Over the summer I received the opportunity to check out the new line of Dickies Scrubs from a great online company called Uniformed Scrubs! (Disclaimer: I received this scrub top for free but all of the following comments are my honest opinions!) 

As you all know by now, I just started medical school two months ago but I previously worked as a Certified Nurse Assistant while I applied to school. Before that time, I had never bought scrubs so I wasn't really sure what brands would be comfortable or the best value. Needless to say, I have A LOT of less than stellar scrub sets. Finally, I bought a few Dickies nurse scrubs and I was really impressed with just how comfortable and well made they are - I could move around freely while still having the benefit of wearing a more feminine cut (I can't wear the unisex tops - my hips are too wide!)

Since I was already a Dickies scrub fan, when Uniformed Scrubs offered to let me try out their new line of scrub tops I was 100% in! The top they sent me is in the color "Wine" which I happened to already have in scrub bottoms! Even though they were two separate styles and collections, they match perfectly.

Currently, I'm in the anatomy lab three days a week for about 7-8 hours total so I NEED scrubs that are comfortable! This top is my favorite one to grab and throw on for a day in lab - it's soft, cut well for my curvy figure, and has a slight stretch! Plus, there are plenty of pockets which I'm sure will be super helpful for all you nurses & CNAs out there! 

After anatomy lab, I immediately wash my scrubs which means I've already washed this top a bunch of times and it still looks brand new (so do the scrub pants which I bought over a year ago!)

Overall, I'm really pleased with the quality and value of the Dickies brand - especially their new line of tops! Whether you are a student, nurse, physician, or other health care worker, you are guaranteed to look professional and well put together in Dickies scrubs. The colors are fun and not at all boring or muted. There is also a great selection of different styles and sizes for all body types! As a reference, this top is an XL but recently I moved down to a large top and large tall in bottoms.

The good news for you all - Uniformed Scrubs would like to give you all a discount - just use the coupon code "scrubfashion" for 15% off your next purchase! 

Go check out Uniformed Scrubs on their social media sites!

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I'm going to do something I haven't allowed myself to do in awhile - I'm just going to write. Hopefully at the end of all this, something will make sense. Be warned, this is a stream of consciousness post.

I'm stuck. I hit a wall today that I just can't seem to get over - this whole finding a balance in medical school thing is much harder than I thought. I figured the first few weeks would be an adjustment but I thought maybe after the first set of exams, I would find my groove. Instead I feel like I'm constantly balancing five stacks of dishes, trying to keep them all in the air and not hit the ground. 

When I work on one area of my life, all I can think about is how the other areas of my life are suffering.  For instance, I spend x amount of hours on Anatomy review which means I'm behind that many hours in Scientific Foundations. If I take the time to workout, I'm missing study hours. When I study, I end up neglecting my health, time with friends and family, or my duties in my club involvement. When does this all become manageable?

Sometimes I feel like taking a year off after college really crippled my work ethic. Despite working long, hard hours as a CNA, I didn't really have many other obligations. I forget how to use my time wisely and work efficiently (like I said in my latest vlog). I just feel really overwhelmed and don't know where to start!

On top of that, I feel like my classmates and I spend an enormous amount of time complaining and commiserating. It can get downright depressing after a while. I hate being whiny for many reasons. 1) I chose this path. Medicine is what I've wanted to do my whole life so there's no reason for me to sulk about making sacrifices and working hard. Reaching my goals isn't going to be easy. 2) Complaining about everything makes me feel weak, like I can't handle it or I'm not mentally tough enough to get through this. 3) It isn't productive. 

So...in other news, tomorrow is FRIDAY! (And I still haven't done my day in the life post. I meant to do it Monday or Tuesday but I forgot about halfway through the day (see...can't keep up with anything!). I even got dressed up for ya'll!

Oh yeah, and Sweatember is back in action! (BTW, loved the lady who suggested "Rocktober" for my next challenge). 

I haven't made much progress since August...very frustrating. Help me! I need good arm workouts!

