I can't wait for summer....

The beach I frequent most often is Far Rockaway. So this year I may have the following to look forward to on a weekend trip out:

Man #1: I hate Far Rockaway, man. It's crazy there!
Man #2: Yeah, man.
Man #1: Yeah! This one time I was walking down the street in Far Rockaway and I saw a man clinging to the back of a truck, just throwing apples at people!

--A Train

Thanks Overheard In New York, for reminding me how much I love this city. Also, thanks O'Ridge for the Apple Incident over Halloween of 2008. Who would have thought our well-crafted apartments could have been so pummeled by fruit??

gotta love Brooklyn

 {Image via}

As I got out of class last night - way up on 96th street in Manhattan, with drizzling rain still falling in the midst of a cold wind - I couldn't bear the thought of my commute home. I hated that I'd moved as far as Brooklyn, hated that I had to get on a train for half an hour, and make a transfer to boot. It just all felt terribly overwhelming (I know, I know, talk about a First World Problem!). But of course I hoofed it to my stop and continued my way home, what else can ya do, right?

And as I got onto my L train, heading into Brooklyn from the city, I was shocked at how full my train was. At 10 pm there was a slew of people, packed tight as sardines, murmuring amongst themselves, laughing at each other, making space for older people to sit, clearing room for those burdened with bags to unload for a bit. And I was overcome with happiness that these were my neighbors. That all these people in this train, all these people waving at the baby in the stroller, and clearing as much room as possible between them and the person behind them, chuckling at events of the day, were my fellow Brooklynites. They had surely all had just as long a day as I - many of them, probably a much longer one. And they all were just as relieved as I to be heading home, and they were chipper and congenial on their ride there. It really was lovely. And I was once again beyond content that I chose to leave the rush of Manhattan to move across the water.

You're Welcome

I've decided that I'm going to stop recording my workouts and fitness goals here on this blog - that was not was the blog was intended for when I started it, and while transformations and evolutions are normal for things as "living" as blogs, I don't think it really fits with even just the titling of this little gem. I've instead started a fitness-healthy-eating-clean-living-personal-progress-blog here where I will keep all those sorts of "my legs are sore!" posts confined. Just letting you all know, because I know there are specific subsets of people who get as excited about reading about other people's workouts and eating schedules and motivations as I do. :)

Returning to this little blog-o-mine, I will do my darndest to get it back to the things I do for fun around this crazy city of Manhattan. Those fun things have just been a little few and far between as I am juggling work with school with homework with tests with projects, but they will come anew, and I will happily share said good times with you loyal readers when they do!

In the meantime, Happy Tuesday, and enjoy some lovely quotes for the day (or week depending on how busy I get...) from around the web:

i like to move it, move it....

 

I worked legs yesterday - pushed myself to do 25 lb. barbell squats that truly burned as I was working. But this morning? No soreness in my butt at all. Know what that means? I have to squat deeper next time. :)

My inner thighs however? Sore! Good sign! Proving to me that every little bit of work I do, helps. My body is remembering its strength, I can feel it. And it feels goooood! I like feeling strong. I like feeling capable in a physical capacity, not just a mental one.

I took the morning off today - I got to bed too late last night and I have class until late this evening, but I'm thinking it may have been a good thing with how sore my biceps still are, and my inner-legs now are!

I love the feeling of progress. Even if it's not where I anticipated to feel it. :p Happy Thursday all!

back to it!

I've gotten myself back in the gym this week, we've now made it to Day 3 in a row that I've continuously gone. Hey man, baby steps. I'm back on Jamie Eason's LiveFit trainer - back at Phase 1 as I fell off the wagon so horribly at Thanksgiving. And let me just say, the body is amazing. My body remembers. It remembers the strength I used to have, that muscle memory kicks in, and I'm actually feeling my back exercises in the muscles the moves are intended to target. I kid you not, when I was doing the program before my long hiatus, I only ever felt my "back" exercises in my arms. I definitely still felt my triceps burning while I was doing pull-downs, but there is a twinge of soreness in my upper back today. Success!!

So I'm feeling pretty good, as is the case in the first little while of any new resolution. But the thing of it is, this isn't a resolution. This needs to be a lifestyle. So I'm embarking on my journey, to maintain the feelings of happiness and endorphin rushes that working out brings to me, and to maintain the energy and tastiness of consistent clean eating and whole foods. Consistency is the key for me - eating every few hours keeps me from slipping into sleepiness and diving for more coffee. I'm learning my body, and it's proving even more interesting thanks to my classes.

Just had to report in, that I'm back, and feeling better than ever. Happy Wednesday all!