Win Lots Of Money! Or A Bike! Or A Coupon For...Tea? CONTEST HAS ENDED

:::CONTEST HAS ENDED:::

So I guess my Win Gin! contest made a tee-tiny little blip on the radar screen of some PR folks, because a rep from a Very Important Agency -- one with a Very Important Client -- contacted me shortly thereafter and asked if I wanted to run a different, sponsored contest on this here blog.

I will admit to being pretty flattered.

I mean, I know moms get pitched a whole bunch, but lil' ole moi? Of the "no topic" blog who writes about...ridiculous stuff? (Hey, remember that one about how I discovered I'd left my bra in the fridge?)

Okay, so it's not like anyone's offering to whisk me away to some fancypants retreat, and certainly no one is handing me a car to test drive.

HAHAHAHA. Can you imagine? Did you see my last post? And also, where exactly would I drive to? I think when the blogger's first question is, "Will there be booze at my destination?" car manufacturers are perhaps less willing to hand over the keys.

Anyway.

I'm flattered about this particular situation, but also a bit concerned that you all are not maybe the absolute target demo.

I do not say this to be rude. I say this because I don't think that *I* am the target demo. I should be, of course. But while I would love to win $25K any day, I'm just not so much with the "Freeing" of my "Y" and I very, very much do not bike.

Alright, so let's back up and explain. Here is the deal:

To launch the new line of tea products and highlight that Lipton White Tea is made from young White Tea buds, we are launching the "Free Your Y" (your youth) campaign, and giving away $25,000 through the "Free Your Y" video contest at www.areyouyoungenough.com or http://www.youtube.com/user/LiptonFreeYourY. The “Free Your Y” concept is aimed at encouraging people to tap into and express their inner youth, and the contest will ask people to share – via video – what they do to feel young and active. The contest is live until May 15.


So what does this mean?

It means that if you follow the links above, there's all kinds of prizes and monies to be had. (Ooh! I love using the word "monies." Suddenly I'm British and it's 1843!)

Of more DIRECT importance, however, it means I get to host another contest, and the winner will get a Fuji Crosstown 2.0 bike (which retails for about $400). (Read: this is no case of mini champagnes! Although if you'd like to attempt to put the bike together after consuming said case of minis, please video the entire thing.)

The bike is included because the PR rep:

...thought that the bicycle prize might appeal to some of your readers trying to get in shape.

Hmmm.

What do you think?

The Upshot
All you have to do to enter to win a real, honest-to-goodness BIKE
is leave a comment here about Freeing Your Y.

The Downside
Really? "Freeing Your Y"?

Sigh. This is my problem. I am feeling a bit snark-tastic, even with this generous offer from Lipton. But I'm trying to rationalize it. I mean, they aren't giving stuff to ME. They're giving me stuff to give to YOU, and I'd feel guilty for not passing it on. (And uh, let's face it -- odds of winning the bike? VERY GOOD.)

So here is what I am going to do.


************************************
CONTEST RULES

1. To enter, you must leave a comment. You must explain what you do "to feel young and active."

Yes, a comment about how you Free Your Y.

HOWEVER -- and this is a very important HOWEVER -- I want you to be as honest as possible.

If doing yoga makes you feel young and active, then please so state.

But if, say, your version of feeling young and active is dressing at least ten years younger than your actual age to go to a dance club and hit on college boys who are drinking Smirnoff Ice (NOT A LIPTON PRODUCT, I MIGHT ADD), then I think this point is equally valid.

My point: no need to be hokey. Be yourself. I mean, who knows? Maybe leaving comments on some girl's blog makes you feel like you've Freed your Y. No judgments.

2. Again, please include your first name and location in your comment, and please only enter one time. If you're the winner and ask that I send the bike to a different name/location than you entered with, I will have to discount the entry. And that would suck.

3. The contest is open from now (when this entry posts) until Thursday, May 15 at 10:39 a.m. Pacific time (revised for when I actually closed the contest).

4. Winners will again be chosen randomly.

5. Grand prize winner will receive a Fuji Crosstown 2.0 bike with some (tiny) Lipton branding:



Plus five coupons for samples of Lipton White Iced Tea.

Plus a $75 check for professional bike assembly.

(Seriously, I'd love a video of any of you putting this together and its result, because I am selfish and think it would be funny.)

Except I have to include this language for legal reasons. Ready?

The Pepsi/Lipton Partnership will provide a check for $75.00 to be used for professional assembly of all Lipton Fuji bicycles awarded. Neither Pepsi Co. nor Unilever is liable for any injuries, damages or accidents that may result from the receipt,
assembly or use of this bicycle.


(Oh well.)

Plus five coupons for samples of Lipton White Iced Tea.

Not too shabby, huh?

Good Luck!

****UPDATE!****
Sadly, the contest is only open to US residents.

But here's what I'm going to do, even if you're outside the US. I will include you (if you bother to enter) in the drawing and if you win, I'll send you something else. It won't be a fancy bike (probably it will be booze or booze-related), but it will be SOMETHING. Plus, you don't even need to write about your Y or how free it gets.


************************************

More about what this involves, plus my ramblings, if you're interested:

For the record, I do not get anything but free samples of various Lipton White Tea products for doing this. I am not even required to do a product review, although I probably will just because.

I have to say -- the awesomest thing about this (for me) is that the package I received is literally called the WHITE TEA EXPERIENCE PACK. Usually when I hear the words "experience pack" it has to do with some critical Microsoft upgrade that if I don't put on my computer right away will mean that evil hackers will come steal all of my personal information and then my computer will blow up. Or something.

In this case, I got some coupons, a sample bottle of the tea, tea "to go," and normal hot tea.

I have thus far only tried the bottle of white tea, and it was very tasty. My only complaint is that I think I would prefer just plain ole' white tea to the various flavors that these teas seem to come in. My bottle and my hot teas come in Island Mango & Peach Flavor.

I should also point out that these products are all calorie-free.

So um, let me reiterate: The products are calorie-free. The giveaway bike is about "getting in shape." And the overriding theme of the contest is trying to feel young "again."

And all of this makes me laugh.

Because while being more than gentle, kind and generous about it, I believe I was targeted because the company sought bloggers who feel old, fat, and out of shape.

To which I say: WAY TO DO YOUR RESEARCH!

Comments

  1. My first question is: Is this open to Canadian Residents?? or U.S. residents only??

    in the case that us Canucks can enter:

    How i Free my 'y'
    I regularly play Guitar Hero and kick ass while doing it! The best part is when i can wipe the floor with my 21 year old brother's ass! WOO! Also, i attempt to cycle, but the last time i did i flipped the bike and broke my elbow - 3 years ago... it's time to get back in the saddle!

    First Name: Laura
    Location: Saskatoon, SK Canada

    ReplyDelete
  2. :) Young and active? I'm training for a triathlon. Which makes me active, and very very tired. Could really use a new bike though!

    Brittany, Vancouver, BC, Canada

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ooh watch out, about to free my "Y" in three...two...one...
    I free my Y by trying on ridiculously hideous clothes at various stores and try to be completley straight faced while twirling in front of the community mirror.

    Name: Sarah
    Location: San Jose, California

    and P.S. I just got my bike stolen...and that's sad...what?! it is.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I do a ridiculous dance around my apartment to that awful Flo Rida song.

    -valerie in nyc

    ReplyDelete
  5. I "Free My Y" by rocking out to Top 40 stuff that I'm way too old for and being addicted to MTV. Nothing says "Y" like staying on the treadmill at the gym for an extra hour because they're running back to back episodes of The Hills and Making the Band.

    -Ana in Oakland

    ReplyDelete
  6. I say I'm stil young at 32 (30 is the new 20 and all of that) so my Y is still pretty free and active all on its own. BUT in the interest of wanting to win a free bike . . . one of the things I do to encourage its exuberance is I let my Y strap on the same rollerblades I bought when I was 18 (maybe Lipton could give me new ones if the bike thing doesn't work out?) and blade down the path along the Hudson River to Battery Park - usually rocking out to some motiving tunes on the ipod. A bike would be great for that too.

    Name: Alyssa
    Locale: New York City, NY

    ReplyDelete
  7. Dear Lord. This is taking blogging to a new level of weird. But who am I to reject the weird?

    To...um..."Free My Y" (Is that the sound of my English degree being rescinded?), I watch reruns of "Saved By The Bell." And don't give me any "New Class" or "The College Years." It's only SBTB Classic for me.

