top three [02.12.2017]

all black, all the time ( outfit one, two, and three!)

medicine

• A few weeks ago, a study came out that researchers had created a human-pig embryo, in hopes of being able to some day grow human organs to be harvested for donation. The article linked also discusses a lot of the ethical concerns that come with this type of research, which I found extremely interesting.
• Another study that came out shows that cervical cancer is a bigger threat than was being initially reported. Older statistics included women who have had hysterectomies - but since those women don't have a cervix, they can't get cervical cancer. With those women removed from the data, death from cervical cancer has a much higher rate that previously stated. This is your friendly reminder that if you are due for you Pap smear, please call your doctor and set up an appointment. No one should die from cervical cancer. 
• One of the first successful surgeries to remove a gallbladder was performed by a surgeon named William Halsted, who performed the surgery on his mother on their kitchen table. Oh the 1800s...

on the internet

• Katrina is a fellow vintage Coach lover, so I loved reading her tips on how to restore a worn vintage purse. I had to do a major overhaul on mine when I first got it, but I'm going to use Katrina's tips to spruce mine up again.
• I've never really had a deep desire to go to Thailand, but after reading Dani's post about the month (!) they spent there, I'm ready to book my tickets! What an amazing adventure they had.
• Cortney shares common fashion blogger misconceptions - I thought this was such a fun read!  

spotted

• I have a feeling that this flirty dress from re:named is going to be this spring's it dress...it's under $75, so get it while it's still available!
• Perfect for this upcoming week (but really, I'd wear them all year long) are these adorable shoes from Ellen DeGeneres's line. Who knew Ellen made such cute shoes?!
• My chambray blazer is one of my favorite items in my closet. J.Crew now has a similar version - look at that amazing ruffle! I love it. 

ask me anything

• How do you budget for everyday life? I've seen your clothing budget posts, but I was wondering what you do for groceries, makeup etc...
• My method of budgeting may be different than yours because I live on student loans, so I get my money twice a year instead of every other week like people who work do. So what I do is that when my loan check comes, I put money into a bunch of different savings accounts. I calculate roughly how much my bills are each month (car +  rent + phone + gas & electric), and put that plus a little extra into my "Bills" account. Then I give myself $150 every two weeks to spend on groceries, gas, and fun things. That money is automatically transferred to my checking every two weeks, and that's what I'm allowed to spend. The rest of the money goes into a savings account for when I need it - like when my tires need to be replaced or when I have to pay to take another $1200 test. I also earn money from blogging, but because that income is so variable, I can't rely on it every month to live on (which is why I take out loans). My blogging money is what I use for my clothing budget, and then used to pay off some of the interest on my loans, and then mostly put into various other savings accounts - one for taxes (since it's not taxed when I receive it), a house fund, a travel fun, and a wedding fund. I'm looking forward to next year when I no longer have to take out loans, and when I finally start making a real income again - right now my finances are always up in the air!
• I am having the hardest time finding a true winter coat that works for me. Something that will work for colder temperatures, casual or dressier outfits. Two musts, must be lined because I can't stand how unlined coats "stick" and must be able to layer of a sweater. I thought the J. Crew chateau parka was the one but the arms are too tight and it is size up the body is much too large do to the style of the coat. Any thoughts?
• I definitely know where you are coming from - I find winter coats to be one of the hardest things to shop for! I found a few cute options. The first one, and one my favorites, is this interesting Lauren Ralph Lauren coat. I love the front buckles because they are unique without being weird, and I think the style works well both for casual and more professional outfits. Ellen Tracy also makes a coat that works well for both occasions, and comes in both more neutral colors and a fun green. Lastly, I always love the look of toggle coats, and so Tommy Hilfiger's version would be a good option too! I of course have to mention my recent winter coat purchase too (seen here) - it may be too casual depending on how professionally dressed you have to be, but I have fairly bigger arms and I was able to easily layer underneath it!
• I want to get my boyfriend a new watch for Valentine's day. What do you recommend?
• I love gifting watches! I got CR one a few years ago that he wears almost daily. Ones that are currently available that I love are Skagen's simple and traditional watch, Armani Exhcange's version is great if you are looking for a metallic watch, and of course my favorite, Daniel Wellington makes gorgeous watches that are for him but you can occasionally steal back for yourself (use code FRANZISKA to save 15%!).

