Goals for being home:

1. This hopefully will happen soon, but get to just one plate for my deadlifts! I usually do sets of 4–5 on strength days and no 1RM testing, because it’s really not about my strength, it’s about the way my SI joint feels.
2. Also chasing one plate for my squats. I’ll get there! If my QLs don’t get in the way, ha.
3. Get a library card again and continue reading! I really have enjoyed it, and I have a lot of books I want to read. And a whole new fitness/health/sport section to explore! So I want to read at least one book a week, if not more.
4. Experiment with gluten free dishes for Chinese food — in terms of the buns and breads and stuff. I know it’s not going to taste the same, but I think it would be a cool thing for me to experiment with.
5. Lose 7 pounds. Currently I’m in a bulking/non-cutting phase, just because it’s winter and I want to be warm, and I love growing muscle. But I think a cut would be good for me. I’m not competing or anything so I don’t need to go crazy, but I just think it’s something I’d like to achieve.
6. Visit Pittsburgh at least once. The goal is twice, once for an interview, and another time for retaking a course if necessary (I HOPE!!) in the summer.
7. Attend a Flyers game…and seriously consider if I want to wear my Penguins gear and risk being harassed. I only have a t-shirt, but still!
8. Go to a 76ers game, a Philadelphia Union game, and a Phillies game in my Pirates gear because, come on, it can’t be that bad at a baseball game.
9. Go hiking a few times — I don’t know if I’d ever do it by myself, because it was fine in Utah with people out hiking all the time, but it may not be as full of people out here, which = scary! I might suggest a family trip with my parents, or even when my little sister is here on spring break.
10. Make enough money at work to pay my dad back for everything. Well, maybe not everything, I don’t know if that’s possible, but definitely the liability insurance and the costs for all my licenses/applications/exams. It’s been incredible that he’s helped me out with so much so far, I’m beyond lucky.
11. Eat more fruit. I’m so bad at this, it’s not that I don’t want to eat fruit or I’m lazy to peel it (not anymore, ok!), I just don’t remember to.
12. Drink more tea. I don’t know why, but I purchased tea at the grocery store, which is silly, because my parents brought back so much Chinese tea for me! Woohoo! So this better happen.
13. Figure out my TDEE/eating plan. I’m already working on it, sitting at 2,100 calories and but WOW it’s actually really hard to hit this! But I feel really great and I’ve even dropped a pound or two since coming home. I’m just eating a little too many carbs and not enough protein.
14. Look into preworkout. And I probably wouldn’t take a regular dose, but a half because I don’t want to go crazy, but I’m interested in what it might do for my workouts. I might just stick to coffee because it’s actually so good.
15. Get some protein powder. I think I’m going to get samples of pescience because I can use discount codes from people I follow on instagram, but I have a shaker bottle and I would love to use it to hit my protein goals each day.
16. Find a pair of khakis that fit me, yet allow me to move around without feeling squished anywhere. I’ll acknowledge that I’ll never find a pair that don’t sag, but if I find a good pair, I’m getting like 5 of them (but if I keep growing my legs, I probably shouldn’t…). I have to go back to khakis now so…it’s a sad day.
17. Once I find out what grad school I’m going to, and potentially what team I’ll work with, I want to get a certification that will really help me work with them. Like maybe FMS, CES, PES, I’m not sure yet. At that point I can also pay for my own course also!
18. Oh yeah…get into graduate school. It’s happening, guys, I’m going to make it happen.
19. Save money for graduate school. I’ll get a stipend at school, but it will help to have extra just so I can buy some new clothes sometimes and actually have a bit of a life.
20. Hangout with college friends — I can think of 5 that will be in Philly, and I really would love to hangout and reminisce about Pitt because wow, I miss it!
21. Make a friend at the gym, just so I can have someone to keep me accountable, and someone I can teach stretches and mobility work to because I’M DYING TO! And hopefully I can learn from them too.
22. Gain 180 degrees total of shoulder rotation. My little bit of extra external rotation is saving me! But my internal rotation is just not ok.
23. Watch a Chelsea game…I know, I know! It’s already matchday 12, but I haven’t seen a single game yet. I don’t even know half the starting lineup.
24. Get down to Philly’s American Outlaws chapter just to check things out, see a game, it’ll be fun.
25. Get a special volunteer opportunity that I don’t want to talk about because I don’t want to get too excited…but I’m determined to make this happen.
