We are busy girls, no doubt. But being busy is never a good excuse for skipping out on a workout. Not only is it BS (you could spend a little less time shopping online, you know), but it’s just not good for you. And you are gonna feel really crappy later when your body turns to mush and you can’t play Rock Band or paint your toenails without breaking a sweat.

I agree that it is not always easy to find an hour in the day to get a full workout in, especially with a brand new semester and all the work that comes with it giving you the stink eye.

That is why you need to work out more efficiently.

There are certain exercises and combinations of exercises that burn calories faster than others. If you only have 30 minutes to work out, walking on a treadmill is probably not the best way to burn off that box of cookies from last night (though it is better than skipping the gym altogether…)

So, which exercises are the quickest calorie burners and the fastest routes to a healthy and fit body? Read More »

We’re well into another new school year and to honor that, we at CollegeCandy are bringing back the fan-favorite series, “We’ve All Been There.”  (We tried to get another national holiday/long weekend for you guys but it’s way harder than we thought so this will have to do.) Every week, Lauren – University of Michigan will comment on the common experiences all college women share – like procrastinating or using the not-so-private bathrooms. Read, relate, cringe and enjoy.

After finishing another long day of classes (a whole 3 hours!), you head home to grab a quick snack and go to the gym. You don’t even let yourself sit down or get comfortable, knowing that getting near that couch – even for a moment – means you would never get up again. You have a ton of reading to do, but you must squeeze in that daily workout.

You throw on a pair of workout pants, squeeze into a sports bra, grab your iPod and a bottle of water and make your way to the gym.

You play your cardio mix as you walk, pumping you up for the big workout ahead. It’s gonna be a long run, or maybe 45 minutes on the elliptical.

When you get to the gym you realize that you weren’t the only one with this plan today. The gym is packed. You make your way to the cardio room and notice a short line has already formed for both the treadmills and the ellipticals.

So you wait.

As you stand there, losing any motivation you may have had for a long, sweaty workout, you look over at the machines to see if anyone is close to finishing. That is when you spot her.

She’s wearing crisp, tight yoga pants and a sports bra. Not under a shirt, but as a shirt. Her hair is perfectly straight and her face is made up for a night at the bars. And she is on the phone. Her feet are barely moving – god forbid she should break a sweat and ruin her eyeliner – as she discusses her evening plans (quite loudly) with whomever is on the other end of the call.

15 minutes go by. The rest of the girls on the ellipticals are still working hard – sweating, breathing heavy, staring at Cell Phone girl. And she continues chatting.

Read More »

Everyone’s got a vice, a bad habit, something they know they need to change. Unfortunately, everyone also has a million excuses why they just can’t do it. Not anymore. Every month we will be following a different CollegeCandy writer as she takes on a personal challenge. This month we’re following Norah on her quest to bring exercise into her life. Last week she climbed aboard the elliptical, what’s she up to now?

At some point this week, exercise stopped being something I had to do and started being something I wanted to do. I’m honestly not sure what changed. Maybe it was the physical pain and exhaustion I felt after Irish dancing at a pre-St. Patrick’s Day event last weekend. And then watching all my old friends performing on St. Patrick’s Day, so full of energy, making it all look so easy.

I guess I liked to think that at any time, I could just get right back into Irish dancing, that it would be just like riding a bike. But it was so much more difficult than I ever remembered.  I was frustrated with myself for letting my laziness cancel out the years of strength and endurance I built up through dancing. Whatever the cause of this new-found motivation, though, I knew I needed to take advantage of it. Read More »

Everyone’s got a vice, a bad habit, something they know they need to change. Unfortunately, everyone also has a million excuses why they just can’t do it. Not anymore. Every month we will be following a different CollegeCandy writer as she takes on a personal challenge. This month we’re following Norah on her quest to bring exercise into her life.

OK, so Week 1 wasn’t entirely unsuccessful. But that’s not saying much.

By the time Wednesday night rolled around, I realized I had yet to do any physical activity whatsoever. I hadn’t even walked to class all week. Sure, I had a busy week – it was midterms time, the week before spring break. And any other week, I would have brushed it off as just another week without exercise, no big deal–there’s always next week. But I knew that I had this post hanging over my head, and how the heck was I going to write a blog post if I had nothing to write about?

