This is the fourth segment of my Getting Fit series. This series features my friend Crystal, a rockstar figure skater and fellow oatmeal lover. You can her blog, Confessions of Crystal, and check out her Instagram,@crystalchilcott.
TOA: Hey Crystal! Congrats on finishing another year of college. I still have four weeks of teaching left (but I know they will fly by). I have good news and bad news. Which would you like first?
Crystal: Thank you! Good luck on your four weeks of teaching! Start with the bad news and then cheer me up with the good!
TOA: Okay, last week, I only did the routine once. Work has been consuming my life. I work from 6am-5pm, and then I go home or to a coffee shop and grade or plan until late. Ugh! The good news is that I got back on track this week. On Monday, I spent over an hour sulking on my couch, but I actually thought of YOU and this series, and I knew people were expecting me to follow through. I went outside, thinking I would just jog a mile or something (so I could SAY I did SOMETHING), but after a few blocks I felt great and completed a full 2 miles.
On Wednesday, I really didn't want to run again, but I knew it was the last chance I would have before the weekend, so I sucked it up. Again, I thought "I'll just do a quick mile and be done with it," but before I knew it, I had completed over 2 miles.
My body feels amazing. I feel like two different people when I run compared to when I don't run. The morning after a run, my digestive system just works so much better! If I didn't hate it so much, I'd probably do it every day. :)
Crystal: See, the hardest part is just getting started! Do the benefits of feeling better outweigh the hatred of exercise yet?
TOA: Well, it's easy to say "yes" right now because I'm not scheduled to run tonight. But....yes.
Crystal: Is there anything that makes the run more enjoyable? Music? Your new fitness clothes?
TOA: I love my new gear, ESPECIALLY my shoes. The music helps significantly, too. I think I would enjoy the run exponentially more if I had a great running path to use with a scenic view. The times I have run in Central Park or along the Hudson River have been so enjoyable, but it's terribly inconvenient. I'm stuck in the center of Brooklyn, and when I'm not in the mood to run, I'm DEFINITELY not in the mood to hop on a subway and ride for half an hour just to reach the STARTING point of my run, so it's easier to run in my neighborhood. The broken sidewalks and frequent stoplights on my run are not motivating at all.
Crystal: Central Park and the Hudson River sound like gorgeous places to run! Are there any parks near your neighborhood?
TOA: I think the closest is about two miles away, and that one is a giant hill...no thanks. haha!
Crystal: I guess you'll just have to pretend the broken sidewalk is a river bank and the stoplights are bridges! Will you be able to take more scenic runs in the summer? How have your strength exercises been going?
TOA: Definitely. I'm going to be in Minnesota for several weeks and will have great running space. When I come back, I'm going to be in a new apartment in (*fingers crossed*) Manhattan.
The strength exercises are going well. On Wednesday night, I actually did three sets of sit ups!
Crystal: I'm sure Minnesota has some gorgeous running trails! Great job on the sit ups! Are you noticing an increase in core strength? Do you think you could do an additional set of each exercise this week?
TOA: I've noticed that I can do more in succession without having to pause for a breather, like 1, 2, 3, 4........*break*.......5, 6, etc. I definitely think I can manage three sets!
Crystal: Great! We'll see how that goes this week. Soon, I'm going to urge you to run slightly more than two miles. You don't have to do that this week, but keep it in mind!
TOA: I'm working on it! Thanks again, Crystal.
Crystal: No problem! Good luck this week!
Do you have any songs that you like to listen to while exercising? I'm always looking to expand my playlist.
**You can also find hundreds of other oatmeal recipes (as well as tons of other meatless recipes) on my Pinterest account! You can also like The Oatmeal Artist on Facebook. Thanks!
TOA: Hey Crystal! Congrats on finishing another year of college. I still have four weeks of teaching left (but I know they will fly by). I have good news and bad news. Which would you like first?
Crystal: Thank you! Good luck on your four weeks of teaching! Start with the bad news and then cheer me up with the good!
TOA: Okay, last week, I only did the routine once. Work has been consuming my life. I work from 6am-5pm, and then I go home or to a coffee shop and grade or plan until late. Ugh! The good news is that I got back on track this week. On Monday, I spent over an hour sulking on my couch, but I actually thought of YOU and this series, and I knew people were expecting me to follow through. I went outside, thinking I would just jog a mile or something (so I could SAY I did SOMETHING), but after a few blocks I felt great and completed a full 2 miles.
On Wednesday, I really didn't want to run again, but I knew it was the last chance I would have before the weekend, so I sucked it up. Again, I thought "I'll just do a quick mile and be done with it," but before I knew it, I had completed over 2 miles.
My body feels amazing. I feel like two different people when I run compared to when I don't run. The morning after a run, my digestive system just works so much better! If I didn't hate it so much, I'd probably do it every day. :)
Crystal: See, the hardest part is just getting started! Do the benefits of feeling better outweigh the hatred of exercise yet?
