#vsthursday: NYC vs. LA

New York City vs. Los Angeles

If the people of NYC and the people of LA were in a gang fight, I'd root for NYC. I think since they go through harsh winters, they have to gonads to win in a gang fight. The people of LA would be too soft and hippy-dippy, fear that they'd drop their Starbucks or ruin their tan.

Wow, stereotype much, Aimee?

Now, I've been to NYC once in my life. About 10 years ago, I went with the music department with my high school. We saw the sights, visited Time Square, saw the Statue of Liberty, etc etc etc. It was cool, but I'm not itching to go back anytime soon. I'd rather visit LA just because I'd be pumped to run into any YouTuber. I love that they can make a living being creative and by doing what they love. I look up to so many of them... Besides, California is beautiful... So in terms of what city I'd love to go visit. I'd say LA.

If you chose NYC: you're cerebral, suffer from delusions of grandeur.
If you chose LA: you're frivolous, suffer from delusions of grandeur. 

#reactionwednesday: Visible Belly Lines

Buzzfeed has a lot of useless stuff on their website. But sometimes they have really great body positive messages and inspiring stories. I love it when Kristin posts articles and videos. She's a pretty smart lady. This past week she posted a video and article chronicling her week wearing outfits that didn't hide her belly.

It's a pretty good read and watch. One point that I really related with was when she said she posed for pictures, she had a go-to pose that she knew looked good. I, too, do this. In all of my wedding photos, I didn't want to be hunched over, so I made sure to stand up straight, stick my chest out, and tilt my head up. I also know to never look at the camera head on, and that a slight turn to the left looks best. Looking at it head on will make my face look rounder and fatter (see left), but if I turn my head slightly, you'll see my jaw-line, and I'll appear slimmer in the face (see right). These pictures were taken less than 1 week apart.

It's amazing how we train ourselves to look good in photos. Photos are something, especially now that social media is so prevalent, that seem to last forever. And now that everyone body has a camera in their pocket nearly all the time, we're taking pictures more often. It makes sense that we want to look good, but why does that matter so much? Shouldn't we enjoy the moment vs. worrying about looking good in the photo? Don't even get me started with taking 1-million selfies before choosing just the right now. It's ridiculous. Does anyone else have a signature pose? Hand on the hip? Do you do the skinny arm? Sorority girl? I'm curious what other girls do, if anything!

I've embedded the video, and I think it's worth a watch.

Wentworth Miller & body shaming

As some of you may know, from 2011-2012, I was obsessed with the show, "Prison Break." Julien had introduced it to me, and it really helped me get through my year in Montreal. The star of the show, Wentworth Miller, was very fit, and was often depicted shirtless to show off his giant-blueprint tattoo. Fox has recently announced that they're filming another season (!!!), so the actors are surfacing again. Specifically, Wentworth.

Yesterday he was the target of a cruel internet meme.

He combats the meme and goes on saying that the picture on the right was taken at one of the lowest points in his life. A point where he had suicidal thoughts, and turned to food for comfort. So he gained weight. And he happened to run into paparazzi.

People turn to body shaming right away without knowing anything about the person. They assume the worst, which is a really shitty thing for a person to do. Not all skinny people are healthy, and not all overweight people are unhealthy. Things happen in their personal life that may cause them to gain or lose a substantial amount of weight. The size of someone's body doesn't alter who they are as a person, and we should never, ever make fun of someone because of it.

Assuming someone gained weight because of Mcdonald's Monopoly is like assuming someone with a belly is pregnant, or that someone with a nose scar just got punched in the face... You wouldn't shouldn't mention those things without knowing them personally. How is this any different?

Wentworth's reaction is a good read. I suggest you look it up, or click the link above.

#randomquestion: Online Education

What do you think of online education?

