Going to the Gym

With my recent detox part two post, I thought it'd be neat to share what my typical workout entails. I'll have to apologize as this doesn't really have anything to do with fashion/DIY'ing... Also, I am by no means a gym buff (as will become abundantly clear in about two paragraphs), but I've just found this is what works for me.

First up, the outfit:
Super unfancy - usually just some gym shorts, sports bra and the first t-shirt I pick out of my drawer (my campus gives out t-shirts like they're going out of style so I have probably 30 or so at this point). There's tons of more expensive work out clothing but really, I'm just going to get it sweaty, so for me there's no point.

Pictures just because they're fun! These super hot gym shorts are remarkably similar to the ones I wear.

Accessories:

I still have one of the old school iPod nanos, which works SO well for gym-time since it's tiny and fits in my handy dandy iPod nano armband. Imagine that.

I also cannot workout without constantly chugging water, so I keep my water bottle with me at all times. Note: make sure any water you drink during/directly after a workout isn't too cold - drinking super cold water when I'm working out makes my stomach hurt, probably because of the huge temperature difference.

My routine:

I usually warm up by stretching really well for a few minutes, then biking for roughly 15 minutes. Biking is bad for my misaligned knees but I like it so I do it anyways. Do not follow this advice.

If only it would get warm enough so I can actually go somewhere when I bike. Dreamy sighhhhh.

Next, if an elliptical machine is open, I'll usually do that for however long I can stay not bored (30-40 minutes).

Then, since I dislike (read: am scared of and intimidated by) the actual exercise machines, I stick to doing more isometric exercises - that is, using my body weight as resistance. Push-ups, planks, crunches, pilates, yoga, mostly whatever I'm in the mood for that day.

My music:

Although I'm usually good with my trusty nano, I sometimes mix it up with a Pandora station (Ellie Goulding, LMFAO, and Party Like A Rockstar being prime choices). Here's some of the songs currently on my gym workout playlist

Wild Ones - Flo Rida ft. Sia

M.I.A - Bad Girls (Barbaric Merits Chainbangin Remix)

Ratatat - Wildcat

Awolnation - Sail (or its remix)

Jessie J - Do It Like A Dude (Labrinth Remix)

Michael Jackson - Dirty Diana

The Veronicas - Untouched

Don Omar - Danza Kuduro

Dev - In The Dark

Ellie Goulding - Lights (Bassnector Remix)

Avicci and Leona Lewis - Penguins Collide Into Darkness

The Hood Internet - All of the Lights

Gold Panda - Marriage (Star Slinger Remix)

Music is the ultimate motivator, as demonstrated by this adorable baby.

The aftermath:

Besides a nice cool shower (good for your skin/hair and feels great after being all sweaty), I've found that clementines are the absolute best post-workout snack. And portable, so you can even snack on your walk back from the gym! Yumyumyum.

And that's pretty much it! I'd love to hear what you guys do, listen to, motivate yourself with, etc!

Detox Plan: Phase 2

So four weeks ago I posted the first phase of my detox plan for the rest of the semester to help me stay sane until I turn in my thesis and then graduate/move into the "real world." I've stuck with the plan pretty well, but quickly learned several things about myself:

First, I actually really really enjoy going to the gym (collective gasp). I weirdly like pushing myself physically in the gym, especially after days just sitting around in class or studying. I've started noticing subtle changes in my body too - I feel stronger and at least slightly more toned that I did four weeks ago, which is a great feeling. It's sometimes hard to make time for the gym, but it's so rewarding for me when I do go.

Second, I'm getting very tired very quickly of dining hall food. After four years of eating more or less the same thing, it's getting hard to be creative. As a result, I tend to buy a lot of snacks and meals that are typically less healthy than what I would eat in the dining hall. I also work at coffee shops frequently and am becoming slightly addicted to chai tea lattes and croissants.

As a result, (and my third lesson learned) I realized that I spend much more money than I should, specifically on food, but also just in general. So I'm adding a lifestyle detox component to the next phase, especially in relation to money. 'Tis the life of a poor college student, right?

So taking all this into account, here's my plan for my next six-week phase of detoxing:

Exercise: I'm amping up my workout schedule, really pushing myself to go at least four times a week. This may become slightly unrealistic once midterms hit, but it's a goal. Not much new here.