on franish

• on the blog: 9 steps towards healthier hair
• on the instagram: <3 all the heart things!
• on the twitter: oh la la, clogs! ;)

at home

• I'm on my way home from a quick trip down to Atlanta! My best friend is doing a rotation at the CDC, and since we haven't seen each other for a few months, this was a perfect excuse! Thank you so much for all of your suggestions! We spent Saturday going to a spin class together, going to brunch, exploring Ponce City Market, walking the belt line, going out for pizza, and having just general girl time. Atlanta was such a fun place to visit, and definitely on my list of places I hope to come back to to explore further. It seems like such a fun, vibrant, and delicious city to be in! 
• It was my first week back on rotations - I'm doing ObGyn with a private attending for the month. It's definitely been interesting to see how difference physicians and groups work, and gives me a better idea of what kind of practice I see myself (hopefully) working in in four years! 
• Posts coming up this week: a review of my apple watch (ps. they are currently $70 off!!), a how to for an at home manicure, and what we did in Montreal!.

healthyish, vol. 7

This week we mostly went back to normal life, which means getting back into regular eating and exercising (well, at least more normal than last week!). I started a new rotation, so it was all about meal prepping and bringing enough snacks for the day so I don't lose it on my way home and make a pit stop for cheeseburgers (which lets be honest, has definitely happened). I also stuck to my goal of only drinking water, which was surprisingly harder than I thought! I don't drink much alcohol anyway, or really any juice or milk,  so it wasn't that, but more just wanting a latte or diet coke throughout the week - I had real cravings! I never realized how reliant I am on those drinks until I very purposely didn't drink anything but water. I don't intend to do that all the time, but maybe once a month it could be a good habit to get in to!

exercise:

Sunday: 45 minutes/ 150 flights on the stair master (a new calorie PR for the stair climber!)
Monday: 1 hour spin
Wednesday: 1 hour spin
Thursday: 1 hour spin
Saturday: 45 minutes Flywheel

diet:

I was definitely more on track this week with the diet, besides two meals that weren't exactly on the plan. On Sunday we watched the Super Bowl with our friends, so of course we indulged a little, although I tried to eat mostly just the cowboy caviar that I made. On Tuesday, we took my sister to this speciality hot dog place for her last meal with us, so I had a delicious hot dog and a side of mac and cheese. Other than that, meals were on track! For breakfast I had either omelettes or banana peanut butter shakes. For lunch, I made chicken sausages with a side of squash and zucchini. Dinners were BBQ chicken lettuce wraps when we were in Cleveland (so proud I made myself switch out the tortillas), a Chipotle burrito bowl, and homemade vegetarian chili. Snacks included hard boiled eggs (on the days I didn't have eggs in the morning), hippeas, and an apple with peanut butter.

goals:

Last week's goals:

    - Drink only water this week: done! Harder than I thought, but did it!

    - Pack a lunch + snacks for every work day: mostly done - we got a drug rep lunch on Thursday, but I got a salad so I'll let it slide

    - Work out four times: five times! 💪

This week's goals:

    - Do one weight lifting work out

    - Try a new recipe for lunches

    - Stay away from the discounted chocolate aisle

treats:

I'm in Atlanta visiting my best friend as she does a rotation with the CDC, so I'm sure we'll find a treat or two ;)

weigh in: +1.4 lbs (-4.4 total)

When I first weighed myself, I was initially disappointed. Then I remembered that a week ago, we basically ate our way through Montreal. So if I had weighed myself last Saturday, I bet you have lost weight from that point, rather than it looking like I gained that weight in this week of exercising and eating well. So I'm slightly up from two weeks ago, but I know that in another week, we'll be back on our way down! I actually felt a litle thinner this week, so even though the scale isn't showing it, I feel better already!

it's still winter, y'all

Although much of the blogosphere is currently all "yay spring look at all these off the shoulder dresses!"...it's still very much winter around here! We actually just got three more inches of snow yesterday...

