Are Your Stars Aligned?

Lately I've been seeing a lot of horoscopes around. If you don't know what a horoscope is, you may have seen zodiac signs, like Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces, which are all indicators of your horoscope. Horoscopes are a prediction of your future and traits based on when you were born and the alignment of the stars and planets at that point in time. People believe that the astrology can forecast what has happened, is happening, and will happen to those categorized under the same star alignment.

Photo Courtesy wikipedia.org

Zodiacs can be super fun and exciting, the question is whether you believe in them or not. Somehow these summaries of character always tend to be spot on. It's easy to classify these "spot on" predictions as just relatable prophecies though. I find it easy to believe that zodiac summaries are just a little insight that could very well be for anyone, and that all zodiacs are universally-relatable summaries about you that you want to read about yourself, and so you believe them. To give you an example, here's part of my zodiac, Cancer's, traits (according to horoscopes.lovetoknow.com):

"The tender-hearted trait that's so prominent in Cancer is often misunderstood by other zodiac signs. To complicate matters, Cancers find it difficult to communicate what they're feeling because they shut down all emotional responses when hurt. Most of the time, they seem emotionally immature when compared to other signs. While this might be true in some cases, most of the time it's simply that they have a uniquely receptive nature."

This article states that part of a Cancer's nature it to be "tender-hearted". Referring back to my point before, zodiacs and horoscopes just tell us what we want to hear, so we begin to believe it. I sure know that I could never turn down someone calling me tender-hearted, even if they've never even met me before. The next thing that the article says is that "Cancer is often misunderstood by other zodiac signs." Yes, I have absolutely felt misunderstood before, but hasn't everybody? I could easily fly my hands to my head and say, "It's like you've read my mind! I've always felt like an outsider and like no one ever truly understands!" Because in all honesty, I have completely experienced the feeling, but that's not to say it's not normal, let alone only limited to Cancers. The article also says things like "they have a uniquely receptive nature", which makes me feel boldly one-of-a-kind and special. Truthfully though, we all want to be told that our uniqueness is often confused for being an outcast, unexpected, or not normal, which is basically what this horoscope just did. If someone gives me as much of a compliment as "You're not inferior, you're just beautifully unique!", than I'd gladly believe them.

Photo Courtesy bodymemory.com

It's easy to pick apart zodiacs and horoscopes to the scientifically of how astrology can't possibly effect human behavior and it's all a false satisfaction for people through phycological manipulation, but that takes away the fun in it all, doesn't it? All in all I think that horoscopes can be a fun way to try and prepare yourself for what life might throw at you in the future, and maybe zodiacs can be a way of trying to figure yourself out a little bit better.

Family Frenetics

This week is spring break for my cousins on the east coast. They came out to ski and see my family for vacation. My Dad's sister and her two daughters are really close with us, I think it's probably because out of all of our cousins we're closest in age to them. We also travel a lot together.

Don't get me wrong, I love my family, but having people in town on top of the heaps of third quarter school work and start of lacrosse season can get stressful. My time management definitely started to rip at the seams, and my sleep schedule has completely deteriorated (well what was left of it in the first place).

It's always a love hate, in this case the angel on my shoulder is reminding me how much I love spending time with my relatives, but the devil overing over my other shoulder is dragging me by my hair to my bed. By the end of their stay I am ashamed to say it's never too hard to say goodbye. I know everyone goes through this with their own family, one way or another. Whether it's staying up at all hours to fit your nearest and dearest into your schedule, or dealing with your in-laws, family can be a pain in the buttocks, but we love them for it ;-).

The past few days have consisted of many family dinners and pool competitions at the Kimche residence. The night they got in to town we ordered in Thai food. It's actually is nice to sit down and catch up with everyone at the dinner table. With everyone gathered around the dinner table at home, no one is hesitant in embarrassing, making fun of, or laughing at a single person sitting down. It's something I sort of love about my family. We give each other a hard time to remind each other how much we love them, in a sort of way. Family dinners are always the best.