    ReplyDelete
  8. My roommate and I would Free our Y's (that just sounds dirty, I'm sorry) in the following manner. First, we would eat Mexican food and drink margarita's that came in glasses roughly the size of our heads. Then we would walk over to the bookstore and read the backs of all the Babysitters Club books, then come home and dance to 80's mix tapes (mix tapes! From the actual 80s!) in the living room.

    Brenda in Houston (just moved from DC).

    ReplyDelete
  9. As I type this I am Freeing my Y! Yes, I am coloring my hair. Again. I've been going grey since I was 15 (now 45) and getting rid of it makes me feel and look younger.

    jean
    Hillsdale, NJ

    ReplyDelete
  10. hey, anything i can win for FREE, that comes with CASH (okay so its for assembly, but my dad could assemble for free!) i will enter.

    I FREE MY Y (okay i'm only 26 already!) by collecting Hello Kitty stuff that I couldn't afford when I was a kid. :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. I free my "youth" by playing with my girls (6 and almost 2 years old). We play hide and seek or their favorite, tackle mommy.

    "Free your Y" makes me think of the other day when I was on the floor bent forward in my 6 year old's room looking for yet another lost toy and my husband pointed out that my "Y" was indeed free because my jeans had sunken a little too low on my booty!

    ReplyDelete
  12. I Free my Y by: (i) blasting heavy metal in my car while singing along - yes, even to the random screaming sounds; (ii) playing Guitar Hero; (iii) text messaging - this has taken some practice, let me tell you and (iv) giggling like a school girl whenever I get asked on a date (just not in front of the men, mind you). Cheers for the contest! Nicole, Marietta (GA)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Great contest!
    I free my y by playing football with my boys (13, 9). I can still beat them, but it's getting harder!

    ReplyDelete
  14. citycat, i thought it sounded dirty, too! which is maybe a signal that i need to REIN IN my Y.

    anyway, i FMY by wearing lip gloss like a teenager; blasting the radio volume whenever i hear def leppard, richard marx or debbie gibson; and by wearing denim overalls, even though i'm fairly certain i look absurd in them.

    -amy in san jose

    ReplyDelete
  15. Freeing my Y sounds like something I did on the dancefloor back in college, doesn't it? Hm. But I free that sometimes consonant/sometimes vowel by pretending like I am in my own music video, dancing around my apartment singing at the top of my lungs. And let me tell you, I am spectacular.

    Molly, Washington, DC

    ReplyDelete
  16. I had a dream the other night where I was running, and it was this glorious feeling where you're running so fast you're practically leaping through the air with both feet off the ground. And I physically felt it in the dream. When I can run like that again, I will have freed my y.

    Julie
    Clinton, MD

    ReplyDelete
  17. I free my "Y" by being active - biking, walking, running, dancing, gardening. I also sport all the trendy music on my IPod to keep up with my brat (Jesse McCartney, even).

    ReplyDelete
  18. I guess to free my Y I get on all floors and wrestle with my dog. Complete with "dog noises". I'm not going to lie, it's a darn good time. And then I make out with 20 year olds. Shady.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Well, I'm still in my 20's, so technically I'm young, but sometimes I feel/act so old. I stay young by hanging out with high schoolers (ha, not all the time, more like cousins and church volunteering), playing around on facebook, and shopping at forever 21 a little bit more than I should. But biking would definitely help!

    Meagan
    Williamsburg, VA

    ReplyDelete
  20. I could say I "free my Y" by playing a lot of sports in the summer and running mini marathons but, after doing these things, my knees and hips feel like they're being rejected by my body which, in fact, makes me feel MORE old as opposed to less.
    In reality, I "free my Y" by going to the bar every once in a while in the hopes that younger guys will hit on me. Sometimes they do. Sometimes I just get drunk. It's pretty much win/win.

    Jamie
    Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada

    ReplyDelete
  21. I try hard to free my Y...but it seems my Y got a life sentence with no chance of parole when I turned 50. Oh, I get to visit it every now and then and when that happens...watch out! It's usually after a frosty adult beverage. I like to "moon" walk the dog. The neighbors lock their doors. I like to sit in a lawn chair by my front door in my bikini and sunglasses (with a frosty adult beverage) and pretend I'm on a cruise. The neighbors lock their doors. If I had a bike I could wear a cowboy hat and pretend it was a horse...I always wanted a horse.

    ChrisP
    Cape Canaveral, FL

    ReplyDelete
  22. "WAY TO DO YOUR RESEARCH!" hahah!
    Awesome! Congrats on being noticed.

    I free my Y (never has a more ridiculous statement been uttered) by having a myspace page although I'm roughly three times older than dirt, maintaining my Pearl Jam fan club membership, and floundering through three hot yoga classes a week. Unless I'm drunk or hungover.

    Dana/Suffolk, VA

    ReplyDelete
  23. Free my Y? Bellydancing, watching reality shows like "So you think you can dance" and sleeping till noon on the weekends.

    Leigh Anne
    Charlottetown, PE, Canada

    ReplyDelete
  24. i free my y by being addicted to things 14 year old girls can't live without, like facebook and AIM, gossip girl and MTV reality shows.

    Also, the kids I take care of (under age 10) zoom all over the city on their bikes, and I can't keep up with them. I need practice!

    Sophie (Roosevelt Island, NYC)

    ReplyDelete
  25. To "free my y"?? Well, I get up early to go to the climbing gym before work a couple of times a week. This makes me feel active and I'm sure it helps keep me young, although sometimes when I drag myself out of bed at 6:20 to get to the gym by 7:00 I feel older than I should. And I have a myspace page, which makes me feel young-as-in-immature, but maybe not so young-as-in-vibrant-and-alive. But it's a fun waste of time!

    I'd love to feel my youth by riding a shiny new bike!

    Jen, San Francisco, CA

    ReplyDelete
  26. how to free my y: driving around with the latest gangsta rap blaring from my car stereo while bobbing my head, doing the patented air slap with the hand that is not driving, bouncing in my seat, and pursing my lips. bonus y-freeing occurs if i am wearing my ridiculously large shades.

    (i realize that while freeing my y am fooling no one but myself, incidentally.)

    amanda
    tri-cities, wa

    ReplyDelete
  27. I bought a hula hoop.

    For serious. I went to hoopgirl.com and I bought a hula hoop that I will go use in my local park and people will go, "Who is that girl with the blue hoop?" It came with a DVD of "heart healthy aerobics" and stuff for me to do so I can do wacky tricks with my hula hoop. And when I move up to SF this summer, there's hooping every Sunday at Dolores Park. So I'll be going and doing that when I do. It is pretty awesome to go to a park and just hula hoop.

    And I'm already wanting a polka-dot one, or a glittery one, for my next hoop. Because I totally need more than one (I don't).

    I might bring it into the office, but the table will have to go.

    Jeanne o' Palo Alto, CA (and across the office.)

    ReplyDelete
  28. April in Chicago here!

    I used to "Free my Y" by riding my bike. Until it got stolen last week. Now I "Free my Y" by walking everywhere, and cursing the thieves that stole my bike. I also hope that I run into aforementioned thieves so I can yell the curses and make myself feel even better.

    Otherwise I "Free my Y" by taking about a gajillion craptastic pictures all over the city and beyond.

    Pick me, pick me I need a new bike!

    ReplyDelete
  29. my Y is too busy laughing about the concept of this to be free...

    i love that you're doing this, though!

    ReplyDelete
  30. Uh, is it valid to say that I do my damndest to never release my Y!

    I am older and wiser and close to a Spring Chicken and releasing my Y is not anywhere close to my 'to-do' list because my Y it was naive and not wise.

    I DO NOT ASPIRE to FREE MY Y!

    PS
    Nearly wet myself.."WAY TO DO YOUR RESEARCH!"

    ReplyDelete
  31. I "free my Y" by reading really trashy novels and also by watching things like American Idol and Beauty and the Geek (which Kristy blogs about!) But they're on at the same time, so I'm sort of sad right now. :(

    I love your blog Kristy! It's always fun to read :)

    Elizabeth in Merced, CA

    ReplyDelete
  32. I "Free my Y" by going to the local craft store, or any store, really, and perusing their sticker selection. I have boxes of stickers and use them everywhere.
    Oh, and pens. I tend to collect those too.

    -Azar
    Ashburn, VA

    ReplyDelete
  33. Yoga, but it's been so long I could cry.

