Plyometric Training and Why You Need It

If you may not know already, there are tons of incredible benefits of plyometric training out there just waiting to be taken advantage of. It can help you to increase your strength, power, agility, and athletic performance. Also, when it comes to training for a specific athletic goal in mind, this type of training is one of the best out there to carry out. Not to mention that there are countless plyometric variations and exercises that you can use to improve your overall athletic performance and power. And speaking of power…

The term “power” is usually often confused with “strength”.

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However, they are two distinctly different terms. “Power” is the combination of strength and speed. This type of speed strength is what plyometric, or power training is all about. Now, let’s check out some key athletic benefits that can help you to unleash the athlete from deep within you!

Athletic (and everyday health) Benefits of Plyometric Training

As I before mentioned, a dominant advantage of plyometric training is improved athleticism. Virtually every athlete from any sport can benefit from it. A properly designed plyometric session can increase speed, strength, power, and agility.  All of these skills are key to gaining top-notch status in your sport or craft.

Some very effective plyometric training exercises are box jumps, power push-ups, jumping jacks, horizontal chest passes, medicine ball power push-ups, and depth jumps. These exercises can help you to increase your muscular power immensely. Thus, increasing your athletic performance.

See, plyometric training allows your body to lift greater weights in a faster and more dynamic fashion. This, over time, increases your overall athleticism. Depending on the type of program design, muscular endurance is another benefit, among many others of plyometric training.

Agility and quickness are other key benefits of plyometric training. Some great exercises that hone in on these very important athletic attributes are knee tucks, single linear jumps, and multi-directional jumps. What I’ve shared with you here was just a brief overview of some of the more profound benefits of plyometric training to give you a sound understanding of exactly what you can expect from it.

Where do you find strength in your life? From within or outside of you… https://t.co/NdqaTkF8NR http://pic.twitter.com/rWHG4x0zgn

— Dai Manuel (@daimanuel) June 16, 2016

One of the most popular types of plyometric training methods is…

The first type of popular plyometric training method that comes to mind is Crossfit, which is mainly composed of power training. With CrossFit, its main concern is moving as much weight as possible as fast as possible for a given number of repetitions. These types of sessions are very fast paced and need an immense amount of power and muscular endurance.

CrossFit, Inc. describes its strength and conditioning program as “constantly varied functional movements executed at high intensity across broad time and modal domains,” with the stated goal of improving fitness, which it defines as “work capacity across broad time and modal domains.”

CrossFit athletes perform plyometric jumps, Olympic lifts, kettle bell movements, tire lifts, and many other very intense and diverse exercises. Increased resting heart rate, caloric expenditure, type I AND type II muscle fiber activation, muscular size and endurance, and overall power are all incredible benefits of CrossFit training that you can expect.

So, as you can clearly see, there are many advantages of plyometric training. It’s great for anyone training for an athletic event, sport, or even just to help increase overall health. Now that you know what this training method can do for you, now it’s time to put it into action!

3 Awesome Plyometric Training Workouts

Check out these three workouts that epitomize all the advantages of plyometric training that are available to you! Of course, feel free to customize them to your liking. Remember that form is key, not the amount of weight. Keep this in mind and you should be fine!

Workout #1

• Backward medicine ball throw 4 sets 14-16 reps
• Bench jump 4 sets 14-16 reps
• Catch and overhead throw 4 sets 14-16 reps

Workout #2

• Chest push with run release 4 sets 12-14 reps
• Depth jump leap 3-4 sets 14-16 reps
• Drop push 4 sets 12-14 reps

Workout #3

• Lateral box jump 3-4 sets 14-16 reps
• Dumbbell seated box jump 4 sets 14-16 reps
• Chest push (single response) 3-4 sets 12-14 reps
• Chest push from 3-point stance 3-4 sets 12-14 reps

So, how does one go about designing a plyometric training program for themselves?

If you’re the creative type and want to make your own customized workouts, then you must first dwell on the purpose of the exercise program and what you desire to achieve from it. Whether your interest is in athletic improvement for a sport, surpassing a plateau, or for fat loss, the program should be specifically designed toward the goal in mind.

