Unstoppable Grad

So, I posted this picture on facebook the other day, raving about Shakeology and how much I love it! The result? An outpouring of support and questions from my friends and family! And I figured, who better than to share this with you all?

So first - what is Shakeology?

Shakeology is nutrient-packed meal replacement shake from Beachbody, the company that has come out with kick-ass workout program after kick-ass workout program! Need some examples - P90X, Insanity, 21 day fix, P90X3, T25!! Need I go on? It's not a protein shake, or a supplement! At least, that's not how I think of it!

What's in Shakeology?
Well for the full breakdown, I'll direct you to the Beachbody Shakeology Nutrition Guide! But, essentially, Shakeology is packed full of:

Proteins and Essential Amino Acids
Prebiotics, Probiotics, and Digestive Enzymes
Adaptogens (herbs from harsh climates that help to promote a strong immune system, increase energy, and protect the body from stress!)
Antioxidants and phytonutrients (plant-based ingredients)
23 Vitamins and Minerals that your body needs for optimal health

I also wanted to add a nutrition review of Shakeology that I just found looked at this website, called Whole Intentions! This one of the more thorough nutritional reviews I've ever seen on Shakeology and addresses what I feel are a lot of peoples concerns when using Shakeology.

What is my experience with Shakeology?

My experience with Shakeology has been great! I started Shakeology when I started 21 day fix and very quickly noticed, more so than anything else, that I had an increase in my energy level! Shakeology primarily functions as my breakfast, and as such has completely replaced and taken away my need for morning coffee! No more Ms. Don't-Talk-To-Me-Until-I've-Had-My-Coffee! She's gone! Heck, I haven't had any coffee for about a week! That's how good I've felt! And my cravings for junk food and sweets has been reduced considerably (though admittedly I still just flat-out avoid the candy and ice cream aisles at the grocery store!)!

Where can I buy shakeology?

Shakeology is exclusively sold through Beachbody at their shakeology website--shakeology.com. Beachbody doesn't sell through Amazon, though some Beachbody coaches will sell through Amazon, despite contract regulations forbidding them to do so. I highly suggest that you buy through the Shakeology site to be sure you're getting the product you're paying for! If you want, you can buy it directly from me at my shakeology site! Contact me and I'll give you my direct shakeology link! :-)

How could I possibly afford Shakeology?
This is a big one, and is why I went back in and modified this post. Shakeology is pricey. This is a big reason why I know a lot of people who are hesitant to pull the trigger and actually go ahead with trying Shakeology. $130/bag seems steep right. But, let me put it to you this way. Shakeology is meal replacement. It is meant to help you cut back on your grocery bill by providing you with more nutrition in a shake form than you would in a TON of other food! Also, there are 30 servings in a bag. So, that comes to $4.33 per serving! How much do you spend on a cafe lunch every day? Or getting your morning coffee? If your barista suddenly told you one day that if you gave her $130 she'd cover your morning coffee for the rest of the month, what would you do? You'd probably say no right? Well, it's the same idea! Instead of paying daily for that meal or that coffee, you're paying all at once! And, as I mentioned above, Shakeology may lead to you stopping drinking coffee, like me! And that in and of itself will save you a bundle!

If you're hesitant to try Shakeology, I totally understand! I don't want to force anyone into anything. I merely want to say that this is a great product that I love, and I would love to introduce you to it! If it's not for you, that's totally fine! If you want to try it, that's great! Order a sampler pack for $20! Or better yet, order a bag (and I recommend you order the bag instead of the packets -- more bang for your buck) and if you don't like it, there's a satisfaction guaranteed refund that you're more than entitled to take advantage of!

If you have any other questions - cost, discounts, promotions, benefits, want recipes, or just want more information in general, never hesitate to comment or contact me! :-)

I think this might be the first time that I've posted my MOTW the day that I did all the food prep! Yay for progress! I kept myself on task by rocking out to some tunes, and simultaneously having a Harry Potter marathon in the background!

Well today I'm particularly excited because I decided to make some actual 21 day fix-approved meals, instead of just piecing together meals from what I have in my refrigerator on the-day.

