How London Changed Me

It's been almost 3 full months since I have returned from my semester abroad and travelling. During my time abroad, I never really had the chance to realize the things I learned while there. Ever since setting foot back on U.S. soil, I have constantly thought about my experiences and the things I learned. In my eyes, studying abroad in London could have never been a bad experience because it was something I wanted to do for so long. Even with some of the expectations I carried, everything lived up to its expectations and went beyond what I hoped it would be. Not only did I grow and learn so much in those months abroad, but what I have now come to realize is how much my time abroad changed me.

Before the 3.5 months in London, I...

• Absolutely hated the rain, gloomy weather, and anything below 65 degrees Fahrenheit. 
• Never could imagine myself living somewhere outside of Los Angeles or London
• Had my heart set on working in the baseball industry once I graduate college

So how have I changed? 

1. I don't hate the rain or gloomy weather-- I actually love it. Warm weather isn't so bad, but it's safe to say that I would rather be somewhere that isn't so warm all the time. The reason why people from Southern California complain about "cold" weather is because we are never dressed for it. We all know that come noon, the sun will be out, bright and shining like it was always there. Being in London taught me to dress for the colder weather, making those temperatures seem like nothing. Some people might find it a hassle, but I loved being able to bundle up and wear my sweaters and beanies. 
2. I actually want to get out of LA once I graduate. I never though I would ever hear myself say that, but I want to see more of the world, not just by travelling but also by living in different places. My ultimate goal is to somehow get back to London and live there, but in between now and then, I want to get out of LA, wherever that may be. I want to be somewhere that gets cold, snows, and has actual seasons. There's just something about the fall leaves, snow in the winter, perfect spring weather, and actually appreciating the summer weathers and the times spent in the water. 
3. While I would still love to work in the baseball industry, that is no longer my priority. While some sports are not my cup of tea, my ultimate goal right now is to work in the sports industry. I'm not sure what exactly I want to do, whether it be athlete marketing or something to do with events within sports, but I'm open to whatever comes my way, especially if it's related to sports. A huge reason why I had this change in heart is because of my desire to someday live in London. While I was in London and even before I studied abroad, I was always asked if I would want to live in London, and my response was always "Yes, but I want to work in baseball so I can't really live in London.". The moment those words came out of my mouth when I was in London, it really made me think about what was more important to me: working in baseball, or living in London. Who knows what the future will bring and I don't want to put myself within a box, but as of now, I want to have the opportunity to return to London, and focusing on baseball will not allow me to do so.

I never thought that studying abroad in London would change me, my outlook on life, and potentially my future so much. While these changes, particularly my thoughts on my future, scare me a lot, I'm so grateful for the changes I have been able to experience because I feel that it has broadened my view on life even more. It's almost as though I was stuck in a box before I left for London, and now I have broken free from that box since coming back from London. 

Who knew I would ever become a person that wants to get out of LA, love the cold and rain, and be okay not working in the baseball industry? Certainly not me. 

Cheers, 

Aya

Find What Motivates You

I've never been the one to go to the gym. Working out was never a term I used growing up because I always had soccer as my exercise. Playing soccer kept me fit with all of the practices and games we had. Once I quit soccer my junior year of high school, I lost 10 pounds within the next year because I lost my muscle mass. Going into college, I knew I wanted to take advantage of the gym on campus, but that lasted about a week. I just couldn't push myself to go to the gym even if it was for a couple days a week. Being indoors on a stationary object was pure torture for me. If I'm remembering correctly, the only time I went to the gym freshmen year was the first two weeks of the school year. Going into my sophomore year, I wanted to make it my mission to go to the gym a couple times a week; I chose days/times of the week that worked out wonderfully with my schedule and started taking spin class. If there is one thing I can sort of stand at the gym, it's spin class. Fall semester 2012 was great because I was able to keep up with going to the gym for quite a while. Then midterms and papers rolled around and the gym got pushed down on my to-do list. I was back to my old days of not going to the gym. I started going to the gym Spring semester 2013, but because the spin class took place during a time I had class, that was a no-go and it became even harder for me to go the gym. I managed to go a few days a week being on the spin bike for about 50-60 minutes then doing abdominal workouts. Once again, when midterms and papers came around, the motivation to go to the gym went out the window. As for this past semester, I didn't work out at all as I was in London and I didn't bring any workout clothes since I knew it would be a waste of space/weight considering I can't even make myself workout at home.

I am currently taking a Personal Health course that counts as my required science core. Earlier this semester, we had a small project in which we had to come up with a health related hypothesis that we would work on over the course of a few weeks and see if our hypothesis was true or not. I used this opportunity to do abdominal workouts within the project period to see if my abdominals would tighten. My plan included several abdominal workouts in which I would do three sets of each. The greatest thing that came out of the project was the satisfaction I got every night and the desire to continue the workouts. I never skipped a workout because I wanted to get a good grade and I wanted to see results. The last thing I expected was to continue with my nightly routine after I finished the project. I made it a routine to workout every night before I took a shower, and the routine still holds, over a month after my project was turned in. There have been a couple of days where I skipped the workouts, but each time I have felt guilt afterwards and it has only made me want to continue the workouts every day. Change does not come over night and I am starting to see the progress I have made, and it only motivates to keep going.