    I also enjoy riding my bike - And would love to win one to give to Hunky Actor Boyfriend so that he can ride with me! :)

    ReplyDelete
  34. I like my Y. I am really happy to have my Y. My Y means so much to me! Hah, okay okay. Here's my real answer:

    I Free My Y by being the one in our going-out group to offer to go up to the bar and refresh drinks. Then I saunter my little ol' self up there and count how many "looks" I can get. Is that awful? Probably. Does it make me feel 19 again? Yup!

    Elise in Tyler, TX

    ReplyDelete
  35. Hmm, what I really want to say is I free my Y when I make a joke to myself about "freeing my V" and then just laugh and laugh...alone. At my desk. :)

    Anyway, best way to "free my Y" is to run around with my pup. The way he runs like somethings chasing him lets me run the way I want to...without it feeling like exercise. Even better, when he gives me a big smooch at the end I feel awesome and young and fun.

    Oh and by laughing when he farts in bed, because honestly, if you're not laughing about farts, you're too old. (Ever met a dog who wakes himself up with his own farts before? That's my buddy!)

    Kristy, you're the best!

    Katie in Conshohocken, PA

    ReplyDelete
  36. Freeing the Y...

    Well, if youth is what I'm trying to achieve then count on a day at the lake. Have you ever felt the cold spot and quickly swam into a warm spot? Yeah, it might be because someone just peed there or maybe it's just the water, but we'll never know because the water's all murky. I grew up on the lake and sitting on that old fishing boat listening to Patsy Cline (the only tape my Grandmother had) was the best time ever! So now I just go to the lake. Doesn't matter how far or how crowded, put me near that lake and I'll want to talk about which princess I wanted to be and how the neighbor boy was so cute. Plus, maybe we'll get the courage to swim to the other side of the lake using just a bright green noodle.

    Abra (that's right, it's true)
    Dallas

    ReplyDelete
  37. This is so embarrassing to admit...but I free my Y by putting on the smallest pair of booty shorts or tiniest mini skirt I can find, blasting reggaeton or 50 cent, and dancing in front of a full length mirror. It's the kind of booty shake that is probably illegal in most states, but because no one else is home I feel like I can let my Y free all over the place, hahaha.

    Lorelei
    San Francisco

    ReplyDelete
  38. Hubby and I watch cartoons and laugh until we start to snort. :)

    Oh, and he goes to the gym and does kempo. He's the healthy one.

    Nancy
    Dayton, OH

    ReplyDelete
  39. Found this via Tag Surfer, and couldn't resist... and funny, but I live about an hour from Kokomo.

    I free my Y by refusing to conform to expectations. Who cares that I don't wear makeup, make animal noises for toddlers, wear whatever I feel like wearing, etc. And, I have a few friends in college, and sharing in their lives makes me feel, well, not so much younger, but "still me," as if "me" is young by definition.

    Marcy
    Plymouth, IN

    ReplyDelete
  40. I'm a full time grad student with $0 and little free time. I have seen the commercials for freeing your Y- they are pretty cute. I saw one with touchdown dances.

    I love walking with the wind blowing in my face on a warm day.. so my Y freedom is pretty seasonal.

    In the alternative, I am an avid car singer which is only doable with windows up - so yay for other seasons and Y freeing.

    I don't know if those things count, but I could definitely use the bike... I keep trying to find one for cheap on Craigslist and almost convinced myself I could ride a kids bike the other day. The tassels were cute...

    I'm still looking for a summer job though, so I have to submit two locations for prize receipt - I might be staying at my parents house where I'll be freeing my Y by crying in the fetal position in the corner of my childhood bedroom.

    possible summer locales:
    Bloomington, IN
    Overland Park, KS

    ~Amanda

    ReplyDelete
  41. I free my Y by watching bad* reality tv on Mtv.



    *(and yet so very good)

    Leila
    Los Angeles, CA

    ReplyDelete
  42. Y-tastic:

    There are two things that make me feel equally Y-tastic.

    - Mario Kart Wii. I am terrible at it, and I yell at my boyfriend, the TV and the controller. I think a good dose of uncontrollable anger, excitement, and rage over a video game is a total escape. It makes me wonder how I'm able to keep my cool with things like meetings and workplace nonsense...

    - Probably the more important one for this contest: I did the NYC five boro bike tour last week. It's 42 miles (yes, 4-2) through NYC. I've never done anything like that before. Normally, I'll do about 7 miles and afterwards NEED a cheese burger and a beer. It was exhilarating... Some of it was horrible, some of it great. What's best is that I did it on a SCHWINN circa 1991! It's turquoise. And, it squeaks. But, I did get to wear padded butt bike pants. No cheeseburger, though.

    Thanks!
    Christine
    White Plains, NY

    ReplyDelete
  43. At first, when I read that you were having a contest to "Free your Y" I thought it was something else. Something dirty. Something very, very dirty. And I thought, KICK ASS! Kiki is pimping lady toys! Because that's what I do to stay young, I jump to inappropriate conclusions, often sexual in nature, while studiously avoiding work and still managing to suck up to the people in charge. It's just like high school. But with tiny, delicious champagne concealed in brown paper bags.

    - annonymous dirty minded reader in Phoenix...

    ReplyDelete
  44. This is a terrible day for this!! I think I killed my Y last night by accident! I took all the students from my audio production class (of which I am the professor) to a public broadcast station where I am a consulting producer -- so they could finish up their final projects on professional equipment. Of course everyone was behind, and things just got later and later. When my husband stopped by to bring me dinner, the students met him and were shocked (!) by how cool he was. Mm-hmm. Shocked!

    The next ill-boding event was when I walked into the green room and was amused at how they'd created an enormous mess with scattered starbursts (ew!) and little bottled waters and other college backpack staples like lip gloss, ipods, car keys and crumpled paper strewn everywhere. There was a chewed chunk of red chewing gum on the floor by the trash can. They seemed so...young! One told me she'd been awake for 36 hours because of finals. I was so tired because it was after midnight that I fleetingly considered suggesting we all just take a ten minute nap before wrapping up and heading home.

    When I did get home at 1 a.m., I sat down on the sofa next to the sleeping husband and drank two QUARTS of beet kvass - a fermented health "tonic" similar to kombucha. This was a huge, huge mistake and has resulted in me having tyramine hangover-headache today (the kind you get from having too much fermented food, like cheese or wine). So as I sit here mid-day frowning through my bed-head at an amici's take out menu and considering just going to Ocean Beach for the rest of the day. (Maybe I'll just sit on the back porch for a few, since I have work to do.) I recall vaguely when staying up until 1 a.m. was simply part of my daily routine, when hangovers were the result of a night of heavy cocktails, and when I would NEVER have consumed anything from a commercial pizza place, let alone drunk a tonic made from beets.

    Do you think my Y is dead??? I'm hoping my Y comes back before summer, because riding that bike would be s-weet! (I'm going to lose, aren't I?)

    ReplyDelete
  45. Oh -- was I supposed to state my city? everyone else seems to be doing that. Maybe I was too tired to comprehend the rules. San Francisco.

    Wait, is this working? San Francisco.

    ReplyDelete
  46. Kristy, I agree this is cool. No caveats required!

    I free my Y going to Zumba class. It's cheesy as all hell but I can't stop smiling while I do it, so I keep going back.

    Jenny
    Tacoma, WA

    ReplyDelete
  47. Kristy,
    This is awesome! You get to have a real live contest (where you don't have to make a trip to the liquor store)! And I get to enter! Even though I am old, fat, and out of shape, I love cycling and have been thinking of getting a road bike to do some real riding.

    I already ride a cruiser bike around town for transportation (handy when tipsy after too many cocktails). Riding the cruiser bike is certianly how I "free my Y". Any bike that can easily be a) ridden in a skirt, and b) makes you smile like an 8 year old, sums up what I think Lipton might be going for with this here campaign.

    A cruiser bike is not good for shrinking ones ass (as I had hoped it might be). I'm just saying.

    Also, I don't want to come off as an overly familiar stalker-type person since I very rarely comment on your blog. I read all the time, and so obviously feel like I know you really well even though you don't know me (is this what IIF refers to perhaps?). Anytoot, I'm Amy, in Boise. LETS GO RIDE BIKES.

    ReplyDelete
  48. I free my "Y" by chasing my two toddlers atound the house. A good tickle fight is the best way I know to "free the y."

    Do they have t-shirts with that? 'Cause I would totally wear it. Just so people would ask what it means and I could make up these bizarro answers, like, "Y is short for Yaks. Have you heard about the plight of the North Asian Yaks?" God, how fun would that be?"

