Week one.

Woah, a new post already? It's as if I'm serious about this whole blog thing or something... & at possibly the busiest time in my life. 

Go figure.

Let's do a recap of the past week, shall we>

First off, here is my schedule:

Mon: Patho 3:30-4:50pm

Tues/Thurs: Pharm 8am-9:30am

Nurs 270 11am-12:20pm

Nurs 252 12:30pm-1:50pm

Nurs 272 2pm-3:20pm 

Wed: Nurs 270 LAB 10am-12pm

Patho 3:30-4:50pm

Fri: Nurs 252 LAB 8am-11am

So since my last post I have officially had all of my classes. Let me just say... second year is no joke. This semester is going to be I.N.T.E.N.S.E! I'm pretty sure all of my profs joked about our workload at one point or another.

Wednesday started off GREAT! I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE my lab instructor. She is everything I would ever ask for in a lab instructor if I had the ability to send in all of my lab instructor requests. She is the epitome of what a teacher should be, IMO.

She is all about making our experience the best it can possibly be & was very clear is saying that she is there to help us learn & wants us all to succeed. Typing this out, it seems silly that this wouldn't be the norm for all teachers. But sadly it is not. LUCKILY, she is not my only fantastic instructor this year. I am feeling very fortunate. :) I actually enjoy ALL but my Nurs 252 instructor. Anywho. Lab was fun. We did some crutch walking & a review of documentation. Nothing too exciting, but I still loved it. The next class was the one I had previously been SOO excited to have switched! Turns out, that wasn't the best idea. I went to the earlier class & it was full at capacity. Which would be fine, but the same teacher teaches the very next class which is 3 buildings over. So she would never have time for questions after that class. Plus, she told us right at the beginning that the later class only had 16 people in it! SIXTEEN! So I promptly switched back into my original class the next morning. (Which I had today & boy am I glad I made the switch!!!) 

Thursday was the same as Tuesday. I can't remember anything special that happened except for getting heap tons more readings for homework with no end is sight.

Fridays I only go in for a 3 hour morning lab. 

I absolutely love this instructor. She has such a fun sense about her. I feel like she will be a big part of my success this year in Health Assessment. We have a LOT to cover in 10 lab sessions & at the end we will be doing head to toe assessments on "actor" patients. 0_O This makes me incredibly nervous. But at the same time I truly believe this instructor will make all the difference. Plus, with 3 hours, we will have plenty of practice time if we use it well. For the first lab we reviewed vital signs & I am SOO much more confident in taking blood pressures now than I was at the end of last year. I have found my rhythm... & it sounds an awful lot like a heartbeat. ;) Heh. I LOVE cardio!!!! <3>

That brings us to today! The only class I have is Patho on Mondays, but I decided I would make use of my mornings & just go to school at the same time as the other days to get caught up on readings & assignments. The class was nice & small. I found it so much easier to concentrate. PLUS, I had questions about review questions she had assigned & was actually able to ASK her about them.. since she wasn't running to get to another class! :) 

That's all for now. 

I have a pile of books calling my name.

Time to go get lost in them.

& because pictures always make everything more fun... 

This is the view I had from my campsite this summer on the coast. *sigh*

First day of Second Year..

I'm officially a second year nursing student... & boy does it feel good. Today was the first day back & although exhausting, it went quite well.

My pile o books for this year.... o_o

Breakdown.

I started my day at 8am with Pharm. I was pretty nervous going into this one because I had heard quite a few bad reviews on the prof, but I really liked her. Today anyway, we'll see how she is further down the road. I tend to take reviews of all kinds with a grain of salt. To each their own & all that. I am VERY excited about this class. It seems like it will be tough, but hella interesting. 

Pharm ended at 9:30 at which point I went up to the Nursing office to try and get a class switched. Which was successful & I am THRILLED!!!! I originally had Patho on Mon/Wed from 3:30-5pm. Which was horrible since it was my ONLY class on Mondays & 5pm puts me right into the thick of rush hour traffic. Talk about a sucky trip into the city for one class! Anywoo, I got it changed to the class right before, so I now have Patho 2-3:30. MUCH BETTER! :D & I got the last spot! So I am glad I was on top of things & didn't leave it.

