Friday Five Things

What a better way to wrap up the week than with a Friday Five things update? I'll try to keep this short and sweet!

1. Food

It has been somewhat difficult to get back into the swing of things after Thanksgiving. Not really in the quality of my food selections but just keeping my portion sizes reasonable. With finals coming up, I have a tendency to get into a snacking mode - especially when I study for a greater portion of the day. I try to keep easy snacks like baby carrots, grape tomatoes, apples, clementines, almonds, Kind bars, etc. on hand for low calorie snacks! Baby carrots and tomatoes are my go-to - they take time to eat and have textures and flavors I enjoy. Much better than grabbing tons of chips or other crunchy snack (aka my downfall!).

I made this breakfast casserole LAST week but I eat a variation of this most days. I try to sneak lots of veggies into my eggs but sometimes if I'm in a hurry, I just go with a protein shake, overnight chia pudding/oats, or some fruit. I don't like eating breakfast too easy or else I will be hungry all day!

I always pack my lunch when I go to class -- our C-store in the med building is less than ideal. Lots of microwavable meals and processed junk. Not good to chance it!

2. Fitness

With winter approaching, I'm starting to be more flexible in my fitness plan. I will probably do a lot more at-home workouts using my many Beachbody DVDs (thanks, Black Friday!) just to save time & avoid the cold. I'm taking a small break from running until I start my half training at the end of the month. For now, I just want to focus on getting as much activity as possible - lots of cardio, some strength, and lots of stretching - and not so much following a specific plan. Winter is gonna be loosey goosey - I'm excited!

I went to spinning over Thanksgiving Break just to mix things up!

Some days I do online workouts or DVDs!

3. Faves

I have a new obsession - Podcasts! How have I never paid attention to these before? I love books on tape so when I realized I could download Podcasts for my car rides, I was like "sign me up!" Someone suggested I look into Serial - now I'm hooked! I can't wait to find out what happens!

Another fave of mine...Cuties! Why are they so delicious?  They make the perfect snack - sweet, juicy, easy to eat and they smell great, too!

4. Fun

I've probably shared this photo already but we've had our Christmas trees up now for about a month. Right after Halloween I was ready to go. Usually I don't get too excited about Christmas - it's always been kind of stressful and I generally am just not an easily excitable person. Since it's our first married Christmas though, I really wanted to make it fun and special! Plus, you know, I'm trying to be a more positive, upbeat person in general. 

On Wednesday I got together with some of my favorite med school girlies for a Christmas party and gift exchange! We had so much fun being silly and taking a break from the books. 

I know I've said this many times before but having a solid support network in school makes a HUGE difference! I'm so lucky to be in a class FULL of people who support and help one another. I've heard other schools have trouble with "gunner" behavior - people are just cutthroat. Not here. I love my school and I love the people at it - such kind, helpful future docs!

5.School

I have a lot of upcoming posts about school - I've have several people ask me questions about how I study, my favorite/least favorite parts about school, & balance in school. These are coming along - albeit slowly!

I have a little over two weeks left of school - one practical and four written exams. Just keep swimming! 

And because it's Friday...how about Flashback Friday to little Heather. :O