mommy

Jula @ J-Ziggy

11 Questions from Pretty Strong Medicine
1. If you could be a Disney Princess, which one would you be?
2. What is one food you could survive on the rest of your life?
3. Describe yourself in three words.
4. What's your favorite summer activity?
5. If you were famous, what would you be famous for?
6. What's your biggest pet peeve?
7. What would you do if you were invisible?
8. What was your favorite class in school?
9. If you could travel anywhere, where would you go?
10. What's at the top of your bucket list?
11. What's your biggest fear?

Guess what?

Yesterday was my ONE month Blog-aversary!

I totally forgot with all the excitement of the link-up.  Thank you to everyone that participated, especially my co-hosts!  You all rock my socks off!  You can keep linking up if you're tardy for the party.  Just go to the post here.

I'm reaching the point where I might want to share my blog with my friends.  How long did you all wait until you told friends or family?  A few select people already know about the blog and have browsed it a bit but I haven't made a point about making it public.  Not sure if I want to yet...Any advice?

If you like what you see here, feel free to add me on my other social media outlets.  I'm going to start using the Facebook page now that I'm writing pretty regularly so look for updates there!  If you are following on GFC, I highly recommend also following on Bloglovin' - GFC is disappearing in June and BL is a great way to see all the blogs you know and love in one place!

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

Bloglovin'

I have a lot of exciting things planned for the next few months - both on the blog and in "real" life.  I'm thankful I have this outlet now to document this stage of my life.  More importantly, I'm humbled and excited by all the amazing people I've already met on here.  You all inspire and motivate me! 

Cheers!  It's almost the weekend!

Disclaimer: Stick with me. This post is long and pretty personal but it's something you might relate to.

Over the years, I’ve thought long and hard about why it has taken so long for me to get to a place where I genuinely want to change and do so in a healthy way - no miracle wonders, fad diets, or insane routines - just plain and simple healthy eating, workouts, and dedication.  

Being overweight certainly isn’t from a lack of know-how.  I am well-aware of what it takes to lose weight and transform your body - I've done it a few times. I’ve read the books and bought the T-shirt.  While I continue to educate myself about healthy living and I’m more interested in the fitness component of weight loss, it’s clear to me that my problem is mostly psychological.

Honestly, I can’t decide if my problem is that I’m afraid of failure or that I’m afraid of success - probably both.  There is something so comforting and safe about being mediocre and it’s not all about my weight.  In so many areas of my life, I’ve allowed myself to stay within a comfort zone.  

Take school, for example. I always did well academically.  I took challenging AP and Honors classes in high school but I never pushed myself to be at the very top of the class - I was content to be where I was.  I didn’t put in more work than was necessary; instead I worked off natural ability.  This worked really well for me in high school, not so well in college when I found out I actually had to study.  What if I studied profusely for a test and I still did poorly?  Why not just settle for the B+...someone has to get a B, right?

My fear also impacted my relationships with others.  Growing up I was definitely a shy, introverted kid.  You could usually find me reading a book rather than giggling in the corner with friends.  I didn’t volunteer answers during class and I didn’t enjoy group work (hello, only child).  If I didn’t put myself out there, I wouldn’t be rejected or hurt but I missed out on forming meaningful relationships for a long time.  I’m thankful that I’ve finally broken out of my shell in that regard. College changed my personality a lot...now I won’t shut up! 

My weight serves as my own personal safety blanket.  Whenever something doesn’t go my way in life - like I perceive someone doesn't like me or I receive criticism - it’s easy to place the blame on my weight. In my opinion my weight is one of my greatest weaknesses but it’s also something I have the power to change.  By rationalizing to myself that my problems are because of this one thing I can change if I really want to, I protect myself from discovering the real reasons why I failed. Maybe that person actually does like me but I'm too self-conscious to be myself or maybe I really just need to learn from the constructive criticism. 