It was my second time doing Les Mills Body Pump at the gym and I like it so far - skimpy on the weight though :(

And a pretty run along the White River/canal area in downtown Indy!

Tonight, I went to a circuit training class which turned out to be an hour of tabata workouts. If I'm unable to walk tomorrow, I won't be surprised! It was INTENSE and not at all enjoyable. I felt like I was being yelled at the whole time which is only ok when Jillian Michael's does it!

Nick is coming up to Indy on Saturday so we can do some more wedding planning - we're hoping to have a date nailed down and venues here very soon! 

Last but not least, 2 MONTHS until my first 10k with my girl, Marcy at The Mustache Diaries! I can't wait to meet her and to do this thing!

Hi Everyone! Today I wanted to share with you the story of "another" Heather who has beaten the odds and overcome a major obstacle in her life - cancer. Cancer is something we hear a lot about but not necessarily something people like to discuss. I'm a big supporter of health education and having a personal investment in your health so when Heather approach me, I was thrilled to help spread the word!

I encourage you to take a few seconds to read her short description below and then check out the great campaign she has put together to raise awareness for mesothelioma. 

Without further ado, meet Heather - a true survivor in every sense of the word.

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Today is not just any Thursday, it’s Mesothelioma Awareness Day! Seven years ago I was diagnosed with this deadly disease and given 15 months to live. My diagnosis came just three months after giving birth to my only daughter, Lily. I refused to take my diagnosis as a death sentence and fought for my life. Now, I am here today, a survivor, and I need your help!

I have started an awareness campaign to help get the word out about this terrible disease. Please help me by visiting my page and donating your social status today! Thank you so much for your help – awareness is the first step to survival.

My campaign : http://www.mesothelioma.com/heather/awareness/#.UkLjeWTXhEI

More information about mesothelioma: www.mesothelioma.com

<center> <a href="www.prettystrongmedicine.com" target="_blank"><img alt="Weigh In Wedneday" src="http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g30/cheerxflip9/weighinbutton-1.jpg"/></a></center>

Hello everybody! Welcome to Weigh-In Wednesday!

Please go check out my sweet co-hosts & make sure to say hi!

Bailey @ Being Bailey J

Ash @ A Step in the Right Direction

I didn't realize making time to blog was going to be this tough! (and I can't believe I actually thought I was busy before...) 

So here's the short story - I'll come back later to day to update! 

Only gained .5 lb from exam week so I call that a win since I basically messed up Sweatember while locking myself away in a dark hole known as a study room.

Tell me about your lives!

How is Sweatember going?

I'm finally done with my week of exams! I decided to do a vlog to answer some questions and save some time! (It ended up being over 10 minutes of me talking and I don't know how to edit it...good luck with that!)

I took a long weekend off to travel back to Cincinnati to spend time with family and get away from med school for a few days. I probably won't be able to visit home until Thanksgiving so it was great to spend sometime with everyone and not have to think (much) about school. (Although I still studied!)

My Week in Pictures:

I spent most of my time the last few weeks here...

Studying things like this...

So my room ended up looking like this:

And after I was done with exams, I came home to these:

Then I went home to celebrate and relax which included a trip to Oktoberfest Zinzinnati:

With this guy who is growing a beard:

Then I hung out with this guy:

Nick and my mom collaborated to make me this:

My mom gave Nick her wedding ring to use towards my engagement ring awhile back (which I had no idea about). Instead, Nick had it made into a pendant that I could wear and always carry my mom (and dad) with me! What a thoughtful, wonderful gift! I don't have the words to describe how much it means to me but I love it!

So that's my weekend! I'm hoping to come back to school Monday revived and renewed and readying to kick butt with school & getting healthy!

<center> <a href="www.prettystrongmedicine.com" target="_blank"><img alt="Weigh In Wedneday" src="http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g30/cheerxflip9/weighinbutton-1.jpg"/></a></center>

Hello everybody! Welcome to Weigh-In Wednesday!