So off I trekked to our campus rec center with my friend Martha, a triathlete and former competitive swimmer. This girl is way more intense than I could ever be, so I knew she wouldn’t let me slack off. And for going, I offered myself the reward of a Shamrock Shake afterward.

Once we got there, Martha chose her treadmill right away and started running. I wandered around for a few minutes, trying to find the least daunting piece of exercise equipment to start with. I remembered that a reader named Ellen had recommended I start with a cross-trainer (thanks, Ellen!), so I climbed onto the machine and got ready to start. Except there were all these buttons, and that created a problem. Martha came to my rescue, starting the machine and upping the resistance to level 6 (which may or may not be a big deal, but believe me, I was just fine with no resistance). Read More »

Ew.

Be honest.

One of the biggest motivations for us college girls to get to the gym every day is the thought of all the hot guys that will be there. Yeah, we go there to burn off last night’s margaritas and nachos, but doing all that burning is so much better while ogling delicious, muscle-y coeds lifting weights, the sweat dripping off of their glistening brows.

But then there are the other guys. Those dudes that show up in attire that makes us want to throw up last night’s indulgences rather than jump their bones right up against the leg press.  Everyone knows that the bar gym is a great place to pick up guys, but these five fashion choices are definite dealbreakers.

Guys, no matter how hot you are, you don’t look good in these.

1. Spandex

I don’t care what kind of exercise you’re doing, spandex is NEVER necessary. This goes for outside the gym, too.  There’s nothing like seeing a guy jogging around campus and having a clear outline of his junk to wake you up for a 9 am lecture.  Spare me.  If you’re lucky, we’ll wanna see your man parts after a few drinks at more appropriate times (that is, unless we remember that we saw you at the gym wearing spandex).

2. Sleeveless Muscle Tees

Unless you’re Pauly D or The Situation, don’t wear muscle tees. They make you look like Pauly D and The Situation. We get it, you have huge biceps, and trust us, we love to watch you flex them. But not in an old t-shirt you tore up with arm holes that hang down to your waist. If we can see your entire upper body already, what’s the point of wearing a shirt anyway? And while we’re on the subject, let’s just make these illegal, K? Read More »

[We originally ran this post at the end of 2008. Unfortunately it still rings true in 2010 so we're bringing it back for round 2. Share your own resolution gripes in the comments section below!]

I don’t make resolutions for the new year. Not only do I know I will not keep them, but I also know that anything important enough to give up on December 31st should probably be given up on any other day. I tried to give up cake once – what a disaster. Just knowing the 31st was coming and that I would soon be without my beloved buttercream sent me on a downward spiral that resulted with me, a fork and a missing Costco sheet cake.

The only thing I hate more than making New Years resolutions are the people that do. They are annoying, act all “holier than thou,” and make the first few weeks of every new year miserable for me.

The Gym Goers: Seriously, people, get off of my elliptical. I shouldn’t have to wait to get on my machine (that I have been using 5 days a week for the entirety of 2008 and 2009) just because you finally decided you’ve had enough with your muffin top. And, for those of you who don’t know because this is your first time at the gym, you are supposed to be sweating on that thing, not standing on it and texting your friends about the girl standing behind you giving you the stink eye. Read More »

While most people’s gym routines differ – I, for one, have always been an elliptical girl and hate the stationary bike – it’s safe to assume that almost everyone incorporates a “cool down” into their cardio program. After running for 30 minutes at 7 miles per hour, you’ll knock your speed down to 3 and spend five minutes jogging or walking before you hop off the machine. Many pieces of gym equipment even include a 5-minute cool down automatically, tacking it on to the end of your desired workout. All of this is supposed to prevent soreness or muscle damage and relieve strain on the heart.

According to University of Texas physiologist Hirofumi Tanaka, however, there’s no proof that a cool down has any positive benefits on the body. “Everyone thinks it’s an established fact, so they don’t study it,” he said in a recent New York Times article. The article notes the ambiguity of the concept as a whole, noting that it’s not even clear what a cool down is supposed to be or how long it should last.

Apparently, the cool down became standard gym practice after it was reported that muscles become sore after exercising due to the accumulation of lactic acid. This theory has been reported false, leading people to believe that reducing the intensity at the end of a workout (which was supposed to let the lactic acid dissipate slowly) is unnecessary. The article does note, however, that blood can build up in your legs and feet if you stop running (or biking or ellipti-cizing) shortly, making dizziness or even fainting a possibility. Read More »

"Everything huuuuurts."