I think online education is really, really awesome. I think it opens a lot of doors for a lot of different people and that it can be a great opportunity to get a higher education! Many parents, who can't leave their house for hours at a time can take advantage of online education. Or students who don't have a car and can't travel. Or they don't have enough money for room & board, and can only afford tuition. There are a lot of benefits to going to school online. And with technology as great as it is, it's very easy to feel like you're in a classroom setting while sitting in your PJs on the couch. 

I got my masters online, and I often brag that I got my MA in my sweatpants. We had to participate in discussions, present PowerPoint to our class, write papers, and work on group projects just like on campus students. Working entirely online also prepares you for technology and forces you to learn new tech. Prezi, Google Drive, Drop Box, YouTube, to name a few. 

You definitely need to be focused and organized to complete a degree online. And it might take a little longer, but if you have the patience and gusto, it's well worth it. 

Is there such thing as a "normal week?"

Every time I think my week will be back to normal, something throws me for a loop. Whether it's an unexpected sinus infection or your husband has a 3 day suspension and pneumonia, nothing seems to be "normal" anymore.

Yes, all 3 of those things happened this past week.

Because of this sinus infection, I only managed to work out twice this past week.

March 21-27, 2016

• Ran 2.25 miles.
• Spin class: 60 minutes, 16.2 miles.
• Stair stepper: 16 minutes, 1301 steps.
• 12 push-ups, 25 walking lunges, 25 high knee walks.
• 2h 45m of teaching tap.
• At least 1366 calories burned.

Next week will be better. I am hoping for no unexpected illness and a pretty normal week. It's spring break for both the Kaneville schools and at the dance studio. Meaning I'm not teaching and the library will likely be packed with kids... so maybe it won't be so normal after all... 

#randomquestion: personal hell

It's more like 2 questions today.

What does your own personal hell look like? How about your own personal heaven?

A personal hell would be someplace where it's always loud, and where someone is always yelling. Doesn't have to be at me, but yelling in general. I'd be stuck in a room with someone playing Call of Duty, yelling at the TV, and I'd be right next to this person screaming for help because I was sick or something was wrong. And I'm always cold. That's my personal hell.

A personal heaven is much nicer! First of all, it's quiet, but not dead silent. There can be nice music, or just ambiance sounds. It's preferably outside in the sun, but it's not too hot. Overall, though, it's just pleasant, and there are absolutely no first-person-shooter games!

Weekly Round Up

On Sunday's I'm going to start posting a weekly round-up of my gym happenings.

March 14-20, 2016

• 1 session upper body, 1 session lower body, 1 session whole body; 3 total sessions.
• 108 upper body strength training reps.
• 75 lower body strength training reps.
• Ran 1 mile.
• Spin class: 60 minutes, 19.6 miles.
• 48 lunge walks, 24 push-ups, 24 burpees, 48 high knee walks, 48 sit-ups, 48 mountain climbers. 
• 3.5 hours of teaching tap.
• At least 1,621 calories were burned. 

Now I can set weekly goals and have someplace to record them. 

In August of 2014, I ran a half marathon with my friend Sheena. We set a goal, signed up together, and finished. By the end of the race, I said to myself that I'll never sign up for another 13.1 miles ever again. And now, here I am, 1.5 years later, contemplating signing up for another one. It's the Madison Mini-Marathon that runs through downtown Madison, WI. It's on August 20th. I want to do it as a graduate school graduation present to myself, as I just finished my degree online via UW Madison this past December. Crazy, right? Let's run 13.1 miles because I got a masters degree! Runner's World has ranked it #14 as the best half-marathon in the U.S., it goes past over 13 landmarks, and it's advertised as well-shaded and right on the lake. It sounds beautiful, and fulfilling. One problem is I really hope to be pregnant by August. Do I sign up still? Peter and I have postponed fun things because we're trying to have a baby, and it hasn't panned out for us just yet. So I don't want to miss out, but I also don't want to run 13.1 miles pregnant. Carol, my friend, suggested signing up, training, and if I do get pregnant, I can just walk it. I have until mid-April to decide, because after that, the price goes up to $85. Next week I'll start running more seriously, and we'll see how I feel after 2 weeks.