Do you ever wonder how much you’re really improving every time you head out for a run or go to the gym? Or maybe you’re trying to make fitness a bigger priority, but have trouble designing workouts and keeping track of your progress? Luckily, in our time of internet and smartphones, there’s an app for that.

Check out this list of fitness websites and apps that will help you keep track of workouts and nutrition, and inject a little social media flavor into your exercise routine.

1. Fitocracy

The idea behind this brand new website is to turn fitness into a game. Using Fitocracy, you can record workouts, including everything from running to weightlifting to classes like yoga and Pilates. You earn points for each workout, and advance through different levels. Every so often, reaching a new level unlocks a challenge, which could earn you major bonus points. And it’s a competition – you’ll be able to see how you measure up to all Fitocracy users, or people of your gender, age or area. You can also connect with friends, to compete against them and form groups. Visit the Fitocracy website to request an invite.

2. Nike+

This running-focused website will help you analyze your runs like you never have before. You will need to buy some Nike+ gear to record data as you run, but you can also make use of some gadgets that you may already have, like an iPhone, iPod touch or iPod nano. You can use these devices to run Nike+ apps that will give you GPS coordinates and details such as how fast you’re going and how long you’ve been running. Once your run is over, you can download all this information onto Nike+ and compare runs, set goals and choose training programs. You can also connect with Facebook, so your friends can cheer you on as you run.

3. DailyBurn

This website and its wide range of accompanying apps will help you keep detailed records of your workouts and nutrition. DailyBurn will also give you thorough progress reports, and help you set up training programs. You can download apps that will make it easy to record your meals and workouts on the go – there’s even an app that will record all the nutritional data of the food you’re eating, and all you have to do is scan the bar code. Constant fitness advice from professionals is available on the DailyBurn blog, and you can encourage and challenge your friends to get fit together.

4. ZOMBIES, RUN!

This game doesn’t quite exist yet, but having earned $72,627 of its $12,500 goal on Kickstarter, it’s safe to say that this is a fun idea that’s going places – literally. Like Fitocracy, ZOMBIES, RUN! aims to turn fitness into a game, but think more Angry Birds than King of the Gym. ZOMBIES, RUN! will immerse you in an audio zombie apocalypse environment, and when you go out on a run in the real world, you will be collecting ammo, medicine, and other tools to help you survive. The game will also record stats such as calories burned, time, pace, and distance, to help you track your real world runs while you destroy zombies.

[There are over 100 million sites on the Internet. 100 million! You might think you know about all the important ones (CollegeCandy, Gmail, Google, Facebook…), but there are thousands of other sweet sites out there (like Spreezio, Teach Parents Tech and We Are Hunted) and more showing up every day! We get it – it’s not easy or fun sifting through the crap and porn to find those gems, so we’re gonna bring the gems to you. Just sit back, kick up those feet and allow us to introduce you to the diamonds in the internet rough.]

Every time I try to plan drinks with my friends, it seems as if we always end up going to the same places. I’d love to try somewhere new, but it’s difficult if you haven’t been to a particular bar before and you don’t know what kind of specials they offer (we’re college students — cheap drinks are a priority)! But all that’s no longer a problem, thanks to DrinkOwl!

DrinkOwl is a handy website that shows you all the drink specials in a local area, listed out on a map, making it super easy to read about and locate bars. Click on a bar for more info, including the address, operating hours, website and the day-to-day specials.

While all that is awesome, what really makes DrinkOwl great is that it allows you to sort through drink specials by type of drink, so you can find a bar that’s offering deals on exactly what you’re thirsty for — whether it’s beer, wine, liquor or mixed drinks. That’s amazing!

And even if you’re already out, DrinkOwl can help you find the next place to stop with their handy iPhone app, which works just like the website by using your GPS location to find drink specials nearby.

One of the best things about DrinkOwl is that it’s still growing, so new bars and specials are being added all the time! Check back often for new additions, and you can even help DrinkOwl  grow by sending in any drink specials you know about!

Next time my friends and I are stumped about where to go for drinks, I’ll turn to DrinkOwl for inspiration!

