[Welcome to Sunday Funday! I want to start telling you all about fun activities you can do. With spring quickly approaching, there are tons of fun opportunities coming up so if you hear of anything cool, feel free to send it my way!]

Who doesn’t love awesome activities? As we learned from Dale and Brennan of Step Brothers, turning our beds into bunk beds ”would give us so much extra space in our room to do activities.” But you don’t need to build an extraordinarily unsafe bunk bed set to make room for activities when you can do some fabulous things outside. I don’t want to jinx anything, but I feel like it’s kind of safe to say that winter is on a leave of absence this year. Down here in the South the weather has been incredible, and it makes me just want to frolic out in nature.

A lot of people are into runs and marathons, but I need a little more than just running to get me amped about something like that. That’s where The Color Run comes in. A friend sent me the link, and I was totally blown away. It’s a 5k divided into five sections where you wear all white and get pelted with colored powder. You end up tie-dyed, and then you have a massive party with your fellow runners. Sounds amazing right? You better be nodding your head and registering right now. The Color Run is coloring over twenty cities this year, and one of them could be yours! Read More »

By the time you read this, I will have already finished running my second half marathon. The difference is that this time around, my schedule has allowed for a completely unrealistic approach. Although I did have a trainer write out a six-week training program, I just didn’t have enough time in the day to mix in my regular teaching with extra runs.

Anyway, it’s literally six hours until the race and not only am I sleep deprived, I haven’t been able to run for a week. It is so unlike me to be this unprepared for such a big event. I will say this though, the one thing that’s motivating me to cross that finish line strong is my sister. Running the Disneyland Half Marathon was my birthday gift to her. I wanted to show her how rewarding and fun these races could be. Although never a runner, she agreed to do it. We’ll be going at the 13.1 miles side by side and in our fabulous Disney princess costumes. Read More »

Lying to other people…psh, that’s easy (hehe). But lying to ourselves–that’s when life gets a little bit difficult. Face it, life is full of moments when we have to do things we don’t really want to do. But these things are all a means to an end, and so we spruce up the truth to ease the pain.

1. Losing my v-card was awesome. Oh really? So was the first time I broke my arm.

2. If I eat these cookies now, I’ll just skip lunch. But I’m hungry for lunch…so I’ll just skip dinner. Okay, I’ll only have one slice of pizza instead of two for dinner. Or…skip dessert?

3. Running is fun. Running is fun. Running is so, so terrible. Running is fun.

4. I totally study better after a few drinks. I mean, I’m way more enthusiastic about the subject after I hit up a few bars. Wait, when is the test again? What subject? Read More »

Mosquitoes just love some stanky feet

Eat more to lose weight? Yes, please!

The best times to work out, eat, exercise and more

Get 11 dermatologist-approved tips for great skin

Make a super smoothie to boost your metabolism

Dress up your salad with healthy, homemade blueberry balsamic

Tips for a toned tummy and tush

Do you know these 25 super foods?

Finally a running guide for beginners!

Find out the best and worst ice creams for your summer diet

12 ways to stay active when oppressive summer heat un-motivates you

Start cutting calories and saving money!

5 things that could be making you fat

Yesterday, I ran the infamous Bay to Breakers 12K. It was an amazing event and the energy level was off the charts! There were tons of costumed runners (and un-costumed ones as well, if you get what I’m saying), the weather was beautiful and everyone was just so happy and excited to be there. Including me. I will never get bored of running the city.

My official finish time was 1 hour and 17 minutes, which is pretty awesome. Especially when you consider what was going on in my life leading up to race day.

For the past few weeks and even months, I have been bombarded with finals and papers and work and group projects, all of which didn’t allow me enough time to properly train. I mean, the last run I did was a 2-mile warm up the week before. And my last run before that? [Crickets.] I honestly can’t tell ya. As I lined up yesterday morning to run, I felt completely unprepared. In fact, I even woke up late (don’t ask). My body was in full stress mode just moments before embarking on this 7.45 mile race.

I crossed the finish line (go me), but as soon as I did, I knew the day would be painful. Like, really painful. No one’s body can take that sort of stress without being properly trained! I ended up walking another 3-4 miles that day (why not?) and when I got home, I passed out. I woke up feeling like an old woman, with body pains everywhere (including places I didn’t even know existed). Between my lack of training before the race and my lack of proper stretching after, I was completely tense and, in all honesty, a total mess.

And that’s where today’s life lesson is comin’ in: the post-workout recovery. It’s important. Really, really important. Even if you feel totally fine after a trying workout or a long run, your body needs to recover. And you need to allow it to do so. With these 3 steps: Read More »

It’s strange, but for some reason spending 45 minutes on the elliptical feels unnatural when the weather starts warming up. It’s like lying in a tanning bed when it’s 80 degrees and sunny outside.