The next class I had started at 11am & was NURS 270 - Nursing Care Across the Lifespan. This was very reminiscent of NURS 170 from last year. I think it will be an ok class. I'm having a hard time remembering the prof, tbh. I don't know how that's possible since it was only hours ago.... but I just can't seem to picture her AT ALL! It's very strange. I guess I was just overwhelmed with the excitement of  a new year & all the new classes. Anyway, I'm excited about the LAB component for this class most of all!  We get to learn IM injections, surgical dressings, IVs, foley caths!!!! FUN FUN FUN!!! I am going to make a special effort on Thursday to really look at the prof. Goals: I'm setting them high! /end 12:25.

Next class was NURS 252 - Health Assessment Across the ......zzzzzzzz.... Lifespan.
 -_-  

It starts at 12:30 & goes until 1:50. I'm proud to say I stayed awake. I honestly like the prof. I do. She is sweet & has a twisted sense of humour, which I both appreciate & can relate to. She just has the most monotone voice & talked right off of her slides, which drives me nuts. It sucks because the info we will be learning in this class seems awesome & the LAB seems scary as hell (they are having "actor" patients come in for us to give head to toe assessments for 30% of our final mark O_o). Point being, I NEED to learn this stuff, & know it well. It's something I will be taking into the real world of clinicals when I am faced with patient after patient, each of which will need full assessments done on them. I'm hoping this class will get better... it was just the first day after all. These are just my first impressions here... SOoo I have two classes in the same room back to back...  3 hours in one room, after the first hour & a half with this prof I thought there is NO WAY I am going to make it through this day week after week, TWICE a week! BUT THEN....

I was hit with a gust of fresh air. My last class is NURS 272 - Mental Health Nursing. I was indifferent about this class. I dealt with depression for a long time with someone very close to me & it is not an area I'm interested in working. But the prof for this class is so refreshing. I loved her from the moment she walked in the room. I WOKE UP! I now know that I will be able to make it through 252 to get to the good stuff in 272. I honestly believe she could change my mind about working in mental health. But let's not get ahead of ourselves... Her teaching style is right up my alley & her assignments seem like they will be really enjoyable. 

So that was my first day. I must say, having 3 NURS classes back to back all in a row is not ideal. I would def make changes to that if I had any scheduling  authority. It's draining & today was just intros to everything. But it is what it is & I shall make the best of it. 

Well, I best get started on some readings. I've got about 34859724865 10 chapters to read for Thursday. :) 

WELCOME BACK TO SCHOOL TO ALL THOSE WHO HAD THEIR FIRST DAY TODAY!  :D

Summertime...

...sure does fly by! Seriously. Where did all that time go? I did indeed enjoy every last moment of this summer & I am forever grateful for the time off from school. My mind is officially cleared & I am ready to jam pack it with endless info once again!

Turns out updating this blog was not at the top of my priority list this summer. But I think a big reason for that was my laptop breaking down beyond repair. RIP Toshiba. I do fully intend to update at the minimum WEEKLY once school starts. I really want to have something to look back on... speaking of...

 

School starts back up in 9 days.

 

My last day at the job I have worked for the past 9 years, is in 3 days.

 

I am buying a new laptop in 2 days.

 

The remainder of my textbooks in 3 days.

 

Also to be done before school starts....

 

Buying school supplies. Purging closet of unwanted clothes. Painting bathroom. Learning ins&outs of new laptop. Getting damage on car fixed. Oil change. Wash backpack. Endo appointment. Dentist appointment.... gosh, writing it all out is making me realize just how much there still is to do! Eeeep!

 

In other news... today being my Sunday weigh in day. (although I haven't weighed in for the past 3 weeks prior to today, since, you know.. it was summer & I was away frolicking in the ocean & such.) I am thrilled to report that I actually LOST weight this summer! What a happy surprise it was to step on the scale this morning & see a drop! I lost 2.6 lbs. since my last weigh in. For a grand total of 11lbs down! I am ready to get this school year started on the right foot. I have big dreams of meal planning, packing lunches before bed & nightly workouts. I hope that I can stick to it.