Up and Down - 1. Senior in HS  2. Sophomore in college  3. & 4. Senior year of college

The idea of losing my safety blanket, my own personal scapegoat for all my problems, scares the hell out of me.  What happens when I lose the weight and I no longer have that as the primary focus in my life?  How will I deal with those times when I just fall short? 

Sometimes I wonder how my relationships will be affected. Will my friends and family want to be around me?  That’s crazy, right?!  What if losing weight changes my personality or my interests or my focus in life?  Will I drift apart from people?  I’ve heard so many stories of this happening so I don’t think my concerns are unfounded but still...it’s so ridiculous.

I also wonder, what if losing the weight still isn’t good enough? Will I ever be happy with myself?  Will I continue to have a low self-esteem even at my goal weight?  Well what’s the point then...give me my chips and coke zero back, damn it!

I don’t know the answers to all these questions but I do know that I’m scared.  It makes me feel weak and out of control. 

Now for the good news. Unlike all the other times that I’ve tried and failed to lose weight, I’m finally aware of the mental games I’ve been playing with myself my whole life. I realize it’s going to be a hard battle of constantly reminding myself that it’s going to be worth it.  My hard work IS going to pay off but I have to be willing to try. And I have to learn to love myself no matter what the weight on the scale is. Baby steps, Heather.

So earlier today I said I would be discussing hot yoga.  Here’s where that comes in. Yesterday I finally got my booty up at 6:45 am to get ready for yoga class.  You might remember that I mentioned I was going a few times in previous posts.  Guess what?  I chickened out two other times.  It took me a month and a half to pluck up the courage to go. I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to keep up or that all the skinny yoga mom’s would judge me.  I even had the most irrational thoughts that they would turn me away or laugh at me (really?). 

Was I the biggest girl in the room? Probably.  Did I feel awkward and anxious? Absolutely.  But did I survive? You bet...and I really, really enjoyed myself!  It was the most gratifying feeling to see the beads of sweat pouring off of me for the entire 60 minutes (granted I had some help from the 95 degree room).  And aside from a few inversion-like poses, I did a damn good job of keeping up too!  I even signed up for a student membership for the rest of the summer.

Then there’s the running. My 5K is on Saturday and while I haven’t stuck to my training like I should, I am pumped.  Never did I ever think I would be able to run - let alone enjoy it!  It’s these little things that have made me realize lately that I am capable of far more than I give myself credit for.

People say you are your own worst critic - I’ll agree I’ve earned that title.  I can tear my self down quicker than anyone and laugh while doing it just to beat you to the punch (ahhh..self-depricating humor).  

Why not sublimate all that effort, pain, and fear into something positive for once? I’ve let my fear of being anything greater or less than mediocre control my life for way too long.  I want to be healthy and strong and I know if I do it the right way, I will be nothing but proud of myself.

Now I want to hear from you guys!
Have you ever felt like this?
What inspires you to let go of your anxiety and fear?

<div align="center"> <a href="http://www.prettystrongmedicine.com" title="Pretty Strong Medicine"><img src="http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g30/cheerxflip9/weighinbutton.jpg" alt="Pretty Strong Medicine" style="border:none;" /></a></div>  

 For the past few weeks, I've been participating in Weigh-In Wednesday, hosted by Erin @ She's a Big Star and Alex @ Skinny Jean Pilgrimage (seriously, go check them out!).  

Erin decided to pass the link-up on to someone new so I will be hosting along with my awesome co-hosts:

• Bailey of Being Bailey J
• Amy of Write This Down
• Ashlee of A Step in the Right Direction 

I'm so excited for this opportunity to connect with others on their fitness journeys and share our experiences!  

If you're new to my blog, WELCOME!  I'm so thrilled you are here! Look for my actual weight-in and my workout wednesday post later tonight.  I'll be talking about getting out of my comfort zone by attending my first hot yoga class.  Any yogis out there?

