5 Ways to Get Right Mentally to Get Right Physically
Tips on getting in the right mindset to start working out and maintaining it.
Category: Fitness
3 Reasons Why I Hesitate to Invite Girls to Shows
I’m going to start this off by saying I’m not generalizing the female population. As a woman, I’ve met all types of amazing ladies who do some of the coolest stuff, be it extreme sports, watching sports, or going to concerts. With that being said, there are a lot of posers out there. Ladies, it’s ok if you aren’t into those kinds of things. Just be yourself. I can’t stress that enough. For this particular instance, I’m going to talk about a concert that I recently attended.
It was the Extreme Thing in Vegas which had bands such as: Killswitch Engage, Emmure, Of Mice and Men etc. They also had some pop punk bands like The Used and Taking Back Sunday. I’ve been going to metal concerts for a little over a decade now and I LOVE THEM. Just being in the front, with all the smelly people, listening to the music that has meant so much to you for whatever reason; it’s amazing. Words can’t describe what it’s like, but you get a bit of a high just being there. It is like a surreal existence where you can actually feel a connection with the people who listen to the same music as you and a connection with the actual band itself; absolutely wonderful. Metal shows are great, but you do run the risk of potentially getting hurt when you’re up in the mix.
As a girl, I am fully aware that I’m not as physically capable as most of the males I’m around in the pit, so it is expected that I take a bit more precaution so that I don’t get swept in and stumbled on. I typically take a slight squat stance to center my weight so that I’m firmly planted on the ground. It’s quite the workout, but I’m stable. You also have to be aware of crowd surfers otherwise they will dropkick you in the face. Trust me from experience, this does happen. So you’re probably thinking, how in the hell do you enjoy the show if you’re having to do as this extra stuff. The answer is simply, I just love the music. Once the band starts playing, all of that stuff seems to melt away like second nature, and you just focus your attention on the music that takes you back to wherever you were when you first heard it.
Extreme Thing was exceptional because two of my favorite bands that I listened to growing up (Killswitch Engage and The Used) made a point to play their earliest songs. It was literally a homage to all the old school listeners. I’m talking about the stuff that first put them both on the map. My inner 12 year old died happy multiple times. It was pretty funny to see some of the younger kids look so confused, particularly at the The Used show. They’ve (The Used) changed so much over the years that their fan base now probably isn’t aware that they originally started out as a punk/alternative band. So when “The Taste of Ink” started playing, I almost crapped my pants. I’d first heard that song when I was 12 and I’ve been in love with it ever since. Ok, so here’s where I get to the nitty gritty.
The cool thing about these shows is that you can either A., get up close and personal knowing that you could be putting yourself in a sketchy situation; or B., be on the outskirts just enjoying the vibes. Either option is totally cool. No one is better than the other. For myself, personally, I like to be up in the front, so when I invite people to a show, I’m always full disclosure about how I’d like the show to go down. Since festivals are all day, I like to go from start to finish. My friend Mandy and I have been to our fair share of festivals so we decided to go together. We had invited a couple of other girls from our Meetup group to join us. Since we were honest about our intentions they decided to come separately. No harm no foul. But once we met up with them, it was clear that our definitions of “going to a show” were 180 degrees different. So here are some signs that this event may not be for you.
1. You’re not concert-wear ready
Extreme Thing (Like most festivals) lasted over 10 hours, so it’s important that you dress accordingly. Since this was a metal show, EDC clothing does not cut it. You’re going to want to wear some comfortable shoes, t-shirt, and jeans as you will be standing for a long time. I can’t tell you how many girls I saw in heels, sandals, or flats it was ridiculous. If you are in the pit with sandals on you will fall down and get swept in very quickly. Also, you will lose your sandals. Guaranteed. Every concert I’ve ever been to, there has been at least one girl wearing sandals who has to go home barefoot. Those same girls were also wearing sports bras, tube tops, and corsets. During the Killswitch set, I saw way too many nip slips for my taste. Seriously it was like a boob festival. If you want to be at the front you have to dress like it. One of the girls whose boobs were exposed was complaining about her tube top falling down. I’m not unsympathetic, but seriously? What did you think was going to happen? 