 

 

 

I'm FREEEEE

I'M OFFICIALLY DONE MY FIRST YEAR OF NURSING SCHOOL!!!! WOOOO!!!

Just 3 more to go.

I wrote a final for my spring class (Physio II) on Monday.

It feels sort of odd to be free from studying. I still feel the pang of guilt when I am enjoying myself thinking I should be doing something else more important... but I'm sure that shall pass!


I am going to enjoy the everloving fuck out of these next 2 months before I go back to school consuming my every minute.

I plan to read the mountains of books I have stacked in my room. Leisure reading. COME TO ME!!!

I also plan to do a lot of movie watching.

Most of all, getting fit! I finally tried out my yoga DVD & it has been kicking my ass ever since. I shall post more on that soon! Ya know. Since I have all this free time for blogging now! :)



Oh Summer, how I love thee.

Ups & Downs

A quick little update.


I gained 1 lb. last week, but on the flip side I'm down a size!!!  I definitely take that as a good sign.


Since Sunday I haven't done much in terms of workouts though. I did a 5k on Sunday, then a little stroll on Tuesday... I need to get back into it. My bigger sized pants are packed up into a box for good will, so there's no going back!


I wrote my second midterm for my spring class yesterday & I write my final on the 25th. Once that class over I will be updating more regularly!


Happy Thursday!

Nursing school - Where to begin???

heh

Oh boy.


I feel as though it was FOREVER ago that I walked into my first class on that first day of school, back on that fateful day in September, not knowing a single person, when in actuality it was just 9 little months ago. I guess 9 months is an entire pregnancy & could be seen as a long time..


This looking back task feels daunting.. SOO much happened. I feel like I am new person from the one who walked into the school with my coffee mug filled to the brim, eager to learn, excited for the change I was making in my life. Gosh, I'm excited just thinking about making that leap, so very happy that I made it & I am a happier person today because of it. :) The eager to learn & excitement for change are still the same, I've just grow a great deal over the past 9 months & feel more complacent with life than ever before. I know this is where I am meant to be. Everything just feels so right. :)


I posted my schedule in a previous post but I didn't actually end up taking ASL 111, as it says. The class filled up fast & a spot never opened up :( I did attend the class up until the drop date, so as not to miss anything had a spot opened up.. but one never did ... I'm thinking now, it was probably for the best... & I have every intention of learning sign language in the future. So it was no loss, really.


Anyhow, I don't know how to lay out these posts... should I recap each class individually? Or all together, in chunks of time? I don't know, I don't know... I guess a good place to start is the prereque's I had to get done before classes even started? Well.. I guess there was only the security check I had to get before classes started in September, there was a lot more to do before clinicals in January. So that is not a good place to start, because what more is there to say about getting a security clearance? I got it. I'm not a criminal. Yay!!


Any ideas? Suggestions?


I'm thinking I will do it class by class. :)

Daily Eats - Monday June 4

staple food item

More often than not I start my morning off with organic yogurt & breakfast boost with the addition of whatever fruit (frozen or fresh) we happen to have at the time, especially on work days when I have to be up at 3:45 & to work by 5am... This morning there was a fruit salad in the fridge, so I just added a couple big scoops of that to my yogurt.

Mmmm

I woke a little late this morning, so I didn't have time to stop for my morning coffee. It was not good... especially after only getting 4 hours of sleep. Zzzzz. So when the coffee truck came by my work I was all over it. I got a coffee with hazelnut creamer & a puffed wheat square.

no regrets

This is one of my busier days, I have to skip my lunch at work so I can leave early & go straight to class (I'm taking Physio II... more on school coming soon!!) Anyway, I ate my lunch at my desk. It was homemade linguine pasta & curry sauce from a fellow my mom knows....

i added in some fresh garden peas straight from their shell

My at school snack... I stopped for a Himalayan Mist London fog on my way :)

grapes & red peppers #itswhatwasinthefridge

I wasn't feeling good when I got home & I hadn't really had any protein all day, except for what's in the yogurt & breakfast boost... so I decided on something simple & protein packed: breakfast for dinner. (which is my favorite meal of the day... breakfast that is... I could eat it for every meal.)

eggs on whole grain toast, chocolate almond milk(unsweetened) & a bowl o watermelon

The end.

