Every time I have a closing shift my body goes through the same stages like clockwork. I'm physically & mentally exhausted by the time the mall closes at 9pm, & it gets worse until I get off around 11pm. On the way home I blast some music to keep myself awake, & it works a little too well because here I am at almost 1am & WIDE AWAKE with a lot on my mind.
#1. I'm waking up at 6:30am to workout with Alana at the rec center & dagnabit, I forgot my water bottle at work. I'll also have to fight the urge to go to Starbucks directly after said workout. I mean, COME ON. It's right outside of the exit!
#2. Harry Potter's midnight premiere is Thursday night. I'm in a predicament because I pig out at the movies. I can go in there after eating the biggest meal of my life & once the scent of movie theatre popcorn is sucked up my nostrils I go berserk for goodies. Oddly enough, I don't go for the popcorn, just... pretzel nuggets, Willy Wonka Scrumdiddlyumptious bars, Sour Patch Kids, Raisonettes (hey, there's fruit in that one!) HUGE COCA-COLA, sweet tarts... you get the picture. NO, i don't actually eat ALL of that. But goodness, I've tried. So like I was saying, Thursday night is going to test me because while I want to respectfully celebrate & mourn the film-version ending of my childhood, I also don't want to gain back everything I've lost in ONE night.
#3. I always crave oranges & orangesicles at night. For a solid 6 months I ate a refrigerated orange right before bed & it was as sweet & cool as a popsicle. Now I'm just kind of too lazy to keep that amount of oranges on hand & my body still goes through withdrawal.
#4. A little something about me: I buy a lot of magazines. Not only do they satisfy my taste for fashion, but (depending on the magazine) they also have a lot of good writing in there. Lately I've been buying more Shape & Women's Health, who most often have a female celebrity on their cover & interview them about their fitness regimens among other things, & I have to get this off of my chest: are we, the reader, actually supposed to believe that all of these celebrities are fit & trim because their workouts are "chasing their kids around"?
That's all for tonight, folks. Tomorrow's update will consist of events from what will surely be a hilarious workout with Alana, & other deep thoughts on things like should I dress up like Luna Lovegood or Hermione Granger for the Harry Potter premiere?
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Double Trouble
My disdain for physical fitness began early in life at a pivotal age for making good health habits. It all started in the summer entering the 7th grade with volleyball tryouts. I loved playing the game, but I hated the running. In the spring of that same year I joined the track team as a thrower, but unfortunately we throwers were also required to do our share of running exercises. For the next several years it was the same story season after season: it wasn't the actual running that I hated, it was how much it hurt doing it.
I know cardio is good for your body, but it's a pain in my chest - literally. For a woman doing high-impact activities, the right sports bra is vital in getting (& enduring) an effective workout. The problem is all of the misinformation one can read about. Going to different websites told me a compression bra is the best for larger busts doing high impact activities because it minimizes movement by literally just pushing/flattening (compressing) the bust into your chest, while an encapsulation sports bra (separate "cups") is better for low-impact activities like biking or pilates where the bust isn't as . However, another website told me the opposite. Who am I supposed to believe? Unfortunately, I think the only way to find out is in trial-&-error, which can be expensive to say the least. It's hard to find a sports bra of good quality under $25, & most retail between $30-$50 per bra. On a college student budget, it's often tempting to buy a couple $10 ones from Target, but in my experience it's always a bad choice. Their fabric isn't strong enough to supply the support needed & depending on the brand, a lower-quality brand could end up with little to no elasticity after a couple times in the washer. Though the higher price tags can look daunting, you can really feel a difference in the quality & they're long-lasting. No matter where you are on the boob scale from Rachel Zoe to Kim Kardashian, use your best judgement & always choose function over fashion!
