Venturing Off The Treadmill And Into The Unknown

Whether you frequent the gym or have attended once with no intentions of returning, you know that all the mirrors and free weights are hogged by an array of boys in tank tops checking themselves out (sorry, but it's true). This is not just my observation here at the various gyms of State College, but it is my observation at the multitude of gyms I have been to of various sizes and in various states. Understandably, these scary boys in the mirrors can be a bit intimidating and a little bit territorial. A lot of the girls that I have talked to that go to the gym at college share the same feelings about attempting to use free weights, and thus begins the vicious cycle and crippling stereotype that girls should be stuck on the elliptical or treadmill for hours. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing like sweating it out on the treadmill, BUT it should not be out of default or fear of venturing into different areas of the gym and trying new things. While I am specifically speaking to girls here about the typical gym territories attributed to us, this goes for anyone who feels nervous about venturing into the gym and lacks the confidence to try something new.

 

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At my hometown gym, I was in no way scared to go anywhere. Contrarily, I felt empowered and known by most of the people that went regularly around the same time I did everyday. It felt much like a community, and I never second-guessed lifting in a the mirror with my 10 pound weights next to the bulky guys ands their 50 pound dumbbells. However, when I came to college that all changed. Of course the strangeness and newness of everything was uncomfortable, but I did not expect to see such a segregation in the gym. I quickly realized that the entire downstairs of the IM Building weight room, where all the squat racks were, did not have a single girl in it. I quietly retreated to the upstairs portion and ran dicouragingly the entire time. Admittedly, this went on for the first few weeks being at school but there was a little piece of me still nervous to do my typical workout which would involve weights and body weight circuits. There came a time where I needed decide enough was enough, and I began to venture a little more with the help of some trial and error type remedies for this awkwardness and male-dominated anxiety.
 

 

My number one absolute biggest piece of advice I wish I could yell into a megaphone for all the girls that dread the gym or feel confined to one area- be confident! Act like you belong, strike some power poses, wear what you feel comfortable in, and walk up to whatever machine or area you want to use with an unmistakable purpose. What I found while doing this is groundbreaking and oh so important- not a single person cares what you do. To my own happiness and many others, most people are so absorbed in their own heads, music, workout, and how their hair looks in the mirror to even think twice about the girl doing lateral raises. And, to be honest, if someone is watching you it is either out of admiration or their own insecurities. Another major way to overcome the uncertainties of the unfamiliar parts of the gym or a good way to try out a new workout is by planning ahead. I find that if I go into the gym with a plan, typically saved in the note section of my phone, I am more motivated to complete the entire workout and I am able to navigate the gym with a specific purpose in mind. This way, if my note says go do squat sets, I have no choice but to venture into the "boy-dominated" part of the gym and stake my claim on a squat rack. Pre-planning makes the workout mindless and almost theoretic, allowing you to take some of the anxiety-filled aspects out of the gym experience. 

Fresh and Green: Mindful Eating for the Busy College Kid

Some days we don't leave our beds, watch an entire netflix series and eat pizza, and other days we eat vegetables, dress with a purpose, get a workout in, and go to bed early- it's called balance. Balance is the key to maintaining a healthy lifestyle as a busy college kid, and along with that comes not giving up entirely when you have a rough day. Let's be honest, we all have our rough days. A big part of balance is making little choices or switching out unhealthy things for the more healthy option offered. This specifically applies to our nutritional choices in a dining hall that offers pizza until 11pm every night, baked goods, fried foods and other tempting foods at our finger tips at all hours of the day. While that may be true (and pizza for every meal is tempting), eating healthy in the dining halls is a lot easier then one may think if you get a little creative. Small choices like swapping out the greasy cheesy breakfast sandwich for yogurt and fruit or the foot long sub for a veggie-loaded salad will put you on the path to make better food choices.

