note: while getting enough of different types of exercise is important, as different types of exercise bring different primary benefits, the most important thing is that you are moving your body! don’t feel pressured to do a strict amount of cardio per week if you don’t like cardio, especially if you are new to exercise. this goes for any other type of exercise. it’s totally okay to do the exercise you enjoy doing, as long as you are doing it!
how much cardio should you be doing?
while this may differ according to your personal health, conditions you may have, your goals, etc. (as with any other form of exercise), the general advice given by professionals and the American Heart Association is at least 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity or 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity per week. if we are going with 150 minutes per week, this would mean at least 21 minutes per day, or 30 minutes 5x per week. this schedule may vary depending on your schedule, but the overall goal is 75 or 150 minutes per week!
how much strength/weight training should you be doing?
while different professional sources have varying opinions on this, the most common advice is 60-90 minutes per week. if we are using 90 minutes per week, this would equal to 13 minutes per day, 18 minutes 5x per week, or 30 minutes 3x per week.
how much yoga/stretching should you be doing?
it is important to at least include a short cool down stretch after your workout to prevent injury and reduce soreness, but when it comes to yoga, it is recommended that you include at least a 1 hour session 3x per week, although doing a bit each day is considered ideal. using the guide of 3 hours per week, this would equal 26 minutes per day, 36 minutes 5x per week, or 60 minutes 3x per week.
how much pilates should you be doing?
while many do not include pilates in their routine or do not consider it necessary, i and many others find it incredibly beneficial due to its ability to work the smaller muscle groups that weight training usually does not. it is generally recommended that you do a 45 minute session 3-4x per week. this would also equal 19 minutes daily if you prefer to split it that way.
190525
Guys the CRAZIEST thing happened to me today... I PAINTED😨😱
I know you're like, huh??. But like I really dislike using color or paint to do faces, I've been forever loyal to pencil and charcoal. Ive only use acrylic to paint 3 abstract pieces which is impressive considering I also dislike abstract works but I had to force myself to get rid of the impostor syndrome 😍.
Anyway so I made myself countdown from 5, so that I could immediately get out of bed and do something. I was thinking of painting but then I was like ehhh, but then I told myself 'NAH IN 5 SECS YOU GET TF UP!!!' so I did.
The butterfly effect is real, coz what if I didn't get up to paint...then I would've never found out that I am ridiculously good at painting for someone who hasn't EVER painted portraits before, and has only been obsessing over old art masters.
I can't believe that this is the FIRST go, and I'm just that good at it, despite THE FACT THAT I NEVER PRACTICED painting 😭
I'd stay FAR away from even ATTEMPTING to go thru trail and error with paints 😭. But youre telling me I'm just a pro like that 👏even if all I do is use pencil and look at my black n white portraits...
This is your sign to do something so freaking random, you'll never know, maybe you're talented at it 😌
060525
My bad I missed yesterday, bad WiFi that got fixed today. Which is lowkey bad coz I don't remember what I did yesterday lol, I have the memory of a goldfish😭
Nothing much today, had a fulfilling breakfast, walked to mall and spent some time dilly dalling, then walked back home. The rest of the day was spent going thru articles for fun
030425
I have a crush on Dr. House 😔
030325 (something about the date makes me happy
Alright guys, no more entries unless my day is interesting. People seem to like lists or writings or advice. I mean I used to post that type of content and got a lot of engagement, meaning I was actually adding value to someone's life, which is what I truly intend.
Besides, this decision isn't so bad, to be honest. Today wasn't fruitful; I spent the day in bed to the point that I became uncomfortable lying down, as if all my blood was pooling down. I even fasted until 5 PM. The most productive thing I've done today was my Italian lessons. 👍
And that's OK, I can always have another day to start over. :)
And yes I binged Lucifer, yes I had to bring him up again.
230225
I did my laundry today 😊
Surprisingly made me feel good, consider this a thing to add to your to-do list if you haven't already.
Also I'm not privileged enough to have a washing machine at my disposal and I've got to wash everything by Hand for 2.5hrs, so saying laundry was a feel-good activity isn't a light praise.