Please go check out my sweet co-hosts & make sure to say hi!

Bailey @ Being Bailey J

Ash @ A Step in the Right Direction

I'm sitting this week out, everyone! I haven't had a chance to post ALL week and I'm currently studying for another exam for Thursday. I should be getting my exam results from Anatomy and Foundations in the next day or so and I'm REALLY nervous

I'll be back later this week after all this craziness is over. What kind of posts do you all want to read? Med school? Life? Wedding stuff?  Let me know because I need IDEAS!

Leave me nice things to read after my exams are over :)

Tell me about your week! (Hope it's better than mine!)

<center> <a href="www.prettystrongmedicine.com" target="_blank"><img alt="Weigh In Wedneday" src="http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g30/cheerxflip9/weighinbutton-1.jpg"/></a></center>

Hello everybody! Welcome to Weigh-In Wednesday!

Please go check out my sweet co-hosts & make sure to say hi!

Bailey @ Being Bailey J

Ash @ A Step in the Right Direction

Sooooo...long time, no see! Things have been a little hectic in my world lately - I basically go to school, study, sleep, workout, and eat. Not neccesarily in that order. I certainly have some downtime but I usually don't feel compelled to be overly verbal with my free time - something like watching an episode of SATC or hanging out with friends tends to take precedence over blogging.

Sometimes a Pumpking Ale is more fun than blogging.

Chocolate Chia pudding with walnuts and blueberries - yummy! 

This dip is UHH-MAZ-ING

If you follow me on Twitter, you know that I have my first set of EXAMS next week - Scientific Foundations and Anatomy (written & practical) on Monday and Osteopathic Principles and Practice on Thursday. I haven't yet started freaking out (I'm waiting for the weekend to do that.) Honestly though, I try not to get too worked up over exams. I'm definitely nervous and anxious on what to expect but I'm not going to send myself into meltdown mode just yet - getting worked up only leads to stupid mistakes and concentration issues.

Coloring or studying?

As far as how Sweatember is going, it's going great! I've done something every day so far - from running 3 miles to just doing some squats and lunges one day. I'm just trying to get into the habit of making exercise a NECESSARY part of my day - it's such a stress reliever! If I don't feel like going to the gym one day, I can always count on my roommate to pop in a Turbo Fire dvd with me and terrorize out downstairs neighbors with lots of jumping and kicking. 

The Weigh In
I'm down another 1.5 lbs this week which, according to MyFitnessPal, means I'm offcially over the 20 lb hump. 20.7 lbs LOST!!! It's been so slow - since May - but it's gone and it isn't coming back!  (Probably would've been 2 lbs lost had I not induldged in a Milky Way last night whilst studying at 11 pm). 

This morning I decided to try something new - a morning workout. I am exclusively a late afternoon-late evening worker-outer. In the past, morning workouts made me super tired and blah the rest of the day (I was also severely out of shape). Today didn't feel so bad. I wouldn't say I'm willing to trade my evening workouts just yet but I have a feeling I'm going to have to start working out in the morning once I start rotations 3rd year so I guess I'll get some practice now. BLAH.

This morning's workout was as follows:

• 5 minutes walking/20 minutes running ~2.25 miles
• 3 sets of 12: 
• 35 lb squat
• 45 lb deadlift
• 20 lb bicep curl
• 20 lb upright row
• 2 sets of 25:
• crunches
• leg raises
• lots of stretching!

Nothing too exciting or difficult - I'm trying to figure out a good routine so lots of experimenting going on right now. I MISS BOOT CAMP!!! I need someone telling me what to do :)

How to start the day off right!

As for the rest of the week, it's study mode. I just want to have this first set of exams OVER! Since we're the inaugural class of our medical school, we have no upperclassmen to give us pointers and tips. On top of that, all exams are taken on our iPads which adds another level of newness to the process. Send your prayers this way!!!