Clearly, I’ve already grown tired of my normal workout routine for the year.

The solution? Exploring outdoor activities that will provide me with a sense of adventure as I tone up. Now you may be wondering, “Hmm, is there really anything fun out there that will burn lots of calories?” I felt the same. But the reality is, YES, YOU ABSOLUTELY CAN! Check out these options below. Read More »

If you take a stroll around my city, you’ll see girls and guys alike donning short shorts and track jackets, music a-blastin’ from their iPods. They’re only participating in the latest craze we like to call running. If you haven’t joined the club, now is the best time to do so! Why?

1. Nothing feels better than setting a goal of 5K, 10K, half or even a full marathon…and actually finishing it. Talk about extreme motivation.

2. Trying to get that 6-pack to peek through? Running has amazing cardio benefits that’ll shed an extra layer of fat.

3. You don’t need equipment. Just your fave pair of running shoes and you’re good to go.

4. The running community is extremely supportive. There are fun runs almost everywhere! Check out places like Sports Basement, Lululemon Athletica or Nike.

5. Runner’s high! It exists, trust me. Read More »

It’s hard to believe when you’ve got snow melting into your Uggs, but Spring Break is just around the corner. For me, a girl who has a countdown to the next Spring Break starting the day Spring Break ends, that news couldn’t be better. But for those of you who are having that “OMG I HAVE TO BE IN A SWIMSUIT IN 6 WEEKS?!” meltdown, this is less than a pleasant realization.

If you fall into the latter category, you’ve probably gone into workout/diet overload.

“I’m going to exercise every day and eat salad for breakfast/lunch/dinner so I can look like a Vicky Secret model in Cancun!!”

Optimistic? Yes.
Realistic? Uh, are you kidding?

Our society has always had this huge obsession with quick fix diets and weight loss plans. Unfortunately, they don’t work. The truth is, there’s no one thing to eat or one exercise to do in order to get your dream body. And all those plans that promise you to “lose 10 pounds in 10 days!” might work, but they’re not permanent and they’re definitely not healthy. So if you’re trying to get 6-pack abs and thighs that don’t touch by the time you’ve got to wiggle into that bikini in March, stop. It’s not gonna happen.

Instead, let’s work together to set some more realistic fitness goals that you can actually attain between now and the 24/7 happy hour we like to call Spring Break. Read More »

She works out 6 days a week. She avoids the dessert buffet in the cafeteria. Her favorite hobbies on Facebook include running, yoga and lunges (and do not include brownies, TV marathons or couch time). She has magazine subscriptions to Shape and Self and her bookshelf looks like one you’d see in Jillian Michaels’ home library.

And you have no freaking clue what to get her for the holidays. I mean, carrots are a bad gift idea, right? And you know she needs a new sports bra, but that would be weird…

Worry not, young lass. Here are 9 gifts that are sure to tickle your health freaky friend’s fancy. 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, Melanie is putting her health first and going to the gym....every day....without excuses. We watched her suffer through her first week, breeze through week 2, and work her way through major obstacles in week three. So how did it all turn out in the end?]

After dealing with the turmoil of a breakup, the impending holiday season, the bitter cold and the death of my beloved aunt, the only thing getting me through were my workouts. That’s right, while the rest of the world was going for pumpkin pie, I was skipping dessert and smashing up the elliptical. While everyone threw elbows at their local Target, I was throwing punches (Jillian Michaels style) on the treadmill.

All I can say is: I did it.

Yes, I slipped up last week. But you know what, I pulled through. Even through the holiday season when my plans inexplicably brought me to my relatives in Ohio, I was blessed with a 24 hour gym in my Cleveland hotel. And you know what? I felt amazing skipping the pie and busting my ass on the elliptical. Granted, it might not have been the most fun or indulging holiday, but I felt ten thousand times better skipping out on the alcohol fest of “Thanksgiving Eve” or the “drinking to make my relatives seem normal” tradition of Thanksgiving itself. I burnt off my aggression about my break up, my sadness about my lost aunt and the general grief that this season brings me.

This month challenge has truly inspired me in many ways. Although it seemed like an arduous task at first, I really feel that I gave 100% of myself into this and I want to keep going. From this day on, I want to continue my high-energy motivation for the gym. Albeit, now that I’m not documenting every moment in time of this journey, I will take some time off once a week to rest. I’m allotting 5-6 days at the gym for Gym-cember (doesn’t have as catchy of a ring to it, does it?) and going to keep pushing myself. I do know that 7 days is too much for my body to handle at this point and I deserve a day off instead of just feeling crushing guilt when I skip. Read More »