The Waiting Game… A Test of Faith?

This was me pretty much every day for the past month and a half studying for the Physical Therapist Assistant National Board Exam, which I took yesterday along with my graduating class.

And now this is us. Playing the waiting game. Which is the worst game in the whole world. It’s going to take five business days for us to find out our exam results and two weeks to get our license. So for the past two months, I’ve been finding myself playing the waiting game and honestly, it’s a little frustrating. But I always find myself praying and asking God for peace because that’s the only way I can find real peace.

I think God works in a really funny way. I spoke to my mom this morning on the phone and I was telling her how worried I am and how I hate waiting. Then she said, “Sheila, you’ve prayed for God to help you study and give you peace while you take your exam. And He answered your prayers. Now you just need to trust Him, be patient, and have faith. Worrying only shows that you don’t trust God. This waiting game is a test of Faith. A chance for you to practice patience and build your character. So just have peace and be still.” My mom’s words of wisdom made me realize that God has been taking care of me. I’ve done everything I can to do well on the boards, I’ve taken the test, and all I need to do is stay still, let God do the rest, and enjoy this time off I have. I’ve been bombarded with school and studying for the past two years of my life when I started the PTA program. And now a new season in my life is about to start and God is preparing me for that. I just have to wait patiently, continue to trust Him, and allow Him to work in my life.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

-Philippians 4:6-7

The Essentials for a Sharper, Stronger, and Healthier Brain

I like to eat healthy, nutritious, and yummy foods. I love that there are so many benefits in eating healthy, which is the main topic of today’s post: BRAIN FOOD! As I’m preparing myself to take the PTA National Board Exam next week, I have also researched other ways I can prepare my brain and body. Through my search of the best brain foods out there, I’ve found that eating foods that contain specific nutrient such as B vitamins and omega-3 fatty acids, complex carbohydatres, and protein can actually help sharpen the memory, improve a person’s mood and help keep the mind active.

So instead of grabbing a doughnut or a greasy breakfast taco from your favorite taqueria on the morning of an important exam, eat foods that will increase memory function and improve focusing abilities. Foods such as:

Vitamin-rich Foods: Essential for a healthy body and brain. They help feed the brain and keep it active. B vitamins like folic acid, B12, and B6 play a role in the functioning of brain meesages that are sent back and forth throughout your body. Leafy vegetables such as kale, spinach, bananas, nuts, and seeds are excellent vitamin-rich foods.

Fats: Fats help with blood circulation in the brain, memory, and immune system. Omega-3 fatty acids are essential, especially before an exam. Salmon, sardines, and tuna are a few examples and may help improve memory and reduce learning disabilities.

Carbohydrates: Eating the right kind of carbohydates such as corn, squash, beets, old fashion oatmeal (my favorite), and whole grain cereals before an exam may help with anxiety. Serotonin, which is a substance that is converted in the brain after consuming carbohydates, may help lessen confusion and anxiety before taking an exam.

Protein: Essential brain food. Once foods rich in protein such as eggs, greek yogurt, dried beans, whole grains, green leafy vegetables, fish, lean poultry, and nuts are digested, they are broken down into amino acids that help feed the brain. Feeding your brain with protein will help keep you alert and improve memory for an exam.

My breakfast usually consists of 3/4c of old-fashion oatmeal with half a banana, 1 1/2 c of almond milk, a dash of cinnamon, and 1 tsp. of vanilla. When it’s cooked, I like to sprinkle 1 tbsp. of wheat germ and 1 tsp. of almond butter. I also boil 2 eggs and eat it along with my oatmeal. I take Super-B Complex vitamins that has added vitamin C and Fish Oil with my meal every morning.

Before I forget, green tea which contains the key ingredient Polyphenols, is an excellent brain food. Polyphenols can protect the brain from wear and tear and helps with dopamine production, which produces a positive mental state. Going in a test with a positive attitude is probably the best thing to have while you’re taking an important exam. Goodbye second guessing, worry, and fear!

Even if you don’t have a big exam coming up, consuming these nutritious foods will help keep your brain healthy, strong, and sharp. Some research have also shown that eating nutritious brain foods can prevent or delay a person from disorders such as dementia and Alzheimers disease that affects the brain later in life.  So eat up!  

(credit: webmd.com)

Smarter Than Yesteday

Is it possible for your brain to hurt? Not your head, your brain. I literally spent eight whole hours at the library today studying for the board exam and I came out of there feeling like a zombie. I definitely feel a hundred times smarter today than yesterday. The thing that helped me last that long studying is the large non-fat sugar free iced vanilla latte I had bought this morning from McD’s. Starbucks got a little too expensive for me so I’m sticking with McD’s iced lattes til next week.