2. You Can’t Hang For the Full Set and Expect Me to Sit it Out With You
Again, I like to be in the front, so if you decide to go up with me, the expectation is that we see this thing through.This is probably one of my biggest pet peeves. Not only does it take some time and energy to push to the front, but I plan to stay there for the whole set. I will not leave halfway just because you got in over your head (actually, I probably will, but I will be hella pissed about it).Secondly, I can’t take care of you as I am not a steroid abuser. As a chick, I already have to make sure I’m good, so it’s way too much extra work to help you stay on your feet as well. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll give you a heads up for a crowd surfer or flying debris, but I cannot hold you up and myself while we’re being thrashed around by grown ass men. So if any of this applies to you, you’re better off on the outskirts. It’s better for everyone and you’ll enjoy yourself more. 
3. You Get Upset When Your Group Continues Without You
I get a kick out of watching girls tell their boyfriends or guy friends that they want to sit down and then drag everyone with them. The looks on the guys’ faces is the equivalent of telling a child that Christmas has been canceled. That is incredibly selfish as I’m sure they came to enjoy the festivities, not babysit you. Be gracious enough to bow out and let them have their fun. No one put a gun to your head and said you absolutely had to come, so be a good sport about it. Too many times I’ve had friends get rubbed the wrong way when they were left behind on their own volition because they expected the rest of us to sit it out with them. Your friends aren’t being mean by letting you do yourthing, they simply just want to enjoy themselves. 
So to wrap this up, ladies stop claiming you love moshing/concerts if you don’t. You will get found out quickly and it makes you look dumb. Dress appropriately and know that it’s going to be a very physical day. Enjoy the show at your own pace, if being in the front is not for you, make sure your buddies know that, and if you want company in the back, go with someone who wants the same thing. It’s not right to put a damper the festivities just because you sold a bill of goods you couldn’t produce. If you’re honest about your intentions, everyone will have a good time. It does take practice to be able to hang. When I first started attending shows, I had trouble keeping up, but in time I learned how to hack it, and so can you. I love it when I see different types of people at shows, it’s awesome, but don’t kill the vibe by trying to “impress” people. Just be you. 🙂
6 Core Exercises for Beginner Runners
I have found these to be quite helpful.
Getting Colorful in the Kitchen
After having the best vegan wrap in the world a few days ago (Fresh Mama in Vegas, check them out!), today I made it my mission to try and create my own at home. I used 2 collard green leaves, yellow squash, zucchini, red onion, red bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, 1 tbs of mediterranean humus, and a bit of pico de gallo. It was very simple and not too time consuming. I must confess my “julienning” skills leave a lot to be desired. In fact I cut my finger in the process. Sharp objects should never be in my vicinity. I even commissioned the help of my niece and nephew (6&7) who were surprisingly excited about our little culinary adventure. In my opinion they turned out quite well! After it was prepared and all was said and done, it turns out the kiddos just liked “helping” and weren’t terribly thrilled with the outcome. They love their veggies and fruits, but I don’t think they’re ready to go all in just yet. Oh well, more for me. :-). Also any recipes would be greatly appreciated!
-Cooking with the rainbow
-Mediterranean humus is quite good
-Getting ready to wrap
-And that’s a wrap!
5 Reasons Why I Love my Up24 Band
A week ago I decided to take the plunge and purchase the Up24 fitness band by Jawbone. In short, it tracks how many steps you take, what you eat, and how long you sleep. I have used it for a full 7 days and I have to say, I absolutely love it, and here’s why:
1. It does most of the heavy lifting.
As someone who isn’t the best of keeping track of things, the Up24 monitors, records and analyzes my sleep, motion, and eating with little to no effort on my part. Its bluetooth capability allows for it to sync up my activity with the app on my iPhone 5s. To go into sleep mode I simply push the button on the band until the moon shows up, and when I wake up, I just switch it back. What’s even more awesome is that if I forget to put it into sleep mode, I can manually input the data in the app on my phone, no harm no foul. Every time I move, the Up24 logs it. It also calculates the calories you burn while at rest in conjunction with the calories you burn from movement. The only real “work” (besides exercise) on my part is logging my eating habits, which brings me to my next reason.
2. Up24 syncs with other fitness apps
I use apps, Myfitnesspal and RunKeeper, so I was pleasantly surprised that Up24 syncs with multiple fitness apps. It takes my eating and workout data from the apps and syncs it with the Up24 app. For example, if I enter my lunch in Myfitnesspal, Up24 will add that to its app and calculate the data, that way I don’t have to repeat the steps, so it’s quite handy.