Before I going to a restaurant or bar that I’ve never been to before, I always like to check out their Yelp or Citysearch page and read a few reviews to get a feel for the place. And while these sites might give me a good idea of the place’s service, ambiance, or special deals, the reviews don’t always focus enough on what I’m most concerned with — the food.

Unlike other restaurant review sites that review the restaurant as a whole, Foodspotting keeps all the focus on the food. Simply put, Foodspotting is a visual database of delicious dishes at restaurants (and food stands, coffeehouses, bars, ice cream parlors, etc.) near you, uploaded by other Foodspotting users.

When you type a location into Foodspotting, the Google Map at the top of the page will instantly populate with pictures of delicious food in that area, which you can click on for more information. You can also search for a particular type of food (like cupcakes, mac and cheese, or Thai food) to find what you’re craving nearby, or look up a particular restaurant and see what’s been “spotted” there.

But Foodspotting is so much more than just the picture-sharing aspect. By joining Foodspotting and becoming a “foodspotter,” you can share foods you’ve “spotted,” as well as browse what others have added. In addition, you can bookmark foods you want to try by clicking “Want it!” on others’ posts, and vote up food you’ve tried and liked by clicking “Nom it!” There are also expert guides from Travel Channel hosts and food magazines, to help you find recommended foods near you (or to help you plan your next food-centered trip)!

What I like about Foodspotting is that it lets you actually see what the food at a particular place looks like before you get there, because there’s no way to know that just by reading the menu. Plus, you know that if a fellow Foodspotter liked something enough to put it on Foodspotting, you know it’s probably going to be pretty good.

In my exploring on Foodspotting, I’ve discovered a few places near me that I’ve previously driven by without a second glance — now that I’ve seen their food on Foodspotting, I want to give them a try!

People can learn a lot about you from your Facebook profile. By considering your favorite movies, pictures, quotes and the things other people write on your wall, it is quite easy to get a good idea of who you are as a person. And knowing that, many of us are extremely careful about what we throw on there.

And I’m not talking about taking down all those drunk pictures from the Jell-O wrestling tournament so you can get that job with the government you’ve been coveting. I’m talking about leaving those up to show anyone and everyone who is looking that you are one cool girl who happens to enjoy wrestling in gelatin.

Your Facebook picture is especially important. It’s the first thing people see when they look you up, not to mention the fact that it comes up next to every wall post, Facebook message, chat, update, etc., that you do on that damn website. Naturally, you are going to put a lot of thought into your photo of choice. It needs to be a good representation of who you are, be it an artist, a class clown, or any other type of person.

I spend a lot of time on Facebook (is there a 12-step program out there?!) and I’ve noticed that of the 500 million people using the site worldwide, there only 6 basic types of photos that people post on their profile:

[Click on any image to see the gallery!]

[This story was originally posted by Lauren - University of Michigan]

Likey? Don’t worry, there are plenty more faves where this came from.

[There are over 100 million sites on the Internet. 100 million! You might think you know about all the important ones (CollegeCandy, Gmail, Google, Zappos…), but there are thousands of other sweet sites out there (like Go Try It On, Soshiku and Party School Texts) and more showing up every day! We get it – it’s not easy or fun sifting through the crap and porn to find those gems, so we’re gonna bring the gems to you. Just sit back, kick up those feet and allow us to introduce you to the diamonds in the internet rough.]

The school year is almost over, and although summer vacation is right around the corner, the end of the school year also comes with a lot of stress: studying for finals, writing term papers, and (for seniors) graduation.  Thinking about it too much is enough to make anyone depressed.

But dwelling on all the negativity can make you forget about all the really great things that the last few weeks of the semester bring, like year-end parties, no more classes, and beautiful weather.  That kind of thinking is what the new site Life is Beautiful is all about: spreading positivity through the good things in life.

The concept is pretty familiar–Life is Beautiful is basically just F My Life, but in reverse.  Instead of submitting anecdotes about bad things that happen in their lives, users send in stories about the good things that happen (sample post: “Today I found the courage to tell a girl that I like her. Turns out she likes me too. LIB.”)