Saturday was the one day where I actually got to spend the whole day with my cousins and aunt (mostly due to the fact that my school and sports have not paused). Park City, being the tourist town that it is, consists of many attractive tourist things to do, like walk up and down Main Street... and that's exactly what we did. Starting our day at around noon, we hit Main Street first thing.

Photo Courtesy www.parkcityvacationrentals.com

After Main Street we decided to go back home to grab swimsuits, and then went hot tubbing at our cousins hotel. Following the hot tub we went to see a movie. Nothing too crazy, but it was fun to spend time with my cousins.

I know that family time is important, even if it's short and sweet, because they're the ones that truly stick around through thick and thin, so a weekend with some of my extended family is always an enjoyable thing in the long run. Even if I'm not getting my sleep.

Morning My Sleep

I think we all know mornings can be rough. When it comes to waking up before dawn to go to school, it's not fun for anyone.

Usually my weekday mornings are on a pretty tight routine, starting with the shrill of my alarm at 6:17. After allowing myself to hit the snooze precisely twice, I end up rolling out of bed at 6:37. Trudging to my closet, I try my hardest to avoid the mirror, because at this point it's never a pleasant sight. Picking out an outfit is always a process. After praying that I'm awake and aware enough to decently match my shirt to my pants and shoes, I make my way downstairs to grab a quick apple or banana to eat.

Post breakfast, I usually go back upstairs to finish getting ready. Double checking my outfit is a must, because there are always those days where I just wasn't conscious enough to dress myself properly before getting something in my stomach. After the occasional outfit change, I'll brush my teeth, wash my face, and throw on a little mascara. I truly believe that mascara is an art, and it probably takes me longer than it should to paint my eyelashes, but it is the way it is. The clock reading 7:00 am, I'll start to re-pack my back pack. Once I'm feeling confident I haven't forgotten anything, I do one last mirror check for good luck ;), and then meet my waiting mother downstairs to leave.

Photo Courtesy prweb.com

I know for a fact that my morning routine is different than yours is, in one way or another. I also know that we probably share that same lagging tiredness when getting up for school. Everyone has their mornings. Sometimes if I shower in the morning that can help to wake me up for the rest of the day, but for the most part I don't usually shower right after I wake up because I hate having to walk to school with wet hair if my locks don't dry in time. If you share the same struggle (or like-wise) than a quick shot of orange juice can often seem to waken me up a little as well. One trick that I use is setting up my alarm across the room. By forcing myself to get up and walk over to hit the snooze button it gets me up right away and prevents the repetitive quantitive-snooze-hitting procrastination that tends to happen with the alarm an arms length away.

Morning grogginess should be shot down by it's source, which is lack of sleep in the first place. These days sometimes it's hard to give myself enough time to sleep, as previously discussed in my, Super Sleep Deprived post. I think that this is an aspect of time management that takes practice to perfect and time for someone to learn how to plan ahead in order to get everything on their to-do list checked off in time to get enough sleep at night. This being said, the more sleep you get and the more consistent you are with your sleep schedule the less you will be mourning (of your sleep) the next morning.

Five Exercises To Burn Off Your Thanksgiving Dinner

Now the 27th was Thanksgiving, a time for family, gratitude, and of course loads of food. Don't let that gobble send you for a guilt trip; try these exercises to shed those heaps of creamy mashed potatoes and fattening gravy...


Exercise Number One: Mountain Climbers

First get in a push-up position. Simply tuck your knee to your chest and then back next to your other foot in a swift motion. This counts as one rep. Alternate legs each time. Be sure to tighten your core and keep your back straight during these to avoid any discomfort or injuries. You should feel this exercise mostly in your abdominals, it is also normal to feel your shoulders and arms working.

Photo Courtesy: menshealth.com

Exercise Number Two: Crunches

Crunches are probably one of the oldest ab work outs in the book, but there's a reason for that; crunches are a quick, easy, and effective way of toning your tummy, if you do them right. Start lying on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground a foot or so away from your butt. The further your feet are from your bottom, the lower the abs that are worked. Knowing this keep your feet close to your bum if your want to work your upper abs, and keep them as far away from your but as possible if you want to work your lower abs. Before you start, make positive that the small of your back is touching the ground, to do this tighten your core and think of squishing a bug with your back. If you have a hard time maintaining this contact, you can try placing a towel under your lower back to compensate. When you have the correct body positioning, raise your head and neck off of the floor and too the sky by contracting your abdominals. Keep your hands tucked behind your ears, try your hardest not to use them, if it helps you you can cross them across your chest. Up and down is one rep, repeat.