    ReplyDelete
  49. Well crap.
    Name: Jennie
    Location: Citrus Heights, CA

    ReplyDelete
  50. I free my Y everytime I hit the pavement for a run, oh and by watching Gossip Girl...

    Abby
    Denver, CO

    ReplyDelete
  51. Hi Kristy, I free my Y by dating men at least 10 years younger than me. Right now I am dating a 25 year old (I'm 39). It's awesome!!

    Sarah
    New York, NY (I am not sure where I would fit a bike in my apartment, but my boyfriend would probably find a way to use it)

    ReplyDelete
  52. How I "Free My Y"

    I'm a caregiver to old people. and young people. Spending time with the elderly makes me appreciate my youth, by having legs that work, a back that works, and hell, even a mind that works (most of the time). Spending time with the kids allows me to remember the sheer joy that accompanies most children, from rolling on the grass down a hill, to running yourself exhausted.

    Pensacola, Fl.

    ReplyDelete
  53. I "FMY" by automatically going into teenage mode and making the "MySpace" face when ever I get my picture taken.

    Tami W.
    Huntington Beach, Ca.

    ReplyDelete
  54. All right, I'm a Canadian...but your offer of a booze-instead prize was too much to pass up. (realistically, I'd enjoy that more than the bike, though it will last less time).

    I'm Tristen, in Vancouver.

    And recently, I "freed my Y" by doing my first marathon. That was pretty amazing...

    ReplyDelete
  55. At age 50, I "Free my Y" by trying out new physical things, even if I'm not sure I can do them. Like suspension training for one... and soon, I'm going to step into a Group Power class at my gym and hope I don't bean myself over the head with a barbell!

    But that's not all of it, exercise and fitness are great, but I do them so I can dance my butt off to rock n' roll! Preferably while wearing a neat looking hat and feeling quite the sexy almost senior citizen!

    I'm not sure why the hat is required, but hats always make me feel great and I've got all sorts, some crazy, some classy, some vintage! I promise to wear one while riding the bike! I'll be so sexy, hubby will be running down the street after me!

    Enter me please!

    Cynthia in Pendleton, OR

    ReplyDelete
  56. Growing up
    by Marchette Chute

    When I grow up, I'll carry a stick
    And be very dignified,
    I'll have a watch that will really tick,
    My house will be tall and built of brick,
    And no one will guess it's really a trick,
    And I'm myself inside.


    I love this poem - I put on my grown up face when people are looking, but I'm still 8 the rest of the time.

    I free my Y by rolling down the hill at the park. At the end of the hill is a short flat stretch, then a duck pond. I'm always a bit scared I'll roll too far but... it's worth it.

    - Maddy - oh I live too far away!

    ReplyDelete
  57. I am 37, which, although I'd prefer not to think of it that way, is kind of pushing 40. A week from Sunday I will marry a man who is 6 years younger than me. He's still getting over turning 30.
    If that's not "freeing my Y" I don't know what is.

    Amy in Orlando

    ReplyDelete
  58. Since I started working out regularly last year, I've felt better than I ever remember feeling in my life. Being skinny doesn't equal being fit -- a lot of the time, at least in my case, it just meant I felt lethargic. Now I lift weights three times a week, run, walk every chance I get...and now I need a bike! :)

    Alexandria, VA

    ReplyDelete
  59. Lord, I've been reading this blog for at least two years now, and the first time I comment is to enter a contest. Go me and my loyalty!

    Entry: I free my 'Y' by skipping (as in the hop-jumping action) along the street when I'm hanging out with my friends. Usually I'm a little tipsy at this point, but really, nothing makes me feel younger or freer than indulging in The Skip once in a while. Until I lose my breath about a block down. Maybe I really do need the bike.

    Name: Sarah (the Great)
    Location: San Francisco

    ReplyDelete
  60. Amy - way to go, girl! My husband is 4 years younger than me, and I'm 42. It definitely gives him something to tease me about, but it's great! Congrats!

    ReplyDelete
  61. i usually free my y (really?) by playing with my kiddo...hopscotch, jumprope, you get the picture. a new bike would be a sweet way to free my y!

    cheryl in Brick, NJ

    ReplyDelete
  62. I would love to win the bike. :D

    Except I'm in Canada. :(

    But I might get a prize anyway! :D

    To feel young, I play soccer twice a week at lunch. A bunch of us from work rent the all weather field down the street and have formed a soccer club. It's mostly guys, but a few of us women play as well. We range in age from 22-67, and have a blast.

    I also play Webkinz on my daughter's account. :)

    I'm Cathy and I'm from Halifax.

    ReplyDelete
  63. I find that sleeping in and moaning about how hard life is instantly transports me back to being a teenager. ... And yet it's somehow still appropriate sometimes.

    I guess I free my whiny Y

    Debbie -- Alexandria, VA

    ReplyDelete
  64. I free my Y but sleeping all day and skipping classes, just like I always wanted to do in middle school!
    mitanari@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  65. Crap, I just turned 40 and am by no stretch of the imagination mature or grown up. My Y is constantly a little too on the free side and by that I mean I'm a little cavalier about my farting and have the sense of humor of a 7th grade boy. No, you cannot say even say "mount" around me without an ensuing joke. To some, I'm charming...to MOST, an endless irritant. Anyway, give me a little vodka and I'll give you a cartwheel. Just sayin', growing old doesn't mean growing up.

    Jen
    Nashville, TN

    ReplyDelete
  66. I free my Y (heh) by teaching kids with special needs. I spent part of one work day convincing a seven year-old that I am a sea turtle disguised as a human. After much deliberation, he finally decided not to believe me about that.

    Lori in Madison, WI soon to be Lori in San Antonio so it would depend on when the shipping happens.

    ReplyDelete
  67. I free my y but coaching gymnastics to kids where I get to jump on trampolines and swing on bars everyday!

    I also free my y by eating jello and fruit snacks. And when I get happy (mostly because of free things and presents) I roll around on the floor smiling. ( this also happens on clean sheet day)

    Annette
    Barrington, IL.

    ReplyDelete
  68. At age 20, I think "freeing my Y" could be dangerous and lead to age regression. I will just assume my Y is as free as it needs to be right now.
    As a college student, me and my Y really do need a new bike, though.
    ~Amelia in St. Paul

    ReplyDelete
  69. I "free my y" by flirting shamelessly with the cute Aussie salesman at work! Oh, and I also "FMY" by entering silly contests and hoping that I win! :)

    Shannon in SoCal

    ReplyDelete
  70. I decided about a month ago that I was going to train for a triathalon with a friend that just moved back to our hometown... so I need a bike! Crazy coincidence? I think not. However, since I haven't actually started training yet I don't think that is a valid answer to "freeing my Y."

    My actual answer would be to laugh often and LOUD, and to just be borderline dorky in general. Life's too short not to!

    Karissa- Rapid City, SD

    ReplyDelete
  71. I'm from Brisbane, Austalia, but I already have a bike, and it's pink! Hot pink.

    I didn't win booze last time, so am keen for another shot. I'm better at drinking that bikeriding of that I'm sure.

    I will be sensible enough to stay off my pink bike during and after consumption of any alcoholic prize I win - If I win.

    Kyls

    ReplyDelete
  72. I am from Perth, Australia and am the only person I know who cannot and never has ridden a bike. Previously I wouldn't have entered because then I would have taken a bike from a far more deserving recipient. But now I know that all I can win is booze then count me in!
    p.s. My Y is perfectly free already thank you very much.

    ReplyDelete
  73. I free my Y , out from between to many exes and not enough zees.

    In other words...I laugh ....if at all possible



    Thenonymous, Dan
    Laytonville Ca.

    ReplyDelete
  74. I do stuff like go extreme zip-lining which, let's face it, only young people should really do. I mean, in theory it's all very exciting, but when you're on top of a tree and the only way down is to zip across a clearing, 50 feet in the air, your fear kicks in and your legs start shaking and you realize that you are in fact, old. But yeah, that's how I free my Y.

    PS - I am so not a US resident. Darn. I also like bikes.

    Isabelle Serrurier
    Ottawa (Ontario) Canada

    ReplyDelete
  75. I take jazz class, come home and make by boyfriend and mom watch the routine that I learned just like when I was 10.

    Natalie
    Chicago

    ReplyDelete
  76. Kim in Wisconsin

    I try to keep my Y as free as possible. Laughing with my boys seems to be the best and least expensive way. When they are off with their dad I'll but out my expensive and irresponsible Y by heading out with some forever single girlfriends and pretending I still know how to do the whole flirt thing.