A plyometric training program should include a diversity of exercises to make sure the ideal improvement of your skills. If this is done, as well as honing in on your specific goals, then you should be on the right path to better improve your athletic performance and fitness goals.

Plyometric Training for Sports

A plyometric training program for sports are one of the best ways to improve your athletic ability and potential. Regardless if your sport is baseball, basketball, football, soccer, lacrosse, golf, or almost any other performance sport, plyometrics can help you to improve your skill set immensely.

The key is to choose exercises that will improve your weak areas. Whether this causes for multi-directional jumps for improved coördination, lying medicine ball throws for improved throwing power, or standing cable haystacks for improved rotational mobility for the discus throw, intelligent exercise implementation is vital to make sure that you are reaching your full potential.

Plyometric Training Program for Fat Loss

A plyometric exercise program for fat loss could be a wise decision to make if you are already an active person and are wanting to further increase your caloric expenditure or if you’re just wanting to try something new. Note, that as you lose fat, you will most likely gain muscle depending on the intensity of your plyometric training program. With this being said, if you decide to venture into such a program, you should be more concerned with how your physique feels and looks versus what the scale says. Nevertheless, the intensity that plyometrics are known for should leave you in a puddle of sweat and in a caloric deficit in no time!

Just in case you still aren’t convinced yet, here are 5 profound reasons about why you should be doing plyometric training!

5 Key Advantages of Plyometric Training

1. It increases your overall POWER. Power is the act of moving with great speed and strength. Power is an essential skill to have for attaining success in many sports like football and rugby.
2. More notable advantages of plyometric training is the increased strength you should see in your “power lifts”, such as the bench-press and dead lift.
3. You should see a significant increase in muscular endurance as well. This is due to the CrossFit aspect of plyometric training. Of course, this will depend on how intensely you train, but typical plyometric training sessions should significantly increase your overall muscular endurance.
4. Increased flexibility and pliability are also both great advantages of plyometric training. This is due in part to the very diverse body movements involved during training.
5. Last but not least, increased overall athleticism should be expected. Plyometrics will help you to perform better in your niche craft, whether that happens to be boxing or power-lifting, it will help you to do at a higher level as your athletic ability will be heightened due to increased power.

To sum things up…

Plyometric training is very important for nearly all athletes. It will help them to perform better, all while increasing their cardiovascular health. Plyometric training uses a vast amount of power training exercises. These exercises need a lot of speed and strength. Together, these two efforts combine to produce power. Power is the driving force behind almost all plyometric routines. Increased muscle size, endurance, cardiovascular health, athleticism, and fat loss are all known benefits of plyometric training.

It all sounds pretty great doesn’t it? So, what are you waiting for? Go out there and get it!

Got No Gear Workout: 92 Crossfit Workouts with no equipment https://t.co/csLWX3artv http://pic.twitter.com/NQRKZOHwuN

— Dai Manuel (@daimanuel) June 15, 2016

Author Bio: Thomas Hlubin

When I was little I was as skinny as a rake, but at the ripe old age of 18 I started lifting weights seriously. I trained and competed as a natural bodybuilder in the SNBF and NANBF organizations, placing 4th in the novice men middleweight division at the 2012 Atlanta SNBF Championships. A year later, I competed and placed 2nd in the collegiate men division at the 2013 NANBF Natural Southern States Classic in St. Louis, Missouri. That solidified my wish to help others achieve greater levels of fitness. Today, I’m an ACE certified personal trainer and creator of the fitness blog FitnessInterest.com, because I not only want to help people, but I also have a love for writing. The name of the site speaks for itself and truly epitomizes my passions in life – I write and share information on a variety of topics, from cardio training and workout techniques to efficient ways on how to build muscle.

To connect with me, follow me on Twitter or check out my Facebook page. Looking forward to helping you reach and surpass your training goals!