However, I had some bad cramps, I've been cramping since last night and I think I'll get my period tomorrow and it might hurt so bad I will get hallucinations like last time (tmi I know, sorry)
Apart from laundry, I did breakfast today, ran some errands, and well, survived the day.
There is no WiFi rn, apparently all routers of the same network provider (which is basically half the country) are experiencing difficulties atm, hopefully they'll fix it tomorrow.
I've been binging Lucifer (Netflix) and mannnnnn, I love that series so much it might be my fav, it's so funny and silly and intriguing. I'm particularly drawn to Lucifer himself, the actor (Tom Ellis 😽🫶🏾) played the role so well I was annoyed yet pulled in by his arrogance and cocky manner. Well let's not even begin with his handsome face 😼🙂↕️ mmmhhmmm🫦 (sorry, guys that's the hormones speaking)
7/10 day, oki bye
010325
I feel like March is Orange, he is giving orange idk why, it fits the handsome lad very much. Yes March is a boy... No further queries...
Woke up... Late - sink routine - skipped stretch again... - had only black coffee and one toast as breakkie - read a classic - listen to substack - OH EM GEE I FORGOT TO TAKE A PIC OF MY LUNCH : FRIED SWEET POTATO, TRUST ME😌👌- the scroll of doom - thought of march resolutions; will share tomorrow - played LADS - made whipped coffee - touched some grass, coz my phone was dying and there was no electricity/WiFi - made dalgona for funsies - simped over older men - watch Lucifer - shower - dinner + Luci - now bed time + more Luci.
Also look at this tweet of mine that NOBODY liked. Furthermore, my friend is fed up of me 💔
What's wrong with liking Hannibal, Dr. House, and Lucifer? Clearly, I have a type 🙄.
170425
Laundry day, cleaning day, shopping day today. Started watching 'when life gives you tangerines', and gosh do I love IU.
PLS TAKE A LOOK THIS HAD MUCH MORE USEFUL INFO INSTEAD OF FIRST POST I'M BEGGING 😭 (I appreciate the likes btw)
So you're new to this ?
Hey there, doll. Welcome to the wildest ride of high school. If I could go back in time, here's the advice I'd give lil me – the ultimate guide to crushing sophomore year and making it look effortless ! (I think)
Oh this can apply if you're just a new student, or after a break starting a new term or wtv idk !
1. Uniform vs. Home Clothes Chic:
- Whether you're rocking a uniform or strutting in your own home fits, confidence is the key.
>For uniforms, play with accessories ! – a killer watch, cool socks, or a personalized pin for your clothes or hair. Be sure to iron your uniform, I promise it'll elevate your look !
>Home clothes? Find a signature style – be it graphic tees, funky jeans, classic leather jacket, pink pilates princess vibes or athleisure vibes. You do you, and let your uniqueness shine.
- For the schools that do both try to plan carefully when you get the chance to wear home clothes and give your alllllllll; my school had us wear school uniform from Monday to Wednesday, then on Thursdays we get to wear home fits then Friday school tracksuits and on wknds boarders were permitted to wear home fits (the school was so mfing stingy just for those 3 days smh 🙄) and best believe we took advantage of our creativity 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾.
2. Study Smart, Not Hard:
- Let's talk about one study method !!!
Ever tried the Feynman Technique? Teach what you're learning in simple terms, as if explaining it to someone else who's having difficulty understanding or to a younger much annoyingly curious version of yourself :D. Like think to yourself 'how would I explain this to a 10 year old ?'.
This exposes gaps in your understanding and helps you grasp concepts more deeply. It's like being the professor of your own academic empire. Ouh fancy right, I know.
If you're not sure on how to go about it you can ask Chatgpt to explain as if you're 10, here Chatgpt demonstrates by talking about Quantum entanglement;
God I just love that 😌 Aye now don't go to Chatgpt everytime you need something Feynman-ied, it's important to try to practice this and train yourself, don't be so reliant ok :) ?
3. Extracurricular Juggling Act:
- Extracurriculars are the spice of high school life.
