Morning News According to Me

There are a few scenarios in which I really don't appreciate living alone. Knowing a hurricane is coming in a very short while is one of them. It's not that I'm nervous...I'm just a little confused. What exactly does one do during a hurricane? Should I be stocking my fridge? Loading up on arts and crafts to entertain me for an unpredictable amount of hours? Or should I be nervous? Hurricanes fall under the staggering category of 'things not found in the Iowa', and this Midwestern girl isn't quite sure what to do. Just to be on the safe side, the coffee, nail polish, trashy magazine, and wine selections will be fully stocked. I'm assuming my yoga class will be canceled, and this makes me annoyed with the whole hurricane business before it even begins.

Speaking of weather - apparently many people in New York felt the after effects of an earthquake in Virginia earlier this week. I was not one of them, and I have earthquake envy. I did feel one while I was in Greece, so the envious feelings aren't as strong as they may have been, but it sounds like I missed out on some thrills - unless New Yorkers are being their dramatic selves when it comes to caution with nature, which is a definite possibility. Try driving here in a snow storm, and plan on the other drivers being more of a risk than the weather itself.

In other news, Derek Jeter is allegedly single again - reading this over my morning coffee made the cup(s) that much more fulfilling. I quit one of my two bar jobs, hoping to clear some space in the schedule for that little thing we like to call school. I have developed a mild addiction to hummus, I'm attempting a vegetarian diet again (more on this later), and falling asleep to Jim Brickman seems to be the cure to any jet lag hangover. Along with a questionable dosage of Nyquil. Only four short blocks away, my new Starbucks has a fabulous seating area with comfy couches, along with a lesbian barista that appreciates the ta-tas and controls my drink order ($), promoting it to be my new study space for the year. I may finally attempt to go jean shopping today, which has not gotten any easier since the sixth grade, and obviously you'll hear about my traumatic experiences shortly after. Another thing you'll hear about - the incredibly enlightening conversation I had about relationships with a complete stranger while I was bartending. As illegitimate as it sounds, he may have said exactly what I needed to hear to finally make me feel at peace with being single.

Enough with my news caps, I need to prepare for this hurricane the only way I know how to. My stops today include the mall, the liquor store, Starbucks, and the gym. After that, I'll be ready for any mother nature predicament that New York will come up with next.

I Be Up in the Gym

...just workin' on my fitness. Because I'm Fergalicious. Obviously. But after almost three weeks away from my normal eating and exercise routine, I better as hell be up in the gym, because there is nothing vicious about the body after a mojito, gyro, souvlaki, and tiropita filled vacation.

I've said it once before, and I'll probably be saying it until the day I die - I hate gyms. The funky smelling recycled towels, awkwardness of panting and pouring sweat three feet away from a complete stranger, and enough eye contact with Sexay Biceps to make you wish you actually put make up on before working out...it's just too stressful for an activity that's suppose to reduce stress. But aside from the 'cons' that kept my running on the streets and boardwalks, shopping around for gyms may lead you to find some great incentives to join at a fairly decent price. Those incentives, along with my desperation to be rid of the new found handles that are no where near being loved, are exactly what lead to my latest plastic purchase.

For me, nothing will ever beat the feeling of running outside. It's more than a physical release...it's time for me to vent mentally as well. Unfortunately, any type of outdoor activity has its' limitations, and with classes soon being added into my schedule, those limitations lead me back down the escalators at the mall and through the doors of XSport Fitness. Their 24 hour availability was the first thing to draw me in - nothing pisses me off more than being dressed and ready to go, only to discover by the locked doors that the gym is not ready for me.

Another incentive XSport offers is an impressive, fee-included selection of group fitness classes. When thinking about switching up your work out routine, or if you're nursing any type of injury or soreness, a fitness class is always something to consider. I love to do pilates and yoga, and used to attend classes frequently, so the thought of it being a regular part of my routine again only pulled me further into a gym membership.

The last consideration to determine my decision, the factor that always represents any 'final say' for me, was the price tag. This is where XSport may not have won out in the end if it weren't for my careless spending habits after I first moved to New York. I was actually a member for the first few months that I lived here, but thanks to the $165.00 one-time-only membership fee, and $49.00 monthly price tag, my shopping habits couldn't support the cost, and I gave up my membership as soon as the sidewalks began to peek through the snow. It was a lot of money then, but the membership fee has proven to be a good investment for me, with the first and last months' payments being all I needed to sign up. Not only that, but my student ID knocked me down to only $35.00 a month - the same rate as most fitness centers in the area, making my choice of gym pretty mindless. And no, I have not actually found my student ID card, but I brought along enough paraphernalia to be worth half of Adelphi's bookstore, and combined with my Midwestern charm and on-cue smiles, there was no way Guido Juice-head trainer could say 'no'.
**Just a side note - it may just seem like an incredibly unflattering photo of you, representing where your money will be going for the next 65 years, but a student ID comes in quite handy with reduced rates. I have yet to find mine (I'm still convinced I will), but it would have saved me a few Euros at museums and historical sights visited in Greece. Restaurants, tourist attractions, fitness centers, even merchandise such as Apple computers, offer student discounts. All you need to do is flash that unfortunate photo, and smile pretty to prove you look better in person.

