Highlights of 2015

 A lot of shit happened this year...

 My pants fell down while performing at a Pistons basketball game

              Got hit in the face by a soccer ball and got a concussion

 

Became a DECA state champion     

 

 

Received 2^nd place at the DECA International Career Development Conference in Orlando, Florida

(My hair does not appreciate humidity)

Went to Disney World twice

Became a vegan

Got accepted to my dream school

Asked my best friend to prom

Twerked on stage at prom with said best friend

Graduated high school (and almost fell while walking across stage)

Spoke to multiple classes at my high school about mental health awareness

Attended a hippie music festival

Fell in love with Michigan State University

                                                   Attended my first college football game

Watched my cousin’s marriage finally become official

Spent a semester being a teacher’s assistant at an East Lansing elementary school

Squatted with frat guys on my back

idek

  Turned 18 

Got my second tattoo 

 

 I would say I had a pretty good year.

What My First Semester at College has Taught Me.

Good news guys, I survived my first college finals week! Now I get to enjoy the holidays at home and most importantly, I’m reunited with my puppy. Now that I am officially half way through my freshman year, I decided to share the top ten things my first semester of college has taught me.

1.    You’ll discover who of your high school friends are really your friends.

 

Since beginning college, I’ve lost touch with a lot of my friends from high school,

however, I’ve remained close and even grown closer to others. People come into and leave your life for a reason and college has really taught me that.

           

        2.    There is no room for slacking.

College is hard. No matter what, there is always shit to get done and nobody nagging you to get it done. So throw your senioritis out the door and get ready to work hard.

3.    Taking care of yourself is SO important.

Whether it’s going to the gym or taking an hour to watch Netflix, relaxation is important. If you don’t take the time to take care of yourself, stress will eat you alive.

4.    Whatever you enjoy, there is a club for it.

Enjoy squirrel watching? There is a club for it. Passion for hammocking? There’s a club for it. Really interested in politics? There are a shit-load of clubs for it. Getting involved on campus in something you are passionate about is so easy!

   5.    There are even more fuckboys in college than in high school.

They are everywhere.

   

   6.    Being open-minded is crucial.

You are going to be meeting people from backgrounds

 so different than your own. You don’t have to agree with  them in order to respect them.

7.    There is so much to learn in the world and so little time/money.

There are so many things I want to major and minor in, it’s hard to choose. I’m still overwhelmed by all of the programs MSU has to offer that I didn’t even know existed!

8.    Naps are God’s gift to human kind.

I was never a nap lover until college. Now, every day I look forward to my nap and they are the only reason I’m still alive.

9.    Uber will be your best friend.

God bless whoever created Uber. Whether you are trying to get your drunk friend home at 2am, or it’s just really cold and you don’t want to walk all the way to the frat party you’re going to, Ubers are a blessing. If you’ve never used the app before, use this code for a free first ride: alliee97ue

10. High school doesn’t matter.

I did not have a lot of friends in high school. As a matter of fact, I didn’t find a good group of friends until my senior year. But guess what…nobody gives a shit about that in college. I have already met great friends at MSU and I don’t even know how their social lives were in high school. Going along with that, nobody cares about your high school GPA and ACT score so please do not brag about them.

What has college taught you? Leave me a comment or tweet me @allieetzin.

xoxo,

Allie

Why I Lift Weights

            My love affair with the weight room began six months after I was released from partial inpatient treatment for my eating disorder. My doctors granted me permission to return to the gym, but advised me to avoid cardio machines that may cause weight loss and trigger a relapse. I followed my doctors’ orders and asked my brother how to begin weight lifting.

            Fast-forward two years later to today. I can leg-press 820 pounds, do squats with a 210 pound fraternity guy on my back (don’t ask) and I am the most confident in my body I have ever been. Despite my passion for lifting heavy shit, the weight room has not always been such a happy place for me. When I first began lifting, I constantly felt judged, watched, objectified, and less than everyone else. I would compare myself to men lifting twice as much as me, and women with what I thought to be the “perfect body”. So how did I develop self-confidence and an IDGAF attitude in the weight room? It was a long process.

Over time, I had to learn everyone is at a different point in their journey. Because of this, comparing yourself to others is absolutely pointless. Also, as cliché as this sounds, all bodies are different. I have weak af ankles because of anterior tendinitis and sometimes squats hurt like a bitch. It is possible to accept your flaws while still working to be the best version of yourself you can possibly be.