And like FML, other users of LIB can comment or vote on whether they like the story or not (“I agree, your life is beautiful” or “You totally didn’t deserve that”). It’s a refreshing change to read positive stories that make me smile (and, I’ll admit it, maybe get a little misty-eyed) rather than laughing at other people’s misfortunes (no matter how funny they can be sometimes).

Sometimes, we all just need a little reminder of the things that make life beautiful.

Remember that horrible feeling you would get when you saw your name, terrified to read the comments but also unable to resist it? Remember how happy you were when those years were over and slam books were behind you?

Well, they’re back, they’re online and they’re worse than ever.
And you can create one for yourself?

Welcome to Formspring.com.

Formspring.com was originally made as a website where people could post anonymous questions on a person’s page for them to answer. I’m not sure of the exact reason for creating this site website, or why people would use it, but I’d like to think that it started with innocent intentions; a way for people to find out more about you without having to flat-out ask. However, like most things on the Internet, the site quickly morphed into something else.

Formspring in its current form has become a place where people can talk some major sh*t, and do some completely anonymously. Apparently, once you set up a page on there, you can comment on just about anything without ever having to list who you are. Postings range from actual questions (i.e. the original intentions) to vicious and evil comments (“You’re so fat,” “No one likes you,” “Why are you and your friends so ugly?”). Yeah, it’s bad.

Surprisingly to me, though, thousands of people use this site on a regular basis, even linking to it from their various AIM/Facebook/Twitter messages. And I just don’t get it; they’re basically just begging for people to say horrible and hurtful things about them.

Why!?

Why would people willingly sign up for a site on which they will inevitably receive comments that they don’t want to hear and that will probably make them miserable?  Why would they actively sign up for a service that allows people to say hurtful things about them in the comfortable anonymity the site provides?  Students nationwide were up in arms when Juicy Campus was created, arguing that it was gossip and slander, but now they are out there setting up a similar platform for themselves?!

Recently, a young high school girl in Long Island committed suicide, and friends and family say that the comments on her Formspring were partly to blame for her death. Now, of course, I’m not saying that her Formspring alone made her end her life, because there are many factors that push a person to that point, but  this is a very real example of how hurtful Formspring can be for someone. And for what? What is the point of allowing people to anonymously comment on you and your life? Why do you care what someone has to say unless they can man up and say it to your face?

I’m not saying that everyone’s Formspring is full of bad comments and questions, but plenty of them are, and it’s completely unnecessary. Maybe it’s just me, but I just can’t really see the positive side of this site.

What do you guys think? Do you use Formspring? Would you?

[There are over 100 million sites on the Internet. 100 million! You might think you know about all the important ones (CollegeCandy, Gmail, Google, Zappos, The Weather Stylist…), but there are thousands of other sweet sites out there. And more showing up every day! We get it – it’s not easy or fun sifting through the crap and porn to find those gems, so we’re gonna bring the gems to you. Just sit back, kick up those feet and allow us to introduce you to the diamonds in the internet rough.]

I’ve always been a pretty avid reader, but ever since I started my freshman year of college I’ve found that I don’t get to read (non-school-related books) as often as I’d like to.  Between going to class, working, studying, and still trying to have a social life, there just doesn’t seem to be enough time.

However, thanks to the nifty website DailyLit, I’ve recently found the time to finally read literary classics that I’d always wanted to read but never seemed to have the time for, like Anna Karenina and The Count of Monte Cristo.

DailyLit has made it easy to make reading part of your daily routine, by taking over 1,000 classic and contemporary books (almost all of which are FREE) and breaking them up into easily digestible installments, which users can sign up to receive on a daily basis by e-mail.

How brilliant is that, really?  We all spend hours a day reading e-mail, so now you can incorporate reading books into something that you already do, and you can stop worrying about trying to find time to sit down and open a book.

And it couldn’t be easier: you simply find a book you like, type in your e-mail address, hit “subscribe”, and you’ll start receiving your daily installments.  You can choose the length and frequency of the installment e-mails, so how long it takes you to finish a book is up to you. You can even choose what time a day the email comes, so you can coordinate reading around your schedule! Plus, if you want to finish the book even faster and you have a little extra time, at the end of each e-mail, you can click the “Get the next installment right now” link to have the next installment sent to you immediately.

