Night shift = blech

Dude. Nights are rough. Not because of what happens during nights, but because changing your sleep schedule by like 12 hours in one day is not fucking easy. Come 4:00 a.m., I'm super close to falling asleep standing up. Then I just start yawning like it's my job. And then I hope the attendings take pity on me and send me home. That kind of worked for me today. I got sent home at 6:30.

The other thing that's hard about nights is eating. What the fuck do you eat at midnight? Like it's definitely not breakfast time. But it's midnight so lunch feels weird. Most meals I've had at midnight include a lot of grease. And then when you wake up after sleeping after your night shift, what do you eat? Cuz it's mid-afternoon, so breakfast seems weird. But then it's your first meal of the day, so breakfast seems right. Fuck it. I only have two more night shifts this week. I'm just going to do what I want. These are my problems, folks. I realize they're not legitimate problems. Just humor me.

Yesterday, since I didn't make the switch like I tried, I woke up and went to yoga with my all-time favorite yoga instructor, Daniel. He only teaches Mondays 11:30 to 12:30, so I legitimately can never go. And I almost didn't go yesterday, but man, am I glad I went. My hamstrings got all stretched out and my plank...well, I tried. It was just a great workout and I felt awesome after.

Once home, I had some protein (because for me, yoga is strength training) and then made some lunch and headed to get some titers drawn. After getting some wrong information from the people at employee's health, I had to take a considerably longer bike ride to occupational health and wait FOREVER and finally got the titers I needed. I also had to bike up the big ass hill that's downtown. It was a struggle. And probably a good work out...?

Then I napped and headed to work. Work was work. One of the attendings who works until midnight was a great teacher. The one who works midnight to 8 - not so into teaching. Boo. But then I got to leave early and head to bed!

I woke up around 1:30, ate some breakfast, and ordered some new shoes (the ones I legitimately wear everyday are so old (like 7 years) and they just can't do it anymore). I hydrated as much as possible before hitting up the gym for strength training. It was a great day of strength training because it was beautiful outside (and the gym is like all windows), because it wasn't crowded at all, and because I added quite a few reps and weights from when I first started. So, boo yeah.

And now I'm going to study before heading to work.

Today's positive (that I keep forgetting about): Yesterday, I finally pumped up my bike tires and took her out for a spin rather than driving. Saved some gas and got a bit more exercise. Win, win, win.

And here are the photos that y'all really want:

Monday's breakfast

Hydrating with some crystal light

Protein smoothie post-yoga

Epic sandwich fixings

Monday's lunch

My bike

What I was expecting to be one meal for overnight (I didn't end up eating it)

Dinner before my night shift

Salad I packed while dinner was cooling

Monday's dinner

More fruit that I didn't actually eat overnight

Tuesday's pre-gym breakfast

Post-strength training protein

Cheese snack

See y'all tomorrow!

16 Miles - Who knew I had it in me?

Yesterday was a lovely day. I got up around 8:30 and hopped on the scale. I was up 0.4 pounds from Wednesday. What? I've been going to the gym twice a day... So, I decided I'd better hit the gym hard. I did a ton of cardio and was pretty exhausted by the end. I came home and made a huge protein smoothie with blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries.

Yes, I did drink all of that. I also had my favorite bagel sammich.

Then, my sister and I headed off to Birch Run for some serious shopping. We went to Lane Byrant, Old Navy, Fossil, Coach, and Hanes. At Lane Bryant, they were having a bra sale, Buy 2, Get 2 Free. So, I now have 4 new bras. Woot. I also got a swimsuit cover up. Aaaand, I've definitely gotten smaller - I'm in their smallest size! Partay!


Then I ran into Fossil to have them take a link out of my watch because that's a bit big now, too. And after that quick stop, we headed to Old Navy so I could use my Groupon. I got a pair of shorts and some size 14 (yay!) bermudas. And I only spent about $13. Win.


After Old Navy, we stopped in Coach to oogle at purses and then I stopped in the Hanes store quickly to see if they had any thinner bathrobes since the one I have is super thick and not really great for summer. They didn't. So, we ran to Saginaw to try their JCPenney. There, I got 3 new workout shirts, 2 new workout tank tops, (I'll probably just wear them when blading or biking), a thin bathrobe, and a new bathing suit top that is super cute.


We got home around 4. I found Bailey sleeping by the window like the little baby he is, and then I decided to suit up and hit the gym again. 