******UPDATE*****

As per usual, after I got off work this morning, I took a little nappy and then did my weigh-in.  I'm down -2.4 lbs for a total of -10.8 lbs!  It's nothing big but considering my end of the week follies, not too shabby! If anyone follows me on Twitter (@prettystrongmed) or Instagram (hwhita), you'll know that I had to watch the season premiere of The Bachelorette with some Oliver Winery Sangria. What you may not know is I also spent it with some Dove peanut butter chocolate.  Whoops.  

Please grab our button, tell us about your week, and make some new friends!  

Weigh In Wednesday Link Up   

It's summertime!

Since Memorial Day marks the true beginning of summer, I wanted to share my Summer Bucket List for 2013!  I’ve hinted at all the things I have planned already but since it's my last summer in Cincinnati for awhile, I wanted to make sure to include some Cincy fun into my summer.  

Here it goes: 

I've already completed a few of these like going to the batting cages but most of them still need to be done. I highly doubt I will get a chance to do all of these things but I'm gonna try!

What are your plans for the summer?
Do you have a bucket list?

The weeks are starting to get shorter and shorter now that I have a pretty consistent schedule in place.  I can’t decide if I want time to speed up or slow down...

Saturday night, Nick and I went to the Tim McGraw concert! Love & Theft and Brantley Gilbert (with a surprise appearance from Justin Moore) also performed. Everyone sounded awesome and it was just a really chill concert.  Is it just me or does Tim McGraw keep getting better with age?  

Have you noticed that I don't take very many full body shots?  Just faces...that's all that matters right now :P

I think the best part about the concert besides the obvious stuff is the people watching.  I felt like I was in a people zoo just absorbing all the interesting fashions and behaviors...

On the whole, our eating left something to be desired as usual.  (plus the copious amounts of cheap beer - piss water as my friend calls it - and the fried pickles that shred the roof of my mouth.)  It could have been worse, but I'm still going to have to work extra hard Monday and Tuesday to make up for all that drinking...

Speaking of which, I'm going on an adult beverage hiatus for a couple weeks.  Even though Saturday is really the only time I even get the opportunity, I'm sure it isn't helping my weight loss goals very much.  Plus, we have weddings and more concerts and a trip to Atlanta to worry about...in the mean time, I have to continue taking the clean eating seriously.

So other than the concert, nothing else happened this weekend.  I had a super productive weekend in the cleaning department - cleaned the kitchen, did tons of laundry including my sheets, cleaned the bathroom, and picked up.  It feels good to keep things nice and neat.  For a while, my mom and I were living in a Hoarders-esque nightmare...no, not really.  But it felt like it.  If your environment is a reflection of what's going on inside your mind then we were pretty nuts.

I'm finally running my 5K this coming Saturday!  Nick and I were supposed to run together but he hurt his ankle last weekend.  This is probably a good thing for me - I can set my own pace, run as much as I want, walk when I need to, etc.  At the same time, I'm pretty nervous because I've never done this before.  I always told myself I couldn't make it or I couldn't run.  Well guess what?  I'm going to do it!  I'm hoping to get under 40 minutes.  Not a lofty goal by any means but I haven't been very diligent with my training.

This is also my last week babysitting on Tuesdays & Thursdays.  I'm going to miss my kids but I'm so happy to be done.  It's amazing how 10-12 hours a week can eat up so much of my time.  I'll be glad when I have more time for sleep and relaxing...or working out.  That's cool too.

We might be a little crazy!

Happy Memorial Day!

Even though I've been at this for almost a month now, (Yay!) I haven't done very many basic "about me" posts.  I've focused mostly on what I've been doing - my weekends, workouts, not sleeping, etc.  Let's back up a bit.  And as I fully endeavor to be honest and forthcoming - I just don't have the motivation to finish the dozen or so other posts I have sitting on my desktop this is what you get today. We all need a little fluff in our lives, right? Enjoy :) 

{one}

Do you have pets, and if you do, do you see them as pets or as members of your family?