So while they definitely don’t have everything I’d like to read and there’s still no substitute for curling up on the sofa with a good book (because it won’t burn your legs like a laptop), DailyLit is a great way to get some reading done every day, no matter how busy you are.

[Know of any cool websites? Pass 'em along!]

You know that really annoying friend of yours who feels the incessant need to point out that they were the first to know about a now really popular band? Every. single. time. it comes on the radio?

As annoying as they are, there is something exciting about the knowing of a new band, new clothing brand, great sale, awesome book or recipe, and sharing it with the ones you love. And by ones you love, I mean the ones you go back and forth with right here on the CollegeCandy message boards.

So here’s the deal: every week, we will feature 3 things that YOU think other CollegeCandy readers just have to know about. Anything at all. Nothing is off limits.

This week we’ve got a hot band (that you can officially tell your friends you’ve “been listening to since blah, blah, BLAH”), a great service that’s all about you, and another awesome site that will change your life. Get ready to brag to your friends, ladies, because you are in. the. know.

The Jakes.
I think we all need to send a big “Thanks, Alex!” for writing in to The Know and bringing these 5 pieces of double whammy eye/ear candy into our lives. One listen of their song Cough Syrup and I was hooked. And that says a lot from the girl who usually has to listen to a song 3 or 4 times to really like it. (And those songs are usually by bands like BSB and Destiny’s Child.) And with the first beat of  their jam, Texas Tea, I was already walking with more swagger in my step, more shasay in my bootay, as I walked down the street. True story.

Call it indie-rock, call it good music, call it cute Cali boys who sing until your heart swoons with delight – call it whatever you want. I’m calling it a must add to my iPod before my walk along the lake tonight.

Massage Envy.
The story goes a little something like this: you are sore from a workout, from stress, from watching a marathon of Gossip Girl in some convoluted position on your couch, from wiping out wasted outside the bar last night. Whatever the reason, you could REALLY use a massage. Two problems there: 1) no boyfriend you can withhold sex from in exchange for a massage. 2) A spa is so far out of your budget that you think it’s more likely you will be able to see Russia from your house before you see that amount of cha-ching showing up in your bank account.

But sweat the small stuff no more, because Massage Envy is here to save the day. $49 for the first massage and $59 for every massage after that. They keep it cheap and simple – only massages at this place and nothing else. Massage Envy helps you prioritize yourself and de-stress. You deserve it. And let me tell you, those people have magic hands. For realz.

“With Love” The Blog
Is it just me or does it seem like you are always looking for a gift for someone… and usually have no. idea. what. on earth. to get.?  Your annoying little brother’s birthday, your 6th month anniversary of your first time spooning with your boyfriend on the couch in your best friend’s apartment, your grandma’s bat-mitzvah… 60 years after her 13th birthday.  Well thankfully, there is a girl out there in the blogosphere who is here to answer all of our gift giving needs. “With Love,” has unique gift ideas for every holiday, birthday, I need a gift today-day. No engraved picture frames or money clips here – just unique gifts you can give with love… and without the hours upon hours of coming up with an idea.

Email your “The Know” ideas to Jill@collegecandy.com and I’ll pass them along to everyone right here, right now. Well, not right now, but soon. Like, every Thursday.

I’ve heard of them all: Gilt Group, Hautelook, Rue La La, Ideeli… The exclusive, invite only “sample sale” sites that promise hot labels to a select group of shoppers at a reduced cost. Once you snag an invite, they seem like a win-win, right? Chi-chi clothes at recession prices! But like many things that seem too good to be true, the cons might outweigh the pros.

Love ‘em:
Obviously, there’s the appeal of getting cheap, cute, designer clothes without having to get out of your pajamas. Or bed. A few weeks ago, Hautelook had a Primp boutique and I flipped out. $88 thermal leggings for $20? Perfection. I figure I can wear them for future online shopping, um, trips. I also probably wouldn’t just waltz into Neiman Marcus or Bloomies sans makeup (and chic outfit) just to check out the Chloe dresses or Gucci purses without any intention of making a purchase…but doing so online is totally acceptable!