I did the elliptical interval session for 30 minutes with my high at 14 and my low at 12. The guy next to me was really pushing himself, which motivated me to keep pushing myself. When I was done, I told him I was really glad he was next to me because I'm pretty sure my speed would've been much slower if he hadn't been there. He told me he keeps his resistance low so he can go so fast (he was at 4) and that he goes for 45 minutes. That's pretty solid.


After the gym, I headed to my mom's house to see if I could find any more one-piece swimsuits that I can wear to my CardioMax class on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I found three, but they're a tad worn in the bum, so I'm probably going to wear shorts over them. While there, she fed me! We had shish-ka-bobs, some veggies, and my sister made Cheddar Bay biscuits like the ones at Red Lobster. She found the recipe online. They were amazing, but I only let myself have one. I probably could easily have gobbled up a dozen.

Cheddar Bay Biscuits. DELICIOUS!

Shish-ka-bobs

My plate

After dinner, I headed to meijer and bought a bike rack for my car and I was going to test it out, but instead, I went to Allyson's house to visit with her a bit since she was home for Father's Day. We caught up for a bit and then I headed out because I was tired. It was 10:15 p.m. I'm pathetic.


This morning, I got up around 9:30 a.m. and decided to try out my bike rack and go biking on the rail trail rather than going to the gym. It took me a while to load up my bike and then I drove down to the tridge. It was a beautiful day for a bike ride!

Pretty, but very, very dirty river 

Rail trail 

My beautiful bike

I biked 16 miles, so 8 miles out and 8 miles back. Here's the mile marker for proof!

Mid 8 - 8 miles from Midland

Me sporting one of my new tank tops and the mile marker in the background

The ride out was awesome and I was loving it. The ride back was a tad more rough. I was going against the wind and my knee was really acting up. Also, I only brought one water bottle and didn't eat beforehand, so I was dehydrate and hungry - an awesome duo. Thus, it took me way longer to get back than it did to get out there, but I'm glad I did it. It was way more fun than going to the gym, that's for sure.


After my bike ride, I made a strawberry banana protein smoothie and it was huge again.

While I drank this down, I video chatted with Lisa and made lunch.

Chicken Pizza

I was starving after that bike ride as I hadn't eaten yet and so I gobbled these down in about 5 minutes. Yum! Then I gathered up my laundry to head to my mom's. And that's where I am right now. As soon as I'm able to switch my laundry, I'm going to head outside and splash around swim in the pool, but right now my mom and Malena are vacuuming it so I figured I'd take this opportunity to catch you up!


Also, check out my About Me page. I updated it a little bit. I also redid my banner (if you didn't already notice). I'll be making some more small changes soon, so keep your eyes peeled!

I'm better equipped now

Surprisingly, these past two days have been rather busy. I shall give you a brief rundown and then I'd like to share some thoughts with you (and hopefully get your opinion).


Monday, I biked to work. It was awesome. I'm pretty sure I angered some of the drivers (I biked on the road for part of it because there's no sidewalk), but when I got to work, I was feeling great. I was pretty happy and glad I got some exercise in. The only bad thing was that I definitely had helmet hair and I was a tad sweaty because I don't really have any bike-appropriate jackets.


At work, the man from Phoenix Tribology arrived to install our fourball machine. It looks something like this:

It has a computer attached as well as a microscope, but this is the fun part of the machine. So, I spent my morning running samples and then watched as he put this monster together.


At lunch, I biked home and was pretty much covered in sweat by the time I got home. Okay, not covered, but I definitely had sweaty armpits and my back was sweating. This is probably because I wore my fleece while riding, which has absolutely no ventilation. So, again, it has come to my attention that I'm going to need to invest in something to wear while biking.


Once home, I stripped down to my underwear to cool off and blow dry the sweat off my clothes (don't judge) while my pizza cooked.

Lunch!

After I finished my lunch, I drove back to work because I knew I wouldn't have enough time to bike home and get to personal training on time. Also, I didn't have to worry about being sweaty and gross again.

During the afternoon, we had training on how to use our new toy. Then, I was coaxed into going out to Bennigan's (and canceling personal training) with Mike and David (the guy from the UK training us). David got a half-pound burger because he said red meat in America is way better and way cheaper than in England. Mike got the Turkey O'Toole (pictured below) and I stuck with salmon and steamed broccoli. It wasn't the best salmon I've ever had, but it was a healthy choice.