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How Theater Can Offer Students New Perspectives On History

Teachers work hard to help students understand the crucial role of perspective in shaping historical narratives. And yet for the sake of time and convenience, history textbooks often flatten the narratives, excluding events and upholding a Euro-centric narrative of what constitutes “history.” Teachers are coming up with amazing ways around this problem from integrating video games as social studies texts, to creating their own open educational resources. Some teachers are even using theater to help kids access the untold histories of minority groups that often get overlooked in the dominant narratives.

In her article for The Atlantic, Audrey Cleo Yap discusses recent controversies over how some approved textbooks portray Mexican-Americans or characterize Indian culture. Researchers have found that when students feel a text stereotypes minority experiences, they are less likely to trust its validity and by extension distrust the class, teacher and subject. Several theater programs hope to offset those effects by diving deeply into the experiences of minority communities in the U.S., as Cleo Yap reports:

“Theater, then, has become one avenue through which non-profit groups in California—a state with a 62 percent minority population and one of the most diverse make-ups in the country—ensure students learn about minorities in U.S. history, both past and present. The ramification of pushing a white-dominant historical narrative, argues EWP’s Tokuda, is erasure of minority voices: ‘The consequences are that no one will care, and we become invisible again.’ “

Can Theater Save Minority History?

“It’s not like brown and non-white faces appeared on the scene recently. It’s been there for a while and it’s been part of the building of this country, which is similar to the point of Hamilton.” Please consider disabling it for our site, or supporting our work in one of these ways Subscribe Now > The United States vs.

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3 Tips to Improve Business Security

Inadequate security measures could severely damage your business and even jeopardize its very existence. Fortunately, this post will help by discussing some tips to improve business security, including: security awareness training, policy management and barriers.

Image Source: Flickr

Below are 3 tips to improve business security:

Security Awareness Training

This is the softest tip of the five, but many will argue it’s likely the most important. It’s a continuous process, educating and training your staff to the various threats, and yet it’s often the one that we all fall short. We either assume they know better, or don’t want to be the bad guy wasting people’s time with canned information we ourselves don’t fully understand.
We have to continue talking about security, and ensure everyone understands what a threat looks like and how it might impact your business. Trust me, every one of your employees has a vested interest in the business not getting hacked. It can lead to loss of revenue, negative impacts to the brand, and in the worst case, force your business into bankruptcy. Don’t be afraid to share that burden with your staff. Source: PerezBox

Policy Management

Establishing security polices — and then managing them — ensures that employees are complying with those polices. These include changing passwords regularly, limiting admin control/access on computers and making sure patches and updates get installed. Source: SmallBusinessComputing

Barriers

You can’t wish the problem away! Barriers include hardware, such as exit alarms, cameras, safes etc. as well as time clocks, money bags and a better communication plan. Barriers are installed to prevent loss not inhibit operations. Source: Flying Locksmiths

Taking action now to shore up your business security will increase your protection for the future.  For more information, contact us now!

Contact:
Mr. ProLock
555 W. Hastings St, L21A,
Vancouver BC V6B 4N4

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3 Top-Rated Door Jammers

The best first defense is stopping burglars in their tracks with door security devices that are relatively easy to install. In this short post we’ll discuss some top rated door jammers, such as: master lock dual-function security bar, buddybar door jammer and door jammer portable door security device.

Image Source: Flickr

Below are 3 top-rated door jammers:

Master Lock Dual-Function Security Bar

• Dual function door security bar for hinged and sliding doors
• Adjusts from 27-1/2in (70cm) – 42in (1.1m) to fit most standard doors and sliding patio doors
• Top piece removes for sliding door application
• Rugged 20 gauge steel construction, Padded foot provides sure grip without scratching
• Pivoting ball joint assures full contact with floor Source: Amazon

Buddybar Door Jammer

• The Buddybar will not fall off your door.
• There are no plastic parts on the Buddybar.
• The Buddybar is 8.2 lbs. of beautifully powder coated steel.
• Unconditional guarantee against manufacturer defects. See return policy for additional information.
• The patent-pending Buddybar is simply the strongest home security bar on the market. Source: HMPPR

Door Jammer Portable Door Security Device
The DoorJammer Portable Door Security Device is a compact, lightweight security device that’s easy and fast to set up. These features make it the perfect solution for travelers who want extra peace of mind, but it can also be used at home. DoorJammer slips under your door and automatically unlocks when you pull it upward. Horizontal force applied to the outside of the door is converted into vertical force that anchors the DoorJammer’s rubberized foot in place.
To use the DoorJammer, there must be a small space (about one-eighth of an inch) between the bottom edge of the door and the floor. Most hotel room doors and interior doors have this space, though some exterior doors don’t.  Source: SafeWise

Installing home security measures can be a major deterrent to burglars, and with this top rated door jammer it will keep intruders out and give you the peace of mind you deserve. For more information, contact us now!