The great things about my nightly abdominal workouts are that 1) it doesn't require any extra materials other than workout clothes, 2) it can be done anywhere in your house, and 3) it doesn't take longer than 30 minutes.

The important things are setting achievable goals. As part of my project, we had to use S.M.A.R.T goals, which stand for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely. Using the S.M.A.R.T goals is really useful because it allows you to break down your goals and workouts, building up to your ultimate goal. If your goal is to run 5 miles under a certain time, that is not going to happen the first time if you haven't ran in a long time. By using the S.M.A.R.T goals, you break your goal down by starting off with running a certain amount a few days a week, allowing yourself to stop every once in a while; you build up by not stopping at all, then increase the distance amount, and so on. It will surprise you how having a specific, measurable, achievable goal can keep you motivated.

I never thought that I would find a workout that I would find satisfying because I never had to think about working out when I was growing up. And now four years after I have quit soccer, I finally found something that keeps me motivated and wanting to workout every night. Working out doesn't have to have a grand goal of being able to run a 10K or being able to lift a certain weight. Ultimately, it is about staying fit and healthy and making sure that you are burning energy off. Plus, if you are doing some workouts everyday, it gives you a bit of an excuse to eat some junk food. Because lets face it, I could never give up junk food but knowing I will be raising my heart beat and working up a sweat each night makes divulging a little easier.

Below is the workout I do every night (3 sets of each):

• 30 Sit-Ups (I originally started with 20 for my project but increased to feel more burn recently)
• 25 Leg Lifts (Originally started with 15 for my project)
• 25 Russian Twists
• 1 Minute Planks (Regular and on my side-- originally started with 30 seconds, increasing by 10 seconds every 4 days during my project)
• Since I have stayed on 1 minute planks for quite a while now, I have made it harder by lifting my legs 20 times during each plank
• 25 Squats (Originally did wall sits for my project; increased squats from 20 to 25 recently)

I would say all together, this takes about 30 minutes. 30 minutes of your day really isn't a lot, and now that I am in the routine of doing it every night before I shower, I never forget.

I encourage everyone to find something you enjoy doing and create a routine for yourself so that it becomes second nature for you to workout on those certain days. If you enjoy it enough and have a set goal, working out isn't so bad.

Cheers,
Aya

A Little Bit of So(u)l, And A Whole Lot of Vang

It's currently Spring Break for me, which means a whole lot of sleeping in (not that I don't do that on a regular basis), applying for summer internships, and work. Oh and homework since some professors decided to be completely evil and give us homework-- kind of defeats the purpose of a break doesn't it? Over the weekend I worked 10 hours and from Thursday to Sunday, I will be working something along the lines of 20 hours, which means yesterday, today, and tomorrow are my days to relax and hopefully try to get some stuff done.

Yesterday, my friends and I decided to do a little day trip to Santa Barbara and a little Danish town north of SB called Solvang. If only day trips around here were easier like it is in the UK. I've lived in Los Angeles since I was 6, but I honestly cannot say that I have ever been to Santa Barbara. I know I have been in the areas nearby for soccer, but I don't think I have ever been to Santa Barbara just to hang out. The drive there made me realize that I should explore Southern California more.

Solvang, a Danish town about 20 miles north of Santa Barbara, was the main reason for the day trip. To be completely honest, I was little underwhelmed. Sure, the town was cute with its Danish buildings which just made me miss Europe even more, but there wasn't much to do. It's kind of just a city to stop by if you're making the trip up north to San Francisco or making the trip down to Los Angeles. I wouldn't plan an entire day around it. The idea of it is nice, just like Little Tokyo or Little Italy, but Solvang is in the middle of nowhere and there really isn't much to do. I guess I just have to start planning my trip back to England and the many places in Europe I want to visit to get a real taste of Denmark.

After lunch and popping into all of the pastry shops, we decided to head back down to Santa Barbara. We didn't have a plan once we got there, so we parked near Stearns Wharf and just walked around. Something I have definitely missed about London/European cities is walking around town and exploring. I know that's something that can be done here, but we tend to drive everywhere we want to go, even if it's only 1 mile away, so it was nice to walk around aimlessly near the beach. We even stumbled upon the Amtrak Station (I could be wrong. But some kind of train station.) that just made me want to get on a train or plane and explore some place new. We wanted to go to this ice cream shop near by, because hey, I'm always down for ice cream, but it was impossible to find parking so we gave up and drove back to LA. Yay for no traffic and a wonderful sunset!