I tried kick boxing and now I'm sore

Have you ever wanted to try something new but always found yourself making excuses why you can't? It'll mess up your routine, you don't have time, you're scared etc. etc... Well, when you're homework assignment is to go out and attend a club meeting or new type of gym class, you suddenly find a way to get it done.

That's exactly what happened to me in my COMM 420 class, Research Methods in Public Relations and Advertising. As we learn about observation and the different ways we participate in and observe phenomenons, we were tasked with creating our own field experience. Join the Clown Nose club, attend a book reading at the local library, the entire point was to immerse ourselves in a new environment and observe how these people interacted.

Well, I have wanted to try kick boxing for a while now. Maybe I watched too much Chuck over winter break, or maybe there's some unresolved frustration as midterms and internship applications pick up, but I really wanted to let it all out on a punching bag (literally).

Unfortunately, despite offering a wide array of gym classes - spinning included! - PSU Fitness does not have a kick boxing class and I had to turn to the gym right off campus, Momentum Fitness.

I attended the first class for free (nice! It's usually $60/month) last night and as I type this I'm having a hard time lifting my arms above my head.

TJ, the owner, taught me and the two other newbies, the four basic punches - jab jab, hook, hook! - and how to kick correctly. This was more than just learning how to hit the bag, it was also learning a modicum of self-defense. How to hit someone before they can hit you.

I didn't realize it, but by the end of the hour, I was sweating and the adrenaline running through me seemed to negate the soreness I'd feel an hour later.

I could go on for pages about the class (and I will in order to complete my assignment), but it was so much fun and I'm so glad I pushed myself to take the assignment seriously instead of just sitting in on a meeting somewhere convenient for me.

Moral of the story: do something new like your class grade depended on it.

When it's zero degrees out, but you still have to trek outside

This week the East Coast is hunkering down for another polar vortex. I'd be okay with this, I fared the first polar vortex pretty well, except last time I was cozy at home and didn't have anything to do, anywhere to be. This time: it's going to be pretty bad. There are classes and meetings to attend at all random hours of the day, meaning I could be out walking fifteen minutes - about a mile - and freezing my fingers off.

That is, if I wasn't adequately dressed.

This is a peek into my wardrobe - pieces I will actually be wearing over the next few days until I can hunker down in my apartment next weekend. An accessories post will be coming up tomorrow!

My massive North Face puffer 

I'm only kind of joking when I said I could curl into this jacket an be ok for a few days. This is the most comfortable coat I've ever owned - but it's also my only goose down coat, which makes it lightweight but so warm.

This is perfect for walking against the cutting wind and protecting everything from my head to my knees. But it takes more than a coat to keep me moving. I also need to layer!

You can buy the North Face Metropolis coat here!

Tommy Hilfiger Long Sleeve Cable Crew Neck Sweater

I cannot survive State College, PA winters without my arsenal of cable knits. They provide the perfect amount of warmth to insulate the heat from my body while my North Face wards off any icy breezes coming my way.

The only downside to wearing such heavy sweaters is that I sometimes get to class only to find the building's heat is cranked and I'm suddenly uncomfortably warm. But, it's a small sacrifice.

The sweater is on sale at Tommy Hilfiger, and is also available in a few more colors!

J. Crew Skinny Jeans

Unfortunately, it's not socially acceptable for me to wear sweatpants around campus - and even if it was, I wouldn't because I cannot stand sweatpants beyonds the confines of my apartment. I'm not much a yoga pants girl either.

Thankfully, these J. Crew skinny black jeans are as comfortable as I need them to be getting from point A to point B.

Bonus: these are now in J.Crew's factory store - more than half off, from $80 down to $31!  

Tall Hunter Boots

Is it too much of a generalization to say this is quickly becoming the go-to snow/rain boot for women in the United Kingdom and United States? It seems like a solid 80% (an estimate) of the underclass female population relies on their pair of wellies.

Maybe they're brown, like mine - to match my jacket and my hair - or red to make a bold statement, but we rely on these shoes to keep our feet dry in the snow and gross slush that omnipresent from November to March.