No pets anymore.  We had to put our chocolate lab to sleep a few summers ago so now I just pretend Nick's dog is mine.  He's the cutest!

{two}

If you could have any dream come true, which would it be?

To marry my best friend :)

{three}

If you had a billion dollars what would you do with it?

1) Pay off all my student loans/pay for med school

2) Pay back my family for everything they have bought me/done for me

3) Donate to charity

4) Have Nick invest it using his economical skills (probably buy Apple stock or whatever)

5) fund medical research like Multiple Sclerosis for my grandpa

6) go on a nice shopping spree

7) get a personal trainer & chef

8) travel

{four}

What helps to pull you out of a bad mood?

Spending time with friends & family, dancing to music, reading, writing, working out, eating ice cream (sorry...honest), organizing things, alcoholic beverages.

{five}

What is your bedtime routine?

on a normal day, I like to workout at night so I take a shower afterwards, wash my face, brush those teefers, do a final check of social media, read for a little bit or watch Netflix, call/text good night to Nick & friends, spray my pillow with lavender vanilla, arrange my pillows very strategically, do some deep breathing to relax, spend a lot of time thinking, sleep.

{six}

What activities did you do in high school? If you could go back would you change it up, or do the same thing?

I was a cheerleader for school & was involved in a few clubs like National Honor Society but I also worked part-time.  I would have been involved even more in things like student government.  I was a lot more introverted than I am now so I was afraid to run for leadership positions or get out of my comfort zone.  I also wish I would have stuck with competitive cheerleading & dance instead of just doing school - it was a waste.

{seven}

What kind of books do you read?

I'm drawn to historical fiction, particularly the WWII era.  I still read a decent amount of young adult novels, chick lit, etc but I throw in a classic every now and then.  I also enjoy autobiographies.

{eight}

How do you see yourself in 10 years?

Fresh out of residency living in the Midwest with my husband, three kids, and two doggies.  Hopefully working hard  in a successful group practice but striking a balance with home life too.  I would love to have a couple half marathons (maybe even a marathon) under my belt by then.

{nine}

What's your fear?

I have all sorts of irrational fears - losing loved ones, not making it through school, staying fat forever.  The list continues.  I'm a worrier.

{ten}

Would you give up all junk food for your chance to see outer space?

Quite frankly, I could careless about outer space and I like ice cream. 

{eleven}

What's the first thing you do when you wake up?

Turn my alarm off, check social media with one eye open, wish I could keep sleeping.

{twelve}

If you could change one thing about your significant other, what would it be?

I wish he lived closer to me.  We're an hour drive from each other currently - soon to be two.

{thirteen}

If you could pick one name for yourself what would it be?

I like Heather.  Except there really isn't an obviously nickname or shortened form..."Heath" doesn't really work.

{fourteen}

Six months of sun or six months of rain?

Sun, sun, mr. golden sun!

{fifteen}

If you could eat only one thing for the next 6 months what would it be?

Probably pizza...there are so many possibilities and types that you could totally get in all the major food groups.

{sixteen}

What is the thing you enjoy about blogging the most?

I love getting to connect with people I never would have known otherwise! 

{seventeen}

Do you prefer salty or sweet foods?

Both. Together is even better!

{eighteen}

What items are in your purse right now?

I'm carrying a huge Vera Bradley tote right now at work...my computer, iPad, two magazines, two books, makeup, wallet, note pads, pens, protein bar, water bottle, keys, power cords, phone, sweatshirt, Lilly planner, & newspaper.

{nineteen}

Name 3 things on your bucket list.

1) run a half marathon

2) skydive

3) visit every Major League Baseball park (Nick & I decided to do this together...first stop not counting Cincy is Atlanta in July!)

{twenty}

What do you watch on TV that you know you shouldn't?

