Most people who are involved in a school sport will tell you to join them in the fun, but you may be apprehensive at first. This is normal, most people are, but there are so many benefits of being involved in a school sport that you should be taking advantage of.
You can get out of gym class, this is big for me. Freshman and sophomore year I didn't have to take any gym classes because I was involved in two school sports those years (volleyball and tennis freshman year and Cross country and tennis the next year.)
I got two sports waivers and one academic waiver for doing this, so I had extra room in my schedule to take another class. I replaced what would have been gym (some sort of running) with photography, something I'm really interested in. That class was so much fun and I got to meet so many new people. Which brings me to my next point, meeting people!
You can easily use joining a new team as a way to meet people you otherwise wouldn't have. It brings people together who already have a common interest, sports! So since you already have things in common with them, it is easy to bond and create lasting friendships.
I have met many people, who I am still friends with today, on a sports team years ago, as well as people just this year and made a new friendship. Its never too late to go out and try to make a new friend, and joining a sports team with girls you like will only bring you even closer together!
Joining a team is also obviously great for your fitness and health. There are many benefits to staying active and join a sport combines these with having fun and meeting people! This article talks about all the benefits of exercising daily. For me personally, it makes me feel more energized and happy through out the day, as well as increasing my stamina, which in turn helps me play my sport better! I also enjoy playing tennis and running, so that is an added bonus. :-)
I hope reading this has given you a good impression on what going out for a sports team can do for you, and I hope every one who likes athletics goes of for their school's team!
Word count: 404
Monday, April 6, 2015
Sunday, April 5, 2015
Are women their own worst critic?
Lately I have been doing a lot of posts regarding self confidence and body image. This may be because I have been doing a lot of self evaluating lately and trying to come to terms with and appreciate who I am and what I have to offer the world. During my little scavenger hunt over the web, I found an old Dove commercial from 2013 that fits this week's common theme.
This commercial, not surprisingly, got sucked into a lot of controversy over its main "goal" which was to make women realize that they are their own worst critic and they need to appreciate themselves more. The problem with this is while it may have good intentions, it kind of misses the mark. Telling women they are critiquing themselves instead of the media telling them their appearance is off par doesn't make a person feel any better. I think this commercial does a lot of things right. The music is sentimental, the camera angles are great and they capture some really emotional moments for the women in this "experiment" (real or not) they seemed really moved by this experience. It actually makes me curious how a person would describe me to a sketch artist and what features they would pick to stand out.
The downside to this commercial in my opinion is that they paint the first picture drawn in a bad light, making it seem as if it's less attractive than the second, which isn't necessarily true. Also this video does a slim job in the diversity category. Most of the participants shown are caucasian and thin with blonde hair and blue eyes. This commercials idea of a "real beautiful women" is what most people see when they open the magazines that make them hate themselves in the first place. And of course those girls have insecurities too, but it almost defeats the message. If the aim of this ad is to make everyone realize their true beauty, then why are we only focusing on a small branch of the huge tree that is the diverse population of women all over the world?
At the end of the day, while this commercial may be moving to some, it could also be discouraging to others. Women can be their worst critic, but we can also be our best friend.
Word count: 393
This commercial, not surprisingly, got sucked into a lot of controversy over its main "goal" which was to make women realize that they are their own worst critic and they need to appreciate themselves more. The problem with this is while it may have good intentions, it kind of misses the mark. Telling women they are critiquing themselves instead of the media telling them their appearance is off par doesn't make a person feel any better. I think this commercial does a lot of things right. The music is sentimental, the camera angles are great and they capture some really emotional moments for the women in this "experiment" (real or not) they seemed really moved by this experience. It actually makes me curious how a person would describe me to a sketch artist and what features they would pick to stand out.
The downside to this commercial in my opinion is that they paint the first picture drawn in a bad light, making it seem as if it's less attractive than the second, which isn't necessarily true. Also this video does a slim job in the diversity category. Most of the participants shown are caucasian and thin with blonde hair and blue eyes. This commercials idea of a "real beautiful women" is what most people see when they open the magazines that make them hate themselves in the first place. And of course those girls have insecurities too, but it almost defeats the message. If the aim of this ad is to make everyone realize their true beauty, then why are we only focusing on a small branch of the huge tree that is the diverse population of women all over the world?
At the end of the day, while this commercial may be moving to some, it could also be discouraging to others. Women can be their worst critic, but we can also be our best friend.
Word count: 393
Fake tanning?
I've had strong opinions about this for a long time, but never thought about blogging about it.
This weekend I came across this video about fake tanning and it struck me this would be the perfect time for an opinion throw down.
