Tag Archives: exercise

Sand + Summer // Summer 2014

Posted on by
Reply

This summer is about getting to the beach. It’s about being in the sun, listening to music, finishing crosswords and reading all the books and learning how to go slow. It’s about swimming and exercising and tiring yourself out and feeling healthy. It’s about avocados and popsicles and all the snacks. It’s about being.

  1. XO – John Mayer
  2. The Great Unknown – Jukebox the Ghost
  3. Maps – Maroon 5
  4. Oceans – Coasts
  5. Rude – Magic!
  6. Shake – The Heat and the Heart
  7. Headphones – Matt Nathanson
  8. Chandelier – Sia
  9. Palisades Park – Counting Crows
  10. Rescue – Yuna
  11. The Heart – Needtobreathe
  12. Summer in the City – Freedom Fry
  13. Sing – Ed Sheeran
  14. Something I Need – OneRepublic
  15. Gimme Something Good – Ryan Adams
  16. Back to the Earth – Jason Mraz
  17. Coins in a Fountain – Passenger
  18. Photograph – Ed Sheeran

Here’s a link to the playlist on Spotify:

run right into you

Posted on by
1

Hello everyone! I just got back from running my first mile of the year.

Confession: I hadn’t run since April of last year. Since I got hired at my new (now not-so-new) job, I hadn’t set foot to the pavement. I have recommitted to tons and tons of yoga, stretching and bending and breathing and relaxing, but for several reasons (read: excuses) I hadn’t been running, I realized in almost nine months.

This morning, I woke up early on the dot (is this how not being able to sleep in on the weekends starts!?) and figured that I should exercise somehow before diving in to my day – I am trying to learn how to slow down and take time for me before moving on to the household, the blog, etc. But I went to yoga on Friday and stupidly hurt my shoulders, so I didn’t want to push myself through too much yoga.

Jeff got me a new arm band when I got my new iPhone, and it was sitting in my side table still in the box. So I took it out, grabbed my headphones, sneakers, and changed and headed outside. It was the perfect temperature – about 65 – so I knew I had no excuses but to run.

I only ran a mile, because I wasn’t sure if I could even do that without stopping. In my stride, I had run a 10k, but that was more than a year ago. Normally, I could run about two miles without stopping, and my route was three miles, which meant one or two walking breaks.

But I ran my whole mile, you guys. One thing I have learned in running is that I am pretty good at setting my pace, knowing from the get-go how fast I should run in order to keep pace my whole run. So I ran the mile block around my house. And I ran the whole thing (even the leg of it that is uphill.) I didn’t die, I was out of breath but not wheezing, and my legs and feet and body really doesn’t feel any worse for the wear.

Here’s to many, many more miles this year. It always starts with one, right?

24 Things I want for my birthday.

Posted on by
10

Since I am turning 24, I would like you to do me 24 favors. I think you can do them all, and I think it might not be that hard, AND I think you’ll come off on the other side that much smarter. Take your time — the summer if need be — but try to do some of these, for me, cause it’s my birthday.

1. Register to vote if you’re not registered already.

2. Take time to review the candidates in your next election, which is coming this August. Primaries are happening now, and yours could be soon, or have already happened!!

Massachusetts – September 14, 2010
Connecticut – August 10, 2010
California – Yesterday, read about candidates here.
Michigan – August 3, 2010

Calendar of all the dates for primaries, in case you don’t live in the four I’ve lived in…

3. Read this article, and this article, about the Gulf Oil Spill. Because it’s not over, and we need to continually be aware that the Oil Spill was not a natural disaster — and it’s not over, yet.

4. Tell me how long you read the newspaper or news online a day. Then double it. 15 minutes? Try 30. Check the New York Times, the LA Times, the Boston Globe, the Detroit Free Press, CNN, MSNBC, Fox (yes, because you should know how they are skewing things, lately), ABC News, BBC News, Al Jazeera, etc. Read about politics, world events, local events, sports. Just be aware.

5. Send me your favorite Youtube video. Here’s mine.

6. Find a local farmer’s market. Buy your produce from there. Not only will it taste delicious, it’ll also help support your local economy, and be better for you. AND will lower your carbon imprint.

7. Speaking of local produce, try, just ONCE a month (and maybe gradually change your thinking to always), to buy your meat organic, and free range. It’s better for the animal, for you, and for the world. (You can do this with eggs, too.)

8. READ THIS.

9. Stop eating high fructose corn syrup. (Alternatively titled: eat more REAL food.)

10. Read Michael Pollan’s “Food Rules.” Corelyn has a copy, if you need to borrow. Then, pick 10 rules to start with, and follow them.

