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Espresso and Ambition

A not-so-serious gal with some serious dreams.

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Stay Productive and Entertained on Long Drives

January 26, 2018 by Taylor Leave a Comment

Stay Productive and Entertained on Long Drives - Espresso and Ambition

By the time this post goes live, I will have already made my 2-hour trek from Athens to Atlanta for the day. If you didn’t know, I’m interning with an organization in Atlanta every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday this semester, which means that I spend quite a bit of time in the car each week – 12 hours to be exact.

That’s a lot of time to spend driving, so it’s important that I feel like I’m getting the most out of my driving time. And it’s even more important that I keep myself entertained, because that keeps me alert and attentive. So I’m sharing some of my favorite things to listen to in the car, so that if you’re stuck on a long commute as well, you can use it productively!

 

1. Podcasts

I am such a podcast gal. I got into them this summer and am consistently finding more and more podcasts that I love. They’re a great way to keep up with things that you’re passionate about, listen to interviews with really interesting people, and generally find more inspiration.

A few of my favorites are…

  • Girlboss Radio – I loved Sophia Amoruso’s book, so it’s totally expected that I’d fall in love with her podcast as well. She’s constantly interviewing amazing people (some recent ones were Rupi Kaur and Lilly Singh), and I love getting inspiration for my own personal #hustle. Plus, they just launched a new podcast called Self Service, which is all about different forms of self-care.
  • Glowing Up – I just discovered this podcast a week or so ago, and I’m hooked. They bring in a ton of interesting guests to talk about a ton of beauty/health stuff.
  • Harry Potter and the Sacred Text – The concept of this is actually so interesting. The podcasts hosts read Harry Potter like a “sacred text” – which basically means that they read through the chapter and attempt to glean any important life messages from it. So while the concept sounds kind of goofy, the podcast itself is incredibly enlightening. I’ve got the Harry Potter audiobooks, so I’ve been listening to a chapter of the books and then immediately listening to the accompanying podcast.
  • Anything by Crooked Media – As a bit of a politics nerd, I love keeping up with current issues. Plus, the hosts of these shows are the type of people I want as my friends. They discuss domestic and international issues of importance, and I love being able to get a deeper understanding of these issues that I constantly see headlines about throughout my week.

 

2. Audiobooks

I honestly never thought I’d be the type of person to get into audiobooks. But they’re so helpful when you’re trying to use your car ride productively. I have a library card and check out my audiobooks from their digital database, but you can also get a subscription to Audible to get the same thing (plus, no waiting lists like you get with a library). If you’re like me and have a reading goal for the year, this is a great way to knock a few of those out.

 

Stay Productive and Entertained on Long Drives - Espresso and Ambition

 

3. TED Talks

This is kind of a spin-off of the podcast vibe, because you’re still learning about a topic that interests you, just in a one-off way instead of a repeated podcast show. I’m not committed enough to scientific topics to listen to a weekly show about them, but I do find some topics intriguing. For example, a really interesting TED talk on deep sleep. I’ve also been getting into some TED talks about leadership, since I’m getting a certificate from my college in Personal and Organizational Leadership.

A few of my recent favorites are…

  • Dan Gartenberg: The brain benefits of deep sleep – and how to get more of it
  • James Veitch: This is what happens when you reply to a spam email
  • Dan Pink: The puzzle of motivation
  • Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: The danger of a single story

 

4. Music

Sometimes, listening to someone talking just doesn’t cut it. Maybe you’re a bit tired, or just feeling like you’re in a midday slump. That’s when I turn the music on, and turn my car ride into a full-blown karaoke session. To see what I’m currently jamming out to, check out my Spotify!

 

Stay Productive and Entertained on Long Drives - Espresso and Ambition

Happy driving!

xo, Taylor

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Meet Taylor

A real-life combination of Elle Woods and Hermione Granger. Recent graduate of the University of Georgia, currently living and working in DC. New blog posts every Monday, new YouTube videos every Thursday. Subscribe by clicking the link below for post updates and exclusive content!

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tayy_kay

📍 dc
🔥 nasm certified personal trainer
✨ self-love + balance
🎥 2 new workouts per week!