But that means I get to show you guys my amazing new coat! I actually forgot to mention this purchase in my last budget post, but that's because it ended up costing me just a few dollars out of pocket! I've been eyeing up Burberry's coat for a few months, and finally decided to order it...only to send it immediately back. It felt so cheap, and for that price, I do not want my coat to feel like it's from Forever 21. Then I stumbled upon this similarly styled coat from Cole Haan for half the price. With a little patience, it finally went on sale, and with Nordstrom notes saved up and a giftcard, it ended up costing me like $10 out of pocket.

And guys...this coat is amazing. I wore this on our trip to Montreal (where these pictures were taken) and it was perfect. I was very comfortable in the 10 degree weather wearing just this coat and my medium thickness sweater underneath it. I love that it's belted because it gives it a bit more shape (I wear it tied in a bow as you can see below). Even though all the cool girls in Montreal were wearing these complete fur hoods (I've never seen anything like them! Is this a thing everywhere or only in Canada?), I love that this has just a bit of faux fur right where you want it most - around your actual neck! I'm wearing a size large, and I find it fits true too size. If you are interested, I actually found the coat for more than half the price that Nordstrom is selling it for, here at Macy's and here at 6 PM.

Coat: Cole Haan [exact]

Pants: Express [exact]

Sweater: Caslon [exact]

Boots: Vince Camuto [similar below]

Apple watch strap: Amazon [exact]

Hat: similar

And because my black boots are four winters in and badly need to be replaced (there's a hole in one side of the boot and they no longer stay up on my legs), here are eight options that are currently on sale! Which ones are your favorite? I think I like the pair from Jessica Simpson the most!

one | two | three | four

five | six | seven | eight

beauty tuesday: nine steps towards healthier hair

About 18 months ago, my hair got accidentally chopped off. I went in for a trim, and for some reason, I left the salon with about seven fewer inches than I walked in with. I...cried. I really was upset! I feel like I am always growing out my hair, and I was almost at the length I wanted...and then some guy cut it all off. Since then, I've been back in the growing out phase, but I went into it trying to grow out healthy hair. Looking through pictures, my hair is now about the same length but it looks and feels so much healthier than it did then! Here's what I've done differently in that time:

1. Washed my hair less: This has probably made the biggest difference over the past couple of years. A few years ago, I was still washing my hair every other day, if not every day! Horrible -between the shampoo, toweling, and all those hot tools, that puts so much strain on your hair! It definitely takes a bit of time to get your hair used to going from frequent washings to less frequent, but it's so worth it in the end. I now save all that time I used to spend drying and styling my hair, and my hair is in much better shape! I've used a ton of different dry shampoos over the years - my current favorites are the Living Proof dry shampoo (duh, you guys already knew that) and the Aveda Shampure. 
2. Treat while you sleep: The Living Proof Overnight Cap is kind of a genius idea, if you think about it. I personally don't love putting on a hair mask in shower all the time because you have to stand around forever for it to work. This is great because you put it on at night before going to bed, and it does the work overnight while you sleep! I slap it on (focusing on the ends), put my hair into a loose bun, and go to sleep. In the morning you just rinse it out! I use this about once every other week (I typically wash my hair at night after a work out)
3. Use less sulfates: A couple of years ago, I made the switch to using L'oreal's sulfate-free shampoo. I had tried a couple of different sulfate-free shampoos, but most of them didn't give you that good lather (I just like feeling like my hair is getting cleaned!), but L'oreal's does, which is why it's one of my favorites. Since sulfates dry out your hair, and strip your hair of color if it's dyed like mine is, not using sulfates in shampoo makes a big difference! If you are willing to spend a bit more money, Aveda also has a great damage remedy shampoo that gives you a good lather (and smells great!). 
4. Deep condition: I have been using this intensive restructuring treatment from Aveda for about six years now. I first started using it when I got a perm in college (yikes...not cute on me!), and recently re-committed myself to using it. It's fairly pricy, so I use my normal conditioner on the rest of my hair, and use the treatment on my problem areas (my wispies and my ends). Typically I use this when I'm shaving my legs, since I'm standing around in the shower anyway!
5. Use a hair towel: I don't remember where I first learned about hair towels, but they are definitely a game changer for me! I like my hair to mostly dry before I use a hair dryer, but when using a regular towel and partially air drying, my hair just got really frizzy. Using a hair towel has made my hair dry more evenly and quicker than it was before, plus it's a lot thinner than a normal towel, so it's less of a pain to carry around on your head! The one I'm currently using is from Aquis (I got it on Amazon), but I also just received this one in my PopSugar Must Have box that I'm going to try out next (ps. if you want to save $5, use code SHOP5 for your first box!)
6. Protect from the heat: I've tried a bunch of different heat protectors over the years, but I keep sticking with Kiehl's smoothing cream. I love that it is a styling cream and a heat protector, and doesn't leave my hair crunchy like heat protecting sprays I've used in the past. 
7. Better tools = less overall heat: I used inexpensive curling irons for most of my life - I figured, they all heat up and curl your hair, what's the difference. Then I got my hands on a T3 iron, and wow...I'm a believer now. The curling iron is expensive, for sure. But because it holds its heat so well, my hair curls quicker (less time on the iron) and the curls last longer (less re-curling). I used one of my old irons a few days ago, and couldn't believe the difference. Eventually I'd love to also own a nicer hair dryer, but we'll have to keep saving for that one for a little bit!
8. Biotin Biotin Biotin: When I got home from that hair chop, I immediately went online and ordered a huge bottle of biotin. For some people, biotin makes hair and nails grower quicker and thicker, and for some people it doesn't do anything at all. I'm somewhere in the middle - my hair and nails definitely grow at a quicker pace when I'm taking the biotin (which is almost annoying because I don't like when my nails grow quickly). I get the gummies because I don't like taking pills, and it's like a little treat every time you get to take them! Some people have noted that they have issues with acne when they start taking biotin, so if you haven't taken it before, just be warned. 
9. Use gentler methods of pulling your hair back: Nothing pulls your hair out of your hair quicker than a rubber band. I still use a regular hair tie when I work out, but other than that, I stick with clips and scrunchies (a scrunchie?!). I love the little clips during the day, big alligator clips at home and when styling my hair, and a scrunchie or invisibobble at night or in the shower. They are all a lot more gentle on your hair than a regular hair tie, and that makes a big difference in the long run if you use a hair tie every day. 

And for a bit of proof, here's a bit of a hair timeline. The left picture is a few weeks before my hair cut, the middle picture is the week after, and the right picture is from a few months ago!

making a rented house a home

(jeans are 7fam!...and apparently we really like fleece)

First of all, how cute are my boys?!

This is us in front of our current house that we are renting. We got super lucky when we found this house to rent at the beginning of third year of school, and have been quite happy with it - it's small (around 900 square feet) but currently the perfect size for us, has a small back yard, has a washer & dryer, and a garage. We couldn't have found a better house for us!

I've been renting homes for the past ten years, since my sophomore year of college. Over the past decade, I've learned a lot about how to make a rented space your own. It's difficult sometimes to make a house that's not yours into something that feels like home - sometimes you can't paint or hang things on the walls, or have the type of flooring you want. There are things you can't change - for example, our house has very little natural lighting, and no ceiling lighting either! I wish we had hardwood floors, but we have carpet and linoleum. Those are structural things I can't do anything about, but how everything else looks in my house - that I have control over!

Here are some of the things I've noticed make the biggest differences in the places I've rented, from choosing similar furniture to fresh flowers to personalized art.

make it cozy with blankets and throw pillows

This probably sounds silly, but I never realized how much of a difference a soft throw and some pillows make it your living room. We have this amazing fuzzy throw I found at Target a few years ago (this current version seems very similar), and it's one of my favorite household items! It just makes the space so much more inviting, plus if you live in drafty house like we do...you'll be happy you have it! Another cute option is this faux shearling throw with tassels. Target is obviously a goldmine when it comes to cozy throws and fun throw pillows - check out these cute faux fur pillows! Definitely going to sneak those into our cart the next time we are at Target! Anyway - if you have a living room you want to make a bit cozier, a simple throw and pillows make a big difference. Our pillows are all white/grey/black, which makes it easy to mix and match with other pillows in the house. 