Contact:
Mr. Locksmith Abbotsford
3275 Boundary Road,
Abbotsford, BC V3G 2T7
Phone: (604) 200-8622

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Librarian Approved: 30 Ed-Tech Apps to Inspire Creativity and Creation

Tool discovery is often a challenge for teachers interested in finding ways to use technology that will change the way they and their students work. With so much going on in the classroom, many teachers don’t have the time to test out various apps and find the perfect tool to meet their needs. Luckily, several tech-savvy librarians have been curating the apps their colleagues find useful and sharing the all-stars with one another through personal learning communities (PLC) and edWeb webinars.

These educators are paying attention to their own working habits, as well as those of students, to figure out which technology products and trends are here to stay. Michelle Luhtala, a school librarian in New Canaan, Connecticut, has noticed that much of her own work has transitioned from the computer to her smartphone. She sees the same trend in students, but also recognizes many schools have policies against phones because they can be distractions.

Luhtala sees school policies banning phones as a disconnect between school and the real world, where mobile devices are aiding productivity more than ever. She often hears from teachers and other colleagues that mobile devices aren’t useful because it’s hard for students to read and type on small screens. But Luhtala wonders if the conversation is too focused are on using new devices in old ways.

“If this is what’s the big deal about mobile learning, then maybe mobile learning does not always require typing and reading,” Luhtala said in an edWeb webinar. “We don’t want to use technology to replace or substitute what we’re doing and have it be the same thing we’ve been doing,” Luhtala said. The real promise of education technology is to redefine how students learn. That doesn’t mean reading and writing won’t be an important part of education, but it could mean that educators need to continue thinking creatively about the best use for powerful and ubiquitous tools like smartphones.

For her own productivity, Luhtala likes the changes Audible has made to its app, which now allows her to put different news sources into channels, that can be read aloud to her while she’s getting ready in the morning or commuting to work. “It is transformational for me to be able to have my newspaper read to me through an app,” she said.

She’s also pleased that Google Slides now allows users to insert charts, which she says has been long overdue, and adds more functionality. In addition to highlighting some of her favorite digital learning tools, Luhtala called on her professional learning community to recommend their favorite learning apps. Together, they offer this list to overburdened educators looking to hone in on just the right tech tool.

30 APPS LIBRARIANS RECOMMEND

Adobe Capture: “This is one of my two favorite new things,” Luhtala said. The app lets users take a photo of something and then trace the outline. A student can then erase parts, color it in, or enhance areas, all based on the initial sketch provided by the photo. “This has been my dream app because I don’t draw well, but I do art well,” Luhtala said. “It is super rich.”

Adobe Voice (now called Adobe Spark): Librarians recommend this app because it’s an easy way of kids to attach a voice memo over an image. It can be a good presentation tool. “You have to have a subscription, but you don’t have to pay for your subscription,”Luhtala said, so don’t be put off by a sign up process.

Photo Editor by Aviary: This powerful photo editing app allows students to make all the tweaks they need to produce a stellar photo. Luhtala said it reminds her of Photoshop, but for a phone.

 

 

Bloxels: This new game creation app is made by the same company that makes Pixel Floor Press and the two products are compatible. It allows a user to create the characters that will populate their game. “I’m using it right now to re-tell a nursery rhyme with fifth graders,” said Shannon Miller, who co-presented the webinar.

Book Creator: The app works best on Apple products, but allows kids to make their own books. “It’s a little tricky, but not really for kids and not once you use it a couple of times,” Miller said.