After my next paycheck I plan on purchasing this & doing a review of it!:
http://www.nike.com/nikeos/p/nikewomen/en_US/clothing?hf=10001^12002^4294965452&p=PWP&t=Women%27s%20Sport&20Tops/Bras#?ll=en_US&ct=US&pid=380989&cid=101101&pgid=380991&p=PDP
Women's Health Magazine's "8 Rules of Sports Bra Shopping"
http://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/sports-bra-shopping-tips
I know cardio is good for your body, but it's a pain in my chest - literally. For a woman doing high-impact activities, the right sports bra is vital in getting (& enduring) an effective workout. The problem is all of the misinformation one can read about. Going to different websites told me a compression bra is the best for larger busts doing high impact activities because it minimizes movement by literally just pushing/flattening (compressing) the bust into your chest, while an encapsulation sports bra (separate "cups") is better for low-impact activities like biking or pilates where the bust isn't as . However, another website told me the opposite. Who am I supposed to believe? Unfortunately, I think the only way to find out is in trial-&-error, which can be expensive to say the least. It's hard to find a sports bra of good quality under $25, & most retail between $30-$50 per bra. On a college student budget, it's often tempting to buy a couple $10 ones from Target, but in my experience it's always a bad choice. Their fabric isn't strong enough to supply the support needed & depending on the brand, a lower-quality brand could end up with little to no elasticity after a couple times in the washer. Though the higher price tags can look daunting, you can really feel a difference in the quality & they're long-lasting. No matter where you are on the boob scale from Rachel Zoe to Kim Kardashian, use your best judgement & always choose function over fashion!
After my next paycheck I plan on purchasing this & doing a review of it!:
http://www.nike.com/nikeos/p/nikewomen/en_US/clothing?hf=10001^12002^4294965452&p=PWP&t=Women%27s%20Sport&20Tops/Bras#?ll=en_US&ct=US&pid=380989&cid=101101&pgid=380991&p=PDP
Women's Health Magazine's "8 Rules of Sports Bra Shopping"
http://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/sports-bra-shopping-tips
Friday, July 8, 2011
Delicious Obstacles
Throughout all of Spring Quarter at UC I felt exhausted mentally & physically. I was taking 19 credit hours & spent all of my extra time at my apartment working on homework/projects or actually at work earning a paycheck. I live a 20 minute walk away from campus & nearly every morning it seemed too draining to even walk to class when I thought about carrying my books & walking through the spring/summer heat. Everything from school to work to relationships with friends & roommates was adding so much stress that even the most simple tasks like walking to school seemed overwhelming.
Thanks to a variety of influences such as: friends who are vegetarian or vegan like Alana, Kelsey, & Betty, my Farming & Art studio taught by Patty Corbett, the book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver, & documentaries like Super Size Me & No Impact Man, I really started to look at my life & realize how little I know about the food I eat or take the effort to go to the grocery & buy food instead of going through the drive-thru at a fast food restaurant. (Note: A Netflix account is free for the first 30 days & it offers a lot of good documentaries that stream online to watch instantly like No Impact Man, Radically Simple, and Food Matters. These types of documentaries are mostly found under "Social & Cultural Documentaries)
After watching some of these documentaries & reading more information about fast food and the food industry, I decided to make a goal for the summer from June 1st - September 1st to not eat fast food*. At the time, I was eating it about twice a week: when the gallery was still open I would buy my lunch, & then with closing shifts at Anthropologie I would often get some between 10 & 11pm when I would get off of work & wanted something instantly so I could get as much sleep as possible before school the next day. It's been a little over a month & I've lost 6lbs without making any other changes to my diet/fitness habits. This last Sunday I DID go to Burger King after church (the family voted on it) but with Mom as my witness I got their garden salad (the ONLY salad offered on the menu, by the way) without chicken or dressing, so all it comprised of was a tiny bowl of lettuce with a few bits of carrot slices & about 4 grape tomatoes.
* NOTE: In my goal, "fast food" refers to restaurants that offer a drive-thru including but not limited to: Burger King, McDonalds, Wendys, Taco Bell, etc. In the last month I've eaten a Subway turkey sub twice, which some people consider a fast food restaurant.
The first week was hard to break out of the habit, but since then it's been surprisingly easy to not eat it anymore, which is part of what inspired me to make this blog & discover new, hopefully fun ways to live well. However, I do have one vice...
COCA-COLA.
It started out innocently enough, with a can or two a few times a week, but I soon realized my coke dependency was getting out of hand. (Seriously, do they still put cocaine in it??) Last summer my goal was to wean myself off of the stuff entirely, but that soon changed to "only once a month" & then "only once a week", & I did stick to the once a week rule... until Germany. When I went to Germany in September sparks flew with my long-lost love. While everyone else was picking out new beers to try, I, the non-alcoholic drinker, was spending more money on a glass of coca-cola (with REAL SUGAR!!!) than everyone else was on a pint of beer. It was after that trip that my desire for coca-cola grew to an unhealthy amount. I'm now back to doing the once-a-week thing, but I know it's a dangerous path. I'm considering cutting it out cold turkey like I did with fast food. You might ask yourself, "Why not do it in a 3 month trial like with the fast food goal?" then I'll tell you it's because I know if I even made it past the 3 months, once that sweet sweet nectar hit my lips again there would be no going back.
