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Well, today was a double FAIL. Forgot to write a post AND left my computer at home when I went to study this morning. I'm on a roll, aren't I? 

Nothing too exciting to report here anyway...except I'm officially done with classes! For the past two weeks we were completely various cases and presentations with our small groups for "problem based learning." It was super helpful to be able to tackle complicated cases with a group of friends but I am SO glad it's over! PBL took a lot of time away from my boards studying so I'm anxious to get caught up.

Speaking of boards...the next 6-7 weeks are completely devoted to studying for COMLEX & USMLE. I'm scheduled to take both at the beginning of June, one week apart; COMLEX is first.

Things are stressful but I'm looking forward to zeroing on boards for the next few weeks. I will also be able to really focus in on my nutrition and workouts - no excuses, right? Just in time for wedding season and our belated honeymoon trip at the end of June! 

Last day of PBL means donuts & coffee :)

Boards. Boards. Boards.

As far as WIW goes, I'm SLOWLY getting back on track. Down another pound this week :) My nutrition certainly isn't perfect but I'm trying to get back to a good equilibrium. The problem with Crossfit is that it makes me SO hungry! Well really, any type of weight lifting leaves me hungry so trying to eat in a deficit is a struggle - usually I end up eating more around maintenance. 

Sometimes I want to rush the process and go super strict just to get the remaining weight off. Losing 20 lbs in a month would be AWESOME but I know that I would also be sacrificing muscle tissue and could potentially do damage to my hormones/metabolism. Slow and steady wins it.  

Height: 5'8"

SW: 236.2

Last Week: 190.6

This week: 189.6

Change: -1.0

Total Loss: -46.6

So, I will continue to do the best I can to eat for my goals and fuel my training properly. Be patient, put the work in, and adjust accordingly.

A typical meal for me - I'm trying to make veggies the main course instead of my starches.

Sometimes a girl just want's some yummy fish!

Training wise, I've been going to Crossfit 3 times a week, gym once or twice a week, yoga once a week

, and then I fill in with runs when I can. This weekend is supposed to be my half marathon but I really just don't feel comfortable running it at this point. My back is still not healed 100% and I haven't been following my training program like I would have hoped - things just got crazy at the end of the semester. 

I'm planning to run the 10K on Saturday, though! I'm super disappointed with myself but there will be many more half marathons in the future! My number one goal is to get my back to a happy, healthy place.

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Well last week was a major FAIL. Whoops. I'm sorry for the lack of posts lately but perhaps I can shed some light on that.

Obviously I don't really blog all that much anymore in between WIWs. I feel like when I do make time to write, my posts are very one note and usually contain the same information - I'm busy, I workout, I eat things, here's my plan, etc. I sure hope once I start rotations, I will have more interesting things to say! Please bear with me for the next couple of months! 

I think at times I have portrayed the image that I have a great life balance. People have reached out to me in various ways to suggest that I appear that way at least. You don't know how far from the truth that is! 

I doubt this comes as a surprise to anyone but medical school is REALLY hard. And not even in a conceptual, learning way. I mean in an emotionally draining, randomly bawling your eyes out, crazy existential crisis kind of way. The emotional struggles that accompany this journey seem to be culminating around this huge mountain in the not so distant future - boards. 

Right now I'm stuck in med school purgatory. I'm not quite finished with my classes but really need to be dedicating my full time to board prep. It's some type of awkward limbo and I really over it! Just let me STUDY!

As far as the other areas of my life, my weight was holding pretty steady the past few weeks at around 192. I guess the good news is that I'm getting really good at maintaining my weight :) Today I weighed in at 190.6 so I'm starting to make progress again. Even though the scale isn't moving as fast as I would like, I'm continuing to see progress at Crossfit - lifting heavier and heavier, getting more efficient, etc. Now I need to get my running game on track (although I'm getting faster there, too!). 

Height: 5'8"

SW: 236.2

Last Week: 192

This week: 190.6

Change: -1.8

Total Loss: -45.6

Been meal prepping lately as well - I'm so behind on recipes but I will try to share some new ones for you all soon!

Crockpot pork - easy peasy!

Tomato artichoke soup!

Now if you'll excuse me, I have PBL (problem based learning) to attend and a whole bunch of studying to do! 

What are your favorite quick and easy meals?

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Crazy day! Hopefully I can come update later today.

 

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I thought hell week was over. It's not. Things will probably be pretty light on the blog this week - so much to do! In addition to boards prep, I have my LAST course exam coming up on Monday plus a wedding to go to in Cincinnati this weekend. I'm not sure how I'm going to get it all done but I'm trying to work ahead as much as possible.

Everything else is chugging along smoothly. My back is continuing to improve slowly, although it is still sore and stiff. I'm back to doing my half marathon training runs and I'm looking into weight training programs to follow between Crossfit workouts. I really want to start developing my upper body strength (my greatest weakness) - pull ups and push ups and bench presses, oh my! 

I'm taking a little "weigh in" hiatus due to the nature of my schedule. I'm super stressed right now so the last thing I need to do is stress over pounds on the scale. I'm just going to continue to eat healthy, get my workouts in, and keep my stress levels at bay. Hopefully that will be enough to lose a bit in next couple weeks!

Until then, friends, wish me luck! Once my test on Monday is over, I'll be able to breath again.

Happy Monday! So I decided to start sharing my workouts on a regular basis. We'll see how this goes. I'm not sure how interesting it is to read what other people do but at the very least, it could keep me more accountable! 

