New York, New York!

For the past three weeks, this has been my life:

The rack of mags at the office of the American Society of Magazine Editors

I made a promise to myself when I was five years old. I knew that I would live in Manhattan one day. I dreamed about it.

The view from one of the apartments.

And now it’s finally a reality. This is my city.

Living the dream on move-in day!

But still, I can’t believe this is my third week (three and a half?!) living  in New York City. I’ve cycled through excitement, awe, culture shock, cynicism and enthusiasm. Every day teaches me something new about myself – as a person and as a journalist.

I am in love with the city. I’m in love with being a New Yorker. Even though I’m from Staten Island, living in the epicenter of it all is  completely different. My job is incredible – I get to write, pitch and research all about health, fitness and nutrition – and my Woman’s Day staff has quickly become family.

I’m in love with my roomies. They’re exceptional, talented, kind and inspiring ladies from all over the country.

       Only half the crew! We need a photo of everybody!

And eating a lot of food. I love this fry shop, Pommes Frites.

Mango dipping sauce!

I feel like I’ve found my kin. We sweat up a storm with Kristen’s killer 15-minute workout. Then we ran to 16 Handles because we thought it closed at 11:30 and it was already 11:00. The thought of ending the night without froyo was unthinkable.

Thankfully, it was open till 1! I love New York.

Love the mango. Love.

My froyo addiction is a little ridic, so I’m trying to rein it in a little. $3.93 for this little beauty (mango, graham cracker, marshmallow froyo with cookie dough bites, chocolate-covered pretzels and M&M’s.

So what have I been up to (besides working my butt off)?

The other night, I walked through Little Italy for the first time! It was crowded, but cozy.

I love the lights.

And of course, we got awesome gelato (maple ginger)!

We continued walking all the way over the Williamsburg Bridge with my boyfriend and a few of our friends. Look at the gorgeous view! It was my first time walking over that bridge and now I can finally say I’ve walked over all the pedestrian bridges. I think the view of the city from Williamsburg is one of the most romantic spots in the world.

The perfect view.

It was a long night, but in the best way. I was sleepy and grateful.

The boys are tired but happy while waiting for the train.

Last week, I went to a work event and met Maggie Gyllenhal! She’s the spokesperson for Johnson & Johnson’s Everyday Care Campaign.

She was incredibly nice and incredibly stunning.

I’ve done a lot of exploring. The roomies and I went to The Brooklyn Flea. It had funky jewelry and awesome art.

Dinosaurs were hipster before there were hipsters.

Can you imagine walking into a living room and finding a pink elephant?!

We also went to this mystical place I’d dreamed about:

Oh, Yogurtland. Now I understand the obsession.

And now I want more….

Yogurtland (which was HUGE for me because there are only two in New York and I always drool over Yogurtland pics from bloggers across the country) was fab. Oh, and it was super close to Prospect Park, where everyone was barbecuing and dogs were bounding around. It was a nice chance to hide in the shade a little.

I loved just hanging out by the water.

Among other things, I’ve been on the hunt for fun things to do that don’t involve drinking. We went to the Bowery to see San Fermine and the Villagers. They were amazing live!

The lead singer of the Villagers.

We also went to see the Upright Citizens Brigade at their East Village theater.

Almost-front-row seats!

I even went to a street fair and ate the best doughnuts ever from a place called Dough. The passionfruit was seriously mindblowing. I’m not even kidding. Time to trek to Brooklyn!

Katie, Em and I are ecstatic over our foodie find.

I’ve also been so lucky to be spending more time with my boyfriend. It’s wonderful to just explore and hang out together.

Max and I at the High Line. I’d never been!

I feel like I’ve done so much, and yet, I haven’t explored nearly enough. Even though I’m exhausted at the end of the work day, I always want to do more. For once, I’m living in the hubbub of it all and I want to soak up every second.

I love the daytime.

7 a.m. run along the East River before work.

And the night.

Outside The Boat Basin on the UWS at sunset.

The day I moved in, I went with my parents to the Time Warner building to see the temporary exhibit promoting Behind the Candelabra. My New York life may not be this glitzy, but I think it’s absolutely perfect.

 

The Return of the Run

It’s been a really long time since I last posted. This semester was one of the toughest of my life, with a family crisis and one of the most challenging academic semesters in college. Despite all the hectic times and crazy stress, as things are winding down, I’m realizing I have never been so happy or so fortunate before in my life.