There are different types of "fake tanning," you can do it on a bed with bright lights, or these days, even out of a bottle. This phenomenon that affects girls all over has always rubbed me the wrong way. Why would we want to change the tone of our skin, even if its harmless in the long run, or especially if it is?
Companies like Neutrogena make spray on tans that require no sun exposure. You just spray it on your skin and rub it in. Seems easy enough, if you manage to make it even enough to look real and don't ruin any articles of clothing in the process. But why pay $10 for a bottle of brown skin spray paint? All too often the aftermath is a streaky, yellow toned mess on your skin, and that is not flattering. Thats not to mention the terrible smell and how long you have to let it sit on your skin before you can wash it off. People have all different skin tones and that is what makes this world so amazing, variety. Embracing your natural skin tone is part of having self confidence isn't it?
I find it even worse when people will actually pay money to sit in a tanning bed. Pay money to literally lay down and ask for skin cancer. Don't get me wrong, I love being sun kissed after a day in the hot sun, but why not go get some fresh air instead of faking it?
And if your excuse is that its too cold or the sun isn't out yet, then why would you want to get a fake tan anyway, it looks so unnatural.
Everyone I know or have heard talking about fake tanning complains about how expensive it is, how annoying it is to reapply, and how hard it is to find makeup products to match their color. I don't know why you would go to all the trouble. Try loving your skin instead of putting through all these harsh and completely unnecessary treatments, feeling comfortable and happy in your own skin can be fun!
Word count: 399
This weekend I came across this video about fake tanning and it struck me this would be the perfect time for an opinion throw down.
There are different types of "fake tanning," you can do it on a bed with bright lights, or these days, even out of a bottle. This phenomenon that affects girls all over has always rubbed me the wrong way. Why would we want to change the tone of our skin, even if its harmless in the long run, or especially if it is?
Companies like Neutrogena make spray on tans that require no sun exposure. You just spray it on your skin and rub it in. Seems easy enough, if you manage to make it even enough to look real and don't ruin any articles of clothing in the process. But why pay $10 for a bottle of brown skin spray paint? All too often the aftermath is a streaky, yellow toned mess on your skin, and that is not flattering. Thats not to mention the terrible smell and how long you have to let it sit on your skin before you can wash it off. People have all different skin tones and that is what makes this world so amazing, variety. Embracing your natural skin tone is part of having self confidence isn't it?
I find it even worse when people will actually pay money to sit in a tanning bed. Pay money to literally lay down and ask for skin cancer. Don't get me wrong, I love being sun kissed after a day in the hot sun, but why not go get some fresh air instead of faking it?
And if your excuse is that its too cold or the sun isn't out yet, then why would you want to get a fake tan anyway, it looks so unnatural.
Everyone I know or have heard talking about fake tanning complains about how expensive it is, how annoying it is to reapply, and how hard it is to find makeup products to match their color. I don't know why you would go to all the trouble. Try loving your skin instead of putting through all these harsh and completely unnecessary treatments, feeling comfortable and happy in your own skin can be fun!
Word count: 399
Confidence
It seems like these days it can be hard to have self confidence with all of the media telling us how we should look. And as time passes the situation gets worse and worse for people (girls specifically) at younger and younger ages. I read an article about this controversy and it made me sad.
I remember when I was little, I didn't worry about things like my weight or hair color, I was happy with who I was in general. 13 year old girls should be having fun growing up, not constantly worrying if their appearance fits some kind of mold. Girls are being pushed by the media to transform themselves so that others will like them, and it's causing insecurities that don't need to exist.
The truth is the girls in the magazines don't even look like the girls in the magazines. Photoshop can be deceiving, and even troublesome for girls who are already insecure about themselves.
When I look at my sister, a 13 year old in the 7th grade, I see a whole different person than who I was back then. I like to think she is just taking after me, but in reality she's taking after the media, wearing smaller tighter clothes that are more revealing, complaining about the way her thighs look. She is 13. She has the world at her feet, just like all of these other girls who are too busy looking in the mirror hating what they see to realize that the reflection only tells a small fraction of the story of the person they really are.
I may sound hypocritical as I blog about appearance being superficial one moment and the best products to keep your hair in tact the next, but the truth is, feeling beautiful isn't about trying to look like the people in magazines, or changing who you are, it's about what makes you feel confident.
Its waring bright colors because it makes you happy. This day in age, self confidence is the best beauty product any girl can have.