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For a long time I had been interested in going vegan, but shied away from it at the scary thought of trying to make that work as a college kid on a meal plan and still get the nutrients I need. However, when I decided to forget about my concerns and go for it, I realized it was much easier (and tastier) than I have initially thought. If you have ever considered going vegetarian, vegan, or just want to make a lifestyle change but don't know what that can look like for a busy college kid on a meal plan, I want to put forth some of the many benefits and clear up some of the myths. 

Simply cutting out meat can be a big step for most of us who have been eating it our whole lives, so naturally taking it a step further by cutting out meat, dairy, and eggs is a huge lifestyle change. According to PETA, the number of people making the lifestyle switch is skyrocketing in recent years and it is with good reason. To start, it's not an unhealthy and ineffective fad diet, but rather a lifestyle that is sure to give you more energy than ever before. The health benefits are endless, and according to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, vegans are less likely to develop heart disease, cancer, diabetes, or high blood pressure, which have been plaguing the United States because of unhealthy eating habits. 

If the health benefits aren't persuading enough, most meat lovers back away from the stuff when they learn what is really on most of the meat we eat- feces, blood, and other bodily fluids. Meat is top source of food poisoning in the United States, and that's no surprise when you take a lot into what really must be done to get that burger you're eating for lunch. Scientists at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health tested supermarket chicken flesh and found that 96 percent of Tyson chicken was contaminated with campylobacter, a dangerous bacterium that causes 2.4 million cases of food poisoning each year, resulting in diarrhea, cramping, abdominal pain, and fever. The more people that rid off the meat industry that is a huge contributor to pollution and climate change, the more people we can feed. It takes about 13 pounds of grain to produce one pound of animal meat, whereas that 13 pounds of plant food could be directly feeding people and helping the hungry. 

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*Side note: There are plenty of disturbing and cringe-worthy images of the inhumane and unsanitary conditions that meat comes from, but I didn't exactly want to include them. However, be warned that they are there if you are curious. 

The myth that humans need animal products to maintain a healthy diet is just that- a myth. Scientific research is catching up to that argument, proving it to be empty and in compassionate. The United States foremost authority on diet and nutrition, the American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, has blatantly said there humans have no inherent biological or nutritional need for animal products. Another myth that needs shattering is that it is impossible to get enough protein without eating meat. There is a surprising amount of protein in an extensive list of foods that you are most likely already eating. Foods such as quinoa, soy foods such as soy yogurt and tofu, rice and beans, hummus, broccoli, nuts and peanut butter, oatmeal, chickpeas, spinach, potatoes... and the list goes on and on. 

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While completely turning your eating habits upside is not always easy or possible, it is possible to make more mindful choices about what you put in your body. After all, it is about balance and making nutritional choices that will fuel you all day and best suit your level of active lifestyle. It has taken some serious dining commons exploring, but I have compiled a list of vegan options for each meal for anyone interested in swapping out a animal-based meal for a plant-based one. 

Breakfast ideas:

-Grandola + Almond Milk + Fruit

-Banana + Peanut Butter

-Soy Yogurt + Granola

-Whole Wheat Bagel + Avocado

-Oatmeal+ Fruit

-Smoothie with Almond Milk + Fruits and Veggies

Lunch ideas:

- Banana +Oatmeal

-Veggie Salad

-Veggie Burger

-Quinoa

Dinner Ideas:

-Whole Wheat Pasta

-Salad + Soup

-Brown rice+ Vegetables 

-Sweet Potato and Vegetables 

-Soup and Fruits

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If you get creative and start practicing mindfulness in the commons and while dining out with friends, adding nutritional value to your meals to sustain you all day can be easy, fun, and a little addicting. Simply by scoping out the options offered in the buffet daily, finding what you like (and what you don't like), and finding a balance you can easily revamp your body and start giving it the nutrients it needs. Even if you can't possibly give up your cheese burger or ice-cream (because sometimes you just need that), I challenge everyone to make a healthy plant-based swap this week!

In The Hot Room: Bending Your Routine

If you are feeling stuck in your day to day routine, seeking a little bit of an adventure, or craving a ridiculously good sweat, hot yoga (or yoga in general) could be worth a shot. Don't worry, I scoped out the location, took the class, and already worked through all the awkward first-timer-at-the-studio-by-myself kinks so you can know exactly what to expect when taking this leap into the world of yoga.