Run #11 - C25K Update

I went for it! I started Week 2! & boy did it ever kick my ass! Woooweee! This is what Week 2 consists of: 5 min warm up; 3X - run 45sec, walk 60sec, run 60sec, walk 90sec, run 90sec, walk 2min; 5 min cool down.

I wasn't able to complete all of the run intervals especially towards the end, I had quite a lot of pain  in my shins... but it was a beautiful day & the sun was shining & I did it to the best of my ability... :) I wasn't able to do all the run intervals when I started Week 1 either. ;)

#ilovethispath

look at that blue sky

The geese were out with their new babies...

see them off to the left?

Here's a closer look...

cutest little fur balls

Here are my stats for the run:

June 3 - Week 2 Day 1 - 33:28 - 2.87km - 287cal - run pace 8:34/km - walk pace 13:01/km
My run pace was skewed by my walking of the last run interval.

I'm going to start referring to it as Month 2, since I will most likely be doing Week 2 for the month of June before I move up again...

After my run, I went over to my friend's place & we got delicious London Fog's (mine was called Himalayan Mist) to drink on her patio.

so yommmy

It was a really nice way to start off my Sunday before having to go into work at 1, where I had a most delicious lunch!

 

My next run will be tomorrow with A! It is supposed to be a rainy day with a high of 24! I love a good run in the rain!

The weigh it is...

Since I hit my highest weight ever at the end of last year, I have been weighing in every Sunday in hopes to see that number go down. So far, it hasn't exceeded that dreaded number or gone back there, but the speed at which it is coming off is definitely at a turtles crawl, with many naps along the way. Seriously. I will have an amazing week, then gain it all back plus some the next, it's really driving me bonkers. What I KNOW works, is keeping track of what I'm eating. I've got the being active portion covered. ;) I just know I could be losing faster if I was more accountable for what/how much I'm eating. It's truly a fight against my subconscious. When I'm in pretty well ANY mood fluctuation; happy, sad, angry, worried, tired, stressed, elated, bored... (enter every & all moods) I turn to food. It's been that way for so long, it's definitely proving to be the hardest of habits to change. It is as hard as a smoker trying to quit smoking or an alcoholic trying to stop drinking... the biggest glaring difference being I can't cut food from my life! Food is one of life's basic necessities. It will always be there. For the most part I eat healthily. I like raw, organic foods in my diet most of all. My biggest problem is quantity... and ice cream & chocolate SOO after weighing in this morning, after my morning pee, in my birthday suit & seeing that number drop for the second week in a row, by 0.6lbs... HEY, that 1.4 total! I'll take it! But I know I can do better. I'm ready to tackle this food addiction once & for all! I mean business. I have been working out all of May, nearly everyday, minus a rest day here & there. Point being, I've formed a habit, that I, nor my body, want to quit! I'm loving my new post workout glows. With the sweat dripping down my brow...

post cross train

I want to make myself accountable for what is going in my mouth in the same way I plan my workouts for the week & follow through with them!


So far I am still down from my highest weight. But I've got a LOONGGG ways to go.... over 100 pounds long. I'm not at a point where setting goals really drives me, it's not even about the number really, I'm mostly looking to feel better about myself and to be healthier all around. which requires some pound sheddage I'm thinking I will post what I've eaten on here, not everyday, that would just get crazy, but a couple days a week. To keep myself accountable, as well as posting my weekly weigh in's. So as of now my total weight down = -8.2lbs. Hopefully next week I'm faced with a smaller number.


