digital digest: first edition, top reads of the week

there's a lot of great content on the web (duh) and though i retweet lots of stuff on a daily basis (sorry to my followers), i don't always give shout outs to some of the awesome blog posts or articles i read. so i've decided that every once 'n' awhile i'm going to post some of my favorite reads of the week right here. introducing the first edition of the digital digest! woop!

1) new year's resolutions, a blog post by my trainer at applied fitness solutions

everyone seems to be talking about, complaining about and ragging on the "newbies" that join the gym in the new year to work on their resolutions. we often think they drop out come march because they joined the bandwagon and wussed out. but my trainer brought new perspective to why these resolutions don't always work out and it made me think about these folks in a different light. after all, we were all once one of those newbies, right? i thought this was a great read to anyone who is jumping on board at warp speed and may need a reality check.

2) what to know @ 25, an article about avoiding and surviving a quarter-life crisis

this topic hits close to home. after coming through (what i hope is) the end of my own quarter-life crisis, and seeing many of my friends going through theirs, it is always a relief to hear that this is something everyone goes through at some point. i liked all the points this article talks about, just really good gut checks to think about and help guide you on your way in life.

3) why everyone needs an elevator pitch

while not related to health or fitness, preparing yourself to be successful at work and in creating connections among people in/outside work is a good habit to help propel you into new avenues in life. crafting an elevator pitch is something that has always stressed me out, and this article breaks it down so simply there's no way i could fail. if i don't have to sell myself, but sell what i'm working on instead, that's a million times easier! super short read, but super valuable.

4) coursera - free online courses from outstanding universities

okay, this isn't an article. but it is one of the coolest things i've discovered online in the past week. coursera lets you take online courses on topics of your interest from leading universities (think duke, john hopkins, stanford). i've signed up for a course called "nutrition, health and lifestyle: issuess and insights!" - it starts in april, is 7 weeks long and is being led by an instructor from vanerdbilt university. anyone want to join me and be a student again for 7 weeks?? ;)

5) how to believe in yourself in the face of overwhelming self-doubt, blog post by meliss ng at tiny buddha

everyone needs to read this. now. who doesn't have times of self-doubt? and who hasn't let those thoughts consume them and beat them up at one point, or multiple points, in their life? finding this post this week was so timely, as my boyfriend and i were just talking about this topic the night before i read the post. highly recommended read!


what have you read this week that's on your "best of" list? share the wealth (and happy friday)!