TOA: Well, it's easy to say "yes" right now because I'm not scheduled to run tonight. But....yes.
Crystal: Is there anything that makes the run more enjoyable? Music? Your new fitness clothes?
TOA: I love my new gear, ESPECIALLY my shoes. The music helps significantly, too. I think I would enjoy the run exponentially more if I had a great running path to use with a scenic view. The times I have run in Central Park or along the Hudson River have been so enjoyable, but it's terribly inconvenient. I'm stuck in the center of Brooklyn, and when I'm not in the mood to run, I'm DEFINITELY not in the mood to hop on a subway and ride for half an hour just to reach the STARTING point of my run, so it's easier to run in my neighborhood. The broken sidewalks and frequent stoplights on my run are not motivating at all.
Crystal: Central Park and the Hudson River sound like gorgeous places to run! Are there any parks near your neighborhood?
TOA: I think the closest is about two miles away, and that one is a giant hill...no thanks. haha!
Crystal: I guess you'll just have to pretend the broken sidewalk is a river bank and the stoplights are bridges! Will you be able to take more scenic runs in the summer? How have your strength exercises been going?
TOA: Definitely. I'm going to be in Minnesota for several weeks and will have great running space. When I come back, I'm going to be in a new apartment in (*fingers crossed*) Manhattan.
The strength exercises are going well. On Wednesday night, I actually did three sets of sit ups!
Crystal: I'm sure Minnesota has some gorgeous running trails! Great job on the sit ups! Are you noticing an increase in core strength? Do you think you could do an additional set of each exercise this week?
TOA: I've noticed that I can do more in succession without having to pause for a breather, like 1, 2, 3, 4........*break*.......5, 6, etc. I definitely think I can manage three sets!
Crystal: Great! We'll see how that goes this week. Soon, I'm going to urge you to run slightly more than two miles. You don't have to do that this week, but keep it in mind!
TOA: I'm working on it! Thanks again, Crystal.
Crystal: No problem! Good luck this week!
------------------------
On Monday, I posted a photo on Instagram about how much I hate exercising, and I received tons of encouragement and tips for staying motivated. My cousin suggested music, which I absolutely agree with! One method I use to push through my runs is memorizing the lyrics to rap music. In general, rap is not one of my favorite genres, but when I find a song I like, I try to learn all the words. It's fun. :P I have found that listening to these songs over and over while I'm running is a great distraction because I'm trying to learn the memorize the lyrics. If you like rap and/or don't mind some (really) explicit language, here are my favorites: (Mom, don't listen to these. You've been warned.)
- "Backseat Freestyle" - Kendrick Lamar
- "Empire State of Mind" - Jay-Z and Alicia Keys (this is especially satisfying because I'm running though the "concrete jungle" as I'm listening to it!)
- "Clique" - Kanye West, Big Sean, Jay-Z
**You can also find hundreds of other oatmeal recipes (as well as tons of other meatless recipes) on my Pinterest account! You can also like The Oatmeal Artist on Facebook. Thanks!
I hope I can help you here, as rap is my favorite and takes up the majority of my workout playlist :) Some of my favorites to work out to:
ReplyDeleteLose Yourself - Eminem
Mama Said Knock You Out - LL Cool J (I love karate kicking at the HUAH! parts)
Can't be Touched - Roy Jones Jr
Juicy - Notorious B.I.G. (good to jog to)
It's Tricky - Run DMC
Poison - Bell Biv Devoe
Dirt off Your Shoulder - Jay-Z
Feel Good Inc - Gorillaz
Keep Their Heads Ringin' - Dr. Dre
C U When U Get There - Coolio (also good to jog to)
Gangsta Nation - Westside Connection
Check Yoself - Ice Cube
Tell Me When to Go - E40
Universal Mind Control - Common ft Pharrell
Till I Collapse - Eminem ft Nate Dogg
Take it to da House - Trick Daddy
Not Afraid - Eminem
Remember the Name - Fort Minor
U Can't Touch This - MC Hammer
Ruff Ryders Anthem - DMX
X Gonna Give it to Ya -DMX
We Right Here - DMX
Hate Me Now - Nas
The Uppercut - Tupac
Now That We Found Love - Heavy D
I'm Bad - LL Cool J
Survival of the Fittest - Mobb Deep
I Ain't Goin' Out Like That - Cypress Hill
All Eyez on Me - Tupac
Get it Poppin' - Nelly
Number One - Nelly
If you don't actually enjoy rap you might not like all of them, but I like a good mix of "fun" and "motivational". I hope I helped a little! Btw, had your lemon coconut oatcakes for breakfast this morning, yummm! I topped them with Chocolate Covered Katie's coconut whipped cream :D
Here's some of my playlist:
ReplyDeleteSupermassive Black Hole- Muse
Run The World- Beyonce
Memories- David Guetta ft. Kid Cudi
Only Girl in the World- Rihanna
I Know You Want Me- Pitbull
Like a G6- Far East Movement
OMG- Usher
I hope these help! They all have great beats which helps with running :)