    The bike would help with both of these things. I could ride and laugh with the boys. And then I could ride my drunk butt home from a bar instead of calling at $30 cab. See, my Y wins either way.

    ReplyDelete
  77. I make my boyfriend release my Y at least once a day ;)

    Sorry, my mind is in the gutter today. Kristy- thanks so much for providing me with smiles and laughter for the past couple of years.

    Lisa
    Worcester, MA

    ReplyDelete
  78. I free my Y by saying "Whee" with my 3 year old when we drive down a hill.

    (Nothing makes you laugh like a cackling preschooler.)

    That really only makes me feel young, not so much active. But I am, in fact, "old, fat, and out of shape," and have not yet figured out how to feel active without actually being active. Guess that means my Y is only partly freed.

    I'm Genevieve from Woodstock, GA.

    ReplyDelete
  79. Funny that youth is associated with fitness, because I am in much better shape now than I was ten years ago. And I like my life better now too, so I'm not anxious to return to youth. Still, I occasionally FMY by making lots of crazy faces in the mirror (with or without my kids).

    -Amy in Sunnyvale

    ReplyDelete
  80. Long time lurker here, but for a free bike, why not? Hmm, how to do Free my Y?

    I'm only 27, but I go to the gym 5 days a week because, though my friends think I'm insane, I really do love the way I feel when I kick butt in a boot camp class or exhilarated after a class that makes me run around in circles. Crazy? Possibly. But it makes me feel awesome.

    Esther in NYC

    ReplyDelete
  81. Liz, Decatur, Illinois

    I work out at the College's Fitness Center at least 3 times a week.

    I also have a workout partner, and we really keep each other honest and encourage each other. We also lie a lot ("You are looking so GORGEOUS lately!" and stuff like that . . . but hey - - ego boosters, right?)

    I LOVE White Tea! And if I win the bike, I have 5 acres to ride around on! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  82. Rachael, Springfield, NJ

    Ha ha! I free my 'Y' by drinking Sofia Champagne out of a can (YES I am in love with it too...) with that little bendy straw it comes with while laughing at my friends who are tied down as Mommies.

    *Side note: I do look forward to the day I will be a Mommy....just not yet.

    ReplyDelete
  83. To free my Y I watch other 30 somethings play Guitar Hero naked (hilarious), drink umbrella drinks sitting in lawn chairs on my driveway while my kids ride bikes, dance to Alvin & the Chipmunks, and flirt with the cute young salesmen that come by work all the time trying to sell products they know nothing about. :)

    Wendee, Portland, OR

    ReplyDelete
  84. Does going out for margaritas with my girlfriends count? Cause I'm too tired to release my inner "Y" any other way today. Oh, and if I won, it would be pretty darn funny since I never learned how to ride a bike!

    ReplyDelete
  85. Free my Y by wearing flip flops and a ponytail to work. I figure, really, as long as I can pull that off, I can't be too old. Gosh, I hope I'm really pulling it off and not just living in a dream world...

    Margaret
    Lewisville, TX

    ReplyDelete
  86. hey, did you ask Lipton if they'd like to advertise their awesome contest on the BlogHer Ad Network? Cause I know someone who might be able to help. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  87. Laini in St Paul MN...

    I have recently realized that I can Free my Y when I go to the playground with my 20 month old daughter and she goes down the slide and gets to the bottom and yells "LAINI... LAINI" until I follow her down the slide (yes, she calls me Laini) because I just CAN'T let her down!!

    ReplyDelete
  88. I free my Y(...that sounds vaguely creepy) by skating roller derby.

    It takes me back to a simpler time, a time before my mom taught me it wasn't nice to hit people. Plus there's dress-up involved, and who doesn't love dress-up??
    Rachel
    North Canton(but soon to be Cuyahoga Falls), Ohio

    ReplyDelete
  89. My mental Y doesn't even need to be freed - I goof around and laugh enough that people often think I am much younger than I really am. One of my new co-workers called me "youthful," but I really think he means immature. Regardless, I think life is one opportunity to laugh after another, and seizing those opportunities frees my Y.

    That said, my physical Y could use some help breaking free. One big new job and three adolescent sons (and 25 lbs I'd love to part with) leave me pretty beat by the end of the day. If I had a nifty bike, I could roll on down the trail a few days a week and I know I'd be posivitely aglow with Y-ness. Or something.

    Inge in San Jose

    ReplyDelete
  90. in august i'll turn 36 and will celebrate my 1-year wedding anniversary with my 31-year-old hubbie. roar! i finally realized my PMS bloating weight doesn't seem to ever go away, and so i got my first lactic acid facial. my young hubbie said he can (gasp) actually see a difference in my skin. i think i'm going to become a regular! free my y? free this!

    ReplyDelete
  91. I go to sites like this to feel young. Active? Who cares? http://www.oneplusyou.com/q/v/blog_cuss

    ReplyDelete
  92. I think this is fun. I am 40, have a toddler, and "Freeing My Y" is all I think about and I'll be "Freeing My Y" right on through my son's college graduation when I am a young, very young, 57 year old. To Free My Y, I go to the gym 4-5 times a week and spend a lot of time outside. And I try to travel to get a little out of my comfort zone and to be reminded that I have a lot to learn.

    ReplyDelete
  93. I'm only 27, but my ass cheeks hang down to the back of my knees, so I totally don't feel young or active.
    But today, when my husband and I got into a fight over politics he pulled over unclipped my seatbelt and made me get out of the car.
    I jogged home in jeans, clogs, and a sorry-excuse for a bra. I felt pretty young and active.

    ReplyDelete
  94. Um, I'm a kindergarten teacher? And they like to guess my age (I'm 23.) They always think that I'm 76 or something ridiculous like that, even though some of their parents are YOUNGER THAN I AM. They also assume that I have children. Because all teachers are female, old, fat, and have children. However, I am only one and a half of these things. That'd be female and half fat.

    I free my Y by running around after my five year olds at recess and squealing with them when something ridiculous happens. Yeah. It's how I cope with 22 five year olds at a time.

    -Allison in Columbus, GA

    ReplyDelete
  95. Apparently I'm not as unique as I thought...both in the fact that I am giggling at the "Freeing Your Y" thing and that I too blast Def Leppard (or Soundgarden or Foo Fighters...I span all recent decades!) with my windows open whilst singing along.

    I also have run 3 half-marathons and am training for a 4th beginning next month (a note of hope for those feeling overweight and out of shape...I am currently a size 18, so you CAN do it, too!!).

    Yes, research indeed...digger deeping may show that many readers will delurk for potential swag ;)

    Tracy, Rancho Cordova, CA

    ReplyDelete
  96. Great contest post, I'll link you up on my own contest in case you want a chance to win the same prize.

    How do I feed my Y? Definetly playing with my kids. Especially when we play soccer together.

    ReplyDelete
  97. Freeing my "Y"......hmmmmm. Sadly or not, sex was the first thing that came to mind.
    Running with my kids, keeps me young, although I'm 41 and completely out of shape. But my priorities are completely in order. Sex....then kids......and isn't that the way it SUPPOSE to go?

    Angel in Independence, KY

    ReplyDelete
  98. Okay, first of all jen in suffolk, you're funny. And no blog posts since December! And only one at that. Come on now.

    Also, I keep having to refer back to the original post for specifics about what a "Y" might be, because apparently I need to free other things besides my Y. And also I keep singing "FREE YOUR Y, AND THE REST WILL FOLLOW" in my head.


    The most recent thing I have done to...er, free my Y....was taking the train to New York to read at an event called "Cringe," that involves grown people resurrecting their material from their teen years and reading it aloud at a MICROPHONE at a bar in Brooklyn.

    I read at length from my Precious Moments diary from 1985, which was dedicated to Mikhail Baryshnikov, John Taylor from Duran Duran, Paul Young, Sting, the man from the Windsong commercials (I'm not making this up) and Dante Aguilar, a boy I was infatuated with at the time.

    It was awesome. However, that particular part of my Y is likely best let out only on occasion.

    On a more regular basis I...

    1. Sleep on my parents' couch every other week or so, ostensibly to watch "my stories" that I can't catch at my house because I don't have a tv right now. But really it's so I can sleep on the couch and write in my 2008 blog-style diary. And occasionally eat French onion dip.