 

 

Buncee: This app allows users to add images, text, video and interactive stickers to an existing product. “I love uploading student work and adding interactive things on top,” Miller said. Her college-aged daughter, meanwhile, uses it for presentations because it’s a good storytelling tool. Students can also work on individual Buncees and then stitch them together into a collaborative project. The end result doesn’t print well, but it is possible to create a QR code for the Buncee and view it on the app or website.

Easy Blogger Jr: There are many blogging sites for students that work well, but Miller recommends this one because Kathy Cassidy uses it with first graders. “I’ve always loved using Kidblog and Edmodo, but this is spot-on the easiest things I’ve seen, especially for younger learners,” Miller said. Rather than asking five- and six-year olds to remember usernames and passwords, students can login with their photos. The app version costs $5.99 but the web-based version is free.

Edpuzzle: Recommended by Jay Salerno, this app is a great tool for teachers who are flipping instruction. “You can embed interactive elements to video instruction,” Luhtala said. One of the hazards of flipping is that lecture will remain supreme, but in a different form. Adding interactive elements is a good way to force students to interact with the material, and when they are more engaged they will hopefully grow curious.

Flipster: This digital magazine app is more easily discoverable for students. Luhtala has found that often students forget that digital magazines are a resource for them, so in her library she makes Flipster search results show up as part of any Google search a student conducts. “If you are going to introduce a new electronic platform, it can take three years to really take hold,” Luhtala cautioned. Flipster is trying to make the digital magazine reading experience more seamless.

GBoard: “This is one of the buzz things,” Miller said. The free app allows a user to search Google while typing out a message on a phone. For example, if a teacher is texting a parent about an upcoming event, she can search the event page and link to it within the text message.

Goodreads: Luhtala appreciates Goodreads because it helps make reading social. Students can easily search each other’s reading lists for ideas. As a librarian, she also finds it to be a huge timesaver when teachers are coming up with their summer reading lists. She can scan the books’ barcodes and easily add 50 to 100 books, order them in lists and embed them on the library site or in emails to students. Miller recommends Biblionasium as a good alternative for younger learners, especially because students can recommend books to one another. If a library uses Follett Destiny, sharing functions are integrated there too.

GUM: This app was not specifically designed for the education space, but Miller says she has seen teachers use what is essentially a free social pinboard in interesting ways. The app allows users to scan ISBN codes on books or barcodes on products and then add comments. This could be useful in a health class about the ingredients in food products or in an English class where students can add a book review or other thoughts about something they’ve read.

Kiosko: This app offers an international news database that goes back to 1945. ”Kiosko will give you the front page news from around the world,” Luhtala said. This is a powerful tool for students looking to gather different perspectives on historical events. Students can read Soviet newspapers from the Soviet era, for example, although it might take a little help from a translation app to understand the Russian. “Our curriculum is really world history centric,” Luhtala said. “They have to examine history through other people’s eyes.”

Lark by Storybird: This digital storytelling tool is especially good for poetry. It’s available free on both mobile devices and on a web-based platform and allows kids to embellish their poetry with illustrations and text that capture their emotions. Creations can be kept private or published and they also print well.

LEGO Movie Maker: Although made by Lego, this free stop motion app is an easy-to-use solution for any kind of video creation, Miller said. She likes it because it’s easy to add titles, slow the animation down, or speed it up.

 

Lucidchart: Luhtala likes to offer students lots of app choices when it comes to mind mapping because she wants them to find the right tool that lets them think and express in their own way. She likes Lucidchart personally because she can easily turn a spreadsheet into a flowchart. “It’s really well organized and it’s pretty robust in terms of the kind of manipulation you can do,” Luhtala said.

Nearpod: “It’s been really transformational,” Luhtala said of this app. She often makes lessons in Google Slides, which eventually end up in video form. But both of those options leave out student interactivity. Now she puts her slideshows in Nearpod and can easily embed questions and quizzes or ask students to share links and images. If every student has a device, teachers can also ask all students the same question and then push out the answer. For example, Luhtala asked students if they needed to cite something that was not a direct quote. Half the class responded “no,” a misperception Luhtala wanted to quickly correct. When she pushed those results to the whole class, it sent a powerful message.

