VIBIN

Summer...what better time of year. The stress-free period of every year with great weather and nothing but GOOD VIBES. Yes, that’s right, I said it. GOOD VIBES. Not sure how else to describe it. I’m sure everyone has their different reasons for their love of summer-whether it’s sleeping in until the sun is almost down again, or the freedom of staying up as late as you want every night with no consequences the next day, or maybe even just the fact of not having to attend school everyday. Sure, I can agree with some of these, but I definitely have my own reasons for my immense love of summer. Let's start off with the best: the beach! As cliche and mainstream as it may sound, yes, the beach has got to be an all time fav for me. As much as everyone loves to complain about terrible the state of Delaware is, the truth comes down to this: we are only about an hour and a half away from the coast. How great is that...states located in the middle of the country are lucky to even see a beach one time a year. Living so close to the beach, I definitely take it to my full advantage. Many of my days are spent soaking in the salty air burning to a crisp, only to repeat the same routine the next day. Hmmm...what’s next. Oh yeah. Driving with all of my windows down, sunroof open, blasting music at full volume. You may think, she is so weird. That is one of her favorite things about summer?? YES. Absolutely 100% yes. The feeling of driving down the interstate jamming to my music as the warm summer breeze is rustling through my hair is one of the happiest states of mind you can find me in. Something about the complete feeling of freedom and independence and bliss it provides me with has got to be one of my favorite feelings EVER. How could I forget? Nature. During the summer, 99.9% of all of my days consist of being outside soaking in all the good weather Delaware has to offer. Summer only comes once a year, and I absolutely take full advantage of that. Whether it’s going for run in my backyard through the windy woods of Rittenhouse Park, or running with a friend through White Clay Creek, nature provides me with one of the best feelings in the world and I cannot wait until I get to take advantage of these parks everyday. Not to mention, one park I recommend that everyone visits at some part of their summer is Cape Henlopen down at the beach. I love Cape Henlopen for many, many reasons: their trials provide a relaxing morning or evening run along the windy path located right next to the shore. Camping with your friends in a tent and waking up to the salty breezy ocean air is indescribable. Some people may claim summer is meant for sleeping in until 3:00, but definitely not for me. My favorite summer ritual is waking up at the crack of dawn and watching the sunrise over the rippling ocean. Once again, summer only comes once a year, what’s the point of wasting it away in your bed? These points only include some of my absolute favorite things summer has to offer and the days until I am soaking in the summer sun are slowly approaching closer and closer…..

The Most Glorious Time of the Year.....

PROM. A dreadful, cringeworthy topic. Aren’t you a girl? Shouldn't you love prom? Isn’t that the day you look forward to all year long? Spending over $500 on a dress, getting pampered all day with your hair and makeup done up???

Absolutely not.

If there were a bah humbug for prom season, I’m your girl. I guess I’m being a little dramatic. But don’t get me wrong, prom is just not for me. I’m all about feeling good about yourself and having a great night surrounded by great friends….but the stress and drama surrounding the season of prom I could definitely go without. Every year, there is some big scandal as to who is taking who to prom, or where everyone is getting pictures, or why is Bob sitting at Kendra’s table at dinner instead of Jessica’s???? It is just too much to keep up with….and don’t even get me started on the dresses. I’m sorry, but I am just not the type of girl who is into glitz and glam dresses, bejeweled and crystallized from neck to floor… it’s just not me. And what exactly is the point of spending more over $500 on ONE dress that you will be wearing for ONE night? Do you know how far $500 will get you purchasing far more other important things? I just think prom is hyped up so much more than it deserves to be. Sure, I mean I guess it's kinda worth the $100 ticket to see the kid in the back of your history class you hasn’t spoken a word all year bust a dance move out on the dance floor, but let's be honest… the food is always terrible and extremely disappointing, when have we ever been blessed with a good DJ, and what’s with the principle lurking over the dance floor watching you and your friend’s moves every second? For some girls, prom is the most memorable night of their whole high school career, but I really just think it’s a hyped up hoax that does not deserve the amount of attention it receives. It is pretty interesting to see everyone dressed up outside of school since we have been going to school with the same group of kids for almost 10 years now and I still rarely see any of them outside the school boundaries of our Industrial Park. Maybe I am being a little too harsh and critical, and maybe I should keep a more open mind about it, but every year I feel as though I get let down more and more. $500 for a dress? $100 ticket for soggy vegetables and chewy rubbery grilled chicken that causes my jaw to ache? Being watched like a hawk while you're dancing by the principle of your school? Listening to outdated music all night because we never hire the right DJ? I think I’m good.

How could I forget! Promposals…. The embarrassing cliche action of a male asking a female to prom in a cheesy, queasy way that makes everyone watching cringe in awkwardness. Wow! So cute! A boy bringing a girl a stuffed animal bear with a matching poster “I couldn’t BEAR prom without you…” How original and unique! Gotta love prom season, am I right...not.

Shake Up Your Wake Up!

