Witness the Fitness | Natalie Montanez

We are going to throw it back to my high school years. I started running competitively when I was a freshman after playing soccer for years. I had no idea what being on the cross-country and track teams team would entail other than knowing I would have to run a lot. Little did I know the extent of mileage I would be running. Every day I ran an average of over 5 miles.  YUP, YOU READ THAT RIGHT. 5 miles a day, 5 days a week. I was in the best shape of my life. Pictured to the left is me at the William Invitational running my record in the mile run at 5 minutes and 48 seconds. Looking back now, I can hardly believe that that was me less than a year ago.  Now let's come back to the now. I went to the gym with my best friend Nina on Monday night. We decided an evening run would be easier because no one goes to the gym at 10p.m., right? WRONG!!! We walked into the jungle.  Picture of Jungle from Google Imagine the Amazon with its moisture-filled a

Riding a bike has never been a favorite activity of mine. First of all, it requires effort from basically every muscle in your legs and second of all, helmets are uncomfortable, unattractive, and just disgusting. Old Natalie would have avoided bikes at all costs, however, I am on a mission to be fit. So I swallowed my pride and went to my first spin class.  Picture of Man on a Spin Bike Spinning is a high intensity interval type of workout that incorporates all the difficulties of outdoor cycling without actually being outdoors or wearing the grotesque helmets I talked about previously. The bikes are stationary and can be adjusted based on your height. They include a knob that adjusts resistance, meaning it can adjust how hard it is to pedal the bike, mimicking biking uphill.  I was extremely intimidated walking into this spin class. On the Penn State White Building website they said it was required for participants of the class to bring a TOWEL . Basically, this meant I wa

1...2...3... HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! If you’re like me, every January 1st you’ve made a long list of inspiring resolutions that never get accomplished.  However, this year I am determined to get fit. Trust me, I know this goal is generic. Millions of people have my same goal every year and not many people accomplish it.  Like those millions of people, I am not someone who can dedicate countless hours to the gym and I don’t love healthful food. But I do love the way working out makes my body feel. In high school, I was a part of my school’s track and cross country teams. That feeling of running kept me level headed in academics and overall physically fit. However, as a freshman at Penn State, I have done the bare minimum in terms of physical activity. Working out is not only beneficial for my physical health, but also for my mental health. Penn State academics are not easy, especially not for a young Biochemistry and Molecular Biology major like myself. I need to work out in ord