New York Times VR: One of several new virtual reality travel apps that can give students a window into places and lives they’d might never otherwise have the chance to visit.

 

 

Pixel Press Floors: This game creation app is a favorite of librarian Joyce Valenza. Students can create their own video games by arranging tiles in different patterns. Created by the same company that makes Bloxel, kids can use characters created there in their Pixel Press Floor games. The app is only available on iOS devices.

Quizlet: This study guide creation tool has taken off at New Canaan High School. “It has gained huge traction not among teachers, but among students,” Luhtala said. Her students use Quizlet for almost everything, divvying up the work of making flashcards amongst themselves. Interestingly, Kahoot has also become a student favorite, but not necessarily for studying. Luhtala has noticed students using it for social activities like organizing prom. “These tools were designed for education, but the kids are using them in completely different ways,” Luhtala said.

Shadow Puppet: A favorite of Jane Lofton, this easy-to-use app allows students as young as five to create videos. They can add their voice over the images and explain their thinking or their story. This app is only for iOS devices.

 

Skitch: A long time image manipulation app favorite of Miller’s, this free tool has seamless integration with Evernote, which owns it. The app allows users to annotate over anything, circling errors, adding text or arrows, etc. “I use it a ton on my phone,” Miller said.

Mindmup: This is Jay Salerno’s favorite mind mapping tool. It is a Chrome extension, so it integrates well with other Google products.“I just think it’s really great to give kids lots of options when you’re asking them to diagram their thinking,” Luhtala said.

Masterpiece by Osmo: This drawing app could be a solution to some of the copyright infringement students engage in unwittingly. “Our students are asked to do digital storytelling all the time and they often turn to digital images for that,” Luhtala said. She always explains how to find copyright friendly material, but students don’t always follow instructions. Osmo gives them an opportunity to create their own images, while teaching them the value of intellectual property. Once they understand how challenging it is to create a beautiful image they may be less likely to swipe someone else’s without giving appropriate credit.

Scratch and more: All the librarians that contributed to this list acknowledge that it’s a great idea to get students started coding early. Some well-liked apps include Scratch, Scratch Jr, and Hopscotch. For younger students Miller recommends Kodable and Daisy the Dinosaur as well.

Seesaw: Digital portfolio apps like this one are becoming increasingly useful as educators and parents recognize the usefulness of a well-kept record of work. Miller worked at a standards-based, project-based learning school, where it was crucial the students be able to document their learning growth over the year. “The kids love using Seesaw because they can keep track of all their things in a digital portfolio,” Miller said. It keeps kids organized and can be a powerful curation tool too.

SpiderScribe Jr.: This app was selected by the American Association of School Librarians ( AASL) as their favorite mind mapping app.

 

 

Storyboard That: Librarians have noticed that increasingly teachers are asking students to storyboard before writing. This Chrome app is great for that, according to Jay Salerno. Celtx Shots is another recommended option.

 

TechSmith Fuse: The app offers an easy way to move images from a phone to a computer, although Miller cautions it may not be free for much longer.

 

 

Terraria: Recommend by Miller’s son who is in fifth grade, this game rivals Minecraft in his mind. He likes it because it’s easier to create things than in Minecraft. The game costs $4.99. “I like how they can add words and the characters look a bit more realistic than they do in Minecraft,” Miller said.

 

What Was There: “You stand in a spot, particularly in a city, and it finds you on the map and tells you about the history of what was there,” Luhtala said. “It’s very powerful.” The app shows the Google Maps street view with a historical overlay. Kids can also add their own content, which could make for a fun digital storytelling tool or examination of primary sources.

YAKit: This image manipulation tool adds some fun to digital storytelling by allowing students to animate mouths or eyeballs. “I really loved this one because there were a few more features that were a bit richer for older kids,”Miller said. She sometimes uses Chatterpix as well.

Check out previous years favorites here and here.