After these exams, I will start to dedicate more time to blogging. I have a million things to catch up on and a lot of things I'd like to change/fix (including working on a new layout)! Be patient with me :)

How is Sweatember going for you?

What's your favorite way to sweat in the fall?

Why do carrots not taste like chocolate?

<center> <a href="www.prettystrongmedicine.com" target="_blank"><img alt="Weigh In Wedneday" src="http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g30/cheerxflip9/weighinbutton-1.jpg"/></a></center>

Hello everybody! Welcome to Weigh-In Wednesday!

Please go check out my sweet co-hosts & make sure to say hi!

Bailey @ Being Bailey J

Ash @ A Step in the Right Direction

Totally thought today was Tuesday...Labor Day, you're messing with me! I was all excited about having a day off from classes and then I realized we are still doing the same amount of material and work, just in 4 days instead of 5...so there goes that logic. 

I'm writing this like 5 minutes before my first class so I apologize for my lack of pictures and everything. I'll have better posts up later this week. I'm also eating a Poptart because I didn't wake up early enough for breakfast...bring on the guilt. It doesn't even taste good to me...bleh. 

The Weigh In:
Lost 1.5 lbs this week which means I'm 0.5 lbs away from 20 lost! Wahoo...slow and steady, right?

As many of you know, I'm challenging myself (AND all of you!!!) to sweat everyday in Sweatember! The weather is AMAZING and I need to counteract all the stress eating I will likely do as I prepare for my first exam (TWO WEEKS!). In general, I just feel better after I do some physical activity. If I don't, my mushy class brain becomes my mushy study brain and by extension, my gluteus maximus gets mushier too. Gotta move!

So far, so good! This afternoon I get the results of my fitness assessment from last week at my gym and a new fitness plan to follow based on areas I need to improve (ahem...upper body strength). Look forward to a post with my results. Oh Lord. I'll talk more about this weeks sweat sessions on Sunday!

I also want to send a million thank yous to everyone that continues to link up with us every Wednesday! I think it's been about three months already! If you're new, make sure to say hi in the comments section and go introduce yourself to some other bloggers!

How is Sweatember going for you?

Time for another installment of Medical Monday with two of my favorite bloggers! I'm so excited to have the opportunity to co-host this blog hop today (especially since I totally spaced and didn't write a post last month).

With classes starting, I thought it would be the perfect time to (briefly) explain the difference between osteopathic and allopathic medicine. 

If you had no idea there were two branches of medicine in this country, you aren't alone. I had almost no idea about allopathic vs. osteopathic until I was already applying to medical school. The funny part? You might already see a DO physician and not even know it. My primary care physician as well as my OB/Gyn are both DOs!

First of all, I attend an osteopathic medical school which means at the end of my four years I will (hopefully) have "D.O." or "Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine" (not osteopathy) after my name instead of "MD" or "Doctor of Medicine." So what's the difference? Not much.

Way back in the day a guy named Andrew Taylor Still set out to radically change the practice of medicine by rejecting the traditional methods in the 19th Century. Medicine was a lot different in these days. Popular practices included blood letting, dangerous drug use, and risky procedures that often did more harm than good. There was also not a lot of formal medical education - often an apprenticeship lasting a non-standard period of time with no official curriculum was the norm.

One area that sets osteopathic medicine apart from an MD is Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine (OMM). OMM can be described as manipulations of the musculoskeletal system to detect, treat, and cure disease or abnormalities of the body. He imagined the future of medicine to incorporate these manipulations while limiting surgical intervention and drug use. While DOs often reject this comparison, OMM can be compared to the skills a Chiropractor might use. One professor explained it to me this way: Chiropractors put you in normal alignment. DOs put you in YOUR normal alignment. It's all about finding your personal balance and achieving optimum health.

Another notable area of osteopathic medicine is an emphasis on holistic care of patients. A.T.Still emphasized the importance of considering the body as a whole unit - mind, body, and spirit - instead of seeing a person as a set of symptoms or a particular disease. Holistic healthcare and preventative medicine are both concepts that MDs accept and address so there is very little difference between the two now.