 After dinner, I dropped David off at his hotel and then headed to the gym. I was really considering not going, but then I reminded myself that I'm doing a two-week challenge and I had to go. So, I put in a good hour's workout and finally went home.


Once home, I had an orange as an after-gym snack and video chatted with Matt.

Matt and I worked on his résumé, cover letter, and writing sample for this awesome job he's applying for. Ironically, it's also in the lubricant industry. I guess that's where all the cool kids go. Haha...just kidding.


Anyway, after helping Matt, it was rather late, so I headed to bed. In my rush to get to sleep, I must have forgotten to set my alarm. However, this morning, I ended up waking up at 7:22 and getting to work right on time. So, that worked out. But that meant I couldn't ride my bike. However, I already planned on driving because it was raining most of the morning. Boo.


At work this morning, we continued our training and then I came home and had some leftover pizza for lunch. I also had a yogurt because they're going to expire tomorrow so I need to gobble them up soon!

After lunch, we continued training and learned how to run an actual test on our new toy. As I'm the youngest, I volunteered to go first/make an ass of myself. But really, I didn't screw anything up and I probably learned it the best of the four of us since I had to figure it out on my own. After training, I threw a sample in our GC-MS sampler and headed out to Birch Run, to get some jackets to wear while biking.


When I got to Birch Run, I decided to stop at Old Navy first to see if they had any jeans I liked. They only had their wall of jeans (of which I don't really like any), and a ton of shorts. So I left empty-handed. Then I went to Lane Bryant to see if they had any cute tops. Nope. So, I walked from Lane Bryant to Under Armour to see if they had any jackets that would fit the bill. Nope, not so much. An XL there doesn't even come close to fitting me, so I left empty-handed. Then, I stopped in the North Face outlet store. One of the employees there helped me find two good jackets to wear while biking. I grabbed both in an XL, but, when I tried them on, I couldn't get them to zip over my chest. So, I told him that I was too chesty and he suggested we try the men's section (where the sizes are bigger). He was excited when we switched to men's because he said there was more selection in what I was looking for. I tried on a few more things and settled for this jacket in a men's large. It's super lightweight and has vents in the armpits and on the back where I sweat the most, so I'm pretty excited about it. Also, it only cost me $85 because I went to the outlet.


After I went to North Face, I decided to go into the Adidas outlet store where I found another jacket (for $40) that would be great for biking, but was a bit heavier. I think I'll be wearing that one until summer really hits. I also found a white wicked pullover for $30 that I really liked. After trying it on, I came out of the fitting room and saw the same thing in the men's section for $10 less. So, I got that one instead.

It's like the perfect thing to wear to and from the gym because it will be well-ventilated but still give me another layer to keep me warm. I also splurged and got another pair of gym shoes because my feet have been hurting lately. So, I bought these babies:

And, I'm happy to report that although all of the things I bought were on sale, since they were all running/training items, I got an additional 20% off. So I left the store having spent only $114 on some quality pieces that I'll get a lot of use out of. Score.


Then I headed home. I had a hard time convincing myself that I didn't need to stop for fast food despite the fact that it was 7:00 and I was super hungry for dinner. But, I made it home and had some gnocchi that I gobbled up before remembering to take a picture. My bad.


After dinner, I went to the gym even though I didn't really want to go since it was already 8pm. But, I decided that I could watch Glee while I worked out, so it couldn't be that bad. And, honestly, I'm glad I went. I was sweating up a storm and I know I'm building up my quads, which should definitely help with my knees.


Once I was done at the gym, I headed to Starbucks to get a birthday cake pop. Why? Because tomorrow's my birthday and you deserve birthday cake on [the day before] your birthday. If you've never had one, you need to get your ass to Starbucks this instant and get yourself one. Why? Because they're amazing. It's basically cake at the end of a stick.

Starbucks birthday cake pop

Inside view

Apparently they are made by baking cake, mashing it up with frosting and then shaping it into a ball. They poke a stick in it and the coat the whole thing in a chocolate/frosting coating. Sound heavenly? Oh, it is. So you must give me many kudos for driving all the way home to take a picture of it rather than gobbling it up immediately like I wanted to. And, I also deserve some kudos because I only got one though I could easily eat a dozen. But, you should be warned. This little piece of heaven packs 170 calories and 9 grams of fat. And they cost $1.50. 