So here are my 21 day fix-approved recipes for the week:

I started off my prepping my carbs and proteins seperately. That was probably the more time-consuming part of today's activities. I rapid soaked some black beans, and simmered some lentils. I came to the realization that I could have simmered the lentils in something more flavorful, like low-sodium chicken stock, or better yet have added some lemon to the water just to give the lentils a punch of flavor.

Then I tackled the protein. Today, it is chicken and ground turkey. I wanted to mix it up, since I've mostly been eating chicken the last few weeks. Ground turkey is such a great option, relatively cheap, and very easy to mix into things!

Then came the really fun part of the process - assembling my recipes!

I decided to start off with something that I had seen God knows how many times on Pinterest and always wanted to try - stuffed Portobello mushroom caps!

Lentil, Chicken, & Veggie Stuffed Portobello Mushroom Caps
**Now, since these are 21 day fix approved recipes at this point, I'm going to use the colored containers as my measuring tools**
-1 green of halved cherry tomatoes
-2 greens of spinach
-4 yellow of lentils (already cooked)
-4 red of chicken tenders (already cooked)
-1/2 blue of mozzarella cheese per filled cap

Now, the best part about this recipe is that you can really put whatever you want in it--or just whatever you have! Because my goal today was to go recipe-less (another first for me!), I rummaged through my refrigerator and found some really delicious ingredients - spinach, tomatoes, chicken, and lentils!

I started by sauteeing up the spinach and the tomatoes. The lentils and chicken were already cooked, and I didn't want to over cook them. So once, the spinach and tomatoes were properly cooked down, I threw the lentils and chicken into the pan and tossed everything together. I also threw in some onion powder and garlic, since I didn't have any fresh onions/garlic on hand. I then filled my portobello caps with the filling.

Now, I made the mistake of adding the mozzarella on at this point. I wouldn't do that. I would wait until about 10 minutes left in your cook time to add the mozzarella cheese on.

Once you've assembled everything, cook for 30-40 minutes at 375F.

Then - enjoy!

Each cap counts for 2 greens, 1 yellow, 1 red, and 1/2 a blue

Next, on the list for the day is Black Bean and Turkey Stuffed Peppers
-3 red peppers
-3 yellows of black beans (soaked and drained)
-3 reds of ground turkey
-1/2 blue of cheddar per pepper

Since everything was already cooked up, this was really easy to assemble! First, I cut the tops off of my red peppers and cleaned out the seeds from inside. Then, I mixed my black beans and ground turkey in a small bowl and tossed them with a couple shakes of cumin and chili powder. Then, I evenly filled all of my peppers with the filling. I then put them in my slow cooker for 2-3 hrs on high. You can also do this for longer (6-8 hours) on low if you want. About 20 minutes before they were done, I sprinkled each pepper with 1/2 a blue of cheddar cheese! Let the cheese melt a little and then voila! You're done!

Each pepper is worth 1 green, 1 yellow, 1 red, and 1/2 a blue!

**Note: Use smaller peppers if you can! It might be tempting to use larger peppers, but the larger peppers I used actually fell apart when I tried to move it from the crock pot! Hence there only being a picture of 2 of my 3 peppers! Oops!**

Last, but definitely not least I decided to make myself a little, healthy treat!

I found this recipe ages ago on my favorite bloggers website - Simply Taralynn! So, here goes nothing:

Simply Taralynn's Healthy Whole Wheat Avocado Brownie Bites

These may not have been 21 day fix approved, per se. But, just check out the recipe and you'll see that they're totally a great, healthy cheat option, and you do get cheats or Zing's (as Autumn calls them) in the 21 day fix program! So, this is fantastic for that!

I'm not going to re-hash the recipe here, because Taralynn does a great job with that on her website (see link above), and even walks you through with pictures, step-by-step. But I will tell you that you do need:

* 1 Medium Avocado, 3 Medium Eggs, 1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour, 1/2 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder, 1/3 Cup Hot Water, 1 Tbsp Vanilla Bean Paste or Vanilla Extract, 6 OZ Vanilla Yogurt, 5 Packets Stevia, 3 Tbsp Dark Chocolate Chips, 3 Tbsp Honey or Agave.

This worked out so great for me because amazingly enough I had all the ingredients I needed at my house! No emergency shopping trip needed!