Happy Sunday! =)

Cool winnings

Last weekend I was at my little cousins dance recital. They were having a silent auction in support of the dancers & I bid on a bag of lululemon goodies among other things. Anyway, I WON said bag! I ended up getting a pretty sweet deal on it, too! So, what did I win?

the goods

A water bottle, a yoga mat & a yoga bag! I've been using the bottle in replace of my coffee mug that I had been using... but I think it holds less water, which I don't like. But it's made of glass, which I DO like. So everything cancels everything else out & I am fully enjoying it! :) As for the mat & bag.. Well I have yet to use them, but look what came in the mail on Friday!!!

the mat shall be going to good use VERY soon

Once I start going to actual yoga classes outside of my home ie: once I am comfortable then the bag will come in real handy. It is actually quit a versatile lil thing, so I may even use it sooner than that.

Run #10 - C25K Update

It's funny how at the start of every run I begin to psych myself out about not being able to do it and then before I know it, the little voice coming out of my phone is saying "run complete". It is still a struggle. It's getting better though. This last run of May was by far the best one yet. Third time in a row I was able to run to completion all of the intervals! Felt AMAZING!
Stats:

May 30 - Week 1 Day 3 - 26:29 - 2.48km - 231cal - run pace 8:02/km - walk pace 12:14/km

The goal from here on out is to try to go on to Week 2 now that we've moved onto a new month. I feel a little scared & afraid I won't be able to do it, but there's only one way to find out & hey, maybe I'll surprise myself. So tomorrow morning, that is the plan. I'm heading out into the dewy outdoors to concur Week 2 Day 1!

Run # 9 - C25K Update

Although Saturday was a tough day all around... I decided to go for a run instead of turning to food.... PROGRESS!  Baby steps. It was an amazing run. I felt strong & finished each interval with a few extra steps.

Here are my stats:

May 26 - Week 1 Day 2 - 26:54 - 2.42km - 225cal - run pace 8:09/km - walk pace 12:33/km



The last two days I didn't get any exercise in & I am definitely feeling sluggish for it. Tonight I will either run or cross train.

today sucked

C25K Update

Hello friend

I wanted to do a summary of how many days/what days I've done so far for the C25K, ya know, to keep a record of my progress...

Week 1: (all 3 days are the same) Starts with a 5 minute warmup, then the following intervals X3 - Run 30 sec, walk 45sec, run 45sec, walk 60sec, run 60sec, walk 90sec - then a 5 minute cool down.

May 2 - Week 1 Day 1 - 27:12 - 2.37km - 228cal - run pace 8:21/km - walk pace 12:41/km
May 6 - Week 1 Day 2 - 24:56 - 2.07km - 218cal - run pace 9:39/km - walk pace 12:58/km
May 8 - Week 1 Day 3 - 26:03 - 2.12km - 218cal - run pace 9:30/km - walk pace 13:33/km
May 10 - Week 1 Day 1 - 31:47 - 2.06km - 293cal - run pace 8:59/km - walk pace 13:10/km
May 14 - Week 1 Day 2 - 29:10 - 2.62km - 256cal - run pace 8:35/km - Walk pace 12:29/km

So at this point I bought some new shoes because I was getting shin splints & thought some new shoes were in order....

Nike Zoom's, you're pretty

May 16 - Week 1 Day 3 - 10:56 - 0.91km - ???cal - run pace 11:12/km - walk pace 12:22/km <-- yea, so, the new shoes were NOT so good. Pretty, but caused all sorts of new pain & my back hurt for the first time since I started running. #newshoefail

May 21 - Week 1 Day 3 (let's try this again!!) I just used my old New Balance shoes that I had been using for this run.. & it was my best run YET! I was able to complete all of the intervals without stopping/slowing down once! SUCCESS! : ) 21:47 - 1.91km - 218cal - run pace 8:34/km - walk pace 12:44/km
May 23 - Week 1 Day 1 - 26:30 - 2.43km - 230cal - run pace 8:16/km - walk pace 12:17/km - another sucessful day! No stopping during the run intervals!! & it was raining out! Such a refreshing run. My friend also invited me to stay for supper after we ran & made a most delicious santa fe salad...