Word count: 347
I remember when I was little, I didn't worry about things like my weight or hair color, I was happy with who I was in general. 13 year old girls should be having fun growing up, not constantly worrying if their appearance fits some kind of mold. Girls are being pushed by the media to transform themselves so that others will like them, and it's causing insecurities that don't need to exist.
The truth is the girls in the magazines don't even look like the girls in the magazines. Photoshop can be deceiving, and even troublesome for girls who are already insecure about themselves.
When I look at my sister, a 13 year old in the 7th grade, I see a whole different person than who I was back then. I like to think she is just taking after me, but in reality she's taking after the media, wearing smaller tighter clothes that are more revealing, complaining about the way her thighs look. She is 13. She has the world at her feet, just like all of these other girls who are too busy looking in the mirror hating what they see to realize that the reflection only tells a small fraction of the story of the person they really are.
I may sound hypocritical as I blog about appearance being superficial one moment and the best products to keep your hair in tact the next, but the truth is, feeling beautiful isn't about trying to look like the people in magazines, or changing who you are, it's about what makes you feel confident.
Its waring bright colors because it makes you happy. This day in age, self confidence is the best beauty product any girl can have.
Word count: 347
Saturday, March 21, 2015
How to get ready
I can safely say that I have mastered the art of getting ready in less time than seemingly possible. It happens at least once a week. I go to bed late, I get up late. I haven't showered. I have "nothing to wear." Surely it's going to be an awful day... Or not.
The girl's guide to getting ready in 15 minutes:
1. If you know it's going to be an early morning, try showering the night before. It'll save you 15-20 minutes of the actually time it takes to shower, plus the 5-10 minutes of drying and combing out your hair and styling it.
If you wake up late and didn't make it into the shower the night before, don't panic. All you need is some dry shampoo and a hair tie. Use the shampoo to quickly dry up any access oil from your hair, make it smell and feel fresh and clean, and throw it up in a pony, bun, or braid. Problem solved.
2. Check the weekly forecast and pick out your outfit the night before. This is a must. You can even pick out outfits for the entire week. I can't count the amount of times I spend in the morning pondering over what I should wear, only to get frustrated and cause myself to be late. Lay out everything you need including shoes, socks, underwear, etc. so you wont have to scramble around in the dark of the early morning when you're half asleep.
Also, separate your accessories. The last thing you need is to go to grab your favorite necklace, only to find it tangled into 3 others. A simple nail on the wall trick can solve this.
3. Establish an easy morning makeup routine that only takes 5 minutes. Skip the foundation and just use concealer under your eyes and on any blemishes. Curl your eyelashes without applying mascara to give your eyes a quick boost and give your eyebrows a quick touch-up with a brush instead of using a pencil to fill them in.
4. Grab breakfast on the go. Snag a banana or an apple from the kitchen and eat it on the way to school or work instead of sitting down to eat. Even better, pack some snacks in baggies the night before and throw them in your bag to eat throughout the day.
The girl's guide to getting ready in 15 minutes:
1. If you know it's going to be an early morning, try showering the night before. It'll save you 15-20 minutes of the actually time it takes to shower, plus the 5-10 minutes of drying and combing out your hair and styling it.
If you wake up late and didn't make it into the shower the night before, don't panic. All you need is some dry shampoo and a hair tie. Use the shampoo to quickly dry up any access oil from your hair, make it smell and feel fresh and clean, and throw it up in a pony, bun, or braid. Problem solved.
2. Check the weekly forecast and pick out your outfit the night before. This is a must. You can even pick out outfits for the entire week. I can't count the amount of times I spend in the morning pondering over what I should wear, only to get frustrated and cause myself to be late. Lay out everything you need including shoes, socks, underwear, etc. so you wont have to scramble around in the dark of the early morning when you're half asleep.
Also, separate your accessories. The last thing you need is to go to grab your favorite necklace, only to find it tangled into 3 others. A simple nail on the wall trick can solve this.
3. Establish an easy morning makeup routine that only takes 5 minutes. Skip the foundation and just use concealer under your eyes and on any blemishes. Curl your eyelashes without applying mascara to give your eyes a quick boost and give your eyebrows a quick touch-up with a brush instead of using a pencil to fill them in.
4. Grab breakfast on the go. Snag a banana or an apple from the kitchen and eat it on the way to school or work instead of sitting down to eat. Even better, pack some snacks in baggies the night before and throw them in your bag to eat throughout the day.
Friday, March 20, 2015
Spring break - How to pack tight
When packing for a trip there are many things to consider.
