In case you haven’t stepped foot outside in the last week (kudos, my friend), then you’ve probably noticed that it is no longer summer. There’s been a few seasonally-flavored indicators of this: the Goldberg’s line wait has slimmed down to an notably more bearable 3-8 minutes (up from a ~27 minute average in August). The Ditch parking lot resembles a beach access parking lot and not a Disney World parking lot on on Harry Potter World’s opening day (just as many insane characters though). And for some of us in more secluded areas, trees in the neighborhood are stripping down and getting naked, which transversely has opened up a direct and unwanted view to our least favorite elderly neighbor’s house, and now we’re at risk of catching them strip down and get naked every night around supper time.
In an attempt to prepare you for the pumpkin-spiced warzone that awaits you the next few months, we put together a few proven tips to surviving the whole thing.
Balance = Major Key
Summer bodies are made in the fall, right? Or is it winter? I’m picking fall as my season. My suggestion is to strategically balance beer, red wine, pizza, pasta, Chinese food + gloriously well-done, extra spicy buffalo wings…. with some new-and-old sweaty workouts. Whether it’s the torture devices at SLT, or the rhythmic spasm dances at Tracy Anderson… I will need to all the motivation to literally out-weigh the carbs. If you see me at Tap Room on 3rd Ave, or Blue Haven on Houston, please, please, please get me a water, and slap the mozzarella stick out of my hand. Open up my SoulCycle App and book me a damn bike.
— Lyndsey Corin, Sales Director, National
Disappear in Your Own Backyard
Get outside… for more than an hour. Spend some time in our own backyard of the Catskills or Adirondacks. Sleep there. Now’s the time, with the leaves changing and the bugs disappearing. Oh, and best way to avoid pumpkin spice anything conversations? Disappear. Tips here on stepping up your camp kitchen game so you’re not fully slumming it by the fire at night.
— Bronson Lamb, Managing Editor
Acquire a Nice Sweater
Sweaters. You probably received many as Christmas gifts when you were young (IZOD, Ralph Lauren, Tommy…Hilfiger), and then asked your parents to return them and used the store credit on cologne, which you wore to the 7th grade basketball game, where you got just a little too close to your crush (Cindy Lu Perkins) and she publically revealed that you had over-applied your man perfume to the entire middle school crowd. You were devastated, fleeing the scene to the outside. There, you were cold, and without sweater. Lesson learned. Don’t let it happen again, my guy. Go buy yourself a nice sweater, and be prepared for any situation that might call for a fast exit into the cold outsides of fall. F*ck you, Cindy Lu.
— Michael Kilcullen, Associate Editor
Keep the Best Parts of Summer Alive
Summer is the shit. Music festivals, family vacations, Vitamin D-kissed skin and all the rosé you can drink. I can honestly say I’ve never met someone who hates the summer. But don’t let the chilling air fool you. Fall is endearing in it’s own way if you approach it with the right mindset. Yes you’re working a lot, yes they put pumpkin in fucking every baked good & coffee-type beverage on the street and you might not be able to wear a bikini seven days a week. But treat yo’ self the same way you did in the summer. Check out a fall festival like Austin City Limits. You’ll sweat a lot less than you did at Bonnaroo. Keep drinking rosé. Get some new #kicks. Keep that summer love alive.
— Caitlin Cotroneo, Senior Project Manager
Stargazers Anonymous
Take a look past the clouds for awhile and admire Elon Musk’s next great adventure. Grab some friends (or fly solo) and head to the most remote place you can reasonably get to. Pack something comfy to lay on, a flashlight, and some munchies. This is hands down the best way to relax and recenter yourself in the crazed zoo that we call the holiday season. Use the Dark Sky Finder if you need a place to start.
— Kingsley Spencer, Web Director
Wear Leggings More Than Usual
Yes, I agree, any time is the best time to wear leggings, but fall is especially perfect. Between the comfort food and copious amounts of red wine, the glorious stretchy pant is a key comfort piece welcome in any fall wardrobe. Not only do they travel effortlessly, pack as small as a swimsuit, dress up easily for a meeting and dress down perfectly for a Pure Barre workout; they also hide the fact that you may have just eaten pumpkin spice everything and can’t exactly button your skin-tight summer jeans at this point. So throw on a long sweater and smile in your Lulus—fall is the perfect time to exhale and enjoy your stretchy friends.
— Autumn Berrang, Brand Development
Stay tuned for more nice things from our team on next week’s Team Huddle.