Between the nightly orders of cheese fries and the daily “I’m too tired/busy/stressed/wrapped up in this Friends marathon to go to the gym” you’ve let yourself go. And based on how much work it takes to get those bootcuts over your thighs, it’s all beginning to catch up with you.  So when Sunday night rolls around you put your (chubby) foot down and decide it’s time to get back in gear.

You eat a salad for dinner (with the dressing on the side), enjoy some Smart Pop Kettle Korn for a late-night study snack and set your alarm for a pre-class workout. “You’re gonna get up this time,” you tell yourself before you crawl into bed.

You shoot out of bed when Pitbull starts “singing” in your ear at 7am. You slip into the workout clothes you laid out the night before, brush your teeth and run out of the house before your brain has a chance to realize what is going on and lures you back to your warm, cozy bed. You’re still slightly out of it when you get to the gym, but 10 minutes into your elliptical session you’re awake, alert and ready for a serious workout.

You start with 30 minutes on the elliptical, rotating incline and resistance. You work up a pretty good sweat but decide to switch to the Stairmaster for a little more gluteal attention. Twenty minutes later you move to the weight room. You don’t want those big, beefy guys to think you’re some prissy little girl so you pick up some weights and start working.  3 sets of 15 reps of triceps, biceps, chest presses and lunges later, you’re soaked in sweat and feeling great.

Those workout endorphins have kicked in and you’re walking around, Britney Spears blasting into your earbuds, wondering why you aren’t doing this more often. You’re energized and productive for the rest of the day – going to class, doing your laundry, getting ahead on that reading for Wednesday. You even pass on the leftover mac and cheese your roommate made for dinner. You’re back on track and nothing is going to stop you. Read More »

There are days when not even a new playlist, the latest issue of Glamour, AND Tough Love on VH1 could make my 45 minute elliptical sesh fly by. My mind is bored, and so is my body. And when my body is bored, it’s not burning as many calories. The human body is designed to be efficient so when I do the same exercise day after day (which gets boring), my body uses fewer calories to do the same amount of work on day 30 than, say, on day 1.

The same goes for you, people.
If your mind is bored, your body is bored.

As college students, we’re bored enough sitting in lecture each day; our workouts should be something that we look forward to! And at the risk of sounding like your mom, college is the time to try new things, so why not new methods of exercise? Cross-training (varying different types of exercise or activity), also helps you burn more calories by tricking your body with new and unfamiliar movements. It can also prevent exercise-related injuries, as you’re working different muscle groups and using different parts of your body for each activity. And, taking group fitness classes is an awesome way to meet people. Studies have shown that exercising with other people increasing the level of endorphins that we release during a workout, keeping us coming back for more!  Some universities even let you take sports or fitness classes for CREDIT! You pretty much just have to show up. Good motivation if you find it hard to get out of bed and to the gym, or wouldn’t otherwise have time to exercise.

If you’ve been doing the same 45 minute elliptical workout for the past few months (or few years!) it’s time to switch things up. Here are a few ideas to add a little mix to your workout: Read More »

Remember that line Charlotte said in an episode of Sex and the City?

“I’ve been dating since I was 15! I’m exhausted! Where is he?”

Yeah. That’s pretty much where I’m at right now. I mean, really, between meeting guys who beer bong in the wrong places and giving my number to rather questionable dudes…seriously! WHERE IS HE?!

I’ve got the “learn to be by yourself and love yourself” BS down pat… I’m ready for my prince charming g-dammit!

Then I had a revelation mid-fatburn program on the elliptical: Women have a come a long way and nowadays, we’re practically equal to men. So why should I just sit back and wait for prince charming to come up in his white horse…or BMW? I should get out there, strut my stuff, and find Prince-Effing-Charming myself!

Can I get an ‘Amen’?!

It’s time to get tough with men; no more games, fellas. I’m here for the real deal. I’ve got to be aggressive…be be aggressive!

Then I came back down to earth, and off the endorphins, and  I realized that might not be the best approach for me. I don’t do aggression to well. I need to have a serious sit-down with this guy – he seems to know more things about dating than I do.

I mean, if Heidi Montag can get hitched…then there has to be hope for the rest of us!