Movement With Angel Skeen
Reviews included so far...
BAAAA! Goat Yoga.
by Angel Skeen
One of the most interesting types of exercise I’ve stumbled across is goat yoga. I love yoga and goats, so as soon as I found out they had been paired together I knew I had to get to the bottom of it. Now I have yet to try goat yoga myself, however I was able to score an exclusive interview with my friend, Kaitlyn, who has.
Kaitlyn took a goat yoga class on a farm in Shallotte NC, where she resides, with her mom. The class lasted for an hour and cost $50. This would be expensive in comparison to regular workout class, but it seems to be worth it for the overall experience, according to Kaitlyn. She described the experience as fun and calming. Kaitlyn said that goat yoga is more for fun rather than a hard workout. She said they mostly stretched and it was not difficult, making this a doable exercise experience for all levels.
Now let’s get into the goats. Kaitlyn said there were about 5-7 goats roaming around during the class. Surprisingly, they were not “smelly”, or “poopy”. Members of the class were given treats to give to the goats. She said she was able to pet the goats throughout the class. There were also some baby cows they were able to pet. She and her mom said they thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Overall this is more of a fun way to interact with goats than a difficult exercise. Goat yoga is more for the animal lover than the athlete. Personally, I cannot wait to try goat yoga in my spare time. Now, please enjoy these photos of Kaitlyn and goats!
Pickleball Paradise
by Angel Skeen
One thing about me is I love the internet. One thing about the internet is that it loves Pickleball. Pickleball has been around for awhile, but has recently gained popularity. Personally, I had no interest in pickleball until I saw Tik Tok’s of people wearing cute outfits to go play. My friend, Delainey, felt the same way, so when I received the “Hey, wanna come play pickleball” text I geared up in a Pinterest worthy outfit and headed out the door.
Now, pickleball is typically played on a pickleball court(duh, I know, except I didn’t know), which measures 20 ft by 44 ft. Whereas a tennis court measures 27 ft by 78 ft for singles and 36 ft by 78 ft for doubles. Delainey and I played on a tennis court.
We started off not keeping score just hitting it back and forth to get a hang of it. I would definitely recommend practicing a little before you get started. Once you do get started here’s some rules to know:
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You have to serve diagonally.
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If the ball hits the line, it counts as in.
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The ball can only bounce once.
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Serve goes to both teammates before moving to the other team.
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Each game goes to 11. However, you have to win by 2, so if one team is at 11 and they are not at least 2 points ahead of the other team you have to continue playing until someone is two points ahead.
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You can only score on your serve.
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Apparently, there's a kitchen (small box in the middle). Devastatingly, there are no snacks in the kitchen and you can only go there if the ball bounces in it.
After our little practice session, we began playing the game. Unfortunately, our game time was shorter than our practice time. Only two points were scored before disaster struck(both of these points were by Delainey). I reached back to make the swing of a lifetime off of one of Delainey’s serves and as soon as I did my paddle snapped in half. The end. I’d like to say it was because of my super strong super powerful swing. It was not. Do not purchase your paddles from Five Below.
ANYWAYSSSS, I would recommend purchasing a plastic paddle over a wooden one. And I would definitely recommend playing Pickelball and I hope to play more myself in the future. It's definitely a fun way to get moving.
7 Delightful Ways to Distract Yourself While Running
by Angel Skeen
As a runner, I’m aware that not everyone enjoys running. Even those who enjoy running have moments in which they do not enjoy it and wish they were doing anything else. Running can be particularly tedious when you start increasing your mileage, when that cute, little 3 mile jog turns into a 7 mile long run. During these treacherous times one must find a way to stay distracted, or entertained, doing so is crucial to one’s sanity. Whether you are a seasoned veteran at competitive running , or a new member to the hobby jogger scene, you MUST be prepared to distract yourself. Here is how you do it:
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The first way to distract yourself really isn’t a way, rather a correction to a common misconception. Many will tell you: “just act like something is chasing you”. Many are wrong. Those fuckers have probably never even ran, and when they do, guess what? It will be because something is chasing them. And guess what else? They will get caught BECAUSE THEY HAVE NEVER RAN IN THE FIRST PLACE. Anywho, this will simply not work for multiple reasons:
a.) nothing is going to chase you for 7 miles
b.) if something did chase you for 7 miles its probably catching you, sorry
c.) when you are running, there are times when you cry out wishing something would chase you, catch you, and ultimately take you out of your misery
2. Listening to music. This one is obvious. It’s also great for beginners. This one becomes less effective when you run everyday and get tired of the same playlist over and over. Plus, sometimes you just aren't in a music mood. One way to dress up this distraction is to rotate between “quiet miles” and “music miles” , listen to music for one mile, then wrestle with your thoughts. This helps to break up the run and provide a task other than running. Going from quiet to music provides a little boost, almost like running downhill.
3. Constructing intense, imaginary plots in your head. This is a personal favorite of mine. You can honestly think of whatever you want, but here are some good prompts:
A CAR IS COMING RIGHT AT YOU! How will you survive? Who is picking you up and taking you to the hospital? How fast could they drive at you and you successfully dodge it? You can really run off with this one, there's a lot to think about.
The lady on the street is talking on the phone. As you run by her you wonder who she’s talking to? Is that her fifth cigarette of the day? Man, I wish I was walking instead of running. Go on and construct the life of what you imagine this lady to live. This one is extra fun when you are running with someone else, as you can brainstorm and craft this ladies imaginary life together.
The usual daydreaming. It’s pretty mundane, but a classic for sure. Wonder about your crush, weekend plans, your future, whether or not you should get a boob job, what you should've said to win that one argument 5 years ago, and so on.
4. Listening to a podcast. This one is very similar to the music strategy. However, podcasts are really only effective for slower runs. It’s pretty hard to do anything faster than a jogging pace while listening to Emma Chamberlain unpack her fashion do’s and don’ts. On the brightside, this is a good way to feel double productive and educated, depending on the type of podcast you listen to. Pro Tip: Don’t listen to a True Crime, or any sort of Murder related podcast while running in the woods, especially at night. It's freaky, not motivating.
5. Call everyone on your contact list. As a certified yapper, I reach for this tip on my darkest of days. As soon as I start running, I call my brother, mom, dad, friend Rebecca, whoever really and in no particular order. I catch up, listening to their life updates and discussing my own, I quickly forget that I’m even running. If someone has to hang up, or doesn’t answer in the first place, I simply call the next victim.
6. Netflix and Treadmill. If you are running on a treadmill you are presented with the unique opportunity to watch Netflix, Youtube, or any other media content while running. I personally enjoy watching Samantha Jo on Youtube. Just turn on your media of choice and pretend you're at home on the couch. That’s not sweat dripping off your arms, silly! You spilled salsa while binge-watching The Vampire Diaries for the third time!
7. Dissociation. Pretty self explanatory. Zone out man.
Ultimately, there is an infinite list of ways to distract oneself on a run. These are my tried and true methods. Use them if you want. Run if you want, or don’t. I do not give a single fuck. Thanks thanks thanks and always, always run on the left side of the road.