The key is balance. Pick activities aligned with your passions. If you're into sports, make sure it complements your academic schedule. Remember, you're crafting a well-rounded high school story, not a chaotic drama.
This adds to your credits, imagine how easy if would be for you to get you uni with all these great stuff on your record. A plus if you get ok to good grades as it shows that not only did you do well but you were active in other stuff. Good impressions go bbbrrr 📈📈📈
I wish I had a friend that pushed me to go for extracurriculars, my record looks so stale except for the usual, nothing fancy to add. Take this as a sign to sign up for the stuff right up your alley !
4. Note-Taking Magic:
- Your notes are your secret weapon.
Try the Cornell Method – divide your page into two sections, one for main notes and the other for summarizing. After class, jot down questions based on your notes; it's like creating your personalized study guide. Like so :
5. Decoding The Testing Maze:
- When it comes to studying for tests, don't just memorize; understand.
The SQ3R method is your ally – Survey, Question, Read, Recite, Review. It turns passive reading into an active engagement with the material. Ahhh good stuff !
Remember our talk of quantum entanglement, well, I'll try to demonstrate the SQ3R method if you're studying Q.E
Example Question:
Explain the concept of quantum entanglement and how it manifests between two particles. Provide an example scenario to illustrate your understanding.
SQ3R Breakdown:
Survey:
- Glance over the entire question. Identify key terms: "quantum entanglement," "manifestation," and "example scenario." This gives you a roadmap for what to look for in the material.
Question:
- Formulate specific questions based on the content:
- What is the fundamental concept of quantum entanglement?
- How does entanglement occur between two particles?
- Can you provide a real-world scenario to illustrate this?
Read:
- Dive into your physics materials. Focus on sections explaining quantum entanglement, the mechanics of entanglement between particles, and any examples or scenarios provided.
Recite:
- Close your book and explain what you've learned:
- Quantum entanglement is a phenomenon where particles become interconnected, with changes in one particle affecting the other.
- Entanglement occurs through a process called quantum superposition, where particles exist in multiple states simultaneously.
- Example scenario: Imagine two entangled electrons. If one electron's spin is measured and found to be "up," the other electron's spin will instantly be determined as "up," regardless of distance.
---Quantum entanglement is a phenomenon where two or more particles become interconnected, regardless of the distance between them. This entanglement influences their properties, meaning the state of one particle instantly affects the state of the other. For example, if we have two entangled electrons, measuring the spin of one electron will instantaneously determine the spin of the other, even if they are light-years apart. This interconnectedness challenges our classical understanding of particle behavior, introducing a fascinating aspect of quantum physics.
Review:
- Go back over your notes, ensuring you've covered the fundamental concept, mechanics, and the example scenario. Check your understanding of terms like quantum superposition and the implications of measurements on entangled particles.
Applying SQ3R helps break down complex questions, ensuring a solid grasp of wtv question/topic you plan to study.
6. Time Management Mastery:
- Mastering time is mastering high school.
Ever heard of the Eisenhower Matrix? It categorizes tasks into urgent and important, helping you prioritize efficiently.
1. Urgent and Important (Do First):
- Example: Your final exams are in two days, and you haven't started studying. This is urgent and important, requiring immediate attention to ensure academic success. Drop everything else and hit the books.
2. Important, Not Urgent (Schedule):
- Example: You've been thinking about starting a blog to share your art and connect with other creative minds. While it's important for personal growth, it's not urgent. Schedule specific times during the week to work on your blog and gradually turn this passion project into a reality.
3. Urgent, Not Important (Delegate):
- Example: Your friend needs help choosing an outfit for an event tonight, and you're in the middle of studying for a crucial test. It's urgent for your friend, but not as important for your academic success. Politely delegate the task to another friend who has a bit more time.
4. Not Urgent and Not Important (Eliminate)
- Example: Spending hours scrolling through social media, binge-watching TV shows, or playing video games without any specific purpose. While these activities might be entertaining, they don't contribute significantly to your personal or academic growth. Consider eliminating or reducing the time spent on these non-productive tasks.