Photo Courtesy: womenshealthmag.com

Exercise Number Three: Leg Raises

A leg raise is really simple and will tone your upper thighs, hips, and even strengthen your core. First get into the same starting position as a crunch (make sure your back squishes the floor the same way as well). One leg at a time, point your toes and raise it from the floor to about two feet off the ground, keeping your leg straight the whole time. Your other leg should stay cocked next to it. Alternate legs each time. One up and down motion counts as one rep.

Photo Courtesy: howto-all.com

Exercise Number Four: Pelvis Raises

This exercise may look kind of funny, but your hamstrings and glutes will thank you for it later. Start in the same position as the crunches and leg raises. Once your back is flat, knees are bent, and feet are flat on the floor, you can thrust your pelvis a foot or two off the ground by squeezing your butt and using your leg muscles. Your feet stay on the ground, the only thing that moves is your pelvis, it is also important that you maintain a strong core and flat torso. It may not feel like much at first, but after a while you should start to feel it in your hammies and bum. This is a great tush-toner and should help melt all that extra stuffing you ate right off ;)

Photo Courtesy: shape.com

Exercise Number Five: Bicycle Kicks

Bicycle kicks are a great abdominal, leg, and all around core workout. For this exercise start out on your back with your legs flat on the floor. Lift your legs about six inches off of the ground and lace your fingers behind your neck. Crunch your right knee towards your chest, and touch your left elbow to your right knee (while keeping your fingers laced). Then with out letting your legs touch the floor alternate sides by straightening your right leg back out and rotating your torso back to natural, and crunching your left knee to your chest and touching it with your right elbow in one swift movement. This will count as one rep. As always, make sure you are in good position with the small of your back against the ground at all times. The movement of your legs when alternating sides should resemble a cycling motion.

Photo Courtesy: popworkouts.com

If you have any interests in more exercises, these cites are great: 

• Fitness Magazine
• Muscle and Fitness
• Tone it Up

Super Sleep Deprived

Is nine hours really how much you're supposed to get? I'm expected to get nine hours of sleep a night... that's seemingly impossible. Yes, I am not the best at managing my time per say, but for me to get a full nine hours of sleep that means I have to be out cold at 10:00pm if I am waking up for school the next day at 6:00am. Lets see here; if school gets out at 2:25pm, I go straight to swim practice after. Swimming is from 3:00-5:00pm. After swimming I can also have lacrosse some days, if lacrosse practice is from 5:30pm-7:30pm, that usually doesn't leave me getting home until 7:45pm or sometimes even closer to 8:00pm. By the time I come home and get something to eat for dinner, that's already pushing 9:00pm. That leaves me to shower (the chlorine often leaving knots the size of dreads in my hair doesn't necessarily help with time efficiency), and get ready for bed. At this point it's usually around 9:30pm or 9:45ish. Keeping in mind I still have yet to get to my schoolwork for the day, I generally get to bed around 11:30pm or 11:00 on a good night. Thats also if I don't get sucked into the vortex typically called Tumblr for an extra "ten minutes" (which is an hour when we're talking Tumblr). *Side-note: My phone is probably the sole excuse of my unhealthy time-management skills. Leaving me with six to seven hours of Zs.

Photo Courtesy imgarcade.com

Sometimes I feel better going off of three hours of sleep then I would six. At school lack of sleep can definitely start to catch up to me. Between the five to six hours of sleep I've been getting over the course of the past three weeks, the stress overload, and my science teacher's melodic voice-- how could you not have a little understanding for the exhausted and half-asleep head bob? That's bad, I know... I should at least be able to stay awake during class.

