The sun sets earlier, the temperature drops, and the grind begins. The winter is no longer a time for people to bury themselves under blankets with a cup of hot chocolate, but a time for people to get out of their comfort zone. Many people view the winter months as a time to develop new physical, spiritual, and mental practices. The winter arc is sweeping across America, pushing many students to transform themselves into alphas.
Not all winter arcs are built the same. At its core, a winter arc is a harsh journey of self improvement, but due to the subjective nature of a winter arc, people interpret it in different ways. Some people vow to work out everyday, some people strive to complete all of their homework before 8pm, some people aim to better their diet, cutting out processed foods. Going on a winter arc is not for the weak, but still so many people have devoted their time for the benefits that follow.
Through an immense amount of research, we have put together a list of many types of winter arcs. It is important to note that these are not the only types of winter arcs, and many people are on a mixed winter arc.
Nutritional Winter Arc: Even though this winter arc requires no physical activity, it is not for the weak. Nor is it for all the fast food lovers out there. Participants spend hours on end reading through the nutritional facts for all the food they consume.
Jayson Blum, a sophomore and certified foody, said, “I try to avoid seed oils at all costs. I try to eat very healthy, very clean meals like rice and chicken, rice and steak, eggs, a lot of milk and dairy. Just things that will help me get taller and bigger.” Later on he summarized, “I avoid things that you look at and can say this is processed, or this is artificial.”
Student Giovanni D’Angelo said this about his arc, “I’ve been grinding. I’ve been cutting out seed oils and haven’t been touching any receipts– it lowers the testosterone*.”
There seems to be a common agreement that whatever seed oils are, they must be dealt with and thrown away. For anyone taking on a nutritional winter arc, seed oils, receipts, and red 40 are the biggest threats to success.
Villain Winter Arc: The title for this winter arc is a little misleading … don’t think of the person participating as a villain, just understand that they are misunderstood and now on their comeback. This winter arc is not for all the couch potatoes out there. Partakers rise and grind before the sun is up, and are still grinding late into the night. Micheal Iacovelli, partaking in the villain winter arc, explained,, “I just wanted to feel good about myself, I was really at a low point, and I heard about this winter arc thing so I might as well give it a try.”
“Having people criticize you and maybe not feeling the best about myself and maybe even being a little insecure. So I took all of my anger and I put it into my arc,” he said.
Maybe he’s not a villain, just misunderstood.
But the question arises … What is more painful, the reason for the arc or the arc itself? Micheal described his typical day like this: “The movie Rocky. That’s basically what my day-by-day is. That’s kind of what I like to go off of. It’s my inspiration. You know the montage of him training? My life is like that.”
Jayson Blum described his villainous come-up in tennis terms. “Before it started, I saw I was weak, I knew I needed work, I needed more muscles. I knew I wasn’t hitting it hard enough in tennis, and I knew the gym would be a big factor in helping my tennis game.” Physical work is very crucial for the come up as an underdog, but is not just for them…
Alpha Dog Winter Arc: Participants here are no pip squeaks, but they aren’t big dogs yet either. They’re stuck in some sort of limbo. Everyone in this winter arc has been working hard already, but has still not cemented themselves as an alpha. They’re not working to prove themselves as legitimate, they’re trying to become the king or queen. The goal is clear: take no prisoners.
Senior Anderson Swanger is going above and beyond to become an alpha. “I just got one thousand ashwagandha goli gummies off the TikTok shop and I’m just pounding creatine,” he said.
Anderson also illuminated the darker parts of his winter arc. “I stopped talking to all my friends. I’ve been in the gym for three to four hours every single day. Sometimes I don’t even sleep because I’m day-trading by night… night-trading perchance.”
Sophia Katsman, a sophomore, is “always on that grind. My goal is to better myself and better my wellbeing to become an alpha dog in this society.” She remarked, “My greatest goal in life is to go from a small beta child and transform myself into a true alpha. Now I only talk to other alphas because I don’t want to get that beta disease.” It seems like these alphas will do whatever it takes to reach their goals.
These definitely aren’t all the winter arc variations out there, but they are the most prevalent. Most other variations fall under one of these bigger umbrella types. Well… all but one. The failed winter arc stands alone, ostracized by the rest for its underwhelming results. But still, the winter time is inevitable and there is always next winter, so mark it on the calendar and get ready to lock in.
* This is based on no factual evidence. Instagram reels is not a trustworthy source.
Jude | Dec 13, 2024 at 8:40 am
Absolutely amazing, so funny