Using the Eisenhower Matrix in daily decision-making helps maintain focus on priorities and ensures that time is allocated effectively, especially for a student juggling school, social life, and personal interests!
7. The Success Mindset:
- Approach challenges with a growth mindset. View setbacks as stepping stones to success. Celebrate your wins, no matter how small, and cultivate resilience. Remember, every stumble is a chance to dance better in the next act of your school journey.
Now, let's dip into the classic realms of friendship and crushes, because at this point you should already know the gist of things. Building genuine connections is like painting your own social masterpiece. Be yourself, laugh often, and approach crushes (and potential friends) with authenticity don't try to change who you are !!!
Confidence, respect, and kindness go a long way. You're not just a sophomore; you're a role model in the making if you try hard enough. Strut through those halls with purpose and make every moment count!
And for those silly cliques, be sure to get in the right ones. The ones that morph you to the bad and influence you to hate yourself or others, ignore them, they're so not worth your time and they're soooo yesterday, and we are living for now and the future .
Keep shining doll !
xoxo signing off,
Angela ꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖♡
ps: oh em gee, thanks alot for 360+ likes on my first post, that was really quick it caught me off guard lol, thanks alotttttttt mwahhhh xx
Trolling sm rn
Hi Bloommmmm ^¬^!
It's Angel! I've also been trying to learn Italian, :D
I use Duolingo, LingQ, and StudyStack. LingQ is a bit more helpful though.
I just wanted to know what resources you use to study Italian. I feel like while what I use is helpful, I'm not actively learning something. It'd be nice to get your recommendations on how to effectively study the language — including Chinese!
hiii pokiiiie sorry for this laaate answer I've been really busy with school and stuff but here I am !
Learning a language is exciting at first, then frustrating, then exciting again, then you feel like you’re not learning anything, then suddenly, out of nowhere, you understand something and it feels magical. But for a lot of people, that "magical" moment never really comes because they get stuck in a cycle of half-learning a little bit of Duolingo here, a few YouTube videos there, and months later, they still can’t form a full sentence.
I’ve been there. And I’ve learned that the secret isn’t just "practicing every day" or "using the right apps" it’s about knowing how to learn. Not every language works the same way, and the way you approach it changes everything. So let’s break it down properly.
1. Why Are You Learning? This Changes Everything
Before anything else, you have to ask yourself: Why do I want to learn this language? Because different reasons need different strategies.for example
If you're just learning Italian for a trip, you don’t need deep grammar knowledge. You need to train your ear, memorize key phrases, and practice pronunciation so people understand you.
If you’re planning to study in Italy, then a casual "Ciao! Come stai?" won’t cut it. You need a structured approach, real grammar knowledge, and at least a B2 level to survive in an academic setting.
If you're learning Chinese just for fun, you can take it easy with apps and light immersion. But if you ever want to work or live there, you must take it seriously Chinese isn't a language you can just "pick up" casually.
Knowing why you’re learning changes how you learn. If you only need basic conversation skills, focus on listening and speaking. If you need full fluency, you have to do the hard work grammar, writing, and structured learning.
2. The "App Trap" Why Most People Feel Stuck
A lot of people get stuck at the beginner level because they rely too much on language apps. I did this with Italian at first. I spent like the whole summer in WLINGUA and thought I was making progress, but when I tried to form a sentence on my own and yeah I found nothing stored in my brain
The problem with apps like Duolingo, LingQ, and Memrise is that they teach you words and phrases, but they don’t teach you how to think in the language. You memorize sentences, but you don’t really understand why they work the way they do. yeaaa I can say Duolingo is the like N1 app for me and it's the best for Chinese in my opinion cuz it help u memo the characters cuz they keep repeating them for u and Chinese is all about memorizing so I guarantee duo for this one
So what’s the fix? You have to combine active and passive learning:
Apps (Passive Learning) → Great for exposure but won’t make you fluent.
Textbooks (Active Learning) → Boring but necessary for real grammar and keeping ur mind organized
Speaking & Writing (Real Learning) → Forces you to produce the language, not just recognize it.