My mantra is to always pack less clothing than you think you need. One reason for this is that whenever I go on vacation, I always end up coming home with more clothing than I left with. Shopping is always a large priority when I go on trips and I like to think of the clothes I buy as souvenirs.. that I can wear! For this reason I always count the number of days I will be gone, subtract 2, then pack that many outfits. This rule of thumb won't work for everything. But if you are going somewhere warm, chances are you will be on the beach more than you will out and about, so take that into consideration because youy might want to throw in an extra bathing siut instead of a nice blouse.
I also like to bring staples that can be worn with more than one thing, things that don't wrinkle, and things that can be easily hand washed if necessary. And as much as I love white, I've learned the hard way that it's worth the sacrifice to pack something else instead of my favorite white T-shirt.
If you do need to pack something that wrinkles, an easy solution is to buy a small bottle of wrinkle releaser. They sell it for less than $3 at Target and it will save you 20 minutes of ironing and make your clothes smell like they're fresh out of the wash.
Another way to prevent clothes from wrinkling is to roll them along with another item of clothing, instead of folding them and stacking. Take two shirts and roll them together to save space and time. I did this when packing for my Florida vacation and it made fitting everything in the suitcase much easier.
If you have to pack something fragile that you don't need access to, don't throw it lose into your carry on purse. Your carry on should only have things you need during the flight. If you are taking your suitcase onto the plane with you, wrap the item inside some clothes and pack it snuggly into the middle of your suitcase with lots of other clothing surrounding it to make sure it won't bounce around- in this case sometimes packing more can be a lot of help.
Word Count: 405
Sunday, January 25, 2015
Worth the hype?
Recently I purchased some of the new John Frieda Frizz Ease haircare products from Target's online website. I have been seeing a lot of advertising for these products on commercials and sponsored reviews online. These products have been so hyped up and promising such great results for girls with curly problematic hair, how could I not try them out.
Ranking on the very affordable side of the spectrum as far as hair care goes, I figured I had nothing to lose with giving them a try to see if they were worth all the hype.
I purchased two of the products from the Frizz Ease line, which is the line specially for curly hair. I got Daily Nourishment Leave-In Conditioner, which is a leave-in conditioner in a spray bottle. I have tried many different leave-in conditioners so I was not only excited to try this one, but felt like I had a good idea of what a good one does for my hair. These types of products are a necessity for my hair especially during the winter when I experience a lot of dryness. I apply them after I get out of the shower, after I have towel dried my hair so it's damp, but not soaking wet. However, I feel like products like this tend to work better the drier my hair is. They seem to evaporate and I have to keep applying more if my hair is too wet. This one specifically was pretty comparable to everything I've tried so far. I love the smell, but other than that, nothing special. I was expecting more from such a popular product.
The other product I tried was called Dream Curls® Daily Styling Spray and it was meant to replace leave in hair gel or hair spray by making curls stay less frizzy throughout the day. I also loved the way this product smelled, but the performance was less spectacular. If I sprayed it in wet hair, once my hair dried, it was like it wasn't even there at all. And If I put it in dry hair, it almost gave me an oily appearance if I used a little too much. I think the key to this product is to use it right before your hair dries completely and focus is mostly on the ends. or where your hair tends to be driest. Don't put it in your roots especially if you haven't showered because it will be an oily mess.
Word count: 410
Ranking on the very affordable side of the spectrum as far as hair care goes, I figured I had nothing to lose with giving them a try to see if they were worth all the hype.
I purchased two of the products from the Frizz Ease line, which is the line specially for curly hair. I got Daily Nourishment Leave-In Conditioner, which is a leave-in conditioner in a spray bottle. I have tried many different leave-in conditioners so I was not only excited to try this one, but felt like I had a good idea of what a good one does for my hair. These types of products are a necessity for my hair especially during the winter when I experience a lot of dryness. I apply them after I get out of the shower, after I have towel dried my hair so it's damp, but not soaking wet. However, I feel like products like this tend to work better the drier my hair is. They seem to evaporate and I have to keep applying more if my hair is too wet. This one specifically was pretty comparable to everything I've tried so far. I love the smell, but other than that, nothing special. I was expecting more from such a popular product.
The other product I tried was called Dream Curls® Daily Styling Spray and it was meant to replace leave in hair gel or hair spray by making curls stay less frizzy throughout the day. I also loved the way this product smelled, but the performance was less spectacular. If I sprayed it in wet hair, once my hair dried, it was like it wasn't even there at all. And If I put it in dry hair, it almost gave me an oily appearance if I used a little too much. I think the key to this product is to use it right before your hair dries completely and focus is mostly on the ends. or where your hair tends to be driest. Don't put it in your roots especially if you haven't showered because it will be an oily mess.
Word count: 410
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