Quick Recap:

-I ran a half-marathon in 2:35

-I fell in love with my work and with my staff at The New Paltz Oracle and pulled my first all-nighter at the paper

-I was elected and promoted to features editor at The Oracle for fall 2013

-I spent many, many hours in the J-school dungeon labs

-I threw myself into my production classes and pushed myself to become a better producer and a better journalist

-I ate a ridiculous amount of chocolate and developed an addiction strong affinity for coffee

It’s good to be back, though. I’ve missed the writing, the connection to people and the blogging community.

The semester is winding down and I’m looking forward to the summer. I’ve been so incredibly fortunate to have been selected as one of the 2013 ASME interns (American Society of Magazine Editors) this summer. I’ll be working at one of my dream magazines in the city and I couldn’t be more excited about this opportunity.

Additionally, I finally splurged and bought one of my favorite running books: Run Less, Run Faster: Become a Faster, Stronger Runner with the Revolutionary 3-Run-a-Week Training Program.

I did formal speedwork for the first time ever this week! I hate speedwork in theory, but I adore it in practice. I’m aiming for a faster 5k and hopefully this plan can finally help me break that elusive 30:00 mark in a 5k. I admit it, I’m a turtle. But maybe I won’t always be.

So onward and upward, friends. This blog is about to hit the city streets and things could get pretty amazing.

Resolution Recap

In lieu of making New Year’s resolutions, I made resolutions just for January. With January coming to a close, I think it’s a pretty good time for reflection.

Exercise three times per week:
I’ve been doing great with this! Except for one week, when I was sick, I swam, biked, and ran my way through January. I loved taking advantage of swimming almost every day while I spent time with my family in Florida. While I love the campus gym, nothing beats running through sunny days and swimming when it’s 80 degrees out. It was a great time!

I’m hoping to continue the trend by participating in a campus fitness challenge with my roommates. Participants earn points by attending exercise classes, rockin’ the cardio equipment and weights during open rec hours, and receiving free health assessments and personal training. I’m really excited. Working out with other people is always motivating and I love combining socializing with exercising. My two favorite things in one go? It’s a necessity for every time-pressed person.

Eat a little bit better: Although I admit I fall back on sugar for an energy boost sometimes, I only had two cups of coffee for all of January! I’ve also been eating yogurt almost every day and slurping down orange juice (well, sipping, in polite company). I’ve also become quite creative at the dining hall. Today, I had a hummus wrap with spinach, romaine, honey mustard, cucumbers, and grape tomatoes. It was fresh and satisfying, and definitely a new favorite in my rotation.

 

Work toward completing 50 push ups:

Okay, I admit one incomplete resolution. I was so psyched to complete push ups that I overdid it and advanced too quickly through the program with poor form. I only made it to week two before my back was killing me and I had to stop. I’m signing up for personal training sessions (free! I love student perks) in February to learn how to do things properly. The Internet is a wonderful resource, but sometimes you need a real live human to make things work.

Some January photos courtesy of my snazzy new iPhone:

I went for some bike rides with my dad. It was just as cheesy as it sounds, but I love hanging out with my family. (We also pledged to eat healthier together and ate tons of yogurt and spinach that week.)

My parents dropped me off two miles from where we were staying on my birthday. (At my request, of course!) I sprinted back and finished just as the sun was setting. It was a perfect end to my twentieth birthday after mini golf and classic 50s burgers and fries for a late lunch.

January was great, and I hope 2013 continues the positivity and energy that flowed in for me this month.

 

Quality Over Quantity

I’m so excited to be finishing off the first week of 2013 on a positive note. I’m finally feeling healthy again, I’m soaking up tons of vitamin D while I’m with my family, and I’m keeping up with my resolutions!

I finished the first week of the hundred push ups challenge successfully. 152 push ups done so far! Hurrah. However, I’m thinking of bumping back to column two to improve upon my form.

I’m all about quality over quantity! If I’ve got a choice between a large amount of milk chocolate or a small amount of dark chocolate, I’d much rather enjoy the bitter, rich taste of dark chocolate. I think that with push ups, If I’m more focused on great form, they’ll be more effective.

Pushing through push ups simply because of pride doesn’t make sense. I’m doing this for me — so there’s no shame in stepping back and assessing what’s right for me at the moment. If it means scaling back my push ups so I can focus on form, I’m completely okay with that.

Here’s to quality experiences for the rest of 2013!

One Month Resolution

I believe you can do anything for a month. Well, perhaps I should rephrase: anything that’s not morally bad, or harmful to your body, and I assume it doesn’t involve anything truly awful.