Probably all those shows on Netflix that cause me to waste hours of my life.  I'm looking at you, Gossip Girl.

Happy Thursday!  I don't think I would know what day it is unless I was blogging so thank you for keeping me sane, blog world.

I signed up for TWO Diet Bets last night. I was feeling ambitious.  If I'm gonna lose weight, I might as well make some money off of it!  The last time I did one, I got super close to the 4% but didn't end up winning. I need to win so I can put the money towards my massage fund - I want to have a mini relaxation day before school starts.

If anyone is interested, here are the two bets.  I'd love to see some fellow bloggers on there!  Email me or comment here if you decide to participate and we can cheer each other along :)

Do Life Diet Bet
Runtastic Diet Bet with Lunden

I also decided to try something new to keep track of my fitness progress.  I'm using a modified Chalean Extreme fitness test (another thing I bought that I never finished...shopping addict & inconsistent aren't a good combination).  I plan on doing this every two weeks to see my progress.  I need to figure out an easy way to keep track...I think I can record this somehow on MyFitnessPal.

The one mile is self-explanatory.  For pushups, I did traditional "boy" pushups, not modified.  Situps were Crossfit Situps:

For squats, I'm trying to improve my form so I used this video and technique for the test.

For planks, do any plank you feel comfortable with and hold it as long as you can.  (I hate planks) For shoulder press & bicep curls, record the amount of weight you use for each and how many reps to failure.  The goal with these is not to  increase reps but to increase weight overtime.  You should be able to do no more than 10-15 reps at a time to failure, like you couldn't do another rep. Women should lift heavy...you won't bulk up!

For sit and reach, technically you need a box and ruler.  I just used a tape measure and put my feet at 12 inches.  Reaching past your toes is just a bonus.  

Here are my results!  We all have to start somewhere. I can't wait to see the progress.  June 6th will be the next check in.

Finally, in honor of Throwback Thursday and Prom season...My senior prom! 5 years ago. AHH 

 

The awkward prom pose

I need a spray tan...

Quick post here for Wednesday!  

I just weighed in and I was up +0.8 lbs, overall loss 8.2 lbs.  I wasn't surprised since I let things go last week eating wise and I didn't stick to my workouts.  Why? I caught the lazy bug. 

Can we talk about temptation for a bit?  I am a glorified child & adult babysitter  for 60 hours a week (48 with oldies & 12 with kids) which means I'm not home a lot.  First, what is it with elderly people and their desire to keep four types of ice cream, cakes, chips, cookies, and sugar sculptures in their house?  What's worse is they want to offer it to me multiple times a night despite the fact that I've told them I'm trying to eat healthier as I sit and munch on my celery sticks and pretend they are peanut brittle. Let's not even get started on the kids...they eat pretty healthy but they still love fruit snacks, pb&j, and the almighty Cheez-its. Homemade cookies are everywhere but don't mind me...I'm eating my enormous salad.  

Enter these babies: 

Look!  They are even "natural."  No, I didn't give in.  But I did eat some Lay's last night.  I couldn't take it anymore. I was starving at 3 am & that little bit of salt hit the spot.  So much for standing up to those cravings.  

Temptation is a tricky thing. I don't know whether it's better to indulge or to build up my "willpower."  It's something I'm trying to figure out.  Any advice?  How do you deal with temptations and cravings?  I realize these first few days are going to be the hardest - hopefully it will get better.  It's just really hard when you do decide to give in and end up feeling so crappy. Ugh.

Enough of the negative...I'm reenergized & doing MUCH better this week (handful of Lay's aside).  I even did an impromptu workout yesterday just because I had a little extra time to work with than usual.  It felt GREAT to move just because I wanted to instead of because I "had to." I'm super sore today (I really need to do a better job of stretching) but I'm determined to get a run & boot camp in today.