Something I had to learn is working out for the right reasons is crucial. When I spent all of my time on the treadmill trying to lose weight, I was miserable. I hate running and probably always will. I only did it to improve my physical appearance and self-esteem (side note: that shit didn’t work). But now, I have found workouts, both cardio and strength-training, that I love! People always seem to be confused as to why I work out if I am happy with my body. I do not work out because I hate my body; I work out because I love my body. I love my body so much that I want to treat it right. I want to fuel it with nutritious food and make it sweat daily.

On a similar note, the human body is an amazing thing, and it is so cool to get to know your own body. Lifting has taught me so much about myself. First and foremost, I am SO much stronger than I thought; both mentally and physically. My body can do amazing things that I never thought possible. Who the hell thought a 5’0 girl could lift 820 pounds with her short ass legs? I didn’t that’s for sure. So with that being said, why the hell should I hate this amazing body I’ve been given? Once I began thinking this way, my whole perspective on my body changed. Just ask my roommate; there isn’t a day that goes by where I don’t spend five minutes looking in the mirror appreciating my butt. However, this goes much further than aesthetics. I have pushed myself mentally to levels I never imagined possible. My perseverance and dedication is endless, and when I put my mind to something, there is no way I cannot accomplish it.

What has your passion taught you? Leave a comment or tweet me @allieetzin!

xoxo,

Allie

Being a Young Woman With Strong Views

            “Your professors must be feeding you the wrong information”. “You must have learned these things from your parents”. “You’re way too opinionated for being so young”. Being an almost-18-year-old woman, these are phrases I have constantly heard throughout my teenage years. Whether it is for my views on marriage equality, immigration, or health care, those older than me are constantly scrutinizing my views, and telling me I’m too young to hold such opinions. This has never made sense for me. Isn’t it a good thing I am taking interest in issues such as these at a young age? After all, everyone does say that children are our future. 
  

            The interesting part is I am not even a child anymore! In less than a month I will be 18 years old. This means I will have the power to affect the outcome of our next presidential election! Doesn’t a decision such as this require being strong in one’s convictions? I cannot even share an interesting political article on Facebook without family commenting on it at the next family get-together, claiming MSU must be pushing their “liberal agenda” on their students. I, however, do not believe this is the case. I have been opinionated for as long as I can remember. And no, my parents did not pass down this trait to me. My parents have always been very neutral when discussing political ordeals with my brother and me. They never told us that they identify as democrat or republican until I was old enough to be able to ask for myself. I have very different views from my family on some issues, and some similar opinions. I take pride in being able to think for myself, and I consider this a very valuable trait for a college student to possess.

  

            I pride myself on being a loud, opinionated, liberal feminist. These traits are part of me and they are nothing to be ashamed of. Being loud helps me get my point across. Otherwise, who will listen to the 5’0 college freshman? Being opinionated shows I am able to think on my own. It shows I am passionate about what I believe in and I stick to my guns when challenged. Being a liberal is simply a label for the views that I already have. I did not develop these views with the goal of being labeled a liberal, but that being said, it is not a label I am ashamed of. And being a feminist is synonymous with having common sense. I believe it is a must for the political, social, and economic equality of the sexes to become a reality, and I do not see anything wrong with that. 
   

Yes I am opinionated. But I am also passionate, strong, tolerant and informed. And I see nothing wrong with that.

How To Spot a Fuckboy

 If I’ve learned anything so far at Michigan State, it’s how to spot a fuck boy. I’m basically Dora The Explorer when it comes to spotting those who belong to this subset of the male gender. This skill is CRUCIAL in college because statistics state that 1 in 5 males on MSU’s campus fit the criteria for a Fuckboy. (I also made that shit up but that is beside the point) Here are some fool-proof ways to strengthen your fuckboy detector so you can enjoy college without the fear of being trapped by a wild fuckboy.

                                                    1.    “Wanna play 20 questions? ;)”

CAUTION: if any guy says this to you, drop that boy FAST. This is the ever-popular mating call of the fuckboys of the world. If he is able to fool you into playing this little game, you will quickly learn; it goes from favorite color to your opinion on BDSM real quick.

2.    Devout follower of the meninist Twitter page

If he truly believes that meninism is a valid movement and identifies as such, I really don’t have much to say except GET TF AWAY FROM THAT LIL SHIT.

3.    At a party, he keeps getting you drinks.

If his intention is clearly to get you drunk, he is BAD NEWS (and also 100% a fuckboy). An effective defense against this breed of fuckboy is to dump Bud Light on him and he will most likely melt like the lil bitch he is.

4.    You met him on Tinder.

Don’t get me wrong, there are some genuinely nice boys on Tinder, but finding them is the equivalent of finding a needle in a haystack. So swipe your heart away, but with caution. If they message you something along the lines of “Damn, I didn’t know there were angels on Tinder”, once your eyes are done rolling to Saturn and back, left swipe the fuckboy.