It was gloomy and rained pretty much all day today, so I was really stuck in the library. I took a break after every hour of studying and worked on a nice little banner for my blog. Btw, do you like the new blog name? I had to change it, again, because I didn’t realize there were a few blogs out there with the name Eat Play Love. I didn’t want to steal the name so I made up a new one. I think it suits me perfectly and with what I want to do with my blog. I also wanted to put a simple header together so that thing above is what I came up with. Nothing fancy but I like the simplicity and neatness of it.

I decided to close the books around 6:30 and was too tired to cook dinner by the time I got out of there. I was craving an Asian noodle dish, so the best friend and I ate dinner at a Vietnamese restaurant called Hu Dat. We shared an appetizer, Won Ton Soup and I ordered Pho Xao for the main course. I made two meals out of it and will be eating the rest for lunch tomorrow at the library.

It’s almost midnight and I had to force myself to close the books. I just can’t seem to get this test off my mind and it’s driving me crazy. It’s a really important test and I just can’t seem to get this picture of a failing result in my head. I’ve been studying hard and so I should have more confidence in myself right? I’ve got my family, close friends, and the teachers I had for the program believing in me but I just can’t seem to do the same thing. Believe in myself. It just seems so hard to do but I need to believe in myself in order to gain confidence and so I can do well on this test. It’s just a matter of letting go whatever it is that’s holding me back. I think it’s time to go and quiet my mind now.

“One Man’s Trash is Another Man’s Treasure”

How was everyone’s weekend? Mine was relaxing and took Saturday and part of Sunday off from studying. I spent the weekend at my best friend’s parents house and had a nice, relaxing time with them. Lots of food were also involved including yummy homemade breakfast and grilled bbq wings, grilled corn husks, and stuffed jalapeños wrapped in bacon for dinner. Unfortunately, I was unable to take pictures of these yummy eats but the stuffed jalapeños looked exactly like these.

They are extremely easy to make! All you need are three ingredients: jalapeños, cream cheese, and bacon. Use toothpicks to keep the bacon on the stuffed jalapeños but make sure to soak the toothpicks first so they won’t burn while they are in the pit. I probably ate like five or six of these and literally had to stop myself. They are addicting!

On my way home Sunday, I saw a garage sale at the corner of my apartment complex. I rarely stop at garage sales but I was curious to see what they’ve got. I’ve always believed in the saying “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure”. I’ve been wanting a Belgian waffle maker for months but since I’m a poor college student, purchasing something more than $20 is a little too much for me. Well, I’m glad I stopped at the this garage sale ’cause I found myself a used belgian waffle maker! It was marked $10 but the guy sold it for $5 instead. Score!!!

So in about seven days, my life is going to change. I will be taking the Physical Therapist Assistant National Board Exam. I’ve been working my butt off, studying, and sacrificing fun nights with friends for the past month and a half for this test. I look forward to becoming a therapist, doing what I love, helping people, and starting a new life in a new city. I’m just hoping and praying that everything will fall into place at the right time. What about you? Got anything big coming up in your life?

Welcome back?

Hey guys! I guess this is a welcome back with a new blog name, again. What, this is like the 100th time I’ve changed the name to my blog? I like change. Don’t judge. So, I really want to get back to blogging. Lots has changed since the last time I blogged. A complete 180 in my life. I’ll save that topic for another post.

Oh, btw Happy Independence Day! I’m not doing anything special today. Actually, I take that back. I’ve been studying for the National Physical Therapist Assistant Board Exam for the past 1 1/2 month at the library and since it’s a holiday I will be spending majority of my day at Barnes & Noble. That means Starbuck’s Coffee and checking out cookbooks during my breaks. Yay me!

I should probably post some pictures on this post since I don’t want to bore you to death with my ramblings. Okay, who is ready to see some food?! Might as well, since that’s all I think and dream about anyway. And everything I do revolves around food. That means plenty of posts about food, yes!

I killed myself at the gym this morning so when I got home I prepared myself a wonderful, cold Green Monster. It’s exactly what I needed. To make this amazing smoothie I used:
-1 cup of unsweetened almond milk
-1/2 banana
-1 cup of spinach (yum!)
-1 tbsp. flax seeds
-1 scoop of 100% Gold Standard Whey Protein, vanilla flavor
-1 cup ice
All in the blender

Lunch time means leftovers for me today. Baked Cajun tilapia with imitation crab on top, black beans that I sautéed with tomatoes, roasted Brussels sprouts, and a cup of spring mix salad with 3 small scoops of leftover avocado I had in the fridge.

I’m still not sure about what I will be making for dinner tonight. I’ve been dying to try and make this Pad Thai recipe I found a few days ago on Pinterest. If not, I’ll probably end up baking some salmon. Yum! And yes, pictures will be provided along with the recipe on my next post.

I’ve really missed blogging and I hope I’ll stay for awhile this time. So yes, this is a WELCOME BACK for me. Wherever you are today, have a wonderful, safe, and fun 4th of July!