Getting Back on Track

I haven’t blogged for nearly a month, and today I thought I’d better get back to it because I need to organize my thoughts about life and fitness.

Dental school is pretty much done.  Whew!  I have completed all the credits I need, passed my licensing exams, and presumably passed all of my finals (because I haven’t heard otherwise).  I’m seeing one last patient Thursday morning and I need to clean out my cubicle at school (doing that this afternoon) and then I should be completely finished.  Honestly, I thought I’d feel more relieved, but I think until I officially get a piece of paper in my hands saying that I’m done my DMD, I still feel like school is incomplete.

I’ve also been proceeding with the purchase of a dental practice, which is, well, stressful, because a) I feel like I don’t know what I’m doing, b) I will be taking on a whole pile of debt, and c) I am a naturally anxious person who overthinks everything.  Met with the bank yesterday to see about borrowing a boatload of money, have been corresponding regularly with lawyers and my accountant, and have an appraisal of the practice I’m buying set up for Thursday evening (though I don’t have to be there).  Everything is supposed to be sorted out for June 1st – financing in place, appraisal done, etc. – and then the purchase is supposed to go through on June 15th, once I get my license on June 8th.

We last went to Disney World in 2009. My baby girl is a whole lot bigger now!

I have a few other things on the go, too.  I’m helping plan our graduation banquet, which is June 7th, following our convocation ceremony in the afternoon.  In addition, my family is going to Orlando for 12 days soon and so I’m planning, packing, shopping, and getting everything organized for that.  It’s going to be so much fun, and I’m having a blast with the planning.  We’re going to carry on our bags on the way there because we only have an hour layover in Minneapolis, in which we have to clear customs and get to our next flight, so I’m having to be fairly choosy in what I’m packing for myself and my kids.  (I don’t let my husband pack the kids’ stuff if I can avoid it, because he invariably leaves behind key pieces of clothing and the kids end up with 10 t-shirts, 2 pairs of shorts, no socks or underwear, and no bathing suits for the trip, and the clothes he packs usually don’t match each other.)

I’ve also started working out regularly again.  I’m not running right now, because my physiotherapist said not to, so I’ve been doing DVDs, stationary biking, and lifting weights in my basement.  I’ve been rotating between Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred, Bob Harper’s Cardio Conditioning, and Jackie Warner’s Xtreme Timesaver Training.  I like them all, and really enjoy not having to think while I’m working out.  I totally miss having a personal trainer, though, and will have to get on finding one soon.

My eating has been much improved, although we have been eating out a lot lately, so that’s not so good.  I haven’t got back to meal planning yet, and with all the activities the kids are in right now (both in soccer, son in hockey and golf, too), planning ahead is really a necessity.  It’s only a few days until vacation, though, so I won’t do any formal meal planning until we get back.

I’m off to workout, then I have an appointment with my PT and an appointment at the spa for a body scrub.  I’ve also got a pedicure and a spray tan booked for tomorrow (I’m totally pasty and wanted to try out the whole spray tan experience).  So, while there are a thousand things on my to-do list, I am taking time for myself.

Dental School is Ongoing (I Don’t Want to Jinx Anything)

Finals are done.  I am assuming I passed them all, because I haven’t heard otherwise.  Our college has a pass/fail system and doesn’t generally give us our grades, which I find totally annoying, so we often don’t get any feedback unless there’s a problem.  And then the feedback is often not even CLOSE to being timely.  Ah, the joys.

As for the big licensing exams I wrote back at the beginning of March, I found out that I passed:

Again, no scores were released, but I definitely will NOT have to be rewriting the darn thing.  When I got the e-mail and logged in to get my results, I was so excited that I literally jumped up and down.  More than once, actually.  I’m not sure I’m actually a grown up.

While I’m done the didactic component of dental school, I’m still working on some of my clinical work.  It seems like it’s never going to end, though I should be done everything in the next two weeks.  I’m not looking forward too much because I don’t want to jinx it.  Again, as I write about “jinxing” things, I’m not sure I’m actually a grown up.

I’m going back to my physiotherapist tomorrow to start rehabbing my left IT band in earnest. I started running again a few weeks ago (more walking than running, because I am mostly UNfit right now), but my left hip and knee definitely were worse for wear after I started running, so I figured I’d better leave it until after meeting with my PT.  I am really looking forward to getting some miles under my soles, but I also really don’t want to make my injury any worse than it is.  My left hip and IT band have definitely been bothering me for the past few months, even when I haven’t been running, so I’m pretty sure I’ve got some muscular imbalances that I need to deal with – it’s not just about running anymore.