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BLUEBERRY NICE CREAM with MAPLE OATS + PB

When Jack first broke up with me (eternally traumatized sad face) it was a serious bummer every time I made a recipe because when we were together I would always share them with him, plus he was my #1 hand model (and you know, also the love of my FREAKING life). But I am getting the hang of... I dunno... eating more? And making single serving recipes. AND sharing with other people. BECAUSE THERE ARE OTHER PEOPLE. More than anything, being single again for the first time in years - and since I was a teenager - is making me so grateful for my friends (old and new alike), supporters (you!) and mom. I thought I needed my entire support system in one person. I thought I needed my lover, my best friend, my companion, my caretaker, someone to take care of and my muse all in one person. But I didn't, and I don't. As much as I want to let him know about this amazing new combo of nice cream and hot oats I have discovered (thanks to Sophie), text him a food photo and excitedly tell him I am going to make him a bowl of it ASAP, I won't.

I have amazing friends. I can have casual lovers, but more importantly I can be my own lover. I am surrounded by inspiration and inspiring people. I have a kitty to take care of. I have MYSELF to take care of me. I'm on my period right now and this is the time of the month Jack would usually step up and bring me chocolates, rub my back and be even sweeter than usual. It's a very tough time to be without him, but as each month passes I am learning that I can rub my own goddamn back, I can bring myself chocolates (and eat them with friends who are hormonally synced up with me, along with a jar of peanut butter and a spoon... this happened a few nights ago), and my heat pad is my true saviour at the end of the day anyways.

Some days I miss him so deeply and all I want is to see his number pop up on my phone (I deleted his contact info but still have his number memorized), calling me, or hear his distinctive knock on my door. I imagine nestling into my safe space between his chest and armpit, smelling his wonderful body, and everything being ok again. Some moments I wish more than anything that he would get in touch and let me know he still loves me, that he made a mistake and wants to be together again. I miss his laugh. I miss his eyebrows. I miss his voice. I miss his tummy. I miss thrift shopping together. I miss showing each other new albums and artists. I miss our trips to Wells. I miss his wonderful family who pretty much adopted me while we were together. I miss eating SO MUCH food together. I miss sharing our lives and telling him things I wouldn't tell anyone else. I miss the absolute comfort we had in one another's presence. I miss growing beside each other, as two whole people that enriched the other's life. But as my exceedingly wise soul sister reminded me on Saturday: at once I can love someone, I can miss someone, and I can know I'm better on my own. I'm still trying to mend my utterly shattered heart so a large part of me is hopeful that one day we'll get back together: because wasn't he The One? Weren't we always meant to be together, ever since we had crushes on each other from the beginning of high school but were both too shy to do anything about it until 6 years later and 2 and half years ago? Wasn't he MY PERSON?

I am basically confused about everything in this shitty situation. Every morning I wake up hurting because I feel like the one person I loved so wholly for 36 months coldly threw me away like a piece of trash. Obviously this is a biased perspective and I am still in Angry Phase; I'm sure he sees things very differently. But one thing I am thankfully certain of - no matter what the future holds - is that I need to be single right now. I need to be on my own, take care of myself and journey inwards with the help of medicinal plants, meditation, exercise, travel, mum, friends, laughter and tears. When you break a bone, it grows back strongest in the place it was shattered.

BLUEBERRY NICE CREAM with MAPLE OATS + PB

Maple oats:
1/3 cup rolled oats
2/3 cup cold water
Pinch salt
3 tablespoons maple syrup

Blueberry nice cream:
3 frozen bananas
1/4 cup frozen blueberries
1/4 teaspoon vanilla powder
1/4 cup almond milk

Toppings:
2 tablespoons peanut butter
Handful dark chocolate chunks
Handful frozen blueberries

To cook the oats: stir the oats into the water with the salt in a small pot and bring to a boil. Once bubbling, turn down to low heat and cook until you reach the consistency you like. You can add some almond milk if it gets too thick. Stir in the maple syrup. As the oats cook, make your nice cream.

To make the nice cream: blend all ingredients until purple and like soft serve. Scoop into a chilled bowl. Pour your oats over the nice cream and top with some goodies. Enjoy immediately!

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