3. The Design
The Up24 does not take up as much wrist real-estate as other fitness bands, which is convenient. It looks more like a bracelet and isn’t an eyesore. It’s also simple to use. There’s one single button at one end which is used for a stopwatch or to switch back and forth from sleep to awake mode. The other end is the 2.5 mm plug used to charge the device. The Up24 lasts about 7 days and it only took me about 2 hours for it to fully charge. For me that’s incredibly convenient.
4. It makes being healthy fun
Since tracking my physical activity, I became aware of how important it is to remain active. They say it’s a good rule of thumb to walk 10,000 steps a day. Before, was I probably doing 7,500 or so. Now I’m between 11,000-13,000 a day and it wasn’t hard to make the change at all! In addition of tracking the data, it also marks your progress and gives you an “atta-girl” from time to time. I totally love this, I mean who doesn’t like positive reinforcement? Also I’ve been more conscious about my food habits. Not only does it count the calories, it gives you the breakdown of what you’re eating; I.E. carbs, protein, fiber, etc. I’ve literally switched up how I eat because I realized how many empty calories I’d been eating. Also, I make it a point to get at least 7 hours of sleep. On average I’d say I was getting 4-5.5 and the change has helped me significantly.
5. It’s changed my attitude toward eating healthy and exercising regularly
I’ve always found both topics to be rather tedious and time consuming. How important is it to be healthy and active anyways? Turns out it’s quite important. Being healthy is not only good for you physically but also mentally. This last week, I’ve been happier, less anxious, and my cognitive functionality has drastically improved. Did you know that eating junk religiously can make you forgetful and not focus? I didn’t until recently, and after eating “clean” for a week, I can truly notice the difference. I’m also more productive as well. I don’t see working out as a chore anymore either. Also I’ve made a more conscious effort to find healthier options while eating out with friends. Yesterday I found a phenomenal vegan store that sold the best wraps I’ve ever had, and the price was not bad at all!
So, I’m no fitness guru nor am I aspiring to be one, though I must admit since purchasing Up24, I’ve been more active than I have in quite some time and eating healthy is fun and not annoying as I had once thought. It is a bit pricey ($149) So I wouldn’t recommend getting one if you’re not going to utilize it, unless you’ve got money to burn :-). All in all, it’s a great product, and I’m happy to have it.
Why Nature Isn’t So Bad
My nature consists of the beach, Starbucks, and a mall. That was the only “nature” I had been interested until recently. Going outside and being in the elements was not on my list of priorities, and I certainly didn’t think that was going to change. Last week I purchased the Up24 band by Jawbone. It helps track your fitness, eating, and sleeping. I’ll be doing a review of it later. So in an effort to stop being sedentary I took up an offer to go to Red Rock Canyon last Sunday. Not only did I end up loving the outdoors, it’s really motivated me fitness-wise.
-Shot of the beginning of the trail
My friend and I and our dogs decided on taking a moderate course. (2.5 miles). We ended up parking in the wrong lot so that added an extra mile to our trip. The pups were eager to hike the trail, us humans were slightly getting our asses handing to us by the elevation. I walk about 2-3 miles a day with Abbey but on the mild paved sidewalks in town, not a 900 ft. elevation. Trust me folks, there is a distinct difference.
-Another gorgeous view of Red Rock
Due to the lack of signs and directions the trails have, we did end up getting a little turned around, but there were plenty of people there who were more than happy to help us “city-slickers” out. Everyone was super nice and stopped to pet the dogs. Abbey did not mind all the extra attention, I’m sure.
-Abbey posing for the camera
-Abbey and Nevada
I really couldn’t get over how amazing Red Rock was. The never-ending scenic views, the unbelievably great weather, and the open air in your face was such a refreshing change from my usual activities. I found such peace and tranquility up there, and that’s saying a lot for someone with an anxious-ridden brain ;-). Now we have a standing Red Rock trip every Sunday which I’m incredibly stoked about. I suppose it’s nice to get outdoors and be one with nature from time to time.
7 Workout Habits You Should Drop Now
30 Day Fitness Challenge
Snagged this from a fellow blogger (whose blog is amazing btw: 20somethingconfessions) I’m going to take a crack at it, lord knows I could stand to lose a pound or two ;-). I’m curious to find out your health/fitness regimens. What works best for you? Here’s to good physical/mental health! Stay fit, my friends!
Taryn Was Here 