    2. I go out with the people from my master's program, most of whom needed to be told who Jane Fonda was when I was all jazzed up about dancing to "I'm Every Woman" with her in a hotel in New Orleans. Occasionally I say things like "Word" and "jacked up," only because I am mirroring them! Like when I use a lot of exclamation points and single words separated. by. periods. in my blog!

    I do not drink PBR from a can, however. When I was a "Y", that shit was not consumed by anyone except my grandfather and other men on stools at the American Legion. Also unlike my classmates, I do not shop at Forever 21 (and not just because the security guard kind of looks at me like "Why?" when I come in - jerk - and because I cannot pull off flouncy dresses with spaghetti straps.) or Hollister. And I do not own a t-shirt that says "You can't HANDLE THIS." in glitter paint.

    3. I drink excessive amounts of wine and watch hours of the heavy metal video show on VH1 classic, dancing my ass off and having thoughts like "Dokken SHOULD STILL BE FAMOUS." Also I watch Rock of Love. Repeatedly.

    4. I stalk childhood friends on classmates.com, but not in a scary way.

    5. I try to hang out with people who make me laugh, or at least don't make me cry into my coffee and/or red wine. If I have to get old, I'm going down swinging (apparently a boomerang, or something else vaguely Y-shaped.)

    ReplyDelete
  99. I've never had a problem releasing my "Y" but it's far more fun with my 8 y/o grandson. We finger paint with choc pudding, draw chalk pictures on the sidewalk, build enormous structures out of legos, pitch a tent in the backyard and have a camp out, see who can swing the highest...on occasion we switch identities and he's Gamma and I'm Michael (he makes me take out the trash). We make fun concoctions for dinner...We frequently have cake for breakfast...we walk the beach looking for beach glass and shells and then make a project to remind of us of our day.

    When he's not here, I keep a bottle of bubbles in my car and when I'm stuck in traffic (in San Diego, that's all the time), I roll down my window and blow bubbles, I also love to jump rope...hmmm, come to think of it, at 53, I don't think I've ever "grown up"!!

    ReplyDelete
  100. I'm in college, so I think it's less a matter of "Freeing my Y" (bwahaha!) as it is taking advantage of it.

    When my roommate isn't home I play that old Shakira song Whenever Wherever and try (and fail miserably) to bellydance.

    When I'm home, I drive my car around town at night and belt out my favorite songs at the top of my lungs.

    I swim down to the bottom of the deep end of the pool and make bubble rings and then try to swim through them on the way up.

    Sometimes when I'm walking somewhere, anywhere, I stop for a second, take a deep breath, look around and remind myself, "If this isn't nice, what is?"

    Claire, Montana

    ReplyDelete
  101. Heck, I'm still pretty young myself but you know what makes me feel younger and active-er (not really a word, but whatevs)? I love hanging out with my best gal pals from high school and reliving all of our crazy times. Lots of the time it's just sitting around and eating, like, brownies, but I think that the amount of laughter makes up for it.

    ReplyDelete
  102. Elsje
    Portland, OR

    All right, I'm in...
    My sister and I have a goal for this summer.
    Objective: to invent a brand new mixed drink and get it into the recipe bank of at least one bar.
    Deadline: August 15th, 2008

    Course of Action:
    1. invent a new drink...
    (The criteria are that it must be GOOD, and also NEW... and must have a good name. We're still in the test mixing phase... we may spend the entire summer "working" on this.)
    2. order said drink in many different bars as many times as possible... must be ordered very casually, we must look and act surprised that the bartender has never heard of this drink before.
    3. Testing: We will send in a third person (preferably a grizzly looking man - quite possibly my husband) to order the drink, if the bartender does not act surprised... mission accomplished!!

    ReplyDelete
  103. To free ze Y... as much as I'd like to say yoga and meditation I feel my Y is the free-est when I'm acting like a 12 year old. Today for example: driving by a golf course and laying on my horn as the golfers were mid swing, final hole. It's those little things. Hey, you asked for it!

    ReplyDelete
  104. To free ze Y... as much as I'd like to say yoga and meditation I feel my Y is the free-est when I'm acting like a 12 year old. Today for example: driving by a golf course and laying on my horn as the golfers were mid swing, final hole. It's those little things. Hey, you asked for it!

    Sorry!
    Ashlee in Valparaiso, IN

    ReplyDelete
  105. I dance around my room in my PJs and sing crazy songs!

    -Lindsay
    SC, CA (though when you send this out I'll be in LA, CA-> I move back and forth between home and school)

    ReplyDelete
  106. holy buckets. nothing like a give-a-way to get comments out the yang.
    to stay feeling young? well yeah. i run. i ran a half marathon a month ago, but really that made me feel old because it was at a college campus and there is nothing that makes your thick ass feel old like a bunch of 20 year old skinny bitches who say 'ohmigawwwwd' and whose stoopid rotten shirts match their stoopid rotten shoes...plus i walked like Fred Sanford for a week.
    mostly, to be feel young i drive too fast, drink too much beer, play my music too loud and wear the little plastic dinosaur rings that come on the cup cakes that i like to get from the grocery store(which also contribute to my own walking around with it despite all the running etc that i do...).
    And I teach 8th grade social studies. They call me the gum ninja. Ninjas can't be old can they?

    ReplyDelete
  107. I "Free My Y" (that is the most ridiculous thing ever!) by working out at the Y. I also stay young-feeling by staying single and not having children!

    ReplyDelete
  108. Dancing with my two year old makes me feel young and healthy.

    ReplyDelete
  109. After years of being overweight, walking not only helped me lose weight, but it did, in fact, help me feel younger again. So much younger that now I seem to have started entering 5K races. Who knew?

    Of course, a new bike would help my knees feel a lot younger as well...

    ReplyDelete
  110. I "Free my Y" whenever I laugh so hard I run out of air and start make this ridiculous sound like a small animal on helium.

    It doesn't happen as much as it used to, but reminds me of so many good times!

    A., Cambridge, MA

    ReplyDelete
  111. Carla, from Arlington, VA

    Funnily enough, what makes me feel young is bike riding. Nothing like feeling the wind through my hair (or more accurately now that I'm a responsible "adult": wind hitting my helmet). I biked my whole life (though I admit I'm a wimp when it comes to biking during the winter time) and started biking to work a month ago (22 miles round trip), and nothing brings me back to childhood more than biking. Feeling like a kid before and after work? Priceless!!

    (And I'm now dealing with a mountain bike that I'm converting to a road bike -- as in changed the tired -- having a proper road bike would be awesome, of course.)

    ReplyDelete
  112. I feel young and active when I get to take out my rage on inanimate objects. Last week I sawed up a tree that had fallen in my yard and damn, did I feel good! This week I am taking an axe to the drywall on the west wall of the basement to find out where that wretched leak is coming from.
    I say this makes me feel young because I don't know how I'll let out all the rage when I'm old and incontinent.

    ReplyDelete
  113. One of the things that I do to "free my y" is to say things like "free my y." ...It makes me giggle, and laughing reverses the aging process, right?

    Okay, so actually, my best "Y-Freeing" efforts involve taking a step back from the hectic daily grind of life and doing something that is frivolous and without purpose, yet really fun. I am learning how to ice skate, which seems to fit the "Y-Freeing" definition for me.

    I'm Katherine from Seattle, and I endorsed this message.

    ReplyDelete
  114. Um, I watch reality shows on MTV even though I am 37. I am only slightly embarassed.

    Heather from NC

    ReplyDelete
  115. I spend entire weekends watching Spongebob Squarepants and ALSO laugh at poop jokes.

    Jennie from Dayton, OH

    ReplyDelete
  116. Freeing my Youth: I dance 5 minutes a day which doesn't seem like a lot, but it changes the way you feel. I also go to concerts with my kid and we have a great time.

    There's my entry! I hope I win!

    ~ Bee

    ReplyDelete
  117. Ok, I tried to enter this contest / leave a comment last week, but it apparently didn't make it through and is probably sitting out there in cyberspace while some IT person reads it and thinks I'm a freak. Anyway, here's my attempt at re-entering myself in this contest. (And hopefully I'm not disqualifying myself as a repeat poster, because I really don't see my original post here!!!!)

    So, how do I "Free My Y?" Here ya go:

    1. I'm actually a cyclist. Not a professional cyclist, though. I'm not THAT good. But I do it for exercise -- and I finally found an exercise activity that I actually enjoy. You see, about 8 years ago, I decided to lose weight. At that time, I was jogging, which wasn't an activity that I enjoyed but it gave me good results. Anyway, I ended up losing 50 pounds! And the whole "maintenance" thing is so much easier now that I've found cycling.