Food: I feel like I often forget how much I actually really love fruit and steamed vegetables, so I definitely want to up my intake. And even though one of my goals is to spend less money, I want to eat more fish which is something I may have to spend on. I'm okay with it though since it's in the interest of health. Less pastries at coffee shops, fewer purchased (unhealthy) snacks, more water and tea, vegan days three times a week now, and only giving into my love of wine, coffee, and chocolate occasionally. Everything in moderation, even moderation! I'm still going to work at my beloved coffee shops, but maybe fewer times a week

Lifestyle: Pretty self explanatory, really. I want to start saving money more regularly, and spend less frivolously. Or rather, I want to spend my money on high quality basics that will last me a long time, instead of on things that are expendable or compulsive purchases. Unfortunately, this includes reigning in my DIY'ing a bit. Meaning, I'm going to try and use things I already have for DIY's for the next six weeks - not all of them, but just more. I have a gigantic bin underneath my bed of fabric scraps and old clothes I need to alter, so I'm going to tackle that!

And that's pretty much it! Let me know if you have questions or suggestions or your own tips for how to detox!

Detox Plan: Phase 1

The next 14 weeks are going to be some of the most stressful (and hopefully at least somewhat fun-filled) weeks of my life: thesis writing. Then 3 weeks of playing hooky (because let's get real, it's gonna happen), then one of the most anxiety-provoking and heartbreaking events of my life: graduation.

For the sake of my sanity (and waistline), I'm embarking on a 4-stage de-stressing, re-energizing, health-increasing, happy-making 14-week detox. The trick? I'm still on a college budget, with dining hall food, and a half mile of snow (and 0 degree weather) between me and the gym. Oh, and I've developed knee/back issues.

Inspired by this pictogram queen and her own detox, here's a visual plan of my own, outlining the basics of Stage 1, which will last for the next four weeks:

Yoga/stretching: Like I said, I've been having some knee (and back, recently) problems. Last week I did a yoga workshop - 2 hours of pretty intense yoga a day. And while it was awesome and made me feel so nice and relaxed, there's no way I can keep that rigor up. But some stretching and yoga a few times a week will definitely help the relaxation goal.

Cardio/lifting: I really detest running. Using an elliptical is better, but I still get tired of it. I adore biking, but that's kind of impossible with it being all snowy (and doc said to chill out on the biking until my knees are in better shape. boo.) So I've scaled my workout back to what I think will be feasible, not what my ideal plan would be (we'll get there in phases 2-4!).

Mostly: my dining hall recently upgraded to a much less limp form of lettuce, so I've definitely been piling that on. Their dressing selection is sorely lacking though, so I'm going to try and smuggle in my own to spice it up (or mayhaps try my hand at making some with dining hall ingredients??). I also just love carrots and broccoli, both super available.

Lots: pretty self-explanatory. I don't eat a whole lot of red meat up here but mostly because our dining hall butchers it (HA!) but like in a bad way. I've finally started liking tea too (especially the Moroccan mint -mix of green and black teas- that a nearby coffee shop serves with a drop of honey yumm), so maybe that can replace a part of my mocha obsession.

More: fruit is hard to come by as its winter now, but that just means SO MANY CLEMENTINES, which I'm totally cool with. I love love fish, but it's also hard to come by in my dining hall. Definitely a treat I cook for myself sometimes though.

Less: Already explained coffee and bread (coffee is scheduled to make a huge come back in phase 3 though which is, you guessed it, the week before my thesis is due). I don't drink very much anyways, but when I do its often with super sugary mixers, something I'm definitely okay with cutting out of my diet. Red wine is a new traditional accompaniment when I'm cooking, but its supposedly good for your heart and I don't cook frequently (unfortunately) anyways, so no huge changes there.

Little: Sighh. I don't want to talk about it. I'm the RC of my dorm (residential counselor, kinda like an RA but not) so always have dorm candy. I need to figure out how to make it less tempting.

Dairy: Last summer, on more or less a whim, I started "Vegends" (think like Dracula pronouncing "weekends"). On Saturdays and Sundays, I was vegan. Vegan + weekends = vegends. Cheese, yogurt, and carbs are my favorite things, perhaps besides chocolate and mochas/lattes. And while I could never ever ever cut them completely out (dairy's health benefits have been showing up all over the news recently!), cutting back on them definitely couldn't hurt.

Etc: I also take vitamin A (for my skin and hair) and iron (because I don't eat a ton of red meat and blame my frequent fatigue on slight iron deficiencies) supplements.

And that's about it! Four weeks ain't so bad. Let's go!