The sites also feature a large variety of designers. Sure, these sites feature well-known, crave-worthy brands like Marc by Marc, Seven For All Mankind and Oscar De La Renta, but they also have some surprising finds. Rue La La has offered Birkenstock and Lululemon boutiques, Gilt features Rachel Leigh jewelry, and Hautelook highlighted Ecoskin. It really can’t get better than old favorites and new finds.

Last but not least, it brings out your competitive side. Because merchandise supplies are usually pretty low on these sites, when you see something you like you have to snatch it up. Or add it to your shopping cart. Either way, you have to do it and check out before whatever it is you want is sold out. Usually when numbers of certain items are getting particularly low, the stock photo is labeled with a warning: ITEM IN MEMBER’S CART! When you see that, it’s go time. Find your size, select, and buy. I would never grab a top out of someone else’s hands in real life, but online? Okay.

Loathe ‘em:
Like all online shopping, you can’t try stuff on before you buy and there’s usually pretty pricy shipping charges. This isn’t Zappos, chicas! Obviously it helps if you know the brand you’re buying, but that’s not always the case and returns are not easy. And don’t even think about exchanging the same item for a different size. Not going to happen.

Although the sites feature hot brands, styles can be hit or miss. It’s great if you can get a hot pair of jeans or an investment piece, but I don’t get very excited about a designer poncho from 2005. Depending on the boutique, some of the items can be pretty dated or just plain out of style. Plus, there’s a reason that some of these items are on these sites–there was a huge surplus. Case in point: Jon Gosselin Ed Hardy was on Rue La La this spring…

And the emails! So. Many. Freaking. E-mails. These websites send out e-mails not only weekly, but daily. And honestly,  I just do not care about many of the sales some of these sites feature. I’d probably like it if the e-mails highlighted some of the items that would be available in each boutique, but… they don’t. And don’t even try to get me to unsubscribe. I know I could, theoretically, but then I would no doubt miss the reminder that the Vix Swimwear boutique opens at 10AM EST!

So, hate it or love it? I’ve definitely gotten lucky on more than one occasion with these sites, but the majority of the time their e-mails go straight to my trash! What do you think about sample sale sites?

On top of all of that, she’s only 21 and still a student at Northeastern, studying Spanish, Management Information Systems and Finance, currently on internship in NYC doing data analysis for a mega media company. Not to mention, she’s sassy, hilarious and can we say: Coolest. Hair. Ever. When I discovered this girl, I knew I had to bag an interview, so I contacted her via YouTube to grab her attention (don’t laugh). It worked and we quickly began collaborating on this interview, on top of a few other projects in the works. Sarah Merion is an inspiration for college girls who want to be entrepreneurs while still in school and proof that maybe, just maybe, the finance world isn’t as screwed as we thought.

5 Questions We Ask Everyone:

1. What is your most ridiculous college memory/most trouble you’ve ever gotten into?
Haha, no comment. Definitely did not involve me dancing on a bar. Hoo boy.

2. What are five things you can’t live without?
1. MAC foundation.
2. iPhone! Hello Tweetdeck, I love you.
3. Pink and black Herve bag. I seriously carry it EVERY. WHERE.
4. Hanky Panky underwear
5. Classic cherry chapstick. Wait, no! Friends! The TV show. Oh also, vanilla Yoplait light yogurt. And Kashi GoLean. Kashi GoLean Crunch. Grande non fat cappuccino with one Splenda. Shoot, that’s more than five, isn’t it?

3. What’s your motto/advice you live by?
Break the rules.

4. What is your favorite song to belt out at the bar/in the car/for karaoke?
“Take Me Home Tonight” by Eddie Money in the bar, but I’m not gonna lie, once, I rolled the windows up to my car I sang every word to the entire Celine Dion CD. Yes. I know every. Single. Word.

5. Ten years from now you will be….
Skinny. Rich. Married. Kidding! No, I’ll be really fit, not skinny. Kidding aside, I’ll own my own business. Either be a solopreneur or some sort of entrepreneur starting many different companies. I’ll be active in many different philanthropies and I’ll continue spreading my message about social media and inspiring Gen Y.

