Hehe Yes

The Running Checklist

As you’ll discover after a few posts, I’m good at creating carefully crafted checklists and systems, and better at disregarding the entire system and getting back to chaos. :D 

Not so during the final mile project. So here’s a checklist that will (hopefully) make it slightly easier for dragging that ass out of the house and onto the track. 

The Night Before

Select which phone you’ll be taking with you for the run. Hook it to the charger IMMEDIATELY before you forget.

Make sure that the phone has the running tracker that you prefer to use and that you are logged in, etc. My Current favourite is Nike+Run club. There is just something about the interface that is so motivating, and the option to sync keeps you updated across multiple devices.

Select the playlist you’ll be listening to. Ensure it’s availabe offline on your device. Nothing is more irritating than network issues interrupting your upbeat music in the middle of a great run.

Lay out your workout clothes and accessories.

Pants and t-shirt

Sports Bra

socks

running shoes

earphones (personal choice, I personally can’t workout without high tempo music blaring in my ears)

handkerchief or small towel (very important if you, like me, sweat like a pig)7. hair ties

Keep a bottle of water and some light snack by the bedside table

SLEEP WELL

Morning of the Run

When you hear the alarm, count 5-4-3-2-1 in your mind, throw the covers off, then get off the bed

Drink half a bottle of water at least. Eat the light snack(like a handful of almonds, or a fruit)

Freshen up, wash your face, brush your teeth

Change into your workout clothes. Wear the shoes. Tie your hair.

Grab your phone and earphones

Take other essentials like your mess card, ID card, bare necessary money, keys, energy drink, etc. Make sure you have a place to store all that safely during the run.

Apply Sunscreen. I can’t emphasize this enough

Do your daily stretching/squat challenge/plank challenge, etc

Get the fuck out before your brain gets the chance to sabotage eveyrthing

After the Run

Log in to the tracking app.

Drink water. Then your predetermined protein shake/energy drink/refreshing drink (if you have one)

Have a hearty breakfast. Fill your plate so much that it embarrasses even the toughest of body builders.

Wash face with cool water. Apply aloe vera gel to cool down any summer burns or heat rashes. (I have hypersensitive skin)

IMMEDIATELY take a bath and get dressed really well down to your shoes and get on with killing the rest of your goals like the BADASS BOSS BITCH that you are! Do not, I repeat, DO NOT crawl back into bed or go on YouTube or Pinterest for that one minute of reward. You have better rewards waiting for you. Like the sound of scratching off items from your to-do list or the smell of you getting nearer to your life goals!

SMILE cause you made it!! :)

Of course, this list is written keeping someone in mind who’s going for an early morning outdoor run. The list will have to be modified according to your own time and place. But it pretty much covers it all for most.

Happy Running!! :)

Note: I will keep updating this list as I continue making progress on my runs. The more runs I go for, the more challenges I will face, the more solutions I’ll learn to overcome them, the more I’ll share.

university studying tips

i’m returning to university after taking a year hiatus, so here are some study/uni tips that i discovered the first 2 years of uni/wish i had implemented more often

study every day for at least an hour

write down study notes + lecture notes

rewrite these - both by hand and typing - as often as possible

seriously. rewrite your notes. have them down somewhere so that they’re legible, but then handwrite your notes as many times as you can, even if it isn’t legible

repetition helps with not only memorization, but comprehension as well

say notes aloud as often as possible

if you’ve safe access to a library, take yourself out on a date

make it a habit 2x-4x a week at specific times going to your library and finding a spot and just studying for 3-4 hours

i would always go tuesday, wednesday and thursday nights from 2pm-8pm. this is when i would get my homework assignments and reading done for most of the week/get ahead where i could

grab yourself a coffee and a snack and remember to take breaks in between!!! every 45 minutes, take a 5 minute break <3

use gum, perfume, or [**diluted**] essential oils as aids during studying, and remember to repeat when taking exams 

if you’re studying for an exam and chewing peppermint gum, by chewing the peppermint gum during the exam, it can help trigger the memories of what you were studying 