    2. I also find my Y when people mistake me for being younger than I am. And, this happens quite often. I'm 30, but people are always thinking about ... oh, 24. Always. But, occasionally I get mistaken for someone even younger. It's not been completely out of the ordinary for someone to think I was still in high school. (Not that I'm complaining -- I'll be laughin' it up in my later years!) Oh, and to the waitress who carded me last Friday: THANK YOU! :)

    Madalyn
    Bristol, Indiana

    ReplyDelete
  118. I have a few things I do to act my young age since I tend to be too mature sometimes.

    I have started adopting the tradition of dressing slutty on Halloween and whenever other costume occasions arise.

    I like to make out on the couch when I know I could get caught by my roommates or the guy's.

    And the most important thing I do is date older men. I am 23 and dating 30 year olds means a constant reminder of how young you are :)

    Jen in SF

    ReplyDelete
  119. I've got MS, and cycling is a good way to exercise for MS'ers. I used to need a cane or a walker to get around, but I started to work-out, and got better. To look at me, you wouldn't know I have MS, and exercise is what helped the most. It's also how I keep "young", altho that wasn't the original intent. Turns out I'm healthier now at age 50, than I was at 20!

    ReplyDelete
  120. Oops. I forgot my name.

    Laurie
    Idaho

    ReplyDelete
  121. Free my Y? Hrm, that sounds a bit dirty.

    Oh, no, wait, it's freeing my va-jay that's dirty.

    Nope, freeing my Y sounds dirty still.

    Anyway, to maximize the freeing of my Y, I rock the Rock Band on the XBox (singing of course) or I go to the mall and make fun of the teenagers (makes me feel like I'm in high school again) or, wait for it...

    ...I hang out at home while my boyfriend goes to work everyday and pays all the bills (just like my parents did when I was a kid) except that there wasn't so much sex with my parents.

    woo, my y feels free now.

    ReplyDelete
  122. I play guitar hero, am training my lazy self for a 5k, and look about 7 years younger than I actually am....which will someday be a good thing, but I am at that mid-20s stage where it is a hindrance to both my career and ordering drinks. here's hoping for a bike!

    ReplyDelete
  123. How I free my Y:

    This is funny but seriously I took up hip-hop and line dancing, not only for exercise just because I wanted to learn something new that kept me moving. I've fallen in love.

    Also, I invested in a Playstation 2 - I have Guitar Hero competitions with my friends on the weekends.

    First Name: Susan K.
    Location: Mass.

    ReplyDelete
  124. What do I do to stay young and active? I try to play volleyball every week. But really, I get down and wrestle with my Husky pup. Nothing like a little running around my tiny apartment and giggling to do the job.

    *A bike would be a huge bonus! My sister wants me to train and run a triathalon with her but I can't afford the bike!* :(

    First Name: Megan
    Location: Arlington, VA

    ReplyDelete
  125. Feel my Y. Oh, I could go to SO many bad places with that. :)

    However, being old, fat and out of shape myself, I am in the PERFECT demographic for this contest, so I must submit my entry.

    I "Feel my Y" when I'm performing in musical theater - acting, singing, dancing, dressing up in fun costumes, getting applause from the adoring audience. What's not to love?!?

    Plus, I don't want the bike for myself, but for my son. He's old (well, 30), fat and out of shape, too!

    PS - Love your blog, Kristy!

    Name: Laurie
    Location: Plano, Texas (suburb of Dallas)

    ReplyDelete
  126. I am an avid hiker so to stay young, I hike up mountains. For extra fun, I like to take my grandkids and kick their butts on the way up!

    ReplyDelete
  127. I get dressed while dancing around my room to Billy Idol. Almost every single day.

    ReplyDelete
  128. Holy crap! This is awesome (in a funny I can't believe I am about to use the phrase "free my Y" way).

    I "free my Y" buy trying to outperform my (athletic) fiance at various things. The most recent thing I did was tell him that "of course" I could ride a bike. We then proceeded to borrow one which I fell off of, TWICE, and then had to go home because I was bleeding and saddle sore.

    I now laugh everytime someone says "it is like riding a bicycle - you don't forget" because I TOTALLY forgot. But I would still like a new bike... Try, try again and all that? Plus it is super embarrassing to be almost 30 and unable to ride a bike, especially when this 4 year old who lives down the street laughed at me as I walked my bike home limping.

    Ahem.

    Tiff in Livermore/Palo Alto

    ReplyDelete
  129. I love to turn off all the lights, burn some candles and dance to mazzy star..just like I did when I was 16.
    This is very freeing to my y & a lot of other things too.
    xo
    dahli, minneapolis, mn

    ReplyDelete
  130. I pass gas, loudly, and refuse to apologize for it. Also, I scratch myself in inappropriate places in public.

    Wait, no, that's freeing my y chromosome. Different thing entirely.

    I "Free my Y' by squirting redi-whip directly from the can into my mouth. And Sweetie and I often have ice cream for dinner.

    Sam in Saint Petersburg, FL

    ReplyDelete
  131. I know it's become cliche, but yoga really does make me feel active. I don't run, but I can equate the feeling to a runner's high. Outstanding!

    As for feeling young, getting back in touch with myself through my blog has helped, but my son is what really makes me feel young. No, not the night-time wakings, or the Play-Doh-esque diapers.

    My son is the funniest person I know. At only 13 months old, that's saying a lot. When he makes me laugh so hard tears are streamin down my face, then I feel young.

    ReplyDelete
  132. I free my Y by finding clubs that play 80's music and dancing my pants off! (not literally though)
    Kristie in Orange County, CA

    ReplyDelete
  133. Free my Y? Let's see, I love to fly kites in the park when it's windy enough. It reminds me of being a kid and being on my grammy's farm flying kites with my cousins.

    I also like to take coloring books to the park and color, people watch, read, etc.

    I could use a bike. My friend talked me into running a marathon later this year. She's a triathlete. I imagine she'll have me convinced to do that next so I'll need a bike.

    Dingo
    New York, NY

    ReplyDelete
  134. How do I free my Y? In any way I can, really. I think what I like to do the most is to act silly and laugh with my husband over really dorky things.

    Another thing I have done recently is with my nieces, we got to bounce in one of those silly blow-up castles that you rent for parties. It was really super fun!

    Thanks!
    Anneke, St. Paul, MN

    ReplyDelete
  135. I free my Y by taking walks with my 2 Boxers. The walk is good for me and they make me laugh all the time! Every walk they do something new! They are always fascinated with their surroundings which makes me look at things that I wouldn't normally even notice.

    ReplyDelete
  136. I free my Y by swinging. I love to go to parks and just swing. The higher the better. Then JUMP out. More careful now though, in 3rd grade I did it wrong and had rock rash on my entire face. Oooouch!

    Christina, Seattle

    ReplyDelete
  137. I started in my quest to feel young and active by having bariatric surgery. Now that I am 1.5 years out, I am trying to muster up all that extra energy everyone else that has the surgery is always going on about but doing things such as: tennis (I suck), the gym (I am unmotivated), walking (I do it slowly), roller blading (I did it once), snowboarding (I fell down and herniated my L5, which made me feel like my Y was very UN-free), and biking (I have yet to get on a bicycle in the past 15 years and not end up in the hospital - obviously, you don't want video of me getting drunk and putting it together, but video of me trying to ride it!)

    Michelle,
    Attleboro, MA

    ReplyDelete
  138. I do my best to feel young by playing with my daughter on the playground equipment! I try and stay active by running. I just started running and I'm loving it. I would love a new bike!

    Loving your blog!
    Thanks so much!
    Margarita in Texas!!

    ReplyDelete
  139. How I free my 'Y':

    I spend time with my 12 year old, going for walks or bike rides. He sees so much more than I do - even if it's in his imagination. I'm just lucky that he wants to bring me along.

    Lynne
    Boise, ID

    ReplyDelete
  140. to feel young and active? I just chase my yr and a half old son around the house and yard. I want to start taking him around by bike so this would be great!

    Dan Vancouver, Wash.
    Deferg1 at Yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  141. I am still fairly young and therefore in touch with half of my "Y" (the young half... not so much the active half). But I like to partake in a couple things that make me feel even more young and active. Namely the following.

    1. I blare my music while driving in my car with the windows down and the moonroof open and I sing at the top of my lungs while the wind blows my hair around. I love it and it just really makes me feel alive.