buying cheap furniture or painting old furniture? go cohesive

When I moved to Pennsylvania from Wisconsin for medical school, I moved in just my car. All I brought with me were my dogs, my clothes, and a few personal things. When I got there, I rented a U-Haul truck and drove to Ikea to buy furniture - I didn't own real furniture before (I always had roommates who owned a few key pieces of furniture, plus my childhood bed), so this was my chance to start fresh. I bought a desk, bookshelf, bed, bedside table, and a dresser...all in white. Now that I live in a house with CR, the furniture is a bit more spread out, but because it all "goes" together, it makes our space look a bit more grown up. CR has an old dresser from his childhood that is painted white and navy, which was perfect for our bedroom. I would of course love to have really nice furniture that isn't all one color, but has more dimension and special features, but for now, our white furniture gives our house some cohesion and a grown up feel that mismatched furniture wouldn't have.

add unique home decor

Like I said, Target is a great place to find really cute picture frames, stand alone decorations, and candles. I have a few nice vases from Jonathan Adler and coasters from Kate Spade via Shopbop that are small touches that make a big difference in smaller darker rented spaces. We also love having a few trays throughout the house to corral remotes and jewelry and so on!

a gallery wall shows off your life and creativity 

I wrote a post last year about how to create a gallery wall, and it's still one of my favorite things in our house! This is great especially if you aren't allowed to paint the walls - you can even use those command strips if you aren't allowed to put nails into the walls. I love that it combines all different parts of my life and gifts from loved ones - the antlers are from a deer shot by my grandpa (who died when I was a freshman in college), the Rifle Paper company poster in the top left was signed by the artist and gifted to me by a dear friend, a few Etsy prints used as motivation, a print from Minted, a poster from my university, and a calendar that changes every month. We also have a smaller collection of pictures and prints above our bed.

flowers (fresh or fake) brighten up the room

Fresh flowers are one of my biweekly splurges - I just love how they bring a bit of cheeriness into our kitchen! For those of you near a Trader Joe's - they have the best and cheapest flowers! We unfortunately don't have one where I live, so I always make sure to stop at a TJ when I'm in a larger city. I also have several sets of fake flowers - one on our bookshelf and one at my desk. They are from Michaels, and unless you look really closely, you can't tell they are fake! 

celebrate where you're from

cheese board | butter dish | recipe box | beer cap map

Coming from a place with a lot of state pride, I love having just a few Wisconsin related things around the house! Our cheese board was a house warming present from my parents (it doesn't get any more Wisconsin than cheese!). I love it next to the cow butter dish - it's just a little bit of home here in Ohio. My parents got CR this beer cap map for Christmas a few years ago. He obviously needs to drink a few more local NY beers, but I think it's such a fun way to combine where you're from with where you currently live! Uncommon Goods has a ton of state related items if you are looking for inspiration (my favorites include the magnetic key holder and embroidered pillows). Minted also has gold foiled prints of all the states, which I think would be really cute hung up with each of your states next to each other.

and celebrate where you've been together

When I ran across these gold foiled prints from Minted a few months ago, I knew I had to get them. I love the idea of getting ones for every place you live together and lining them up! You can adjust the map to where ever you want (and how zoomed in or out it is), and it prints out to this cute map with the address on the bottom right. I'm already excited to get our one for our home next year too! If you live in bigger cities, they also have pre-made ones. We also started to keep track of all the states we have visited together. I found this globe at Target, and we just drew on the US, and have filled in states as we go! We have a few more states to go ;)

diy things you can move to other houses

The summer between first and second year of school, I really wanted to make a pinboard for our kitchen. I found a tutorial, and made it in an afternoon. It was the perfect item for our kitchen at the time - we used it to hang up pictures of us, bills, and little notes. It was also perfect for when CR and I moved in together because it's a bigger item that can go on the wall, but because it's in a neutral color, it goes with everything! It now hangs next to my desk and holds all sorts of things - sentimental family pictures, post cards from places we've visited, cards from friends, our Christmas card, and my band letter. I love that I made it, so it's a bit more personal, but that it will fit into any house we rent or buy.