Anyway, now I'm chilling at home, updating you. And now that I've reached this point, I'm pretty pooped. I guess my thoughts (and your opinions on said thoughts) will have to wait until another day. I most likely will not be blogging tomorrow as my day is packed with fun birthday stuff, but I shall be back soon!

What do you like to do on your birthday? Also, what part of cake do you like most: the cake or the frosting?

Now and Then

First of all, I want to thank those of you who left comments on my last blog. It has definitely helped me put things into perspective. Also, Happy Mother's Day (if applicable)! And now for an update:

This weekend, though spent entirely in Midland, has been awesome. Work on Friday was not so awesome, but after work, I headed to Ray's Bike Shop in Midland to get some quotes on bikes since I really want a bike for my birthday. I tried a few bikes, got some prices, and headed back to my apartment. I got to talk to Kyle for a while, ate dinner (some of the pizza below), and then headed to the gym for a Friday night workout.

Organic spinach and tomato pizza

After my workout, I came back home and had a lovely video chat with Anthony. Then I sat up and watched 30 Rock and the parts of Grey's Anatomy I missed on Thursday.

Saturday, I woke up early for no reason at all and decided to head to the gym right away. On my way to the gym, I passed by a garage sale where they had night stands for sale. I have been looking for an night stand for about, oh, 8 months now. So, on my way back, I stopped at an ATM and bought myself a night stand. It cost me $25 and was apparently Amish-made. Not that that really makes a difference to me whatsoever.

New nightstand

Anyway, I was pretty hungry after my 2.5 hour workout (which was awesome), so I snacked while the dumplings I was making for lunch were cooking.

Protein smoothie, grapes, Luna bar, and banana for post-gym snack 

Dumplings for lunch

After lunch, I met up with my mom at Ray's Bike Shop and she bought me my awesome bike for my birthday.

Source

I'm really excited about the bike for several reasons. First of all, I'm going to start biking to work. This will save me some gas money aaand I'll get in some morning cardio. Woot. Win-win for me. Second of all, this bike is specifically designed for people with bad hips and knees. Because of the placement of the pedals relative to the seat, it's supposed to unload your joints a bit more than a normal bike. So hopefully it won't cause my knees or hips to flare up more than normal. Lastly, it only takes me about 12 minutes to bike to work (versus about 5 to drive), so it's not as though I have to wake up significantly earlier.

After getting my bike and testing it out, I headed to Alicia's house to enjoy her graduation celebration dinner. We played Five Crowns, ate delicious food, and then went to see Thor. Afterwards, Cayce and I went back to my apartment and hung out for a bit before turning in. It was awesome hanging out with friends in Midland again. I miss those days.

Today, I woke up, went to the gym, had some lunch, and headed to my mom's to do laundry and Mother's day things (which included making dinner and losing to Skip-Bo twice to make her feel good on her special day).

I had a lot of laundry

Our lovely dinner (which we ate outside because it was gorgeous)

Amazing dessert: red velvet cheesecake

After dinner, we sat around relaxing while my laundry finished. I also worked on finally editing some pictures so you guys can see some of the progress I've made so far. But before I do that, I want to say a few things.

Though I've lost about 33 pounds so far, I haven't seen a huge difference in my appearance. Some of my friends have said that you can tell, but until recently, I haven't been sure. However, as I paid more attention to the clothes I'm wearing, I've realized that there is a difference. So, to prove it to myself, I decided to compare how I looked in the bridesmaid dress I wore in Jenna's wedding to now. You can see the difference yourself:

My arms are slimmer and there's a definite difference in my face

Haha - the dress would fall down if it weren't for the halter

So I've got to congratulate myself on a job well done thus far. But I've also got to keep on going. That's one of the main reasons I'm doing this two-week challenge. I just needed to get back on track again. I've also decided to forego morning workouts for three reasons: 1.) I'm too damn lazy to get up that early, 2.) I have a time limit when I go in the mornings and have unlimited time if I go after work, and 3.) I have nothing to do during the evenings so it's best to be at the gym rather than at home eating (because that's what I do when I'm bored).

So, I shall continue this two-week, self-imposed challenge, but I will be going to the gym in the evenings rather than the mornings (though I won't be going on my birthday because I'm going to Ann Arbor...woot!), and we shall see how things continue to progress.

How was your weekend? Do anything exciting? Have you made any progress in any areas of your life? Also, do you walk or ride a bike often?