Here’s a quick outfit post. It was 14 degrees today! 😬 I took a couple days off of work to focus on writing a research paper. It’s tedious stuff, so I’m glad to take a little break to snap this OOTD photo. This is right before a power walk with my dog Freddy in the park. I’m wearing my dad’s old Gap sweater that’s probably 15 years old. He never wore it because it was too big for him (my dad is a very slender man). He gladly passed the sweater along to me. It’s still in perfect condition.
Underneath I’m wearing a pre-owned (but new) Patagonia sports bra that I bought on PM. It’s incredibly durable and gives really strong support (I ordered a size small; in the past I wore a size medium, but mediums were never supportive enough; I’ve since learned that sports bra have to be a uncomfortably constricting to work well).
You can’t see it, but I’m wearing a pair of very thick American Apparel 91% cotton winter leggings underneath these old street fleece sweat pants by EL. The two layers of pants made things very toasty! I actually felt hot and needed to unzip my jacket after 15 minutes of walking. AA stopped making their winter leggings but you can occasionally find them pre-owned. I haven’t found a pair of non-terry / non-plush leggings quite as thick as these. I liked them so much, I bought three pairs years ago (glad I did).
I finished things off with this old EL winter puffer, thick boot socks, new crepe boots, a beanie, a scarf that wrapped my head from the nose down, and a pair of gloves. The amount of time it takes to get dressed and undressed for the bitter winter is something I’m not going to miss when I leave New York. If you are on the east coast, how are you fighting the frost bite?
I completed the 3rd class in the Barre3 online beginners series. The glut workouts were really interesting. I worked out butt muscles I didn’t even know I had and felt sore around the hips all week. In 5 days, I’ve already lost 3 pounds! And I know it’s not water weight because I’ve been drinking a lot more water lately. I’m not restricting my food intake by much either. I’m eating maybe 10% less, but eating a lot more vegetables, and have cut down just a little on carbs. To make the vegetables a lot more interesting, I’ve been stir frying with just a tad of this black bean-chili oil sauce. I’m still snacking on a few Reese’s peanut butter cups, had a few spoonfuls of strawberry ice cream, and nibbled on holiday candy sent to us for Christmas, but I’m not eating more than a handful of any junk food per day.
I also feel like I can sit up straight for longer periods of time. I’m not sure if results can happen this quickly or if it’s all a placebo effect, but in any case, I feel very encouraged by this tiny bit of progress. Even though I’m technically not obese, I’m very out of shape. I have too much central fat (the most unhealthy kind). I can’t even run half a mile without stopping. I don’t think I’ve run more than 1 mile at a time in my entire life. I’m out of breath by the second flight of stairs. My core is very weak. I have bad posture while sitting and nearly gave myself a hernia when I coughed while laying on my stomach a few weeks ago. The only thing on my side, is my father’s genetics (he has a very fast metabolism and has always been extremely thin his whole life), which is maybe why I’m feeling results from this new workout so quickly.
Going into 2018, and entering the thick of my 30’s, I’m becoming more focused on my physical health and well being. I find that when I read/watch something over and over, I’m more likely to stay engaged in the activity, ie. when I watch someone paint, I start painting. When I read style blogs, I want to dress better. When I read that KonMarie book, I decluttered my apartment. When I watch cooking shows, I cook. And so on. So if I want to get fit, I figure I should watch people do it. There’s no shame in being a follower when it’s good for you.
[outfit: my dad’s old Gap sweater, old everlane street fleece pants, old everlane winter puffer, apc armelle boots]
Dr. it girl 
Absolutely am enjoying your style of blogging – a more of a stream of consciousness sort of thing than meticulously calculated commercial blog. Its a breath of fresh air.
Cant wait for you to move to California !
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Thanks. I think someone once called it “organic blogging”. =) I can’t wait too. Thanks for stopping by! You’ve got really good stuff going on at your blog too!
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My word, I love the American Apparel winter leggings so, so much. I patched up the holes in mine (looks like the fabric did weaken right next to the seams, which made it easy to sewup at least) on mine and am wearing it today and wow, these are so much better than both the Old Navy and J.Crew ones I just bought, and for not that much less than I originally spent to get the AA ones at full retail.
Sadly, I did not have the foresight to buy multiple pairs back in the day, though maybe I’ll continuously trawl eBay or venture into Poshmark for this, ha!
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Yes! I’m so happy someone else knows the experience of these leggings. I hear they changed the “formulation” of these leggings at one point… so I wonder if we have the same generation. Mine is still intact but I do rotate through multiple pairs. I’ve thought about hemming mine 2 inches shorter because they are pretty long but always been a bit too lazy to do it.
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Hi, love your blog and I’m glad you are posting often!
I love that black bean chili oil thing too, I try not to use it too often (it just seems like it has to be unhealthy for you) 😉 My solution for the new-to-me cold in ME has been uniqlo blocktech pants, seriously considering getting another pair.
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Thank you. I had heard of heat tech but not block tech… but how can they sell those pants for $30 .. that worries me. The black bean chili stuff is so good.. a little goes a long way so I don’t worry about it being too unhealthy.
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I’m in the midwest, but we’re nearly as cold as you this week (mercifully, without all the snow). I wear Cuddl Duds under jeans and sweaters on extremely cold days; I think they will also work under lined trousers. They’re very thin, but the fitted extra layer makes a huge difference and unless your street clothes are super-fitted as well, they don’t add bulk.
Incidentally I wear them under my pajamas AT ALL TIMES in winter, which is how I came to discover they are nearly invisible. I walk my sister’s dog over lunch when I’m working from home and it makes a huge difference once the temperature dips below freezing. Especially when the dog wants to stop and re-evaluate every tree he’s peed on in the past. A mile can take a half hour.
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never heard of cuddl duds before.. the long sleeve tops look like they’d be a good layering piece. thanks!
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That Everlane puffer looks really good. There was a hunter green version recently that really appeals to me, but we already discussed the EL hangup… I just ordered a Rag and Bone puffer, which is overkill for CA, but I’m hoping it looks as nice as your long version above. I lived in upstate New York for several years, and in those days (oh, the very early twenties!) I wore a waxed Barbour coat all winter. Like with a sweater underneath. I was basically cold for years, but it didn’t seem all that bad at the time. But ten years on, I’d want to look as you do!
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Oooh did you get the army green puffer from rag and bone? If you wore it unzipped on cool days, it would look very interesting. And would still be useful for traveling. Any idea on what you will blog about? I’m secretly hoping you do something similar. In my line of work its necessary to not reveal my identity but you probably have a lot more flexibility when you are in medical school and can decide later whether or not to conceal your identity.. some institutions have rules about that also.
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