My workout from yesterday:

I started my watch too early - only a 30 min workout

 I did a 15 minute HIIT with Chalene on Turbofire.  In college, a few of my friends and I would do her Turbo Jam workouts in our sorority living room.  It was hilarious!  That's when I decided to buy TF but I never actually completed the whole program...consistency is an issue for me.  I don't really enjoy working out alone so it was kind of depressing to do the workouts in my room everyday. Whomp Whomp.  I also did the Summer Arms with the TIU girlies from their Beach Babe DVD!  

Here's to a better week! 

Via

As soon as "I'm going to medical school" comes out of my mouth, they next question I hear besides "Oh, to be a nurse?" (that's another post for another day) is usually "Do you know what speciality you want to go into."  

The short answer = no clue.  The long answer usually includes me spurting off my top 3-5 areas of interest but ending with "I'll probably change my mind a million times though."

For the greater portion of my short life, I wanted to be a Pediatrician.  Honestly, I probably didn't even know what the heck that was but I liked how it sounded and I knew I would be working with kiddos.  It wasn't until I started spending more time research specialties, shadowing, and volunteering that I realized how many other options were out there.  I knew I loved working with children but I also love learning about adults.  

I've bounced around a lot of the past few years regarding my specialty of choice - from orthopaedic surgery to emergency medicine to family medicine.  Right now my top pick is OB/Gyn.  I love the combination of surgery, procedures, and clinical time.  For the most part, OB/Gyn is a "happy" profession - you get to bring life into the world and deal with a generally young & healthy population.  On the other hand, the profession is known for grueling, unpredictable hours (babies don't just come into the world 9a-5p)  and it isn't known for being particularly family friendly (I plan on having a basketball team's worth of snot-nosed miracles).

Since my opinions are always changing, I thought it would be cool to take a few medical specialty quizzes at different stages of my training in order to document how my preferences change overtime.  These are generally supposed to assess your personality and match it up with a viable list of specialities.

Here were my results from: http://www.med-ed.virginia.edu/specialties/

1. endocrinology
2. nephrology
3. hematology
4. physical med & rehab
5. pathology
6. orthopaedic surgery
7. plastic surgery
8. rheumatology
9. pulmonology
10. infectious disease
11. occupational med
12. thoracic surgery
13. obstetrics & gyn
14. pediatrics
15. opthalmology

I highlighted specialities that I have EVER considered.  As you can see, only two of my current interests are mentioned and they are pretty low on the list.

I also found that you can take a Myer-Briggs test to find out which specialty would be best suited for you.  I will actually be taking a real test once school starts but for now, here are a few less comprehensive tests:

According to this test here, I am ISTP. 
According to this test here, I am ISFJ.

This is a chart I found on Student Doctors Forum that supposedly corresponds to Myer-Briggs:

ISTJ - Dermatology, OBGYN, Family Practice, Urology, Orthopedic Surgery 
ISFJ - Anesthesiology, Ophthalmology, General practice, Family practice, Pediatrics
ISTP - Otolaryngology (ENT), Anesthesiology, Radiology, Ophthalmology, General practice
ISFP - Anesthesiology, Urology, Family practice, Thoracic surgery, General practice
INTJ - Psychiatry, Pathology, Neurology, Internal medicine, Anesthesiology
INFJ - Psychiatry, Internal medicine, Thoracic surgery, General surgery, Pathology
INTP - Neurology, Pathology, Psychiatry, Cardiology, Thoracic surgery
INFP - Psychiatry, Cardiology, Neurology, Dermatology, Pathology
ESTJ - OBGYN, General practice, General surgery, Orthopedic surgery, Pediatrics
ESFJ - Pediatrics, Orthopedic surgery, Otolaryngology (ENT), General practice, Internal medicine
ESTP - Orthopedic surgery, Dermatology, Family practice, Radiology, General surgery
ESFP - Ophthalmology, Thoracic surgery, OBGYN, Orthopedic surgery, General surgery
ENTJ - Neurology, Cardiology, Urology, Thoracic surgery, Internal medicine
ENFJ - Thoracic surgery, Dermatology, Psychiatry, Ophthalmology, Radiology
ENTP - Otolaryngology (ENT), Psychiatry, Radiology, Pediatrics, Pathology
ENFP - Psychiatry, Dermatology, Otolaryngology (ENT), Pediatrics

As you can see, there isn't a lot of overlap between specialty types.  The first test actually includes more subspecialties of Internal Medicine so they aren't necessarily comparable.  

