Health/Fitness:
1. Begin running again. All four years of high school I ran competitively and was a four year three season varsity athlete (cross-country, indoor track, outdoor track and field). Going into college I made the executive decision that I wasn't going to compete at a college level as I wanted to focus more on my studies and get involved in new activities. I ran over the summer and a little at the beginning of the school year, but as the semester progressed I began to run less and less until I stopped running all together. It wasn't until April that I realized how much I missed running and the release from stress it gave me so I vowed to start again when finals were over.
I started out slow, alternating between walking, jogging, and light running on the treadmill. As I increased my endurance, I weened myself off the treadmill and out on to the streets. My routine has been to run a mile minimum every other day and for the most part I've stuck to this.
2. Run a 5k. As my mom and dad were starting to get back into running around the same time as me, we decided to sign up for a couple 5k's together to keep ourselves motivated. On July 2nd we ran the Mary Wells 5k in my home town. I ran a season best of 26:48 and finished 3rd in my age bracket (15-19)! My mom and I also signed-up and ran the Susan G Komen Race for the Cure in Manchester, VT on July 23. Here I ran another season best of 26:05, which I was very pleased with, especially my 11:16 at the 1.5 mile mark!
3. Eat Healthy. Running competitively 10 months of the year I had really good metabolism from all the training I was undergoing so I was used to eating as much as I wanted of whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. Once I stopped running, my metabolism slowed down and my body began to become less of a slim "teen's body" and take on more of a "womanly figure." As my eating habits didn't change at all I ended up gaining the dreaded freshman 15. YIKES! I had a really hard time squeezing into my tiny running clothes which led to me losing a lot of self-confidence. Throw some homesickness into the mix and I was really a hot mess.
My goal for the summer then, along with exercising semi-daily, was to eat healthier. I made myself eat smaller portion sizes and healthy snacks like fruits and vegetables between meals if I felt hungry. I also tried to drink more water and cut down on sweets. Now, three months later, I'm proud to say I lost over 10lbs! I know I'll never get back to where I was in high school but over the summer I've come to understand and even like my body more.
Money:
1. Get a second (or third!) job. Last summer, other than the odd babysitting or dog walking jobs, I only had one job and worked weekends. I made a decent amount of money (and got a whole lot of reading done :) but I knew this summer I really needed another job or, as it turned out, two.
My best friends Melissa and Morgan helped me to get a job on the farm they worked at. It's been a lot of hard work but the pay is great so I've been able to make double what I made last summer. My dad and I also set up an eBay business selling all the Coca-Cola items, WWII memorabilia, VW beetles, etc that he has collected over the years (one guess who passed on my hoarding traits to me ;). We've made quite a bit of money and have been able to use it toward paying off the interest that accumulated on my first set of college loans.
2. Spend as little money as possible!!! I've always had a bit of a problem with money. I tend to buy things because I really want them at the time but after a week or two I begin to regret my purchases and wonder what made buy the items in question in the first place! So this summer I made a list of things I needed. Not wanted, but absolutely needed to buy. This was a great idea on my part and really limited my spending. Of course I've given myself a few treats like a pair of cheetah print flats and a new dress and sweater for Forever 21 :)
Other:
1. Clean/Organize my room. It's taken most of the summer, but I've finally organized myself. I'm a pack rat, nay, HOARDER by nature so I had A LOT of junk to go through. I was able to organize my clothes, keeping only the things I actually wore and that fit me, and recycle all the various magazine articles, newspaper clippings, and letters that I had stashed in all the various drawers in my room and will probably never look at again.
2. Get a passport. (8/19/2011) Forms have been filled out, a picture has been taken, and checks have been written! Now all I have to do is wait 6 weeks for my passport to be mailed to me :)
