REVIEW: RXBAR

As promised here is my review on the RXBAR! I got a special promo on them through Facebook, where you can get 6 flavors for $3, to introduce you to the brand and flavor. I'm not sure how to find the code again, but I will have a link at the end of this post for $5 off your first purchase! 

Without further ado, here it is: 

1. Sea salt caramel - TBH, this was not a good flavor for me. I don't think the caramel taste works with the dates. Personally, this was not the flavor for me. (sadly).
    
2. Mint chocolate - This is one of my top 2 faves! It was very good! I loved the refreshing taste of the mint and the chocolate. The taste works well with the dates, where as the sea salt caramel just didn't do it for me. 
    
3. Chocolate sea salt - if you don't like mint, you would probably love this one instead. This one is the other flavor in my top 2 faves! (Actually I think this is my first favorite!!!) The chocolate sea salt works great with the dates. The salt flavor is not overwhelming whatsoever.
    
4. Chocolate coconut: I surprisingly loved this one! I'm not usually a coconut person when it comes to deserts/bars/etc. but I love coconut water, coconut oil - so I'm weird in that way. BUT this was actually Good. The coconut flavor was not overwhelming, and it blended well with the chocolate flavor.
    
5. Blueberry: this one was good too but I love the ones with chocolate (and chocolate chips) more - I'm a chocolate girl! I was eating this during one of the breaks of my exam. It kept me full throughout, even if I just ate half. This is a good flavor for you if you're not really into the chocolate-y flavors! 
    
6. Peanut butter - so my peanut butter bar went missing (sad face here). I have no idea where I put it haha. I'm sure it tastes good but I can't give an opinion on that since I didn't get to taste it. I do have a granola/cereal that is dark chocolate peanut butter and I hope RX bar makes a flavor like that because it'll be like Reese's pieces!

Pros:

-Lots of flavor options, although I haven't tried them all. I liked 4/6 that was in the sample pack. I'm sure there are other awesome flavors! 

-Quality/content is amazing. It's super healthy but still Satisfies your sweet tooth if you're craving something sweet. It has dates, almonds, cashew, and 3 egg whites (and no BS haha). Real. Whole. Foods. I love that I can have a snack that is healthy and satisfying. Also, these are "Whole30" approved which is awesome for those who are doing that. (I personally am not, though).

-Keeps me full longer than other bars!! Some snack bars just don't cut it for me - I'm still so hungry afterward. But this actually satisfies my hunger (at least for a while - 3 hrs tops) because of its protein content and the content overall. It's not just a bunch of fillers. 

Cons:

-Okay so these bars can be a little bit more money-wise the other bars. But they do seem to always have some kind of deal going on on the website! You can also use this link here: http://rxbar.me/eJC_N to get $5 off your first order! It will automatically take off the $5 off at checkout.

-Not available in most stores :( i have to order these for the most part (which to me is not a big deal anymore) but having these in stores would be more convenient. On the website, there is a store locator to find what stores do carry it near your area! 

Who else has tried RXBARS, and what do you think about them? Also if you have other favorite snack bars let me know down below! 

Post-Workout Blueberry Protein Shake + The Masonbar Company

This past Friday, I decided to do leg day (which I postponed from Thursday, since this week has been hectic). My workout consisted of warming up on the treadmill for 6 mins, stretching and weightlifting: deadlifts, reverse lunges, leg presses, straight-leg dead lifts and hamstring curls; then stretching again at the end. I normally do super-sets, which mean I combine two exercises back to back as one set, completing 3-4 sets, and resting in between sets. 

After this workout, I was completely done for! I usually would drink a protein-shake with just mixing my protein powder with 8oz of water, but I decided when I got home that I would make a Blueberry Protein Shake instead! Here's the recipe:

• 1 scoop of your favorite protein powder (I use BSN Syntha-6 Vanilla Ice Cream flavor)
• Handful of blueberries 
• 6 cubes of ice
• 1-2 cups of Cashew milk (I honestly eye-balled it)

Blend everything in the blender, and voila - a quick post-workout shake that helped me last until lunch time, thanks to the protein content. 

This smoothie already looked delicious, but I totally had to share with you all my favorite way to dress up my mason jars! A while back, when I first started using mason jars to drink basically everything out of I found out about The Mason Bar Company. They have the absolute cutest lids for your mason jars that have holes for straws in them so you can take your drinks to go. I have the plastic lids in copper and gold (but can't seem to find my gold one - insert sad face here), clear plastic straws, straw brush (to clean the straws), and a mint colored cuff. The lids are dishwasher safe, but the straws you have to hand-wash (which isn't a big deal to me). The cuff is super cute and fits my tall jars as well as my smaller ones. They also have bamboo lids for mason jars if that's something you're looking for. I haven't purchased those before but they're really cute and are also available if you're looking more for a storage lid! 

Do you drink out of mason jars too? If you do, give these a try! It's a fun way to personalize your drinkware - and enjoy your post-workout smoothie or whatever you may be drinking :) 

xo,
Dorothy

Share below what you like to do for working out, and what you like to re-fuel with after your workouts!

It's a Lifestyle

Practice what you preach, they say. 

But let's be real, unless you have more than 24 hours in one day, how are you going to be able to do medical school, eat right, exercise, sleep enough hours!? 