5.    He only texts you late at night

Pretty sure I don’t need to elaborate much on this one. He’s obviously just a horny little boy who needs some late night company.

                                   6.    He only ever wants to “Netflix and Chill”

Unfortunately, I learned this the hard way. I met this kid and we were talking about how we both love American Horror Story, so I invited him over to watch it with my suitemate and me that night. He took this as ‘Netflix and Chill’, when I really just wanted to WATCH AHS AND CHILL. He then proceeded to get super drunk, try to hook up with me, and then didn’t talk to me again.

7.    He slut shames

So let me get this straight. You expect girls to hook up with you the moment you meet, but then you shame them for being sexually promiscuous. I mean I’m no math expert but I’m pretty sure that equals a FUCKBOY.

(Also applicable to guys who refer to women as “bitches,” “hoes,” “sluts,” etc.)

8.    He begs for nudes

Fuckboys are nude-ivores. In order to stay alive, they do whatever it takes to get ‘the nudes’. They also assume everyone else is the same way.  There is a common misconception among fuckboys that women enjoy and benefit from dick pics. A little tip for you boys, NOT ALL GIRLS LIKE THAT SHIT. Dicks aren’t cute. They are creepy and weird looking.

9.    He claims he’s “not like other guys”

Hint: he most likely is.

10. He hits on girls at the gym

Enough said

How do you spot a fuckboy? Let me know by commenting or tweeting me at @allieetzin!

xoxo,

Allie

Sports 101- Written By Someone More Clueless Than You

I freely admit that I don’t know jack-shit about sports (except baseball. I’m not an idiot when it comes to that). I do, however, attend a B1G school so sports are kind of a thing here. My understanding of athletics is very limited, but I thought I would share what I do know with you all.

Football: a bunch of sweaty guys (and girls bc #YesAllWomen) fighting over a ball and then running toward the end zone.

1 minute football time=approx. 3 days regular time.

Basketball: my favorite song from the early 2000s. Also a sport where people twice my height run around and try to get a ball in a net...but they can't hold the ball. They have to bounce it the whole time. Why? Idk. Oh and Seth from Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide could spin one around on his finger so that's pretty cool.

Hockey: A bunch of people on ice chasing around a puck while wearing 2x their weight in padding. The whole arena is basically Antarctica so hockey games are a no for me. 

Soccer: Same thing as football but with your feet. So really soccer should be called football but America is too hipster for that shit. I played soccer once. I got a concussion.

Also, David Beckham is really hot

Lacrosse: I honestly have no fucking clue.

So I hope this helped you guys become better versed in the world of sports! Let me know what you would like me to write about next by leaving a comment or tweeting me @allieetzin. Go sports!

xoxo,

Allie

My Workout Playlist!

As you guys may or may not know, one of my favorite things to do is workout. I mostly concentrate on strength training, and sometimes mix in some cardio, but lifting weights is my preference!

A huge part of being motivated during your workout is finding a kick-ass playlist. So this post is going to feature my favorite songs to lift weights to, along with my favorite Pandora stations for working out.

Pandora Stations:

·      Kendrick Lamar Radio

·      Partition Radio

·      Beyoncé Radio

·      Anaconda Radio

·      Childish Gambino Radio

·      Chance The Rapper Radio

·      Sms (Bangerz) Radio

Songs:

·      Drunk In Love-Beyonce

·      Feeling Myself-Beyonce feat Nicki Minaj

·      Flawless-Beyonce feat Nicki Minaj

·      Yoncé- Beyoncé

·      7-11- Beyoncé

·      Only- Nicki Minaj

·      Pour It Up- Rihanna

·      Jump- Rihanna

·      Freaks and Geeks-Childish Gambino

·      Bonfire-Childish Gambino

·      Go DJ- Childish Gambino

·      Sweatpants-Childish Gambino

·      GDFR- T-Pain ft. Joey Galaxy

·      Lady Killers- G-Eazy ft. Hoodie Allen

·      Burn- Meek Mill ft. Big Sean

·      Paradise- Big Sean

·      Snap Yo Fingers- Lil Jon

·      Where are U Now- Justin Bieber

·      Blow My High-Kendrick Lamar

 My full playlist is over 50 songs but these are the ones that get me most hype for my workouts. If you want another playlist post, or a post about my workout routine me know! And also let me know what your favorite workout songs are by leaving a comment or tweeting me at @allieetzin.

xoxo,

Allie