tayy_kay
without heavy weights, it’s sometimes a little c without heavy weights, it’s sometimes a little challenging to really feel like i’m working at my full potential on leg days 😶 enter: single-leg movements. since all the weight is in one leg, you’re putting way more emphasis on it than you do during two-leg movements - and you’ll definitely feel that 🔥 you also get some added bonuses in the form of ensuring you’re working each side of your body equally AND a balance challenge!!
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you can add in weights or bands to up the challenge level, or do it all bodyweight like i am here!
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1️⃣ 15 single-leg box squats per leg (use other leg as a kickstand for an easier modification!)
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2️⃣ 15 bulgarian split squats per leg
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3️⃣ 15 single-leg hip thrusts per leg
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4️⃣ 15 single-leg deadlifts per leg
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throw on at the end of a longer leg day workout or do it 3-4 times as a workout all on its own!!
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👚 @girlfriend 🎧 numb - neffex
🖤 go easy on yourself 🖤 this is a weird time 🖤 go easy on yourself 🖤 this is a weird time to be alive, and it’s more important now than ever to listen to your body and stop being so hard on yourself. motivation is a fickle thing and working out when you don’t have all the equipment you love is weird. give yourself permission to take a break when you need it. don’t beat yourself up for missing workouts - exercise should be something you do because it makes you happy, not because you feel like you have to punish yourself. if it doesn’t make you happy that day, that’s okay. give yourself a break, come back and try again tomorrow. 💪🏼
circuit-style upper body workout 🖤 honestly not circuit-style upper body workout 🖤 honestly not kidding about how much i love this long resistance band, it’s so versatile! definitely worth getting your hands on one for home workouts 😊 (although almost all of these can be completely with dumbbells or heavy objects if that’s what you’ve got in hand)
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also please watch to the very end of the fourth video for quality footage of greg 😂
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1️⃣ 12 long band shoulder presses to standing chest presses
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2️⃣ 12 upright rows to bicep curls
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3️⃣ 12 overhead triceps extensions per arm (the one leg stance is some bonus balance work!)
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4️⃣ 12 rear flies, featuring greg trying to fight my shadow
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5️⃣ 12 commandos
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6️⃣ 12 side-to-side pushups
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repeat 4x total!!
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👚 @underarmourwomen
🎧 best of me - neffex
giveaway 🔥 we’re all handling this weird, cra giveaway 🔥 we’re all handling this weird, crazy time in the world a little differently, and for me, it’s looked like a lot of establishing to and sticking to routines (seriously, sometimes it feels like my skincare routine and workout split are the only thing still giving meaning to days of the week, lol). my morning smoothies have been another important one - there’s a recipe in my story highlights and surprise surprise it uses this protein powder 😛
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anyways, onto the real reason you’re here! i’m giving away 25 $20 giftcards for @310nutrition with NO STRINGS ATTACHED 🤯 you hear that? you ain’t gotta do a thing to win - the first 25 people to use the code KAYGC20 on their order automatically win. get your hands on some fire plant-based protein powder, courtesy of me and 310 😋 (p.s. if you’re still seeing this caption, there are still giftcards available!!)
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#310gc20 #310shake
sometimes you just gotta get hella dressed up and sometimes you just gotta get hella dressed up and hold a fake photo shoot just to prove to yourself that you’re still a real human
posted a new youtube video. this picture is tangen posted a new youtube video. this picture is tangentially topical. link in bio.
upper body circuit ‼️ i’ve been gravitating upper body circuit ‼️ i’ve been gravitating towards circuit-style workouts lately, because they really work up a sweat and home workouts just don’t feel as legit to me unless i’m hardcore sweating 🤷🏼‍♀️ i don’t mind not breaking much of a sweat at the gym, but it feels weird not to when i’m working out at home - anyone else feel this or am i just weird?? 😅
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do all exercises back to back with no rest in between!
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1️⃣ 10 push-ups to renegade rows
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2️⃣ 12 alternating bicep curls
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3️⃣ 12 diamond front raises
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4️⃣ 8 sets of 3 tricep pulses to this lil cross-body weight move that doesn’t have a name {keep your core tight to feel it on your obliques!}
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5️⃣ 15 bent-over rear delt rows
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6️⃣ finisher!! 🥵 10 burpees with 2 shoulder taps and 2 toe taps in the middle of each rep
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repeat 🔁 for a total of 3 rounds!!
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👚 top from @gymsharkwomen, shorts from @nike 🎧 dangerous - neffex
would be nice if both sides of my head could agree would be nice if both sides of my head could agree on whether my hair is wavy or straight, but apparently that’s a little too much to ask of it 😂
got a circuit-style leg workout for you today! 🥳 there are 3 sets of 3 exercises that you’ll complete back-to-back - once you’ve done those three moves, rest for 30 seconds before repeating them all over again 2 more times! rest for 1-2 minutes in between each circuit - keeping your heart rate up is the goal here, i was driiiiiiipping sweat by the end of this one 🥵
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circuit 1️⃣: 10 step-ups to reverse lunges per leg
10 reverse lunges to curtsy lunges per leg
20 lateral lunges
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circuit 2️⃣:
10 squats to surrenders (stop in a squat position before standing up at the end to really feel this one)
10 stagger-stance rdls
20 criss-cross squat jumps
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circuit 3️⃣:
15 leg lifts per side
10 single-leg glute bridges per side
15 frog pumps
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👚 top from @fabletics, joggers from @gymsharkwomen
🎧 watch me - neffex
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