It's truly about learning the act of balancing everything, and keeping priorities straight - and treating yo'self!

One of my goals during this year was to keep up with working out and eating healthy. Last year, I was pretty flaky about it, especially since it was my first year of medical school & trying to figure everything out. You'd think by the time a few weeks rolled around, I would have a routine down - but nope. So this year, I am really making it a goal to make sure I'm fueling my body right by eating healthy and working out consisitently. 

Food - I love food. I love good food. So I have to get real creative about meals that I can prep for about 5 days that I won't get tired of eating. I'd usually make 2 dishes (one for lunch and one for dinner). Then I'll just mix it up for breakfast, depending how much time I have. If I have less time, i'll go for fruit and granola/cereal, but lately I've been making oatbran or cream of wheat and mixing a scoop of protein powder in it and adding fruit on top! 

Working Out - Okay, I'm guilty: I love working out. I try to go 5-6 times a week (sometimes 4 if it's an extremely busy week). Basically, I'm going off my sis's workout sched (for the most part, sometimes I switch it up), for what I do that specific day. With such a busy schedule, I really have to make time for going to the gym and other activities. I try to keep my workouts for an hour to hour and a half - the way I think about it, if I just sit in front of my study materials all day and take 346284 breaks, the time it took for those breaks could just instead be put into my workout time. That way, I'm able to study more efficiently too! 

But listen, I'm human so I go through those times too when I just want to sit in front of the tv, watch netflix, eat ice cream, and chips. So no need to think I'm perfect at eating healthy and working out - I'm not and that's okay! I get it, us type-A's are too hard on ourselves (a lot of the time), but it's not the end of the world if you have a bad day or bad week. Just get back on track - that's what matters! 

I really do love that I'm at an Osteopathic Medical School, where I get to learn about how we are to take care of our patient's body, mind, and spirit also - which reinforces that I have to take care of myself as well.

I too, have to practice what I preach. 

Top: Lululemon (Similar: Click Here)
Leggings: Lululemon (Similar: Click Here) 
Watch: Apple Watch (Click Here)

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PS: Get the wireless earbuds at Amazon.com I've been loving them (Brand: TaoTronics)

A Balancing Act

Has anyone ever felt like they were trying to balance plates on a stick on the palm of your hands, and on top of your feet while trying to walk? I've never actually attempted that before but that's how I feel sometimes when life along with school gets extremely hectic. So how in the world do I find balance with the ever-growing demands of school, and life in general?

1. Staying Grounded - Whether it's by reading my bible, or praying, or getting together with a group of girls where we pray with each other and talk about how our weeks are going. These things are such important parts of my life that I basically wouldn't know how to function without it. This is how I stay grounded, and if life is throwing you all the lemons that the world can find, try this or find something that will help you remain grounded. It's so important to not only take care of your physical body to stay healthy, but also address and take care of your spirit. 
    
2. Nutrition & Fitness - another very important part of how I stay balanced is by eating healthy and working out. Don't get me wrong, I do indulge (which I will talk about in point #4) - maybe sometimes a little too much ;) But these two things help keep me healthy and also boosts mental health! So if I'm gonna prevent going nuts, I'm going to take care of my body. When I'm at school, I find that prepping meals for at least 3 days at a time is helpful so that I don't end up just eating out all the time. I say 3 days because I get tired of eating the same thing over again. I'm going to be trying out some different ways to prep my meals this coming school year - so stay tuned for how that will be going. Also it's so important to be smart about what you're eating. Being in class and studying all day, I tend to snack a lot! I have to make sure that I'm packing something healthy (or at least somewhat healthy) - otherwise I'd end up getting chips from the vending machine (which happens occasionally haha). Second, I find that I feel much better when I am working out on a regular basis. During medical school, it's so easy to put off working out and to just keep studying - BUT the endorphins from working out truly does help especially with stress. Don't over-do it though. This summer, I am able to work out for 2 hours at a time and do so much more, but I know once I get back to school that's just not possible. First of all, I simply don't have the luxury of spending 2 hours working out. Second of all, I find that after studying/sitting in class for a long time I'm mentally drained, which also in turn makes me physically drained. So I have to know my limit and not overwork myself to a point where I won't be able to go back to studying after my workouts (sometimes I work out for so long that I don't want to do anything else after).
    
3. Taking Breaks - this is something I want to work on more this coming school year. I didn't take breaks the "right" way. I would take breaks in the same spot where I study but that's not a true break. It's better to study and take breaks in different spaces if possible. Also, I'd like to try to take more trips outside of the town where school is. As much as I love where I go to school, I also miss bigger cities so I hope to be able to manage time better and squeeze in some trips out of town and go exploring! 
    
4. Rewarding Myself - After exams, my friends and I would usually do a movie night, or go out to dinner! Giving yourself something to be excited about after something stressful like exams may help you push through the grueling studying - this is something that seems to help me! Also, as I mentioned earlier, I like to stick to a healthier diet but I do reward myself with food - whether it's dessert or a hearty meal. 

The challenges of medical school and life gets overwhelming, but it's important to first take care of yourself physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually. That way, we can give our 110% to whatever we are doing! There's nothing worse than trying to pour out from an empty cup.