A final motivational thought for joining a gym - actually having to pay for a membership is incentive to get your ass to the gym and get your money's worth. A monthly bill alone won't pay for that vicious, Fergalicious body. You gotta be up in the gym, so every time you turn around brothas gather round, lookin' at you up and down, 'cause you delicious. D to the E to the L-I-C-I-O-U-S.

Being Drunk Is Not an Excuse

Am I the only one that listens to piano music on Pandora? My page automatically starts with Lorie Line Radio. Surely this is not normal for a 22 year old. My only comfort is that Brittany Haan's Pandora most likely blasts an organ's rendition of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata when she signs in. One of the 483 reasons why I love her.

It's ridiculously humid on Long Island right now, making my typical afternoon run difficult to get through. Or even convince myself to begin. I have access to my school's gym, but I cannot find my student ID for the life of me, and lets be honest, going to the gym is about as thrilling as a visit to the gynecologist. I'd much rather take my run to the scenic outdoors than stare at the white washed cement walls in front of my treadmill. My dad swears he can run twice as far on the treadmill - I start swearing after .2 miles, am excruciatingly bored by .5, and usually call it quits around .8. It's not that difficult, it's just that boring.
The obvious solution to the heat would be to run early in the morning. And now lets refer back to my previous post and confirm that it's just not going to happen. I'm past my days of obsessively running 10 miles in whatever heat the good lord blessed us with that day, so my advice for a lush, late night working, busy bee college student who appreciates a good workout: do what you can.

There are some days I have the time and energy to put in a solid eight miles, and so I do exactly that. For longer runs, I love to go to a more scenic location - a local park, the beach boardwalk...anywhere where I have a little more to take in, with less risk of getting bored. My long runs are my favorite workout, and it is so frustrating when the reason for stopping is because I'm bored - it can be a difficult hurdle for me to overcome. If this is your problem when working out, do the obvious thing, and give yourself some type of entertainment. Whether it's the view around you, or the TV at the gym, address your entertainment issue head on, and give yourself something to focus on.
I obviously don't have the ambition for a long run every day of the week - there are days when there is absolutely no motivation to workout at all. The first step to no motivation is to simply put on your work out clothes. It's much more difficult to put off a workout when you're walking around in gym shorts and running shoes. (Although I will admit to a time when my motivation was so non-existent, I literally laid down on my bed and took a nap after this attempt for ambition - running shoes and all). Once you're physically ready, it will be a lot easier for you to become mentally prepared to workout.

If you're still not in the mood to break a sweat, give yourself 15 minutes. Knowing I always feel better afterwards, I try to talk myself into some form of exercise. You don't necessarily need to put in a four mile run and three sets of 15 reps on every weight machine in order to get a good workout. Hop on the elliptical, jog around the neighborhood, hell - even a walk around the block. Give yourself 15 minutes to get in the mood to workout, and if you're still not feeling it, to hell with it. Chances are though, at this point, you will have put so much effort into actually motivate a workout, you'll want to continue for lasting results.
Another cure to boredom? Mix up your workout. It was a lot easier when I was home and had access to my outdoor shed stocked full of gear, but there are so many different forms of exercise - don't limit yourself to just one or two. Invest in a pair of roller blades, fill up the air in your bicycle tires, or break out your old jump rope. Finding new ways to work out not only brings a little fun into your routine, but it can make you feel like a kid again - and who doesn't like that?

An issue I often face during my day is time to workout - or lack there of. There are days when I hardly have time to pee, much less squeeze in a workout, and that's OK. Rest days are vital to a healthy, active lifestyle, and you should allow yourself at least one per week. If it's not a rest day, and your time is limited, refer back to my golden workout rule: do what you can. Even if it's 20 minutes of cardio, something is always better than nothing. Consistency and quality are most important when it comes to maintaining an exercise routine, so squeeze in whatever you can find time for.  

Today may be one of those days where I need to lace up my running shoes in order to motivate myself to get out the door. Ever since I stopped validating "I'm lazy", "I'm hungover", or "I'm drunk", as justified excuses to miss a work out, it's been much more difficult to feel OK about skipping them. Damn.