When asking what people normally have for breakfast, an alarming amount of people usually say, “oh, who has time for breakfast?!?” or the occasional “I’m not even that hungry when I wake up”. I mean, everyone has heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day...and they aren’t lying. Breakfast provides your body and brain with fuel after an overnight fast. (hence, the name) Without breakfast, it is equivalent to running on empty, like trying to start a car with no oil. Our bodies need essential nutrients (calcium, iron, vitamins, proteins, fiber) early in the day, to keep your body feeling great the rest of the day. So if you are guilty of the lame generic basic excuse that you ‘don’t have time to eat breakfast’, how about you set your alarm clock 15 minutes earlier...your body can thank me later. Breakfast is necessary for the brain as well, it needs energy in order to function properly!! It has been scientifically proven that those who eat breakfast are more physically active throughout the day compared to those who don't. Research has indicated that breakfast may even enhance memory, attention, the speed of processing information, reasoning, creativity, learning, and verbal abilities. So, yes, roll your eyes all you want...but breakfast is the most important meal!!

GO GREEN

Every year, the Chicago Journeymen Plumbers Union take on the Chicago River for their annual green-tinting event, as they pour loads of green dye into the waters to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day every year. Every year, the Windy City celebrates their annual green dyeing of the Chicago River as thousands of people dressed in their celebratory green gather for holiday festivities, including a parade and Irish-themed food and drinks offered by a slew of different vendors along the Riverwalk, with the bagpipes ringing throughout the town. A boat drops the dye into the water every year, and don’t worry: it’s completely environmentally safe. This tradition in Chicago has been going on ever since 1961 and is a yearly event that people from all over the nation travel to see firsthand. So hey, if you’re looking for a festive way to celebrate the holiday and escape from the drunken college student infested streets of Newark, book your plane ticket to the Windy City today!!

http://chicagoist.com/2016/03/15/video_a_time-lapse_of_the_chicago_r.php

Namaste

Various workout fads come and go as society changes, but no other exercise program has been as long enduring as yoga has. (staying around for over 5,000 years now). Yoga not only burns calories and tones muscles, but provides as a total mind-body workout that combines both strengthening and stretching, with deep breathing/meditation/relaxation. Yoga mainly works on your core, arms, legs, glutes, back, not to mention your mind as well. Here listed are a few different forms of yoga and a brief description of what it is:

• Hatha. The form most often associated with yoga, it combines a series of basic movements with breathing.
• Vinyasa. A series of poses that flow smoothly into one another.
• Power. A faster, higher-intensity practice that builds muscle.
• Ashtanga. A series of poses, combined with a special breathing technique.
• Bikram. Also known as "hot yoga," it's a series of 26 challenging poses performed in a room heated to a high temperature.
• Iyengar. A type of yoga that uses props like blocks, straps, and chairs to help you move your body into the proper alignment.

Yoga is great for beginners, and you should never feel like it’s too late to join now. People of all ages and various fitness levels can do the most basic yoga poses and stretches, so don’t feel intimidated. Yoga can also take place indoor or outdoor, adding to the many benefits of this workout. One local place you can join to participate in yoga in the Newark area, includes a place by the name of ‘Empowered Yoga’, located in the Newark Shopping Center on main street.

Last Child in the Woods

For my AP Environmental class, we were encouraged to read books regarding the relationship between kids in today's society and cellphone use, describing how this impacts their connection towards nature as well. In today’s day and age, everyone know that technology is improving and increasing in popularity by a ridiculous amount. Technology rules our lives: for the most part, everything we do is dependent on our cellphones. The terrible thing is, this is starting at a very young age for kids. Kids are now getting iPhones and Instagrams and Twitters at age 7, when I didn’t even own a flip phone at that age. The early exposure to technology is having a detrimental effect on these kids which Richard Louv emphasizes in his novel, “Last Child in the Woods”. His novel focuses on the staggering divide between the outdoors and children, linking the extreme lack of nature in the lives of today’s wired generation to disturbing childhood trends which include obesity, attention disorders, and depression at surprisingly lower and lower ages. Louv refers to this national epidemic as nature-deficit, the phenomenon of children spending less levels outdoors, which results in a wide range of behavioral problems. Louv brings together a growing body of research that suggest exposure to nature is essential for a healthy childhood development, not to include physical and emotional health of children and adults. He offers practical solutions and simple ways we can fix to heal the broken bond regarding children and lack of nature. This was a great read and extremely informative, I definitely recommend it to anyone interested learning about these topics.

The Best of the Best

Running is unlike any other sport out there. There is no field/indoor court/equipment involved. (of course a nice pair of sneaks of course). Running is not weather dependent, and does not require much when you really think about it. A few things are appreciated when running in the outdoors: temperate climate; abundant routes, tracks, and trails; vibrant local running and racing scene; etc. Recently, there was a poll of U.S. cities rich in these qualities and granted the top 15 best cities to run in the United States:  

1. San Fran, CA
2. Seattle, WA
3. Boston, MA
4. San Diego, CA
5. Washington DC
6. Portland, OR
7. Minneapolis, MN
8. New York, NY
9. Omaha, NE
10. Denver, CO
11. Chicago, IL
12. Madison, WI
13. Colorado Springs, CO
14. San Jose, CA
15. Los Angeles, CA