*drooool*

My phone died a couple of the days, so some of them have skewed numbers.. May 21, for example. but oh well, I'll try to be more mindfull of battery power before I leave the house from now on. ;)

So there you have it! I'm going to go either today or tomorrow & if I am able to complete the runs without stopping for a third time in a row, I'll start next monday off with Week 2!!! Woo! Progress! I'll also start posting an update after each run.

I can't wait to sign up for my first 5k! Running is definitely addicting.

I think my determination is starting to kick in.

The body's natural feel good chemicals

WTF???

Endorphins!!! Oh how I love thee.
I have always had a mad love for being active and getting a good sweat on. I have a vast past of being physically active while at the same time, being overweight. Bad genes? Low metabolism? Blame what you will.. it's a battle I've faced for as far back as I can remember. Actually, my first memory of realizing I was heavier than was the norm was at the age of 12 when I joined weight watchers with my mom. I was 160lbs. 12 years old & 5'1''. I will never forget that. I mean, I definitely knew I was bigger, I was a dancer from the time I was 5 & I could never try on the 'model' costume for fittings, they would just measure me. It never got in my way though. I still danced my little heart out & it was never debilitating, my body doesn't have a fave spot to hold onto fat, like thighs or stomach, it doesn't discriminate, just evenly distributes fat throughout. Anyhow, I quit dance when I was 12. I guess that weight never really stopped packing on from that point on. Even though I never truly stopped moving. After I quit dance, I joined my first gym. I worked out a lot. At my peak, I would be going for 2 hours at least 6 times a week, cardio for 90 minutes, weights/cool down/ for 30. I was active in high school, using my only spare to take Phys Ed until I graduated. I felt great (from the endorphins, of course ;)), but the weight would only stay stable instead of decrease, in my early 20's I hung around 200 for some time. Then there was a skydiving accident & the workouts had to stop  & the weight shot up... and working out certainly has not been the same since. Living with chronic back pain is something that has been getting in my way of reaching my happy place

NO MORE, I SAY!



Yea!

The past month has been filled with, slowly but surely, an increase in my daily activity. I am no where near where I once was, but I'm getting there. Lately, when I wake up I crave the burn. I get antsy by noon if I haven't had sweat running down my brow. It's an amazing feeling.

Seeee how happy

So, what have I been doing?

There's an app for that!

C25K!!

I have been wanting to start this program for quite some time now. The past few months I have built up quit a walking endurance & was going for 5-6km at a time. (up from 2 km with many stops for pain relief) So I was feeling ready!!! I am cycling through week 1 for the 2nd week & hey man, I may cycle through it for a 3rd week... I shall continue to build myself up until I feel like I can actually finish the longest run without wanting to throw up my stomach contents.. This is an uphill battle, gotta pace myself. I have an amazing friend, who has been accompanying me on my walk/run's and has been a fantastic source of encouragement. Friends are the best!!! :)

I cross train on my off days from running.

This has been my life saver.

I usually do between 30-45 minutes. No stress on my back. Woo!

I have also been dipping my foot into the yoga pool. I've heard great things about it being helpful for back injuries, plus it's just an all around great way to center your body & soul after a stressful day.. so I found an old yoga dvd lying around that is quite interesting and very old school, doable though for a beginner like myself and I've got to start somewhere. Even though I probably look like a beached whale in some of the positions...

I've also ordered a bob harper yoga dvd

I will transition over to that once it arrives.

Other than that, I've been eating a lot of salads

The more color the better!

...drinking a lot of water

This is my current go to water bottle, but it's too heavy, I need to find a new one.



& getting lots of sleep

zzzzzzz

By lots, I mean a good 7 hours instead of my usual 4-5.

Hello out there...

Well it certainly has been a while...
Plans to update at least once a week sure flew out the window fast!
I survived my first year & here I am, alive to tell the tale.
But first, I've started seriously making an effort to change my life for the better.
I am knee deep in a mad love affair... it just so happens to be a hormone that has captured my heart.
Endorphins.
They will be my next topic of discussion.
THEN I shall try to recap my first year in hopefully not TOO many words.
A lot happened.
Friendships were built.
Clinical instructors were hated.
Much was learnt.

I have high hopes for this summer & this blog.