Fitness and #PhitforPhD Challenge

Hey loves!
A lot has happened since my last post - I'm still alive, just been super busy juggling the beast that is PhD!
I have a few posts lined up for the next few weeks, but just wanted to update!
I have interviewed and been offered/accepted a post doc position at a company, and I couldn't be more excited! But that means I have to move across the country, to Boston to be exact. It is a huge change, and it means long distance relationship for some time... but it is doable, and I know everything will be ok. I've spent a lot of time thinking and crying, and I had to go with my heart.
I've also set a date for my dissertation defense, June 8, so the count down is on! I have started making figures for my final chapter of my dissertation, and the rest of the dissertation is written - so I am just at the last stretch!
In order to combat stress, I have been really focusing on working out. Since the first of the year, I have done back to back programs, starting with a cardio kickboxing/MMA style program, and then followed that with a 60 day program of Insanity Max 30, a high intensity interval training program. I saw amazing results with this, and even though I didn't lose weight on the scale, I overall lost 3 inches, and gained so much endurance. I started the first week severely doubting myself and doubting I could do 60 days of this -- but I still pushed thru, and found that by month two, I was pushing myself even harder and actually excited to do my workouts! It was such a great feeling!
Here are my results photos from my fitness instagram account (@labcoatsandlegday)

Here are my #transformationtuesday results from day 1 (left) to day 60 (right) of IM30! 60 days of high Intensity insanity workouts that are only 30 min, ccpc meal plan, daily superfoods, checking in with my ladies, and working on my self! I lost 2.5 - 3 inches, endurance thru the roof (I maxed out in a few of the workouts during week 7 of 8!) , I feel so much stronger! And my weight stayed the same - I'm floating between 152-155. I've Been eating at 1500-1800 range, and I haven't been absolutely consistent the whole time but it's payed off when I have! Butt feels tighter and lifted, my thighs have slimmed down and they are my insecurity spot, hips and tummy down, and arms and shoulders feel stronger, oh and have definition in my calves! I also did doubles these last two weeks for An extra challenge! Trying to decide what to do next, I want to channel my inner badass and do max out month and a lifting program! I overcame a lot of obstacles, mainly at the beginning where I started the first week of videos and almost quit, told myself this wasn't the workout for me, it was too tough. Well, 60 days later I smashed it!! And I'm going to continue working on progress instead of falling off like I usually do after finishing a program. I'm traveling the rest of this week so my schedule will be a little off, but I will be picking workouts to do on my on demand on my iPad or phone. And then starting a regular schedule on Monday! Please join me if you are in the Us or Ca and not working with a coach! Let's get results for summer! I can't believe it's the end of march! Send me a message or fill out form in my bio!

A post shared by Andrea (@labcoatsandlegday) on Mar 28, 2017 at 2:46pm PDT

Fashion and Fitness - Couch to 5K with Boohoo!

Happy Monday!
Mondays are always a good day to start a new page in your fitness and health journey! Whenever I start a new training program, I always start on a Monday! If you haven't already noticed from my previous posts, I've been so into working out and living a healthy lifestyle lately. I literally have been living in my gym clothes, to the point where I have been wearing my workout leggings to work, because they are so comfy! When I did my laundry, I noticed 95% of my dirty clothes were all workout gear!! So I was really excited when I got the opportunity to check out another line of new workout clothing from BoohooFIT!
I was so excited when I received my items, a whole outfit that included a sports bra, top, and workout leggings for less than  £30 (about $30)! Can you believe that?! I ordered the Saskia Rainbow elastic hem sports bra (HERE), the Malkah Neon highlight sports running leggings in pink/orange (HERE) and the Lara Fit Sweat Squad Running Vest (HERE). The shirt I LOVED the quote, I've been really into cute quote shirts, and I didn't realize that the back had a cute strap running up the back - and it's cut like a muscle tee, so you really have to wear something underneath it (like the sports bra!). The running leggings were so soft and comfortable! They were super flexible. The sports bra had enough support for me which is what I needed, and a cute rainbow band that I just loved! I loved the way the outfit looked and the bra peeked from underneath!

