Tag: exercise

New Year, (Kind of) New Me

Hello, blog that I have not written in since October 2022!

I just got an email saying that my domain name has been renewed, which was a stark reminder that I haven’t felt compelled to publish something here in over a year. Part of me has felt overwhelmed by the amount of things that have happened in the last year, which makes the thought of updating my blog with everything that’s happened feel… overwhelming!

Instead of recapping, I’m looking forward to the upcoming year. I am a big fan of New Year’s Resolutions, so here are mine for 2024:

Monthly Trivia Night

This is my favorite resolution and the one that I’m looking forward to the most!

Over the last few months, I’ve realized that I have formed so many new connections and relationships that I’d like to grow further, and I’m excited by the possibilities! However, I have also fallen into the mental trap of thinking that nobody wants to hang out with me because nobody is inviting me out, and letting these thoughts discourage me from inviting people out myself.

To get around these mental hurdles, I’ve decided that I want to go to trivia night at least once a month. I love trivia, but, more importantly, I love having an external force (or better put, excuse) to invite people out.

I’ve floated the idea to some circles already and have received a lot of positive responses (including offers to connect me to other trivia-savvy people, which is exciting!), but I still definitely feel the need to close the loop and actually finalize plans. That’s always the obstacle, right?

No New Books

I own a lot of books. I have a full, four-shelf bookshelf as well as a rapidly-growing collection on my Kindle and Audible accounts. Everything is growing because I am constantly on the lookout for sales and good deals, especially in the book section of my local Goodwill. I get a very specific sense of accomplishment from collecting books – again, the possibility! the thrill of the find! etc! – but this feeling has very rarely been followed-up with the sense of accomplishment that comes from actually… finishing… these… books…

Because of this, I have declared that I will not buy any new books in 2024, and instead, take this year to work through my current queues and bookshelves.

I have, however, decided to make one exception to this rule. I am part of a book club with a few friends from college, and I definitely want to keep participating, as it’s been a great way to continue feeling connected with them – so I’ll buy whatever book we’re talking about, even if it’s not already on my bookshelf. Anything for connection, right? (See above!)

The Year of Heavy Weights (and – gasp – No Running Goals)

This is a complicated one!

I ran my last race, for the foreseeable future, at the beginning of last November. I haven’t run a step (on purpose) since then!

I have a lot of thoughts about this change that I will probably pour into another blog post in the future! (Content!) For today’s post, I want to focus on my new fitness regimen instead: lifting heavy weights!

I’ve wanted to lift heavier weights for a long time, but had trouble balancing my time between lifting and running, and because I kept signing up for races, running had to take precedence for a long time. After my last race, however, I decided to follow my heart and sign up for a gym membership.

Things have been going great so far and, honestly, and my former race training mentality (read: consistency) has mapped itself well to getting myself into the gym on a regular basis. Here’s to a stronger year!

Mental Health October: Exercise and Body Image

In the summer of 2008, I was on vacation with my family at Disney World. After a long day at the parks, I spent every moment we had in the hotel room watching the Beijing Olympics. This is when I fell in love with watching gymnastics!

I remember watching Shawn Johnson and Nastia Liukin and the rest of the women’s team absolutely destroy their events – doing flips! spins! splits! tumbles! the rest! (I don’t know gymnastics terms!) I was enthralled! I wanted to be as strong as them, fly through the air like them, be as confident as them, the whole thing!

While watching one night, one of my family members commented on how chubby the girls looked. Why were they wearing leotards when their legs were so fat? If they worked out so much, why weren’t they all skinny?

My brain started short-circuiting. They’re some of the strongest athletes in the world! It’s all muscle! They responded, Eh, is it worth being so strong if they look so chunky? I wouldn’t want to look that heavy.

I’ve spent most of my life trying to reckon with these conflicting values. Do I want to be strong and healthy? Or do I want to look thin and “beautiful”, according to traditional values?

Continue reading “Mental Health October: Exercise and Body Image” →

Mental Health October: Insomnia and Sleep Hygiene

A few weeks ago, I played Among Us with friends until 12:30AM – and wasn’t able to sleep until 4 hours later.

Fun and also bad for your sleep hygiene (image from play.google.com)

This is a really great example of how fragile my sleep schedule is! I was on my computer a lot longer than usual, playing a game that raised my heart rate quite a lot, and paid the price for it in lost sleep.

Though Among Us has gotten popular fairly recently, my sleeping problems have persisted for many, many years. In high school and college, I pulled many, many all nighters, and probably had a lifetime and a half’s worth of caffeine. I even worked night shifts that lasted until 2:30 AM at one of my work-study jobs. Once I left school, however, my schedule became a lot more predictable, and I struggled with new temptations, like staying out at a bar with friends until last call, or watching YouTube videos until the wee hours of the morning.

Over time, I’ve had to adjust my own habits in order to make sure that I get a full night’s sleep, which in turn allows me to function like a normal person upon waking up. It’s taken a lot of trial and error, but I think I’ve landed on the rights habits that work for me – read about them below!

Continue reading “Mental Health October: Insomnia and Sleep Hygiene” →