**And, okay, I'll admit that these aren't exactly 21 day fix-approved. There's lots of chocolate! But, I cut my pan into 25 bite-sized pieces. And when I had one, I counted that as 1/2 a blue (for the avocado). You gotta have some cheats in your meals!**

Well, that's all for today! I know I only made about 7 meals here, but these will serve as my dinners this week. I can very easily build the leftover carbs and protein into other meals throughout the week! Not too mention my Shakeology, which has become my absolute favorite breakfast meal! I don't even need coffee anymore in the morning! I love my Shakeology!

Okay, so this was a lot for the day, but I'm so excited to actually be on top of posting my MOTW on the day for the first time ever! I hope to stay more on top of sharing my meal prep with you guys, especially because in a week or two my friend and fellow Beachbody coach, Jacki and I will be doing a 21 day fix Challenge Group! So excited!!

Until next time, I hope you all enjoy the meal ideas and recipes! Let me know what you think! :-)

Taralynn McNitt's 1000 Calorie Workout

Today I have to share a workout that I just did that is so killer and such a great workout!

The 1000 calorie workout from my favorite blogger, Taralynn McNitt. But before I get into that I had to share some of my beautiful weekend with you all!

It has been absolutely beautiful the last few days here and I missed out on my workout yesterday. I know I know. I shouldn't have, but I was having so much fun enjoying the outdoors that it just didn't get fit in. My friends and I went to watch a soccer game downtown! It was beautiful out and the team won, making the afternoon even better.

After the game, I had softball practice! I am so not a softball player, but I got pestered into joining the team. Needless to say, I can't hit to save my life (such a soccer player....no hand eye coordination!) By the time I got home, I crashed! I'd been out in the sun all day, and it's been a long time since I've done that.

So today, since I had absolutely nothing going on, I decided to tackle this workout challenge. I felt bad having missed my workout yesterday and have been dying to go running, so this seemed like a great option!

It was fantastic! I mean, it killed me for sure. I probably spent a solid 15 minutes just laying in the middle of my living room when I was done. And the second run was rough because my body was so tired. But it was great!

It gets everything!

Cardio - Check (2 runs, jump roping, walks)

Lower body - Check (Can you say jump squats???)

Upper body - Check (push ups and you hit your arms when you're doing the jump ropes...if your arms don't burn you're doing something wrong...)

Abs - Check! (A good 7 minutes of abs toward the end)

I even had a chance to enjoy the flowers in the nearby neighborhood during one of my walking parts.

And when I got back home afterward (after collapsing on the floor for an extended period of time of course...) I have never been more excited that have by daily Shakeology! I threw in some frozen berries and blended it all up! Yumm! I would've taken a picture, but it was gone too quickly by the time I remembered! I woud've been taking a picture of an empty glass! :-)

Well anyway, this workout was fantastic! And I highly recommend checking it out if you're in need of a real ass-kicking workout! And it's totally do-able! Just run as slow and as much as you need to and take as many breaks as you need! God knows I had to, especially toward the tail end of the workout when my body felt so exhausted! :-)

Let me know what you think!

Tell me this doesn't strike a chord?

I am so excited to share this with you!! I am absolute thrilled to announce that today, just now (practically) I received my 21 day fix and shakeology in the mail from Beachbody!! I am so excited to start this new program! I've seen and heard such good things about it and I'm stoked to put it to the test!

It's based on such a good philosophy - healthy diet and exercise, but also something that often gets left out of the mix...portion control. This is something that I (and probably 90% of America/the world) struggle with. Even the healthiest of meals are detrimental if you eat too much in one sitting. Another bonus of this program is that, unlike Insanity, the workouts are short and sweet--30 minute workouts! Much easier for a graduate student to fit in!

So, I'm unbelievably excited to start this program! I'm starting tomorrow and hitting up the grocery store afterwards so I can really load up my refrigerator with tons of healthy goodies! I can't wait to report back in 21 days and let you all know my results and my opinion about this new program!

So, I've completed my first year of graduate school with relatively few physical and mental side effects. Let's face it, no one gets through unscathed. But, for everything I've done, I'm very proud of what I've managed. I feel like I've learned a number of things about myself, but also about the process. So, I though I'd share some things that I consider to be my top 10 first year suggestions and life lessons to help ease you into graduate school.

