Tag: college

Categories
Fabulous living

Why it’s Okay to Eat Alone

Tuesday Thoughts…

Although, I am only a sophomore in college I have grown a lot in the time I have been in school. I have learned more about what I want to do in regards of a career, I have learned more about myself as a person, and I have become more independent. Whether, you go to school across the country, a few hours away from home, in your own city, or just by commuting, college is all what you make of it.

By choosing a school that is a few hours away, I don’t have the opportunity to go home whenever I want. It forces me to stay during the long and sometimes boring weekends and find a routine that works for me. Most weekends, I can be found in the gym, doing homework, watching movies or grabbing a meal or two on my own.

During my first year of college most of my friends lived close by and went home on the weekends. Although I was alone for most of the time that didn’t stop me from living life. I didn’t stay in my room alone all weekend, I went out and did things.  I went to Sunday Mass, hit the gym, went to movie nights, and ate meals by myself. Yes, eating alone was uncomfortable at first but the more I went alone the more confident I got. I felt comfortable going to movies alone and being the only one at the gym early on Saturday mornings. When I would go to dinner by myself I enjoyed the silence, in world that is filled with noise, distractions, chaos, and technology, it’s okay to be by ourselves for a few minutes. I like deciding when I wanted to eat and how long I want to stay.

Now, for the record I don’t eat by myself every day, I have my girlfriends who I eat my lunches and dinners with daily and who I can count on for girl talk. Even though I have found people who stay on campus with me and who I can count on to grab brunch with, it’s such a good feeling to know that I can eat by myself and be okay with it.

I know this is not for everyone and it can feel awkward and uncomfortable but give it a try. You may appreciate the silence and the solitude. Some of my most relaxing times are when I am alone with my thoughts. If the feeling of sitting alone scares you, bring a book to read while you eat or call a girlfriend up to chat while you finish eating. Give it a try, you never know you may like something if you never try.

Categories
Fitness

My Fitness Journey {Part 1}

The only  picture I actually have from the gym, yep, no selfies that early in the morning!

Fitness has become a big part of my life this past year. Instead of writing one huge blog post about fitness, I’m going to split it up into three posts over the next few weeks. The first one will be about how I first started getting into working out and being fit, the second one will be ways to work out whether you are at your home or a gym, and the third one is staying fit and not giving up.

So, let’s start at the beginning. Why did I get into fitness and working out?

We all have varied reasons for wanting to work out. Some work out to lose weight, others do it to get ready for summer.

I started working out last October, because I was bored, believe it or not! College is a lot of fun between activities, classes, and sleeping, but during my first semester I found myself with a lot of free time that needed filled, (there is only so much work you can do to get ahead in classes and only so much Netflix to watch). I started going to work out three times a week. I went once during the week between classes and then on Saturday and Sunday. I went by myself a lot, but eventually encouraged other friends to tag along (one of my favorite days was when my roommate decided to join me! I was on cloud 9!!!). My one close friend and I went a lot together during the fall, we had a similar schedule and would work out between classes. The gym was a wonderful way for us to hang out and get fit at the same time. She was my first gym buddy!

Every semester brings changes, from friends, to schedules, and classes. During my second semester, I had A LOT of free time. I had some days when my classes didn’t start until 12:30! Now, I am an early riser, I feel most productive in the mornings. I decided to change my fitness regime to working out first thing in the morning, that’s right at 7 AM! I went three mornings a week before classes and then still on the weekends. Working out five days a week was a great stress reliever for me, when my schedule got so crazy, or I couldn’t focus anymore, the gym was a place where I could forget all my troubles and just focus on burning calories!

Please note, Shay and I NEVER look like this at the gym every morning. In reality, we look sleep deprived, sweaty, and stressed!

One of the biggest things I learned during my fitness journey is to have someone to motivate you! I found that during my spring semester. I started going every morning with someone who became one of my closest friends. I met Shayln in one of my classes and I found out we both loved to work out. Every morning no matter, rain, shine, snow, or even skunk (yes, we have encountered a few!) we met up at 7:10 to go work out, then we would come back and finish homework, study, watch Netflix, or even nap until we met up for lunch and then classes. Even though we were half asleep most mornings while working out and sometimes couldn’t even hold a conversation, we felt so much better after getting up and doing something productive. By having a routine, you meet people, when you see the same people every morning, sleep deprived and still running on the treadmill, you will become friends.  One of the things I miss the most about school in the summer is waking up every morning and hitting the gym with Shay!

Next up…part 2, what’s my work out routine and how do I keep up at home?!

Categories
Fashion

Look of the Day #1

Look of the Day (LOTD) #1

Once a week, I will post one of my favorite outfits of the week, along with the accessories and where to wear it. As a college student, I have found that you do not have to wear sweat pants and a hoodie every day to class. You can dress cute and comfortable and it still be affordable.

This is one of my favorite dresses. I have it both in gray and burgundy. I got it from Old Navy along with the sandals in the early spring. The necklace is from Francesca’s, which is one of my favorite stores. The dress is lightweight and comfortable. I have worn this dress in both colors on multiple occasions. I wore it in burgundy to class once for a presentation and added a blazer to dress it up.   I have also worn it out  to dinner with friends.

I love finding clothes that can be mixed and matched and worn it with different outfits for separate occasions.   You can dress it up with heels and tights in the winter and add a blazer to it. In the spring and summer, you can dress it down with a pair of ballet flats or sandals.

This week I decided to wear it for a day at work. I work in an office so I must dress professional. I paired this dress with gray sandals, a long silver necklace, and silver earrings to dress it up a bit. It was perfect for a spring day. Happy Thursday!!