Photo Courtesy imsa.edu

I've gotten to a point where I'm so used to going to bed at later hours that I can't even fall asleep when I do scrape up the time to. Sometimes I try falling asleep to music, that can either do the trick right away or totally backfire and resulting in me wide eyed for an extra hour or two. Counting down from one-hundred is a myth, and counting sheep is a joke. I know they have sleeping pills and other medical options out there, but I'm that type of person that will NOT pop the pill unless I am in dire need. Sleeping drugs kind of scare me.

Thus I am still waking up every morning with bags bigger than a Louis V under my eyes. Long story short, I think I've accepted the fact that I will not be getting my full nine hours of sleep.

Dress to stress...

Alright between school, sports, friends, parents, and sometimes just the elephant-on-your-chest of life itself adds up. A.k.a. stress.

Definition and Photo Courtesy of Merriam-Webster Dictionary

If feels like a little tornado gusting inside of your stomach and tumbling its way into your chest, sucking the breath from your lips and leaving you wide eyed. It smells of body oder and tastes like the sourness of nothing between your teeth. As the sweat collects on your hairline, you suddenly become aware of the massive weight your clothes now seem to put on your body, your cotton t-shirt dragging you down to hell. All you can do is sit there and simply tell them you're fine. Even though the monster inside you is punching holes in your wholeness.

It happens, the chemical build up of toxins due to the fight or flight reaction process our bodies experience for survival purposes. Stress and anxiety are purely a human extinct, but purely the thing eating kids alive these days. Stress can lead to depression. Depression is the third leading cause of death in people ages fifteen to forty-four, and it is estimated that ten to fifteen percent of teens are depressed. We all experience it, the stress and anxiety, yet some of us still can't cope with it. That being the scary part.

My cause of stress is mostly caused by school work and deadlines. I'm a natural procrastinator, and don't act like you haven't ever been there too; pulling the two-hours-of-sleep nights to get that project in on time. Well, maybe not to those extremes. Homework isn't always the most pleasant when you struggle managing your time. Then why don't we through a little after-school practice or game in there, which is always something to look forward to, until the reality of that blog post you had to do tonight is looking you in the eye. Along with the fact that you had gotten in a fight with your mom that morning sprinkled on top of the situation. Now she is ignoring you the whole ride home. You still haven't caught up on your reading you needed to do yesterday, as  well as feeding the dogs and doing your laundry before your mom gets even more mad at you then-- KABAM! It started as a little salamander slithering through your tummy but now it has escalated to a basketball stuck up your sarcophagus and before you know it the stress seems to have engulfed you whole. Yes, I know the feeling.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Once more.

Maybe twice.

That can usually do the trick. For me, at least.

If you are interested on learning more about the direct side effects and health facts behind stress these are a few links that you make take use of:

Mayo Clinic

Help Guide

American Psychological Association

University of Maryland

Oh the Places We'll Go

Wow my first blog post! This is exciting... I'd like to consider this the first baby step to an exceedingly winding, changing, and rousing path; don't feel like you can't turn back a few miles in if you don't think you'd like to stick around for the hike [as much as I'd miss the hiking buddy]. Hopefully this will give you a trail map of what my blog will somewhat look like.

This blog is birthing from an assignment in 9th Grade English, to be up-front and honest with you. I plan to have a lot of fun with this though. Life as a high-schooler is complicated, hormonal, and frustrating as I've come to figure out my first two months as a freshman. Life is a journey and everyone has their own, this blog will definitely give you a glimpse at mine. If you find it on here it's because I either: feel the need to write about the matter, find it interesting, fun, and exciting [chances are you will too], or relate to it.

Besides those guidelines, which are pretty broad, I don't have any other specific plans for this blog, so it should be super fun to see where it takes us. If you don't like my blog I'm alright with that, this blog is for me just as much as it is for you. You can take it or leave it ;)

I am pretty much as close to an inexperienced blogger as it gets. I've never had a blog before. I have read and heard of several blogs in the past, but have never been intrigued to an extent as to start one of my own. This assignment encourages me [more bluntly forces, shoutout to Mr. Parker;)] to try something a little bit out of my comfort zone, so work with me a little bit through this process and we'll embark on this unknown-territory together, reader and first-time blogger.

Photo Courtesy: beversbendblog