plan ahead

mark out in a planner or calendar when all of your weekly assignments are due, quizzes, exams, and papers

set time aside each day of the week where you are able to work on upcoming projects

for papers that are due in, say, a month

as soon as you have the topic picked out, spend a few moments each day finding academic sources 

when reading the material that will be pertinent, highlight/bookmark as you go along. this will help you in the long run (especially if you are using secondary sources and need a quick quote or citation)

send rough drafts to your professor or your schools writing services for thoughts and additions; it can be super nerve-wracking at first, but i promise it helps a lot

you don’t need to color coordinate, but it can help

keep it simple, too much color can and will distract you. but highlighting vocab words, dates and other important things like that can help a lot if you’re trying to find something specific in your study notes

take breaks often, but don’t procrastinate or get distracted (i’ll write another post soon on how to specifically avoid distraction and burn out)

know that grades do not define you. i promise, they don’t.

speak to your professor or advisor if you are falling behind in a class or multiple classes and need aid or extensions. they are there to help you and to teach you. they are your biggest resource. use it. 

if you need someone to talk to, i’m here <3

just a quick note- no trans person has ever said “did you just assume my gender.” trans people are very aware of how their gender and physical appearance differ and that visually one might assume that they are a man/woman when they are actually not. that’s kind of the whole idea of gender dysphoria. 

reblog and make a wish! this was removed from tumbrl due to “violating one or more of Tumblr’s Community Guidelines”, but since my wish came true the first time, I’m putting it back. :)

anyone else grieving & mourning & lamenting & kicked apart by nostalgia & going silently about their lives?

a uni survival guide: tips from a phd

if there's one thing i know about, it's college. i've done it, i've taught it, i've lived and breathed it. these tips are for first years in particular, but honestly for everybody. i think it's so important for people to have balanced lives in these years -- academics are not everything. you know what didn't help me in the real world when i was afraid i wouldn't live through it? my fancy college note-taking format. you know what did help me? the friends i made there who i knew would get on a plane and fly across the country in a matter of hours if i told them i needed them.

academic

- figure out where class is held ahead of time: don't be that kid who's late on day one, i beg of you

- use the writing center: especially for basic grammatical editing, which a lot of professors don't have time to mark on papers

- speak up in class: talking through ideas helps you work through them, and asking questions about something you don't understand can open up great lines of conversation

- find a regular schedule that works for you and stick to it: my college schedule was morning free time, class, lunch, class, practice, homework. that consistency was a life-saver

- keep a planner: it's so important to have a central place to track deadlines, assignments, and engagements

- annotate your reading: when you're stressing about a paper topic, being able to go back to what you've highlighted and written in the margins is a life-saver

- color-code your coursework: i use the same color highlighter, pen, and notebook for any given class. it's super helpful

- if you can't focus while studying with friends, don't: i reserved group studying for days when i didn't have important work because i can't be in a room with other people without talking to them. if your school has one, the quiet floor of the library is your best friend

- treat yourself to a "fun" class: art was always my place to just sit back and chill, a way to end the night all zen in the darkroom instead of conjugating russian verbs in a fluorescent-lit cinderblock prison. for you, it could be gym, it could be pottery, it could be some random course about, like, the history of cooking or something -- explore!

- profs are people too: don't be too nervous around them. also, know that if you're struggling -- even b/c of something in your personal life -- you can admit it, and they'll almost always understand why you missed a deadline or bombed a test

- go to office hours: it's the only way to get to know professors in big courses, and it's so helpful for both your grades and learning how to navigate relationships with authority figures

social

- don't let academia keep you from your friends: it's a case-by-case basis, but sometimes it's okay to let the reading slide and spend time with friends. i graduated seven years ago and my college group text still talks every day. that's so much more important to me than the fact that i never finished brideshead revisited

- joining a club is one of the best ways to make friends: i played ultimate frisbee through college and it was the source of so many lasting relationships, as well as the way i met all my local friends when i was abroad

- say yes to things you don't know if you'll like: you'll surprise yourself. me? turns out i love drinking games. and theme parties. and skinny dipping. and rock climbing

- don't be that person who looks down on their peers for partying: honestly? that person kind of sucks. you don't have to party if you don't want to, but actually, a lot of those people are super nice and also good at school -- don't just write them off!