When most people who haven't given it shot hear the word yoga they cringe at sound and thought of contorting their body in ways they never have before in a room full of bendy regulars. The initial feelings might be intimidation, fear of embarrassment, and fear of breaking your body. Rest assured, I would like to disprove any merit those pre-assumptions have, break any myths or fears you might have about attending your first yoga class (specifically hot yoga), laying out the endless list of benefits of yoga, and giving you a little life hack to yoga in state college.

While there are skeptics of the practice of hot yoga, Bikram, the yogis and hot yoga lovers swear by its benefits and effectiveness and, admittedly, I am a self-proclaimed believer in the practice. So, what really is it? As per the official Bikram teacher training site, "Bikram Yoga’s twenty-six posture exercises systematically move fresh, oxygenated blood to one hundred percent of your body, to each organ and fiber, restoring all systems to healthy working order, just as nature intended. Proper weight, muscle tone, vibrant good health, and a sense of well being will automatically follow." While frequenting yoga will undoubtedly do wonders for your physical well-being, I always find the mental benefits more prevalent and welcomed. Where I feel the mental benefit lies is in the magic that Bikram is a series of 26 postures and two breathing exercises every time you go. No matter what. So, the honest truth is that the first time you go, the postures will be new to you. You will feel goofy and fall out of postures and if you don't, then you aren't doing it right. But, the beauty of the whole practice is that no matter what goes on during that day prior to hitting your mat, you can be certain that the class will consist of the same 26 postures. Everytime you go and attempt, you are growing your awareness and reaching new heights in each of the movements. That is where the magic is in my opinion: acquiring a certain mindfulness of your actions and noticing your own achievements no matter how small.

                                                 

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I had been meaning to find a hot yoga studio in State College for awhile, and this blog gave me just the motivation and courage I needed to pick one I found online and try it out. I had no idea what I was in for, but I white-looped to 220 South Allen to give Yoga In State College a go. To be completely honest, when I first arrived, the location and the fact that there was no one inside made me nervous to the point where I almost went right back home. But, for the sake of the passion blog and for my own personal determination to practice yoga, I waited awkwardly until someone came out. From then on, the expiernce was exactly what I needed after a long week (who cares if it was only wedneday?), and I'm sure many busy students can relate to needing that outlet as well.

While I went to the class alone, the studio felt like a community of people set on lifting each other up. I could tell who the regulars were, but contrary to my worries, they were anything but intimidating and standoffish. I felt comfortable and welcomed, even in such a new environment. As the class started, those feelings only continued. The most striking feature of the class that made it worlds different than other hot yoga classes I have taken elsewhere was most definitely the instructor. I learned quickly his name was Doug and he is also the owner of the studio. He was positive, personal, hilarious, and relentlessly encouraging. He continuously encouraged smiling through the hard postures and falling as much as you need to. I was teetering the balance between mindfulness of my yoga practice and wanting to take mental notes of everything he was saying so I could reflect on it while writing my blog. While I don't remember every witty encouraging thing he said, one thing really struck me: "This is not my day job, this here is just my passion." This was such a refreshing little bit of light in my day, knowing that the instructor I was learning from was pouring out his knowledge to us simply because it was what he loved to do. It is that kind of light that makes up the culture of the studio and I recommend it to anyone considering trying it out! The class itself is challenging to the extent that you push yourself, and is sure to leave you feeling that beautiful mix of tired and refreshed at the same time.

As if all the benefits and positivity of the experience didn't already have you sold, the studio offers FREE classes on Mondays at 6, and Wednesdays at 6 they ask for a free will donation to be donated to an organization or person of the classes choosing. I attended the wednesday class and can attest that it is such a moving and humbling experience So, if you're a college student not looking to spend a lot of money but still want to try a new workout or do something fun with friends I fully recomend giving it a go and letting me know about your expienrences.



Yoga In State College

220 South Allen Street

Website + Class Schedule

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