Has the New Year, New You feeling worn off yet? I thought about doing Dry January, and went exactly three days of January before drinking again. We’ll try again next year. Or not.
I did manage to sign up for a gym membership to a HIIT place across the street (selected not because it has HIIT classes, but because it is across the street. I probably would have done any type of workout across the street. Even reformer Pilates).
So I’m kicking off the New Year as a total New Year’s Resolutioner showing up to the 5:30 a.m. HIIT class three days a week. The Boyfriend also signed up, which means my workout buddy can physically drag me out of bed to get me to workout class. We’re hoping to become superhuman in time for the summer, so that we look like we belong when we start rock climbing.
Speaking of superhumans, there’s an actual trainer in Hollywood who specializes in superhero bods, for actors like Chris Pratt who need to go from couch to Guardian of the Galaxy in like a month. One of the trainer’s essential tips for becoming a superhero? Walking. Yup, walking.
Walking is so underrated it’s insane. I’ve always been a big fan of walking, before FitBit and Apple Watch made it cool. I can walk for hours. It’s how I’ve gotten to know every city I lived in, from Chicago to San Francisco. Except in San Francisco walking was all uphill, so I called it “urban hiking.”
Me, defying gravity on a completely vertical sidewalk.
Walking is the reason I love smaller, crowded downtown areas and hate the suburbs. It’s the reason I love Chicago, with its public transit, and despise LA. There’s even a song about the fact that nobody walks in LA. And in Denver, we picked a place right smack downtown in a walkable neighborhood. I can walk across the street to work out. I can also walk across the street to get pizza. Very key.
There’s all kinds of research on the benefits of walking. It improves mood, cardiac health, posture, endurance, joint health, circulation, and on and on. Walking, for me, is like my version of meditating: I can throw on a playlist and my Nikes and spend an hour wandering and sorting through my head. And then suddenly I’m standing in front of a cool bar or bookstore I didn’t know was there. Walking is how Chris stumbled into a Japanese bakery called Toyko Premium Bakery, a.k.a my new favorite place in Denver. Walking is how I found Goddess & The Baker in Chicago and Often Wander in San Francisco.
Nicolas Cage’s house, San Francisco. Found while walking. Chris had the sun in his eyes.
There’s something about being on foot that makes you take better stock of your surroundings. It also makes you take stock of your thoughts and work through problems. When I’m struggling with a challenging project at work, I can usually go on a walk around the block and come back into the office with ideas. In San Francisco when I was figuring out my next move with Chris, I did a LOT of walking. I remember the exact time and place I decided I would be down to move to Denver: On a walk down Fillmore Street.
And if nothing else, walking is actually pretty decent exercise. So this is my soapbox of the week: Go on more walks. It’s a healthy New Year, New You lifestyle change, and you don’t even have to give up beer! Although I might do that too. Next year.
On to the news part of the newsletter:
Next time you’re at a country bar riding the mechanical bull, remember this pro tip: “Try to land good and get up and get outta there.” More from the 13-year-old girl upending the world of professional bull riding in this Vogue story.
Everyone Knows Memory Fails as You Age. But Everyone Is Wrong. A neuroscientist tells us why our memory isn’t that bad when we get older — and in some ways it might even get better. (New York Times)
Are we morally obligated to meditate? Research shows that meditation makes people more caring and kind to one another. Chris and I tried it for a week and never did it again. I’d rather walk. But walking is a form of mindfulness, so maybe I’m doing something right. (Vox)
Elizabeth Wurtzel, author of Prozac Nation and a ridiculously talented writer, passed away from breast cancer last week. Her honest, striking, hilarious writing has inspired my own writing since I was in high school — she made teenage girls feel SEEN. Check out her writing if you haven’t. You can start with one of her essays here. (The Cut)
Rush drummer Neil Peart also passed away. I’ll never forget the first time my dad showed me “2112,” and I was like what is this nonsense? Did not get it. A few years later I gave it another try and I was like, ohhhhh this is dope. If you haven’t gotten there yet, it’s time to give 2112 a good listen. (New Yorker)
The Coolest Architecture on Earth Is in Antarctica: Designers are thinking about how to design for the world’s harshest environment, and it’s super badass. They have entire buildings on SKIS in case the research stations need to be moved. (New York Times)
They are putting bats on quarters. Look out for the bat quarters in February 2020. (HuffPost)
What I’m listening to:
Mac Miller’s first posthumous single was released and it really hits different since he passed away. He had a new album recorded and I’m so thankful we get to hear more.
Also this week:
Tame Impala’s new singles, especially Lost in Yesterday (excellent walking music)
White Reaper. They’re gonna be huge. Credit to Chris for finding them and playing them nonstop until I had to love them (but it’s not hard to love them).
Chris Quote of the Week:
“Not everyone likes chocolate chip cookies. But those are no friends of mine.”
Hop take: Craft beer pick of the week
Prost Dunkel
As a friend of ours once said this morning, “The Dunkel is too good.” I have to agree. Prost Brewing, located just across the bridge from my apartment, makes a German lager that is slightly stronger and darker but not heavy enough to make you feel like you can’t have another one. That is the danger of the Dunkel.
Hope everyone has a fabulous week. Make it more fabulous with some walking and White Reaper.
Cheers!
A