As for good news, I’ve started focusing on my eating this week.  I have:

• started food journaling
• increased my intake of veggies and fruits
• cut back on eating out
• been making better choices when I have eaten out
• decreased my portion sizes
• started limiting my treats

The scale has started to move downward, which is good, because I looked back at my fitness log from last summer, and I gained over 10 pounds since the start of the school year at end of August last year.  Definitely not good.

I am absolutely knackered, so I’ve gotta sign off and go to bed.  Did I mention I seem to be waking up every morning between 5 and 5:30am for some reason and can’t got back to sleep because I’m feeling stressed out?  You’d think the stress would have ended after exams, but not so much.  I’ve been worried about finishing my clinical requirements.  Oh, and did I mention I’m in the process of buying a dental clinic?  Because, you know, I guess I didn’t want the stress to end – ha!  Anyway, can’t get into details yet, but holy smokes, I do feel like I’ve got a lot of stuff on my plate.  Still, it’s less stressful than it was back in February, so that’s something.

What do you do when you can’t sleep but don’t want to get up yet?

Finals…Again

I’ve got 4 finals this week, and then 2 the week after.  Once my exams are done, I’ve got to finish up some clinical work (dentures, root canal, some fillings) and then I should be done school (fingers crossed that all my patients show up for their appointments and that everything goes smoothly).  I expect to be finishing things off around the end of April, but you never know what can happen…

As far as workouts go, this past week went pretty well, except I missed my run this weekend due to a variety of schedule changes…and due to the fact that I should have been doing more studying for finals than I was actually doing. Oops!  I didn’t quite meet my goals for the week, so I won’t be booking that mani-pedi yet, but I feel good that I did workout as much as I did.

This week coming up, here’s the plan:

Monday – minimum 30 min walk/run (if my schedule works out, I’ll do the 60 minute workout I missed this weekend, so 10 x 4 min walking/2 min running; if I can’t find an hour, I’ll fit in 5 x 4 min walking/2 min running)

Tuesday – 30 minutes yoga

Wednesday – 30 minutes walking/running (5 x 4 min walking/2 min running)

Thursday – off

Friday – 30 minutes walking/running (5 x 4 min walking/2 min running)

Saturday – 30 minutes yoga

Sunday – 60 minutes walking/running (10 x 4 min walking/2 min running)

If I hit my target, I’m buying myself a new pair of Toms – probably these red ones, which I have been coveting for awhile.

What’s your go-to brand for cute-but-comfortable shoes that you can spend the day walking around in?

Goals for the Week

The rest of my week did not go as well as the first half.  Got another yoga sesh in, but no running.  Sure I was busy with school and family stuff, but really it was a matter of priorities, and apparently my priorities were family, husband, and sleep.  I got so much sleep this past week, it’s almost embarrassing.  More than one 11-hour night.  One night, I fell asleep on the couch at 7:30pm, hauled myself upstairs to my bed around 10pm, and woke up for about an hour at 5:45pm before I went back to bed until 8:00am.  Seriously, who am I?

I definitely had time to get workouts in, though not all of them at the times I originally had them scheduled in for.  Why didn’t they happen?  Lack of motivation and lack of prioritization.  That’s about it.

I’ll be studying for finals this week, but the kids’ hockey is done, so I should absolutely have no reason not to get some good workouts in, since right now, I’m keeping the workouts pretty short and simple.  Here’s my plan:

Monday – 30 min yoga

Tuesday – 30 min walk/run (4/1 x 6)

Wednesday – 30 min yoga

Thursday – 30 min walk/run (4/1 x 6)

Friday – off

Saturday – 60 min walk/run (4/2 x 10)

Sunday – 30 min yoga

If I hit all of my goals, I’m rewarding myself by using a gift certificate I have for a mani/pedi.

Workout Update

I have, so far this week, actually worked out according to plan - except for Tuesday, when I fell asleep at 8:30pm instead of doing some yoga.  I was going to make up for it last night, but feel asleep around 9pm.  Clearly I’m in need of sleep.

My daughter insisted on coming with me for my walk/run on Monday.  I was hesitant to take her with me because a) I like to work out alone, b) she talks a LOT, c) I wasn’t sure she’s be able to keep up, and d) the weather was sort of miserable.  Despite my misgivings, I took her along, because she’s really happy to be seeing me more and was so sad that I would leave her behind.  We solved the speed issue by having her ride her bike, and I told her I wouldn’t be talking much (although I seemed to answer a lot of questions during our time together). The weather got worse while we were out.  We went from overcast conditions with occasional spitting rain to full-on freezing rain, with a little lightning and thunder around here.  We made it home safely, but it was super-icy by the time we were close to home.  I nearly racked out a couple of time, and my daughter DID bite it once on the sidewalk about 1/2 a block from home.  She walked her bike home the rest of the way.  Shortly afterward, it started snowing.  That goodness we were home by then!