Currently I keep track of my workouts with my phone. My Garmin watch is set up to sync with my Nike+ app so all my runs are recorded there. In addition, my Crossfit gym uses an app called Wodify that displays the WOD (workout of the day) and allows your to track your progress - weight, times, etc. and see how you stack up against other people who completed the same workout. I love it! 

Monday - Gym 
Just went to our regular gym today. We still keep my old membership because it's only like $17 for a second person. I only pay for three days of Crossfit a week anyway. I'm not sure I could handle more than that at this point. Plus I really like to switch things up :)

I don't have a specific plan that I follow lately at the gym. Whatever I feel like I need to work on is what I work on. I do want to find a lifting/HIIT routine that compliments my Crossfit workouts. Anyone have ideas? 

I warmed up on the stair master for 10 minutes and then got to work. Shoulder & back. A little more cardio (rowing, I think) and then some PT exercises and stretching.

Tuesday - Crossfit 12-1p

A1: Thruster (6-5-4-4; rest 1 min) - (95 lbs)

A2 : Pull-ups (AMRAP in 60sec x 4; rest 1 min) - scaled to ring rows

B: Single Arm KB Overhead Walking Lunge (10/side x 3; rest 1 min)

WOD: CrossFit Games Open 12.1 (AMRAP - Reps)

7-Minute AMRAP of:
Burpees to a 6" target (63 reps)

So Crossfit usually goes as follows: warm up, review the movements for the day, strength workout (A1/A2, B1, etc), and then a Met Con workout.

Wednesday - Crossfit 6-7p

A1: Romanian Deadlift (@32x1; 4-4-4-4; rest 90 sec)

A2: Glute-Ham Raises (4 x 8; rest 90 sec)

WOD: Metcon (Time)

3 Rounds for time:
400m Run
21 KBS 32/24kg
12 T2B

Thursday - Crossfit 6-7p

A1: Dumbbell Front Rack Russian Step Ups (8/leg x 4; rest 90 sec)

A2: Pendlay Row (@20x1; 8-10 x 4; rest 90 sec)

WOD: Metcon (Time)

For Time:
30-20-10
Air Squat
Push Up
Pull Up

Friday - Gym
Again, I just worked on what felt right. I've been practicing double under with the jump rope and also starting some pull up progressions. Both are future goals of mine - double under & pull-ups!

I also did the following:

AMRAP 10 minutes with 55#
5 push press
10 deadlifts
15 step ups

I've done this one twice before and have improved by 77 reps since last summer! Today was 9 rounds + 3 reps. 

Saturday - 4 mile Run
The weather was gorgeous, just a bit windy so I got a nice 4 mile run in after a morning of studying. Ideally, I need to get another run or two in during the week - probably after a Crossfit workout because I don't always get a good cardio burn from those workouts. Sometimes they are more strength focused and I'm like, "where's the cardio?" 

Sunday - 8 mile Run


Sunday was also a beautiful day and not windy at all! I cranked out 8 miles at a slower pace than normal - partly because I took a little detour to explore a new trail. 8 miles felt so much better this time around than it did this time last year. I remember my 8 mile run from last year because I collapsed on my living room floor immediately afterward and proceeded to take a painfully cold ice bath.

I did notice that I felt a little nauseous following my run yesterday which I attribute to not eating a proper dinner and taking a gel before the run started. I think I need to experiment with different quick carb fuels prior to my half - I'm gonna try baby food/applesauce or maybe salty pretzels. I know a long distance runner who even uses Oreos! 



So that's my week at a glance. Going forward, I want to get ALL my training runs in during the week and just focus on being efficient. I've found that it's much easier for me to get into the habit of doing SOME type of activity daily instead of picking a choosing which days to do what. Just get to the gym and MOVE - especially because boards studying has me sitting CONSTANTLY. 

As I said above, I'm on the look out for a program to follow on my gym days. I'm also looking forward to the end of half training - I want to run again for FUN instead of for specific mileage. 

Regardless, I'm happy to report that my back is really doing well - just some mild soreness and stiffness. The weather is looking great and I'm feeling stronger/more energized.  Here's to a great week ahead!

 

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I feel like I showed all my cards in the last two post: last week's WIW/Whole30 wrap up & yesterday's post about my training. There is literally nothing else new in my life. I wake up, eat breakfast, go study, eat lunch, study more, go run/Crossfit, clean/prepare for the next day, and go to bed as early as possible. *Yawn*

I have quite a few things to look forward to in April: Doctor Prom, weddings, school events, etc. but I REALLY need time to slow down. It's starting to hit me that in no time at all I'll be taking my boards, going on vacation, and then starting my 3rd year of medical school. Everything just needs to halt before I go insane! 

Moving on...I didn't weigh in this morning but I'm gonna guess that I'm up a couple pounds just based on how I'm feeling; which is heavy and sore. Sore in a good way but heavy in an "overindulged this weekend and now filled with water weight" kind of way. I feel like I'm sliding back into my habit of staying on plan really well during the week and then totally killing everything on the weekend. It's so frustrating but ultimately, I have to get it together! 

Height: 5'8"

SW: 236.2

Last Week: 189.0

This week: 192ish?

Change: +3.0

Total Loss: -44ish

The good news is that after a gain like this, I usually shed a few extra pounds in the next few weeks on top of what I "gained" in water weight. #science

I decided to add about 200 calories (mostly in the form of carbs) to my plan on days when I train to help keep me fueled & prevent the weekend splurges. I'll let you all know how this approach works - hoping it will help me recover quicker and jump start some slow & steady weight loss again instead of bouncing around week to week.

Would anyone be interested if I started to share my weekly training plan? Training Diary Monday? Thoughts? 

Hope you all have a great week and a blessed Easter!