plants bring a bit of life to the room

Same as flowers, I love a few plants throughout the house to liven up the rooms a bit. We don't have a ton because our cat likes to punch her teeth through them, but a few have made it out alive! I use one of those slow watering pots too so I can be forgetful about watering them.

find personalized art for your walls

Since you may not be able to paint your walls, you may as well cover them with things you can control! We have several pieces of art hanging around our house that are special to us. I worked with Minted last year, and got two prints of our star signs that hang in the bathroom - I love that it's not super overbearing in your face, but is a personal to us. CR and I go to a lot of Dave Matthews concerts (it's one of our favorite things to do together), and so I found him a "vintage" (ie from 2010) poster on eBay and had it framed for our hallway.

embrace being a renter

Maybe this is temporary, or you plan on being a renter forever, but there are definite perks about not owning a house (my favorite: if something goes wrong, someone else has to fix it!). We love our little home, and will look back fondly at our time in our rented house. I'm glad we got to have it be our first home together, and that we've found a way to make it feel like our home.

top three [02.05.2017]

montreal post coming soon!

on the internet

• Are you an adult that doesn't know how to find new friends? Same. Jamie has a bunch of tips on how to make friends as an adult. 
• Joyce shares her top K-beauty picks (and as a dermatology resident, I always trust what she has to say!)
• Are you a blogger? Then you need to go read this post. 

spotted

• After another pair of booties didn't look right on me (this time it was this pair from Sam Edelman), I've decided maybe booties just aren't going to work for me...but maybe a Chelsea boot will? I'm going to order Louise et Cie's version - I just really want a pair of shoes I can wear in the winter with socks but aren't full riding boots! Why is this so hard? 
• YOU GUYS. Canvas transport totes are here!!! And they are amazing. I want the olive color and I want it monogrammed. OMG. 
• Y'all know I'm a huge Express cami fan...but I recently tried out these seamless tanks, and may be converted! It just has a way of sucking everything in for you, but not making you feel super constricted like other shape wear. If you try them for yourself, I suggest sizing up. An x-large fits me very well.

ask me anything

• I'm about to start my 3rd year of medical school (well, really just about to start Step studying, but dreaming about starting 3rd year!). Do you have any good suggestions for healthy snacks to keep in white coat pockets? I'm allergic to nuts and it has been hard to find granola/power bars that I can eat so far.
• That is a tough situation, since you're right, so many granola bars have nuts in them! One of the snacks I have a lot is turkey sticks - you can fit 4 of them in a snack zip lock bag, which takes up as much room as a granola bar. For bars themselves, I really like Quest bars, and most flavors don't have nuts in them (I like the cookies and cream and cookie dough! Dried fruit and fruit leather are also two options you can keep in your white coat pocket. Plus there's everyone's go-to snack at the hospital - those mini packages of graham crackers ;)
• If you had to pick you favorite pullover/sweater/fleece would you choose the Patagonia Better Sweater or LL Bean Pullover? Both look so cozy!
• That is so mean to make me choose!! I guess it really depends on what I'm doing - I prefer my LL Bean Pullover for when I'm at home or out for the day, but I like my Patagonia sweater more for work because it's a full zip. I can't even choose - they are both amazing! 
• I'm looking to try a new face cleanser - which one do you currently use and would you recommend it? 
• I've been using the Paula's Choice cleanser for a few years now, and am still a big fan. It's gentle, it cleans your skin, and my skin improved greatly since using it. I don't think a cleanser makes as much of a difference as other skin care products, but I'm very happy with this one...plus it's cheap and one bottle lasts forever. 

on franish

• on the blog: this month's budget post
• on the instagram: happy national female physician day!
• on the twitter: I thought everyone was a better skater while in Canada? 