Fashion and Fitness - 8 ways to keep your cool and Stretch the stress away

Hello loves!
Happy Friday!
Another week down, another week closer to summer and being done!
I have alluded in previous posts and if you have been following me on instagram that I've been focusing a lot on self care, which is done by working on my nutrition and fitness!
This past fall I fell into a negative spiral where I was so stressed out, super overwhelmed, things weren't working on my projects, I had month-long headaches and migraines, and it just overall sucked. I was working 12 hour days but I didn't feel like I was progressing, I wasn't sleeping enough, and I didn't have time to relax or workout. Come December, I decided to change that, because I couldn't continue living in that same state. I also hit my heaviest weight. I needed to change something. I decided to start focusing on myself, so I can refind myself and I can actually be productive in work.
After months of contemplation to invest in a program, I committed to doing a Beachbody workout and nutrition program called 21 Day Fix, perfect for a beginner, thanks to a friend who is a coach and recommended it to me, and it was the best decision I made. All of a sudden I had a structured meal plan and workout program that I could do the workouts in 30 minutes a day, and really had no excuses not to stick to it, especially since I invested in it. The coaching and free accountability group/community I became a part of was a great plus, and I believe is the difference between sticking to a program and just buying it and leaving it to the side. Being in a community with other women who were making a huge effort to lose weight, change their health habits, was so inspiring. I lost 4 lbs in my first round and about 7.5 inches in 21 days. That's only 3 weeks!! And I also noticed my headaches were gone, I wasn't getting a migraine when I felt stressed. I saw a change in my skin, it cleared up, my bloating went down, and my stomach felt better. I realized I inadvertently cut out cheese and milk from my diet, and it make a wonderful difference. I found out I am to a degree lactose intolerant! I also found that I feel so much better and I actually enjoy cooking food! I cut out all processed foods, which has helped me regulate my body, and I am saving money since I have a focused meal plan and grocery list. I always would over buy lots of groceries and I would end up spending 100$+ a week on groceries and end up eating out most of the week. Sticking with this easy meal plan has helped me stay on track and save money! In addition I started having a superfoods shake to my meal plan, and I add some greens and fruits to it, super yummy and I get a lot of my nutrients in for the day! It has also curbed my sweet tooth quite a bit, and it has some protein, so perfect to drink for breakfast or snack after a workout!
I loved 21 Day Fix so much I decided to up it a little bit and I did my next 21 days using 21 Day Fix Extreme, which was similar to the regular fix, but the workouts were, like the title, a little more extreme! I saw even better results following this plan, I definitely lost some body fat and leaned out!
And currently, I am following the 22 Minute HardCorp program, which is an 8 week bootcamp style program that was just released! Tony Horton, who created P90X which you may have heard of, designed this bootcamp style program that can be done in 22 minutes! Literally, my soulmate workout, because I don't have a lot of time, so it is quick and done, and it hits all the muscle groups. It alternates between resistance and cardio, and I have definitely leaned out and I am just in week 3! I can't wait to see my body change and see my results by the end of 8 weeks (brings me to end of April! time is flying, it is almost summer!)
If you are interested in doing a program then send me an email (andrea@phdfashionista.com) and we can chat about your goals! I'd love to share what has worked for me and hopefully it can help you! You can also check out the options for On Demand Access at this link: www.tinyurl.com/workoutwithLCLD

Well, anyway, I also wanted to share this really cute Fabletics outfit that I love, I really really love all of the pieces in the Fabletics collection, especially bright pieces. And I love these bright neon pink sneakers from Nike! No one said working out had to be boring, there are so many brands out there with really fashionable pieces!

Here is a simple stretching workout to do when you are feeling tense and want to stretch the stress away! I found yoga, meditation and just stretching really help me when I am feeling really tense.


1. Runners Lunge - Stretch out your hips and hamstrings by coming into a runners lunge!