Another week, another What I Ate Wednesday. As always, thanks to Jenn for hosting the weekly link party. To see more WIAW from other bloggers, visit Peas & Crayons.

So yeah. This week, I started a new rotation. So far so…well, you can’t love everything, I suppose. I’m holding out judgment until I actually get to work with my assigned preceptor rather than whomever happens to be covering for them each day they’re out for the holiday this week. I have to admit, though, the ICU is really different from what I expected—for one thing, the doctors and nurses are a lot nicer than I’d imagined! I don’t know why I’m surprised that an “intensive care unit” should be staffed by friendly people, but it was definitely a good surprise. Monday I spent seeing patients in the Surgical ICU, and Tuesday I was in the Cardiothoracic ICU.

Another surprise—how quickly the team responds to nutrition care plans. I’m used to having to page someone repeatedly. The other day, some of my tube feed and vitamin orders were activated within a couple hours of me writing them. Talk about incentive to get it right the first time…

Monday, I had to race downtown to get to class on time. I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to capping off an 8+-hour day at the hospital with an almost 3-hour class, but it is what it is. To avoid blood sugar crashes (not to mention having to eat a huge meal right before bed—I hate that), I made sure I had enough snacks to get me through the day. It was kind of weird to realize I had almost no dairy products, as the focus of class that night was calcium, vitamin D, and phosphorous, but I had plenty of calcium-rich kale and tofu. There’s also calcium in chia seeds…

Breakfast: Oats w/ chia & flax, apple and butternut squash, topped w/ apple sauce & PB

Lunch: Cafeteria salad; a Gnu bar (did not need the 12 grams of fiber, but it’s what I had in my snack stash)

recycled pic-sorry!

Snacks: (unpictured) orange saved from lunch, snap pea crisps & dry-roasted edamame

Dinner: A mess. Grits with greens, tofu, leftover roasted veggies, nutritional yeast, goat cheese, and hummus; the last few squares of a chocolate bar for dessert

The good habit I decided to fall into for the month is to do a plank every day. I was doing well with holding it for 2 minutes all summer, so this month I’m giving 3 a shot. It’s kind of neat to see yourself getting stronger. I remember when I was recovering from my arm injury in late 2010, I couldn’t even do a forearm plank! On days when I get down on myself for x, y, or z, a little reminder at how far I’ve come in at least one respect (even if it is something as basic as holding one position for 3 minutes) can be a nice little mood boost. It’s way cheaper than online shopping.

Have you picked up any good habits this month? How do you boost your mood when you’re feeling down?