Yet again, there's something to think about in developing my life goal live well plan.
Thanks to a variety of influences such as: friends who are vegetarian or vegan like Alana, Kelsey, & Betty, my Farming & Art studio taught by Patty Corbett, the book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver, & documentaries like Super Size Me & No Impact Man, I really started to look at my life & realize how little I know about the food I eat or take the effort to go to the grocery & buy food instead of going through the drive-thru at a fast food restaurant. (Note: A Netflix account is free for the first 30 days & it offers a lot of good documentaries that stream online to watch instantly like No Impact Man, Radically Simple, and Food Matters. These types of documentaries are mostly found under "Social & Cultural Documentaries)
After watching some of these documentaries & reading more information about fast food and the food industry, I decided to make a goal for the summer from June 1st - September 1st to not eat fast food*. At the time, I was eating it about twice a week: when the gallery was still open I would buy my lunch, & then with closing shifts at Anthropologie I would often get some between 10 & 11pm when I would get off of work & wanted something instantly so I could get as much sleep as possible before school the next day. It's been a little over a month & I've lost 6lbs without making any other changes to my diet/fitness habits. This last Sunday I DID go to Burger King after church (the family voted on it) but with Mom as my witness I got their garden salad (the ONLY salad offered on the menu, by the way) without chicken or dressing, so all it comprised of was a tiny bowl of lettuce with a few bits of carrot slices & about 4 grape tomatoes.
* NOTE: In my goal, "fast food" refers to restaurants that offer a drive-thru including but not limited to: Burger King, McDonalds, Wendys, Taco Bell, etc. In the last month I've eaten a Subway turkey sub twice, which some people consider a fast food restaurant.
The first week was hard to break out of the habit, but since then it's been surprisingly easy to not eat it anymore, which is part of what inspired me to make this blog & discover new, hopefully fun ways to live well. However, I do have one vice...
COCA-COLA.
It started out innocently enough, with a can or two a few times a week, but I soon realized my coke dependency was getting out of hand. (Seriously, do they still put cocaine in it??) Last summer my goal was to wean myself off of the stuff entirely, but that soon changed to "only once a month" & then "only once a week", & I did stick to the once a week rule... until Germany. When I went to Germany in September sparks flew with my long-lost love. While everyone else was picking out new beers to try, I, the non-alcoholic drinker, was spending more money on a glass of coca-cola (with REAL SUGAR!!!) than everyone else was on a pint of beer. It was after that trip that my desire for coca-cola grew to an unhealthy amount. I'm now back to doing the once-a-week thing, but I know it's a dangerous path. I'm considering cutting it out cold turkey like I did with fast food. You might ask yourself, "Why not do it in a 3 month trial like with the fast food goal?" then I'll tell you it's because I know if I even made it past the 3 months, once that sweet sweet nectar hit my lips again there would be no going back.
Yet again, there's something to think about in developing my life goal live well plan.
Life's the Pitts
Since it's just mere minutes into Friday & I'm dealing with a severe bout of insomnia, it feels like the most logical thing to do is start up a blog about my upcoming athletic & health ventures that I firmly decided upon sometime in the 11 o'clock hour on Thursday... or one hour ago. About twice a year I get on a physical kick of "This is my only life & I'm going to live it right!" but soon the Chipotle burrito, chips & guacamole digest and my head wanders off into other areas of interest like, "Which series of the Real Housewives is on Bravo tonight?" However, dear friends, I assure you that this time it's for real. This time I'm committing my life to educating myself on how to live healthier and finding fitness activities that are right for me. Because...
I'm moving to Pittsburgh. Quite spontaneously. But let's not get ahead of ourselves...
Background information for your pleasure & my horror:
Current Age: 22 years, 7 months, 3 days.
Current Weight: 181lbs. Currently regretting the trip to Graeter's with Nissa.
Average Daily Activity Level on a Scale 1-10: I give myself a 3 for: walking at least 40 minutes a day to/from class, 20 minute pilates DVD about 2 times a week, & my recent fitness addition of using 5lb weights for 30 minutes 4 times a week.