That’s what’s in the stuff of normal New Year’s Resolutions. They seem noble, but attainable. Somewhere, in my imaginings, I can see Future Me attempting and actually sticking to them.

I’m a firm believer in positive visualization. See yourself succeeding, and you succeed, and everything that comes with success is largely due to preparation. I humbly point toward Oprah for the great idea of vision boards.

Goals are achievable if you quantify them. Name your enemies and what’s going to stop you: then, get past them.

I believe it takes a month to form a habit, and habits are easier to keep than resolutions. So, in lieu of New Year’s Resolutions, here are my goals for just January:

Exercise three times per week: I love exercising. Nothing is more awesome than the rush of endorphins after a good sweat session or the contemplative meditation on a long run. You’d think that because I love it so much, it would be easy to work out. Ah, if only. Stress and a lack of sleep mean I get sick quite a bit. Since I am unfortunately not one of those people for whom exercise kicks their immune system and helps them fight off light colds, getting sick can sidetrack me from my fitness goals for weeks at a time.

It’s not pleasant, but I can do everything in my power to prevent it. Healthiness needs to be a priority.

How I’m going to tackle this:

I need eight hours of sleep at least six out of seven nights per week. If this means setting back everything I do earlier and unplugging my laptop earlier, I plan to stick to it.

I’m also going to practice yoga at least once weekly. Focusing on breathing and clearing my head makes me feel wonderfully less stressed after.

Eat a little bit better: I’d like to phrase this a little more carefully, since it’s so important. Eating better can be interpreted as choosing baked over fried food, forgoing dessert (or, more likely, eating fewer desserts!) and cooking for myself more often instead of relying on school food options.

I’m also going to eat more yogurt (the power of probiotics!) and orange juice (yay for vitamin C).

How I’m going to tackle this:

More time at the vegetarian section of the dining hall (they have pretty good, healthy options) and stocking my fridge with only healthier items. Once I finish giving away all the iced tea in my fridge that’s there right now….

Work toward completing 50 push ups:

There was once a time where I could crank out forty push ups without struggling. I’d like to regain my good form and killer arm muscles again.

How I’m going to tackle this:

I tried the hundred push ups training program once before and loved it. I completed 25 push ups with good form before I got sick. I completed only 12 for the initial test today. This puts me in column three. I can handle four weeks of column three.

I think I can get to 50 push ups in 2013.

Scratch that — I know I can.

Do you have goals for the month, or for 2013? What helps you stick with them?

Sidetracked

I’ve been sick for over a week now, and I still have a persistent deep cough. Frustration!

I was doing well and chugging orange juice like I was a sponsor for Tropicana, so most of my symptoms have gone away.

(And in case you’re wondering, Googling “is it safe to exercise with a cough?” over and over does not change the search results. I tried.)

I have asthma, and regular exercise has been a great way to strengthen my lungs. But once I’m stuck with a cold, I feel like it’s forever before I can work out again. I jogged to the dining hall and it felt like an awfully far distance. I told myself to stop being so stubborn and to listen to my body (ignoring my body has brought me trouble many times before).

Even though I can’t be exercising right now, I’m still trying to be mindful and healthy. I cram my meals with whole grains and orange juice. I’ve been researching new treadmill workouts to try (love this one from FITNESS!)

On the bright side, I have plenty of time to enjoy all the goodies from the 2012 Student Communications Career Conference! It was a wonderful experience thanks to the New York Women in Communications Foundation.

Do you have any get-quicker-faster tips?

I try to sleep so much that my roommate tells me I resemble Rip Van Winkle.

Class registration just ended! What’s the coolest class you’ve ever had?

I’m super excited for my Evolution of Women’s Magazines class next semester!
 

Back Into the Swing of Things

My concussion over the summer certainly put my fitness goal out of whack. I waited a long time to start running again. I felt rather unlike myself.

Now that I’m back in the swing of things, I love it. I’m running again (slowly), biking, and enjoying the elliptical. I’ve missed writing, too, and it’s nice to be back.

I’ve been trying to read more lately, so the other day I read Kiss the Morning Star by Elissa Hoole. It’s a Kerouac-inspired road trip about two girls trying to find proof of God’s love…and their list of where to look includes church, old people, drugs and sex. It’s an intriguing, thought-provoking read.

Kindle + gym = mind + body workout! It’s all about balance for me this month.

Do you read when you go to the gym?

I would always try to balance magazines on the ledge of machines, but they end up falling (I keep trying, though!). The Kindle is a nice addition.