My friends and I go to lots of happy hours!

Build a good social group now, because only they will help you maintain your sanity. This was one of the first things I did when I got to graduate school. I inserted myself into as many things as I could and totally was "that girl" who was loud and made her presence known because I wanted to make friends, and I can't tell you how important those people have been to my mental health as I've struggled through some really stressful times. Make this a priority, because you will need these great people more often than not during your first year, and no doubt throughout graduate school.
Don't take your stress out on your friends. We all get stressed, and sometimes that stress turns us into crazy people unlike our usual selves. But don't take that stress out on your friends. I've done it. You feel like an ass afterward. The best advice I can give is just let your friends know that you're dealing with a lot and if you feel like you will snap at that, apologize in advance or just be honest and let them know that you're going to be kind of quiet so you don't take things out on them.
Holing yourself up when you're busy and stressed does not help anything. I naturally gravitate toward studying by myself. My feeling has always been that I am good enough at distracting myself (I'm writing this blogpost right now instead of reading articles for my next rotation), and other people can often worsen that. But, when you're really freaking out and stressed, sometimes the worst thing you can do is hide and study by yourself. Trust me. It only amplifies you're stress, because you have so much time to spend in your own head going over your to-do list. Sometimes you need those people around to take those 5 minute study breaks and just gossip or laugh at a YouTube video. Sometimes those silly stupid study breaks with friends are the best medicine.
You will fail in your rotations, but that's okay. Oh my god, this is huge! I can only really say that 1 of my 4 rotations went fantastically. My first rotation, there was unforeseen contamination issues and a delay in a shipment that literally stalled me for a week and left me twiddling my thumbs. My third rotation, I literally couldn't get anything other than a PCR to work. (And then the next rotation student came in and successfully completed in 2 weeks what I couldn't do in 8). My third rotation, I could not for the life of me get a protocol to work that had been used tons of times before in the lab. Moral of the story - things won't work! But don't worry about it. Keep trying. Keep plugging away. 90% of science is perseverance and that's something you want to show that you have to your potential mentors.

Can't tell you how often this was me this semester!
Practice really does make perfect and there really are some things you just won't feel comfortable with for a while. There are some aspects of the scientific process that just take time to get good at. Some people are naturally good at them, and other people struggle. For me, reading papers analytically is challenging. I struggled through some of my courses this semester because of it. But, I think I unofficially earned the most improved award on our paper critique exams in bacterial pathogenesis award. So, that in and of itself shows how much doing something over and over again can definitely lead to your improvement. Even with something as simple as reading a scientific paper.
Imposter syndrome is a real thing. I'm eventually going to dedicate a whole blog post to this thing. People scoff at and laugh about imposter syndrome and how it's "so dumb." But, having experienced this for the majority of my first year and having still experienced this on occasion, I can tell you first hand that it's real and true. I do still on occasion feel like I don't deserve to be in this program. My peers are so smart, so analytical, so naturally able to do some of the things that I struggle with. I've often questioned how I got into this program alongside them. You have to trust in yourself and the process. Our program director, Lori, tells us all the time - "We admitted you for a reason and we know you can do this!" You have to trust in that and that will come. But I'm telling you that this is real and you're not alone in feeling this way. You'll have to find a way to cope, but if this is how you fell know that I was right there with you and it will get so much better. More to come on this later.
Don't compare yourself to other students - older or in your class. There's a reason why I put this lesson below imposter syndrome. They're linked. I felt like an imposter because of the people around me and my perception that I didn't measure up to them. They were so intelligent and made such good points in our bacterial pathogenesis class, often things I never had thought of. I felt like the stupid one who was just comedic relief. But, you know what, I realized the last day in that class that I did have value and that I was explaining things to them that had come so easily to me. I am good at looking at oral presentations. I own techniques that I have been exposed to and can very easily apply and analyze them in the literature. I am good at the big picture. Other people don't have those skills, but are good at spotting missing controls or are more focused on details like the holes in an experimental technique. We all have different strengths and different weaknesses. So don't compare your weakness to someone else's strength.