Now for my personal list based on my research and experience:
1. OB/Gyn
2. Emergency Medicine
3. Pediatrics
4. Family Medicine
5. Neonatology

What the heck? There is virtually no overlap between what I want to do and what my personality supposedly says about me.  I'm at a loss...particularly because there are so many surgical and internal medicine specialties listed.  I've never been drawn to these except maybe plastics or ortho which are extremely competitive and not family friendly.

I'm interested to see how this changes over the next few months and years.  Maybe I will end up loving one of these specialties I've never even considered...

Hello Pumpkins!  After my deliciously disasterous weekend of less than perfect eating, I knew it was time to hit the reset button and recommit to clean eating.  

I started getting interested in clean-eating a little over a year ago when I found Tosca Reno’s book The Eat Clean Diet Recharged.  I highly recommend picking this book up!  The basic principles are simple - eat whole, natural, unprocessed foods as much as possible.  The great thing is the plan can be tailored to any of your diet needs - vegetarian, gluten-free, food allergies, etc.  Tosca stresses the importance of getting LOTS of water, eating smaller, more frequent meals, and combining lean protein and complex carbs in every meal (along with a little healthy fat).  Read her books for more details! 

The biggest problem with the plan is you MUST plan ahead...at least I have to.  “A failure to plan is a plan for failure.” I need to have things ready to grab-and-go or I will get lazy (like I have been lately).  It’s a lot easier to be tempted by what others are eating if you don’t have proper meals and snacks planned. 

In addition to Tosca’s book, I also purchased the Tone It Up plan a little bit again which pretty much follows all the same principles while being a little more specific about when and what you should be eating at certain points of your weight loss; obviously there will be a slight difference in what you eating when trying to lose weight vs. maintain.  Please go check out the TIU girls!  They are so inspirational and amazing. They put out new weekly workout calendars, new workouts, and always have challenges and contests going on.

Today I went to the grocery store and loaded up on yummy foods!  I hard-boiled some eggs and made grilled chicken for the next few days - see, I’m planning!  

Here is my haul (I already had some of the items - just showing some examples of what I would get):

I obviously picked up more than this...these are just some examples!  As far as protein goes, I love almond butter, eggs, turkey, greek yogurt, and chicken.  The salmon will probably not be eaten by me but I might try it :) 

In my freezer there are also frozen vegetables, berries, bananas, and other smoothie items.  There might  be a frozen dinner or two but I actually am not a big fan of them.  We also have fruit bars which are loaded with sugar but are still probably better than my ice cream that I love.

For produce, I'm a biiiig fruit fan!  I love it all so I have mango, all sorts of berries, lots of apples, and peaches.  I got a veggie tray because I'm too lazy to cut everything up (at least I'm honest) and some romaine lettuce & spinach for salads and green monsters.  

You'll see I managed to sneak some treats in there too - chocolate milk for post-workouts, protein & fruit/nut bars, and I have some cheeses in my fridge as well.  I plan on doing a whole post about protein bars in the future!  I'm trying some new ones.

So that's my grocery store trip!  It's not perfect, but I'm taking it one step at a time.  I REALLY wanted to add some not so good options to my cart today but I resisted!  NOM NOM NOM

Tonight was an 80 degree boot camp - I was dripping sweat!  It felt soooo good to grab a cold shower when I got home and enjoy the AC.  Now it's off to bed early!  I love when I actually get to sleep at home in my bed.