11. Send me 5 books that you think I should read RIGHT NOW because holy crap, she’d love this.

12. Tell me what you want to know about — do you want me to write more about my family, friends? Do you want me to write more? Have more photos? Cook something fancy you’ve been meaning to try but aren’t sure how to do? Post more recipes? Let me know!

13. Tell me an issue you care about: I’ll give you a documentary to watch. Watch it.

14. Tell me how you feel about gay marriage: if you’re for it, help me fight for rights. Sign up for a list serve, read about it online, figure out if you can donate time or money to the cause, simply know what is going on. If you’re against it, explain to me why, so I can understand you, and learn more about this controversial subject.

15. Sign up to be a bone marrow donor or a blood donor. Or both (like I am!) Last year’s birthday present to myself was to become a bone marrow donor — and I’ve never felt better. Tell your friends, and have them sign up, too!

16. Recycle. Reuse. Reduce. I know some of you find recycling hard: but if God, or whoever, made this planet for us, don’t you think we should keep it nice? And, if the planet was made for all of us, don’t you think it’d be nice if we kept it nice for others? How would you feel if you a) gave someone a really nice gift and they kept it dirty, or b) knew that your friends didn’t clean their kids rooms, even if their kids couldn’t do it for themselves because they were infants?

17. Make me a playlist. Send it to me in an email (if you think I have/can get most of the songs) or by CD, or by MP3 email.

18. Tell me what you care about. Shoot me a link to your blog, or someone’s blog YOU follow because you care about what you write, or something you’ve written. Let me help you with your causes, as you help me with mine.

19. Volunteer. For one hour a month, or a week. Or one hour every four months. Just get out and do something: coach a team, tutor a kid, help plant a garden, get out politic ideas, clean up your neighborhood, walk a dog, grocery shop for the elderly, listen to someone’s story. There are thousands of organizations that will help you volunteer near and far.

20. Get up, and go! Walk, run, jog, cycle, swim. Do yoga, hikes, climbs,  head stands, whatever. I want you to be healthy, because quite frankly, I really like you. And I want you to be around for a while. Selfish me.

21. On that note — don’t diet. Moderate. Dieting doesn’t do the body good, and doesn’t do your stress levels or mental state good, either. Figure out what moderation works for you. Refer to number 20.

22. Take my mantra to heart: Today’s the day. When I was 15, I cut that phrase out of a magazine, where it was part of an ad (I think for Wheat Thins or something.) I took it to heart: today’s the day. Today’s the day to make it happen. Today’s the day I finally stick up for myself. Today’s the day that I love myself, my life, and everything around me. Today’s the day I finally start working out. Today’s the day I smile. Whatever. But remember: Today’s the day.

23. Take some pictures of your life. Send them to me. Email, blog posts, whatever. Sometimes you guys are so damn quiet it scares me. I want to know what’s going on with you, and what makes you tick, smile, laugh, and cry.

24. Send me a favor to do for you. As I explained to Roman, one of my soccer players:

“Roman, can you do me a favor and get me that ball?”

“WHAT?” Blank stare.

“Do you know what a favor is?”

“Umm, no.”

“OK. A favor is something you do for someone because they need you to do it to help them, or help yourself. And then, if you do a favor for them, they might do one for you later.”

“Ohhh, ok. I’ll get you that ball.” And, later, I let him play goalie…

A continued battle: my feet.

Posted on by
3

Now, all of you who are constant readers know that my feet and I don’t always get along. As I type, I am rolling my feet on tennis balls, hoping to loosen my muscles before Yoga tonight. They tend to get tight during Yoga, when I need them to keep me in tree or triangle or warrior 3, and so I am hoping this will help the day.

Last night, I jumped on an elliptical machine, hoping to try something new. I set the time to twenty minutes, after spending five minutes trying to figure out exactly how to WORK the machine. (it kept telling me my target heart rate of 160 was unsafe, what?) Then I just listened to my tunes, trying not to fall off the machine or knock anyone around me. This proved harder than I thought, and around minute 10 I was sure I was going to fall off. I tried to hold onto the longer supports with my hands, but that only made it worse, and I nearly flung myself into the bike machines. So I kept them on the middle supports, heart rate monitor broken.

My feet slowly revolted, saying “no, thanks” and I began to slow down. I eventually got off (at 20 minutes) and went over to the bikes. Ahh, 10 minutes of a hard cardio workout. That’s better. Nikki insists if I walk on an incline or run I’ll be OK, but after my feet hurting that much, I don’t know. I guess I’ll only know if I try, which I intend to do: soon. Real soon. For now, I’ll stick to 11 mile bike rides, yoga, and the occasional kick boxing.

What are all of you doing for exercise these days?