notable sales

• Express: 30% off all dresses (just in time for Valentine's Day!)
• I was actually surprised how pretty this ruffled dress is - I would never have guessed it was from Express based on how ladylike it is!
• An off the shoulder jumpsuit is the perfect outfit for a Galentine's Day dinner!
• A shirt dress keeps it casual while the color still celebrates "the holiday". 
• J.Crew Factory: 40% off everything
• I have the inverse of this dress (see it here) and also kind of need this version too. So freaking cute (my warning: it fits on the shorter side, so this may be just a weekend dress for some of you!).
• The pattern on this sweater is adorable - it would go with everything!
• Did you know that JCF now has athletic wear? I didn't! Their reversible hoodie is too cute. 

at home

• Like I mentioned previously, my sister is here for the weekend! She had an interview last week, and is staying with us until Tuesday. My sister has actually never seen where I have lived for the past three years, and Thursday was the first time she and CR met! Kind of crazy, but also what happens when your family lives all over the place!
• We went to Cleveland yesterday for the day - we visited the West Side Market, went to a few parks (mostly for the photo ops), saw Hidden Figures (so so good), and met up with CR's buddy for dinner. It was such a fun afternoon!
• Vacation is officially over! Tomorrow I start my next rotation - I'll be with a private ObGyn attending for the next month, and I am so excited! It'll be fun to see this side of ObGyn, as I've never worked with just one attending for a whole month. I'm very excited :)

ps. happy birthday caitlin!!! xoxo

healthyish, vol. 6

CR and I went on vacation to Montreal for most of this week! We rarely get to travel together, and so we definitely made the most of it. The diet was pretty much put on hold - Montreal is a huge foodie city, and we definitely took advantage! Croissants, pizza, risotto, bagels, crepes, poutine - we had it all! It was awesome. Like I said last week, the important thing now is to get right back to how we were doing before we left rather than lament how much awesome (but not as healthy) food we ate. I think it's so easy to do really well on a diet and exercise plan for a few weeks, and then a few days away can kind of make it easy to slide back into old habits. I start back with normal life on Monday with a new rotation, so I'm excited to start meal prepping and booking more exercise classes. Thank you for being my motivation - nothing like writing about what you ate on the internet to get your butt in gear!

exercise:

We were in Montreal Monday through Thursday, and while there, I didn't do any formal work out routine...but on Tuesday, we walked over 9 miles, so I'm counting it! I also made it to the gym a few times for some cardio sessions, and a spin class with my sister today. 

Sunday: 45 minutes on the elliptical 

Tuesday: 9+ miles of walking

Wednesday: 6 miles of walking

Friday: 45 minutes/150 flights on the stairmaster

Saturday: 1 hour spin class (a new 'calories burned' PR - thanks, hills!)

diet:

Like I said...not much "healthy" food this week. One of my favorite meals from the trip was a Montreal bag with lox - so so good! At home, CR made a vegetarian chili (my sister is a vegetarian) so we've been eating that for quite a few meals. This morning I made us my favorite breakfast bowls: sweet potato, chicken breakfast sausage, black beans, and poached eggs. 

goals:

Last week's goals: walk 10,000 steps every day we are in Montreal, make two healthy meals in our Air BnB we are renting, enjoy all the delicious food Montreal has to offer 

    - 10,000 steps: definitely got those in! 

    - 2 healthy meals: .....yeah, this did not happen. Can you blame me? I can't.

    - Enjoy the delicious food: YEP. done and done!

Next week's goals: 

    - Drink only water this week

    - Pack a lunch + snacks for every work day

    - Work out four times 

treat for the upcoming week: We are going to our friends' house for the Superbowl. I'm going to eat some chili before we go so I'm not super hungry and gorge myself on cheese dip, and we are bringing somewhat healthier food for our part of the potluck (carrots + dip, deviled eggs, and cowboy caviar). I'm still going to allow myself a few bites of the other food, but I'm going to try to not to go overboard. Since we had quite a bit more alcohol on our trip than we normally do, I'd like to only drink water this upcoming week, so I'll bring some sparkling water along. 

weigh in: I'm not weighing myself after vacation for the same reason I didn't before - a bit of post-vacation bloat plus the food we ate will definitely show up on the scale, so I don't want to be discouraged. I'll wait until next Friday to do a weigh in!