One of my favorites!
Admitting you're struggling is never admitting weakness, but strength. See post: "The Overly Confident Rotation Student". 'Nuff said. :-) But seriously, asking for help or clarificaiton is never a bad thing. Even if you think it might be a stupid question, it is better to check just for clarification! **See post**
Plans don't often work out - so be flexible. I feel like this is generally a good life lesson, but it's never more true than in graduate school and especially in lab. Let me just say right now that you're going into science and stuff doesn't work. A lot. I can't tell you how many times I very diligently planned out my schedule trying to push things forward, only to have some unforeseen hiccup throw everything off and derail my well thought out plan. Planning is good and time management is great, but stuff is going to go wrong and you're going to have to back track, rethink, re-do. So, try your hardest not to get frustrated or deterred when that happens.
The older students in your department are the most invaluable resource you have. I don't know what else to add to this statement other than, please please please get to know the older students in your department. They're so beneficial. They've taken the classes you've taken before. They know the people in the department. I'm still rotating to find my lab when everyone else has already chosen (I'm being picky) and they have been incredible helping me to find my next rotation. Of course they tease me and always say stuff like "first year problems" or "oh you're such a baby!" but I love them despite their teasing because they're living proof that all this insanity and stress is survivable.
Seriously - enjoy the little things. The other day, a guy walked into our lab that I didn't know. I was listening to music and a song came on that I really liked. Let me preface the next part of the story by saying that nothing in lab has been working lately, so I really needed a pick me up. This song came on and I smiled, turned it up, and started dancing like an idiot at my bench. Like 7th grade dance moves. It was horribly embarrassing. And this guy walks by and goes, "Well that's looks enjoyable!" I can only imagine how embarrassed I must have looked. I was waiting on something that was thawing, so that I could repeat an experiment for the zillionth time with the billionth change I had made and that I had little faith would work. So, yes, I busted a move to a song I enjoyed for no apparent reason. It was awesome and I would do it again in a heartbeat. Embarrassment or not. So please, enjoy the little things.

It's all about attitude and motivating yourself to get what you want!
A healthy lifestyle is not a priority in graduate school. So, if you want it, you have to make it a priority. If you haven't gotten this from my blog already, I am adamantly against making the same mistakes I made in undergrad when it comes to my health and fitness. And if you don't recall, I posted previously, , about the atmosphere in academia and how health and fitness get put on the backburner. See this post where I address my experience with the attitude people have about fitness in graduate school. Even today, in my new rotation, I was asked how I keep myself motivated on my own, without someone to push you or a workout buddy to keep you accountable. I never know how to answer those questions. If you want it, you have to motivate yourself, because ultimately that commitment to yourself and your health is the only thing that will keep you on track. So if you want, work for it, and make sure it gets done.
Don't rush choosing a mentor. Take your time and choose the right place for you. I am in my fifth lab rotation. You're only required to do two. You're allowed to choose your permanent thesis lab after April 15th and 90-95% of my class did join their permanent lab. But I didn't. And you want to know why? Because I'm picky. I want to find a great mentor, with a project I'm excited about, in an environment that is supportive, enjoyable, and amenable to my getting my work done. I have found that in a couple labs, but there are extenuating circumstances to consider in those places. So, I'm still rotating. I'll find my thesis lab. It will happen, it just hasn't happened for me as easily as it did for some of my peers.
You'll never regret having a life. I have said since the moment I got into graduate school that I need to find a mentor that understands that I have a life outside of lab. It's as true today as it was last July when I started here. I have played sports, joined comedy clubs, completed fitness programs, chilled by myself reading and playing music, and maintained two completely distinct, very tight friend groups (both in and out of my department). Find something that works for you. Hell, find multiple things that work for you. Because nothing will give you longevity in your graduate career like having a distraction that you can turn to when school gets frustrating or science just isn't cooperating. Have a life outside of lab. You absolutely will not regret. But you will regret making lab and class your life when things aren't going well and your mental health is suffering. Please, if you listen to one thing I say, listen to this.
Be your own best friend. This might seem contrary to a lot of the other things in this list. But, what I'm trying to say is, nobody can fill the void of you not supporting yourself. You have to be your own biggest motivator, cheerleader, and liberator. You have to give yourself a pat on the back. You have to allow yourself to have a break. You have to keep yourself accountable and motivated. Nobody else can truly do those things for you.