    2. I love building sandcastles. I am in no way good at it, nor do I even have the tools to make good sandcastles, but I love playing in the sand and making little sandcastles. I get very excited when I see sandcastle contests on the beach or on TV. I love them!!

    Lisa
    San Diego, California

    ReplyDelete
  142. To "free my y", I challenge my husband to a rousing game of Air Hockey and then top that off with a little Rock, Paper, Scissors action- I'm so good at that one!

    ReplyDelete
  143. To "free my y", I challenge my husband to a rousing game of Air Hockey and then top that off with a little Rock, Paper, Scissors action- I'm so good at that one!

    Stephanie
    Jarretsville, MD

    ReplyDelete
  144. I love the idea of "freeing my y", it all sounds very 70s sex manual (Much like The Joy of Sex!).
    This Summer I am freeing my y by taking advantage of my year out from college and moving to PA for 3 months to hang out with some girl scouts!

    Claire,
    Belfast, Northern Ireland.
    (Yes! Your blog has reached the UK!)

    ReplyDelete
  145. I used to dress 10 years younger (which always seems to mean lots of cleavage) and go dance at 80s clubs while doing shots of tequila and grabbing guys (who are way too young) for my single friends. But I haven't done that in awhile.

    These days, it would have to be riding my motorcycle without the helmet - cause that's stupid which makes me feel young again. LOL (Oh, okay so I mostly wear my helmet. But I go way too fast, does that count?)

    Natalie in Castle Rock, CO

    ReplyDelete
  146. To 'free my Y' I hang out with all my girl employees who are anywhere from 3 to 10 (gasp!) years younger then me. Doing enough Jaeger bombs out at the bars will definitely make you feel 10 years younger. That is until the next morning. Then you feel 50 years OLDER!

    Megan
    Dallas,TX

    ReplyDelete
  147. Ok. First of all, I don't give a rat's ass about Lipton tea or their stupid bike (because I am altogether way too busy drinking dirty Skyy martinis and chain-smoking Camel lights at this particular moment to be in any way concerned about my um, health.)

    My reason for commenting is in fact, to tell you that I hate you, Kristy Sammis. I hate you for linking to I Am Bossy's blog because I now find myself obsessively needing to read hers on a daily basis IN ADDITION to yours (and Jen Lancaster's by the way, which means I'll be needing to spend my entire stimulus check on mass quantities of vodka - how's that for economic stimulation?! - in order to keep up.)

    But of course I am absolutely kidding - in reality I heart you Kristy because you give me something to do at work and because I totally dig your recommendations for good booze. Seriously, I must admit that with the exception of New Year's Eve (during which I will suck every last drop out of multiple bottles with a straw) I am not much of a champagne drinker. However, it was because of you that I picked up a bottle of Sophia to celebrate my birthday last week and I now have to say, risking being strung up by my ears for scoffing the very brand of champagne vinted and bottled in the town I LIVE IN, I will never buy another stupid bottle of Korbel for as long as I live. So thank you for educating the masses, because there are entirely way too many people out there still "enjoying" Zima and they needed to be set straight.

    And yet, while I hate you and heart you at the same time, and while I have no idea what the fuck my Y is, much less how I free it, it does occur to me that - seeing as how this is the first time I have EVER commented on someone's blog - perhaps I have just now done that. Who the hell knows? I'm certainly no one to tempt fate nor Murphy and his law so I duly note my name and location below, just in case, because while I don't give two shits about winning a stupid bike, that 25 thou will buy A LOT more vodka than the stupid 600 the feds are gonna give me.

    Much love from Erin in Guerneville, Sonoma County, CA

    Oh and P.S, if I win, I most certainly will video my bike assembly for you because 25,075 dollars worth of overpriced vodka
    (lets not forget about the 75 dollar check designated for "bike assembly") + manufacturer's directions that may as well have been written in Arabic? Equals absolute hilarity.

    ReplyDelete
  148. I'm a 47 year old mom of a 5 year daughter... a menopausal baby. Try taking care of a toddler with hot flashes, insomnia and mood swings. Yee Haw! Growing old is definitely "not for wimps." I try to stay young by riding my bike to work plus I want to save the air for her as she grows up.

    ReplyDelete
  149. I laugh.

    Lots and lots and lots.

    ReplyDelete
  150. Well... when you said "free your Y" I thought, No prob - I can go from "Jenny" to "Jenn" - and set my "y" free... yes?

    But what do I do? Seriously? Sign up for things like women's triathlons and train for them well enough to finish. I don't shoot for "win", just "finish" - thus freeing my "y"...

    Incidentally... I really need a road bike for my next "event" (I do NOT call them "races") in August. Need. My mountain bike... not so great for road events.

    Be free "y"... be free....

    ReplyDelete
  151. I free my "Y" every time I put the top down on my new (to me) convertible. The wind in my hair makes my troubles seem small. Also, when the top is down, I feel like a rockstar not an idiot when I sing along with the radio. Others might not agree.

    I've been a reader for a long time and am finally delurking. I would have done so for the WinGin contest, but I read about it after it was over. Oh well, this is healthier!
    Wonderful blog Kristy!

    Jade
    Shawnee, KS (soon to be LA)

    ReplyDelete
  152. Sorry but I can't quite get past the visuals that "Freeing my Y" conjures up, none of which are fit for Lipton or their advertising campaign. It does give me a little giggle at work though...

    But because I drive an SUV and have no small children or valuables to sell to keep gas in the damn thing, I'll give this contest a shot.

    I think that walking 2 miles while listening to Justin Timberlake on my iPod is as close to freeing my Y as I get. Plus hey, it's healthy! Not the JT part, the walking part. Then again, maybe JT would be a healthy way to free my Y, too... food for thought.

    Lar
    Upland, PA

    ReplyDelete
  153. I make sure to spend lots of time outside with my dog. Nothing makes me feel more peaceful.

    Sarah
    Massachusetts

    ReplyDelete
  154. I hope it doesn't sound hokey, but I free my "Y" by swimming any possible time that I can. Ocean swimming, pool swimming, lake swimming...I just feel free in the water, and as close to young and active as it gets. Thanks!
    Kelly
    Santa Barbara, California

    ReplyDelete
  155. I free my Y by putting on music and dancing with my three little girls. My kids love to dance and I feel like I'm 4 again when I dance with them!

    Also, I just started doing spinning at my gym and would love to test out my new leg strength on a real bike. Oh, and I also love iced tea.

    Hope I win!
    Carolyn
    Harleysville, PA

    ReplyDelete
  156. Running. I dreaded running "the mile" back in school and usually ended up walking alot of it. But, 10 years later, I got up the courage to start running and I'm having a blast. Met some great people, look better and definitely feel better.

    Elisa
    Cincinnati, OH

    ReplyDelete
  157. I free my Y by hanging out with my nephew and trying to see the world from his perspective. It's funny how much our view of the world changes as we age.

    I also love to watch Miyazaki films (such as My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away, etc). They are more for kids, but I still love them!

    ReplyDelete
  158. First off I went out and found me a younger boyfriend (well, not THAT young, but younger than me). Ha! We go kayaking and swimming in the Colorado river.

    Joyce
    Bullhead City, AZ

    ReplyDelete
  159. I get very goofy with my kids sometimes. And we chase each other around the yard. And then I feel old because I'm worn out. But while I was running around and being goofy, I felt young again.

    ReplyDelete
  160. I started riding horses to make me feel young and I love it. My hubby just mentioned few weeks ago about getting bikes so the whole family can ride together this summer. Sounded great to me!

    ReplyDelete
  161. Stiletto heels make me feel silly - and therefore young.

    Running across a field of daisies just because I like to pretend I am in a commercial for feminine hygiene products makes me feel active (I really do this).

    Yoga actually does make me feel less stabby and more motivated - and I FREAKING LOVE riding a bike. Mine has been in my parents-in-law's barn for three years, so I am all about this contest. Thanks, Lipton, for your random target demographic!

    ReplyDelete
  162. No More Comments will be entered.

    Thanks for playing!

    I love that more of you entered the contest for booze!

    Kisses!!!

    ReplyDelete
  163. I free my Y , out from between to many exes and not enough zees.

    ReplyDelete
  164. No need for suit hire Canberra for special occasions when Overhsip will save hundreds over a suit hire Canberra store. Formal Suits from $79 save on suit hire



    http://www.discounttalk.com.au/suit-hire-canberra/

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular Posts