Tonight, it’ll be a bit of a scramble to fit in a walk/run.  I’ve got a student council event and I expect to be at school a little late because I’m finishing a root canal on a patient, so sometime between school and the event, I’ve got to find time to get outside.  First step: find out what time the event is at – haha!

My eating is still not as healthy as it was a year ago.  Funny that once you’re making poor food choices, it’s a hard habit to break, even though I KNOW that I feel better when I’m eating more healthfully and know exactly what I should be eating in a day.  I’ll be tackling my eating habits soon.

 

The Light at the End of the Tunnel

Dental school is not done yet, but I do see a faint light at the end of the tunnel.  I still have lots of clinical work left to do and will be at school after finals finishing said clinical work, but at least things should be over with in a couple of months.  And that’s all I have to say about that. (Name that movie!)

With my school workload easing up and a whole lot less stress affecting me, I’m starting to turn back into myself.  I didn’t fully realize how stressed out I was and how just plain negative I was being until about a week after boards, when I found myself smiling and dancing around to a song I had in my head.  I didn’t realize that I had forgotten what it was like to be in a good mood.

Since then, I’ve been listening to my favourite songs more on my iPod; hugging, kissing, cuddling, and playing with my kids more; generally being nicer to my husband and remembering to hug and kiss him, too (and grab his butt every once in awhile *wink*); calling my family and talking about things other than how miserable school is; fitting in yoga; and doing household chores without dread. (It’s a bad sign when the idea of having to put a dish in the dishwasher overwhelms you because you are just so. stressed. out.)  Yesterday, not only did I make cupcakes with my daughter (with green, mint icing for St. Patrick’s day, natch), see a movie with my husband (21 Jump Street – super funny), but I also went for a walk/run for the first time in a long time.  It was fantastic.  The sun was shining, and 15 minutes into my workout, I decided to turn around so I could loop by my house and drop off the shell and midlayer I was wearing because it was so nice and warm.  There was a whole lot more walking than running (4 min walking/1 min running x 12), and I’m really okay with that.  My left IT band feels tight today and my left knee has just a hint of soreness, but I know that if I ease into this, continue with yoga, start seeing my physio and doing my exercises again, and start strength training that I will get this IT band thing under control.  I plan to do some 5k’s this year and maybe a couple of 10k’s (no details yet), but until I get stronger, I’m making myself hold off on racing any longer distances.

Speaking of future plans, we’ve also booked a post-dental school vacation (using travel reward points we racked up while I was in dental school – haha!) and will be visiting “the happiest place on earth.”  That’s right – we’re going to Disney World!  And also Universal Orlando, where of course we will be checking out the Wizarding World of Harry Potter!!!!! It’s going to be so much fun.  My son, who’s nearly 8, has become a Harry Potter fan over the past year, so he’s very excited and wants to get a wand at Ollivander’s.  I want to try out the butterbeer…

We’re starting out a Universal, and will be staying at one of the onsite hotels for a few days before we head over to the Polynesian Resort at Disney World.  Let me just say that I am a total sucker for Disney and wanted easy access to the Magic Kingdom, which is my favourite of the parks and will hold the most interest for my kids, who will be 6 and 8 when we visit.  Thus, we made the decision to stay the Polynesian Resort, which is on the monorail line.  Only one stop away from the Magic Kingdom!  I’ve planned several character meals, because the kids really enjoy interacting with the Disney characters and who wants to line up for hours in the park to do that?  I would much rather be on a ride than be waiting in line.

Our last visit to WDW, 3 years ago

Being that I’m sort of hardcore about vacation planning, I’ve also scheduled pirate makeovers for all four of us at The Pirates League and that night, we’ll be heading out on a Pirates and Pals Fireworks Voyage.  On our last Friday at WDW, Star Wars Weekend will be taking over Hollywood Studios.  I wasn’t sure we would want to brave the crowds, but in addition to becoming a Harry Potter fan, my son has also become a Star Wars fan (and Indiana Jones fan – that’s my boy!), so we’ve decided that we’ll go ahead and check out the action.  Did I mention that my husband and I are also into Star Wars? Yeah, I might turn into a kid myself that day.  Oh, and I’m also considering matching family T-shirts for the trip.  (Why, yes, I am a big nerd!)

Once we’ve hit the theme parks, we’ll be spending a few days relaxing at the nearby Hyatt, which apparently has an amazing pool area but is way more affordable than the Disney hotels.  I love Disney and love the convenience of staying on-resort when we’re visiting the parks, but I don’t mind saving a little cash (or, in this case, reward points) either.