- show up for your friends: go to their games, their concerts, their art shows, their standup nights. show them that what matters to them matters to you, too

- set aside a night to do a group activity with others: whether your vibe is wednesday night trivia, a weekly "terrible movie" showing, or a get-high-and-watch-nature-documentaries-type thing, these are great ways to liven up the week and de-stress

- this is a great time to figure out who from high school really matters to you: you don't have to force relationships that were built mostly on convenience if there are friends at uni with whom you click more. people you became friends with purely based on the coincidence of where your parents lived do not have to be your forever friends. they can be! but they don't have to be

personal

- don't expect too much of yourself: a 4.0 is not the end-all, be-all. if your family or somebody tells you it is, tell them to call me, and i will personally talk some sense into them

- take advantage of university support services: mental health counseling, free yoga classes, multi-cultural societies, etc

- drink water: please, please don't get kidney stones in the middle of the semester, says the girl who got kidney stones in the middle of the semester

- let yourself take breaks: if you need to lie to a professor and say you're sick when really you're just feeling down and you need to sit in bed and watch a movie, that's totally valid

- don't freak about individual assignments: my students come to me freaking over a B+ and i tell them, honey, no job interviewer is ever going to ask you about your second paper from communications 101. i wish i'd known that

- go see speakers if there's someone interesting coming to campus: these talks are always cooler than you expect. i'll never get over the fact that i didn't go see anita hill when she came to my undergrad

- do your laundry on the same night every week: i can't explain why this is so helpful but it really is

- keep up on the news and the memes: read the school paper, the school blog, the memes page -- college politics and inside jokes are fun and convoluted and fascinating

- set the groundwork for long-term self-care: all of the above is really just to say -- university isn't just for learning about the french revolution, it's also about learning how to balance, how to handle failure, how to ask for help, how to make a salad that doesn't totally suck, etc

‪Girl Interrupted (1999) dir. James Mangold ‬

how to wake up happier ♡

For the past few days I’ve woken up feeling a lot happier and way more positive, simply by starting a few more healthy habits. I figured that I might sprinkle and share some of my positivity with you peeps! ♡ 

If you are recovering from any mental health issues, or want to take the next step, this might be benefitial to you, as it was to me - however, I will warn you that different things work for different people :)

before bed: practise self-care and self-love, think positive thoughts, breathe fresh air, listen to calming music, read a good and positive book, drink water - stay hydrated kiddos, drink some calming tea, take any medication you need to, make sure everything you need for tomorrow is prepared and make sure that you room is in good conditions to sleep in. 

when you wake up: don’t reach for your phone the moment you wake up, open your curtains, open your window and let some fresh air in, have a drink, stretch and remember the positive thoughts you went to bed with.

some helpful words from some beautiful peeps if you have trouble sleeping at night (x) | @fuwaprince​ tips for getting up earlier when you’re not a morning person (x) | @halseystudy​ tips for balancing sleep & education (x) | @brbimstudying​ the science behind sleep, and how to sleep well (x) | @tobeagenius​ the masterpost of all sleeping masterposts (x) | kudos to @shelbys-advice-blog this post is amazing♡

“Quick fact. Ready? Consuming protein prior to bed time may enhance sleep quality by providing the body with amino acids necessary to create human growth hormone. This hormone plays a role in deepening sleep, as well as muscle recovery following exercise.” | @thepowerwithin​

some classics-themed valentine’s day cards for y’all as per the tradition

@tinaalexander6431 @sebestian666 @manyeager42 @favoritedie30 @se7enth-heaven-93 @simpforananya @bateinn @biorhythmcentral @craftingworkspace @rrayquaza @lalabi @moonstep-love @milkysoftandrosy @fontaeine @self-carexo @settlein @taylord-m @ssuperbatman @panic-at-the-lesbian-disco @miajournals-blog @hadley--twatrwicked @chelsea7aryan-blog @posiviibes 

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