5 Questions just for Sarah Merion

1. Your motto is “Break the rules.” Now, does that mean break the social norms and go out on a Monday night when you have a final tomorrow or…?
My motto is “Break the rules” because when you break the rules or step outside the mediocre, then you create your own game. No one can beat you when you create your own path. Do something that scares you, make yourself totally uncomfortable. Life doesn’t have to be about the “norms” and staying on path. You will always succeed when you push yourself to go against the grain.

Now, I’m not saying go out and break the law, skip class and be a bum. What I’m saying is, challenge yourself, push boundaries and do something that people might look unfavorably upon. No one ever got noticed by doing what everyone else did. Even though blood and needles terrify me, one day I stopped and thought “Hey, I could be a surgeon” and I seriously thought about it. I realized it wasn’t my calling, but I wanted to because I COULD.

2. You talk about Gen-Y a bunch.What the heck is Gen-Y and what’s their deal?
Gen-Y is our generation, that age range from about 10-25. We are the internet babies in a way. Our biggest problem is that we have big goals and aspirations, but we don’t act nearly enough on it. We’ve been spoiled by the internet and technology and instead of harnessing it for our good, we’ve been expecting instant gratification. They talk the talk but don’t walk the walk.

Gen-Y needs to step it up, break the rules and work hard. We’re in a rough time right now and people have been saying that we won’t be as successful as our parents. That’s a really scary thought. But, we can fix it! Gen-Y can take full advantage of all our opportunities and create their own lifestyle, instead of simply expecting it.

3. How did you get into all of this? What were the obstacles? Did all those super serial Finance major peers think you were nuts?
Honestly, I was just bored one day. I was in school, not working and I just got the itch to do something. I found this guy @LewisHowes on Twitter and he really turned me onto Social Media, we connected and before I knew it I was his assistant. I wasn’t getting paid, but I was getting a ton out of it. He was mentoring me and I began building a network on Twitter. My parents, peers and classmates were appalled. They couldn’t believe I would just work for free.

I started living by “break the rules.” I’d always been very organized and planned everything and all of a sudden I found myself just jumping into the social media world, going against the grain and standards of the “typical” finance student.

At the time, I was in a very competitive program at Northeastern for International Business. This program requires you to both go abroad and study in a foreign language for a semester on top of a six month internship in that company. It’s widely renowned and I was mere months away from going when I started getting into this social media world. I started doing workshops at Northeastern and MIT and eventually wrote the grant to go to SOBCon. After the conference, it was settled. I knew I had to drop out of the IB program and focus my energy on what I was succeeding in. I never regretted my decision to completely switch paths and my successes have proved that it was the right choice.

4. We recently wrote an article about “Facebook bullying.” Since you are such a prominent figure in social media, and also a college girl, what advice would you have for girls about getting attacked through social media (Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, AIM, etc…)?
Not to be a mom, but just ignore it. Don’t engage in the behavior. The other person looks like they’re just talking to themselves. Or, just write an article about it that a ton of people read. Look who’ll be laughing then!

5. You’ve made your professional name through Twitter, LinkedIn and your site. We like to tweet and blog about boys, booze and bathing suits. Are we totally screwed down the line in our professional careers?
Honestly, I started out writing a really racy “Sex & The City”esque blog before I realized how I wanted to make my name. I took it down because I really believe if you don’t want something you write to be on the front page of the paper, then don’t write it at all. I decided to focus on a different area and leave the racy stuff offline.

But no, if you do it the right way, you won’t be screwed. You just need to step back and assess your goals. If you want to be a corporate lawyer, maybe you shouldn’t write about your sexcapades. However, you can be a professional woman and if you’re creative and savvy about it, you can create your own niche and write about whatever you want. Just OWN it.

Thanks Sarah! We’ll keep on blogging about lip gloss then… in a fierce and professional way, of course! Sarah will be attending CollegeCandy’s Cocktail Hour in NYC! Come stop by and say hello!

Melanie currently interning in NYC, taking full advantage of all margarita specials and those blonde summer boys. Stalk her on Twitter: @tinkermellie