So what does this all mean? It means that in addition to all the classes MDs take, I also spend a few hours a week learning OMM in lecture and lab. (AKA getting REALLY close with your classmates quickly - hello palpation skills. We're already walking around in sports bras and shorts). Other than that, I learn EVERYTHING that MDs do. I have the opportunity to take the same board exams, apply for the same residencies, perform surgery, prescribe meds, etc. Nearly everything is that same - I just have the choice to use an additional tool for the treatment of my patients.

...and that's my mini spiel about Osteopathic Medicine! If you have ANY questions at all, please email me or leave a comment! I may turn your questions into a new post or two because it's impossible to explain the history succinctly. I love my school and I'm so proud to be studying osteopathic medicine. Now for the blog hop!

Are you confused if you qualify for the party?


If you have a pager interrupting your life... you DEFINITELY qualify!
Do you work in healthcare?

Doctor? Nurse? EMT? Chiropractor? Vet? Dentist? Therapist?

MA? NA? PA? DA?

Are you the spouse or SO of a healthcare worker/student?

Are you a nursing student? Medical student?

Intern? Resident? Fellow?

You get the picture, right? Come on, now... don't be shy! Let's keep growing and meeting new bloggers, so we can build a community of support and friendship, learn from one another, and share our stories.

LINK UP YOUR POST!

Here are the rules:

1. Follow your co-hosts via Bloglovin, GFC (if you are Blogger), FB, email or Twitter.
2. Link up you medical/med life blog. If your blog name does not clearly state how you fit in to the med/med life world, please write a little intro or link up a specific post which clearly demonstrates your connection.
3. Visit at least 3 other link ups, comment, introduce yourself, and tell the your stopping by or following from MM!
4. Help spread the word by using our button on your post or sidebar, tweet about Medical Monday, or spread the word on Facebook! The more the merrier for all of us.

Complete step one by following your co-hosts:

• Emma at Your Doctor's Wife
• Jane at From A Doctor's Wife
• Heather at Pretty Strong Medicine

Want to be awesome?
Post our button on you post or sidebar and help spread the word:

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Want to co-host next month? Shoot Emma an email at yourdoctorswife@gmail.com and be sure to write "Medical Monday Co-host Request" in the subject field.

Now, link up below and have fun! The link up is open through Friday, so be sure to come back during the week to check some great reads!

Sweatember Challenge: Day 1

Yes! It's finally September which means my favorite time of year is just around the corner! FALL! Football, tailgates, pumpkin-everything, boots and jeans, crisp weather, apple cider - I LOVE everything about it. 

With the start of school and amazing running weather, I thought it would be the perfect time to create a challenge for myself and anyone else who is interested!

The challenge is simple: Make a commitment to SWEAT everyday in September - hence it's actually SWEATember. 

How you sweat is totally up to you. For me that means running, walking, workout videos, and the occasional group fitness class at my gym. I certainly don't have time to go to the gym for two hours every single day (counting the commute/shower) but even a 20 minute walk around campus or 30 minute elliptical session while reviewing notes is better than nothing!

Working on my calendar!

The goal for this challenge is to make exercise/physically activity a mandatory activity in my life just like brushing my teeth, eating breakfast, etc.. It takes 21 days to form a long-term habit. Let's do this!

Share your weekly progress and don't forget to share your daily updates on Twitter, Instagram, etc. with #sweatemberPSM. I'm not going to do a link up like I previously thought but please feel free to share your blog posts in the comments.

If you are a fan of Blogilates, she has a great challenge on her blog for September as well. 

As for today, I went to the gym to run and do the elliptical. I should have done weights but I was late for the strength class and I hate being late. Excuses, excuses! I also forgot my heart rate monitor. Whomp whomp.

I hope you all will join me in this challenge! 

Also tomorrow I'm co-hosting Medical Mondays so get excited for that! 

Red cheeks!