Goals for the Week

Today: yoga

Tomorrow: 30 min walk/run

Tuesday: yoga

Wednesday: off

Thursday: 30 min walk/run

Friday: yoga

Saturday: 60 min walk/run

Sunday: yoga

 

 

 

 

Done the Big Exam

I am done my board exam, which was a 2-day dental licensing exam.  Honestly, I think it went okay, but I can’t really say for sure until I get my mark back in April.  Until then, I’m just trying not to think about it

Since Sunday, I haven’t done any studying, though I did have a presentation to prepare and have barely been home, what with meetings I’ve had and patients I’ve had to follow up with.  Tonight, I’ve got another school event, and tomorrow night I’m attending a perogie supper fundraiser for the cousin of one of my classmates, which I’m really looking forward to, because who doesn’t like perogies?  And the young woman organizing the fundraiser – my classmate’s cousin – sounds amazing, and is raising money for a boys’ school in a community in Kenya (a girls’ school opened last year, but the boys didn’t have anywhere to go to continue their education).  So, though I talked about fitting in some workouts this week and even laid out a rough schedule to fit it in, it hasn’t happened.  My schedule sort of blew up, and I’ve been running around this week, trying to stay on top of non-fitness things.  That being said, I am going to commit to doing yoga tonight, yoga Saturday morning, and yoga Sunday evening.  That seems pretty manageable to me, and then on Sunday, I can make a plan for next week that will include a little running.

 

One of Two

Did I mention my big exam this weekend was a 2-day deal?  Today was a 2-part exam: 150 multiple choice questions in the morning, and another 150 questions in the afternoon.  Tomorrow will also be a 2-parter, but instead of being a test of my didactic knowledge, it’s a series of stations that (in theory) assesses my clinical knowledge through radiographs, pictures, models, etc. We get 5 minutes at each station and rotate through them all.  Sounds like fun, yeah?

Anyway, who knew that 4 years of dentistry could all be summed up in 2 days?  Well, maybe not so much.

Today’s exam went okay.  I feel a lot let stressed out already.  There are just a few things I plan to review for tomorrow’s exam, but since it’s practical, there’s not much to look at.  Instead, I’m taking it easy and watching some T.V. while I look over a few things.

Workouts haven’t been happening these days.  Guess that’ll start next week!  School will still be busy, but since the studying will be much reduced, I can take time to fit in some exercise without feeling guilty for neglecting studying, my family, and everything else.  It’s going to be great to be done.

A Week Out

I am a week away from the biggest exam of my life and I’m having trouble staying focused.  I am totally burned-out and stressed out and am not really retaining anything anymore.  Of course it’s not really like I’m learning new material at this point, since most of the important stuff we obviously learned in school.  But there are a few subjects where, frankly, we have not been well-prepared and I am really learning a lot of it on my own, and there are also a few things that, geez, I don’t think about every day but still need to know off the top of my head for the exam so I’ll be cramming those bits into my brain this upcoming week.  In real life, I’ll be looking it up, and I’m not sure why they don’t consider that in exams, but they don’t.

I’m also trying (and failing) to keep perspective, because really, even though I’m stressed to the max right now, my life could be so much worse than it is.  In fact, the rest of my life (outside of school) is pretty darn good.

In any case, I’m basically just whining right now because, well, sometimes you just need to.  I’m also trying to keep my mind off the stressful stuff so that I can be a little more productive and actually process the information I’m reviewing.  So far, it’s not going well.  I should probably go back to doing yoga daily over the next week.

Now that I’ve whined to you, feel free to share your “I survived” stories.  I’m in need of a little perspective…

UPDATE: Just in case you need a little more positivity in your life (like I do), here are links to a few posts that are less whiney, more inspirey:

Live Like the Honey Badger: Principle 5 from Racing with Babes

Inside the mind from IronMomma

Prepare Your Mind First from SUAR

On Motivating: Countdown Post-Its from Tenaciously Yours

Stronger. from Run Faster Mommy

I was wrong. Last year sucked. And I’m done. from Tricia Minnick

Feeling Blurry

I know it’s been a while since I’ve posted.  The past few weeks have basically been a blur of studying and clinical work at school as I try to finish my requirements and graduate.  I am super stressed and exercise is not happening these days.  Heck, showers and eating are barely happening these days. 

I’m about 2 1/2 weeks away from my licensing exams, which are a 2-day event the weekend of March 3rd and 4th.  I’m hoping that after that my schedule will open up somewhat, my stress will be much reduced, and I’ll get back to regular workouts.

Until then you are unlikely to hear from me.  Wish me luck!