For example, when I started learning Italian seriously, I switched from just using apps to actually writing short journal entries in Italian every day. Even if my sentences were simple and full of mistakes, it forced my brain to think in Italian instead of just recognizing words. That’s when I really started to improve
3. How to Learn Based on the Language Itself
Not all languages are learned the same way. Some are easy to pick up, others will absolutely fight you every step of the way.
European Languages (Italian, Spanish, French, etc.)
🏷️ If you're learning a language that's similar to English (or another language you know), you're lucky. The grammar is different but still follows familiar patterns.
🏷️ You can skip textbooks if you just want casual fluency.
🏷️ Immersion works really well watching shows, listening to music, and reading will naturally help you pick up structure.
🏷️ The hardest part is usually verb conjugation (french have the hardest conjugation 🦅) so focus on mastering the most common tenses first.
Asian Languages or characters based languages (Chinese, Korean, Japanese .. )
🏷️ Now, if you're learning something like Chinese or Japanese, it’s a whole different story. You cannot learn these languages the same way you’d learn Italian or Spanish.
🏷️ Textbooks are necessary. Asian languages don’t follow English patterns, so you need structures (u don't have to buy them there are pdf and online one )
🏷️ Pronunciation is critical. If you don’t learn tones early in Chinese, for example, you’ll struggle to be understood.
🏷️ Characters matter more than speaking at first. With Chinese, if you only focus on speaking and ignore characters, you’ll hit a wall fast
I learned this the hard way when I started studying Chinese. At first, I tried learning the way I learned Italian listening to native speakers, trying to pick up words, avoiding grammar at first. Big mistake. Chinese doesn’t work like that. The best way is to follow a structured course with a teacher (even if it’s online) and make sure you're learning characters alongside everything else it's tiiiring at first but it worth u will found teachers in YouTube who explain Chinese course module by module don't go straight to vocabulary or trying to force yourself into writting ,start with tones and pronunciation of initial and finals (mā , jiē ... )
then u will start learning how to read pinyin the more u revise the textbook the more u listen to the language, and greetings phrases for ex the more u will start to memo the words in Pinyin u will see the real characters and u will be like yes this is how nihao look like (nihao - 你好 )and step by step u will rise from beginner to intermediate ..
4. Speaking: The Hardest Part (But The Most Important)
Most people avoid speaking because it’s awkward and scary. But here’s the truth: If you don’t practice speaking, you will never feel confident using the language.
The trick is to start early. Even if you don’t know much, just try.
Talk to yourself. Describe what you’re doing, even in broken sentences.
Use voice notes. Record yourself speaking and compare it to native speakers.
Find a language partner. Apps like busuu (I use it for Italian ) or HelloTalk are great for casual practice.
With Italian, I was scared to speak at first. I felt like I’d sound dumb. But when I finally forced myself to have a real conversation (even though it was full of mistakes), I realized people don’t care if you mess up. They just appreciate the effort.
For Chinese, it was even harder because of the tones, but practicing with a tutor helped a lot. When learning a tonal language, you cannot guess pronunciation you need feedback.
5. The "Lost Motivation" Phase & How to Get Past It
Every language learner hits a point where they feel stuck. You’ve been studying for months, but you still don’t feel fluent. What do you do?
Switch up your method. If you’ve only been using apps, try writing. If you’ve only been writing, try speaking.
Make it fun. Watch something you actually enjoy. I watch cdrama and I try to pick random words / phrases and I keep repeating them and use them for daily talks
Track progress differently. Instead of measuring how much you don’t know, look back at what you’ve already learned.
I hit this phase with english after like it's been 2y I felt like I wasn’t improving. But then I found a book I had tried reading at the beginning and realized I could actually understand the 60% . That’s when I knew I had made real progress so to improve try to not compare urself to fluent ppl !
sources for chinese and Italian
Chinese textbook (pdf download textbook and workbook)
buusu the app (the best for Italian if u don't know how to start )
youtube channel num 1
youtube channel num 2
@bloomzone