26. Spend less time on my phone. Let’s be real, this is going to be difficult. I don’t even want to think about how much time I waste. And it’s not even spent on talking to people, it’s surfing twitter and facebook for news, which is a terrible place for that. Definitely something to work on…
27. Read one research article a day. Or at least every 2 days, because that way I can review and see how to apply it to life, sports medicine, strength coaching, etc. It’ll be good practice and keep me really ready to learn :)
28. Make connections in the athletic training world. This is extremely important. It’s a small world, especially if you’re in the same city, so it’s nice having connections here and in Pittsburgh so far.
29. Make friends, or even find friends who want to geek out about sports medicine stuff, mobility, human body/movement stuff. Sometimes it’s hard to find a place to let it all out!
30. Get an ugly Christmas sweater. I used to own one when I was 8 that is probably a crop top now, so that could work…but seriously, I’ve never really had one. But I don’t want to get it from the “ugly christmas sweater” rack at Marshall’s…I want it to be one that isn’t supposed to be “ugly”, but is.
31. Meet Jeremy Lin. I know, you’re like, wait what? How? But my sister lives in NYC and I mean, I’m not too far away. I’d love to visit and also attend a Nets game. Granted, he’s out for the season, and this has no bearing on whether or not I’d get to meet him, but it could happen!
32. Find jean shorts that actually fit me. I still have pairs that I wear from 8th grade, no idea how they’ve survived, but it takes about 25 minutes for them to start sagging so that has to end.
33. Find the perfect business professional shirt — or rather, a few. Hopefully t-shirts because I tend to sweat a lot, and if I wear a tanktop that means a blazer (then again, no one will see the sweat), and long-sleeves shirt are just so constricting. It’s so difficult! I once got one from H&M that I thought would be perfect, but I can’t raise my arms above my head so that is a problem.
34. Join a rock climbing gym. Or at least try it out even though I’m super scared. They’re expensive so I’ll see, but I want to get in and try it at least once.
35. Go to Portland/Seattle for spring break. If I get into my top school…I could technically use that trip to find an apartment. But hey, anyway, if I get my job with the middle school, maybe I’ll have a “spring break”?
36. Speaking of which…get that job with the middle school. I think it should happen unless something goes dreadfully wrong, but I’m excited and hopeful for this!
37. Meet one of the people I follow on instagram for fitness. A lot of them teach in NYC, one is in Jersey and he’s SO interesting. One of them lives in SLC and I never got to meet her, but maybe one day!
38. Make an athletic training kit with compartments, a meds/bandaids pack velcroed to the inside lid out of a duffel bag I have at home for now. I think it could be done pretty well with my mom. Also, to put compartments into my fanny pack so it’s not a huge mess inside.
39. Go to a Superbowl watch party…February 4th, huh? I wonder where I’ll be.
40. Go to one concert at some point. I don’t do this a lot so I’d love to.
41. Find a pair of leggings that don’t fall down all the time…I feel like I’m the only one who struggles with this? This is a goal for life, honestly.
42. Also, find an actual pair of jeans that fits, that are NOT jeggings. Imagine if…I could find a pair that doesn’t need a belt. ONE DAY!
43. Buy more cute/girly shirts because honestly I wear t-shirts/polos so much for work/gym that I’m tired of it. I’ll probably go to Marshall’s and TJ Maxx and…yeah, that’s pretty much it. I love those places.
44. Get a pair of Nike shoes that are as close to barefoot shoes as possible. Preferably zero drop, preferably men’s sizing so they’re wide enough for my feet, preferably flyknit so they are light and snug, but not too snug. I’m very specific, I know. And then also get a pair of plain black ones that I can wear for casual days with jeans/leggings. And then another pair for work that are pretty much just cheap. Every school I applied to is Nike, so that’s that.

Ok, I think that’s enough. I’m starting to just write down things that I’ve been looking for my whole life! A bit dramatic, but by the time I get to my 10th pair of jeans in the fitting room, I’m annoyed and ready to go. I have no idea what to expect out of these months of being home. There will be days where I’m frustrated with living at home and feeling like a failure, but there will also be days I’m grateful to have such amazing parents and a great life. Come on, life. I’m ready for you!