Story: Tomorrow marks my last day of class as an undergraduate student at the University of Cincinnati. Living on my own hasn't been easy on me weight-wise. When I moved to college I fell into bad habits of eating out too often, and also stopped nearly all fitness activities except for the occasional trip to the gym because of my completely logical and justified fear of working out in public spaces. Long story short, I now find myself with a weight gain of roughly 35lbs since my golden high school days. Trust me when I say this has affected me in countless areas of life from the most simple tasks of going to class, to the most dreadful tasks of buying new clothes (with a job in retail on top of that).
So now I'm faced with yet another dilemma: this big move to Pittsburgh was a decision made in one of those blink-&-you'll-miss it moments of life. I'm excited to move out of the Dayton/Cincinnati areas & in to Pittsburgh with my sister & her friends, but once again my discomfort is starting to interfere with my plans. Not being comfortable in your own skin for years at a time is enough to drive someone crazy, but instead I want to seize the moment & take control. Since I'll no longer be trying to juggle classes/homework/a job at the same time, this is my opportunity to really excel at making life-long changes & challenge myself in ways I never have before, all the while discovering what does & does not work for me.
Goals:
Not completely developed yet, but let me emphasis that it's not just about the number on the scale. If I stayed the same weight but developed endurance, muscles, & an overall active/healthy lifestyle adopted for the rest of my life, I will be completely happy with the results.
What I do know is:
* I want to try activities I've never done before like kickboxing & cycling. Once again, this area is tricky because the popular trend in fitness classes lately is dance-related workouts, & this Ohio girl cannot follow a beat by tapping her toes, much less while gyrating my pelvis/waving my arms/general moves that require a certain amount of poise & grace. I'm not opposed to trying these dance classes like Zumba, but they definitely won't be the first ones I try, either.
I'm moving to Pittsburgh. Quite spontaneously. But let's not get ahead of ourselves...
Background information for your pleasure & my horror:
Current Age: 22 years, 7 months, 3 days.
Current Weight: 181lbs. Currently regretting the trip to Graeter's with Nissa.
Average Daily Activity Level on a Scale 1-10: I give myself a 3 for: walking at least 40 minutes a day to/from class, 20 minute pilates DVD about 2 times a week, & my recent fitness addition of using 5lb weights for 30 minutes 4 times a week.
Story: Tomorrow marks my last day of class as an undergraduate student at the University of Cincinnati. Living on my own hasn't been easy on me weight-wise. When I moved to college I fell into bad habits of eating out too often, and also stopped nearly all fitness activities except for the occasional trip to the gym because of my completely logical and justified fear of working out in public spaces. Long story short, I now find myself with a weight gain of roughly 35lbs since my golden high school days. Trust me when I say this has affected me in countless areas of life from the most simple tasks of going to class, to the most dreadful tasks of buying new clothes (with a job in retail on top of that).
So now I'm faced with yet another dilemma: this big move to Pittsburgh was a decision made in one of those blink-&-you'll-miss it moments of life. I'm excited to move out of the Dayton/Cincinnati areas & in to Pittsburgh with my sister & her friends, but once again my discomfort is starting to interfere with my plans. Not being comfortable in your own skin for years at a time is enough to drive someone crazy, but instead I want to seize the moment & take control. Since I'll no longer be trying to juggle classes/homework/a job at the same time, this is my opportunity to really excel at making life-long changes & challenge myself in ways I never have before, all the while discovering what does & does not work for me.
Goals:
Not completely developed yet, but let me emphasis that it's not just about the number on the scale. If I stayed the same weight but developed endurance, muscles, & an overall active/healthy lifestyle adopted for the rest of my life, I will be completely happy with the results.
What I do know is:
* I want to try activities I've never done before like kickboxing & cycling. Once again, this area is tricky because the popular trend in fitness classes lately is dance-related workouts, & this Ohio girl cannot follow a beat by tapping her toes, much less while gyrating my pelvis/waving my arms/general moves that require a certain amount of poise & grace. I'm not opposed to trying these dance classes like Zumba, but they definitely won't be the first ones I try, either.
* I want to read more & educate myself well on aspects of health, including activities and the food/farming industries.
* Update this blog at least once a week on current updates with my health/fitness, interesting reads & finds, & other general positive lifestyle tidbits.
So for now this is my undeveloped plan in a nutshell. I hope that by making this blog available to the public (hi Mom) it will give me extra motivation to stick to my goals past 7:30am when I wake up.
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