Quad Day Color Run!

Yesterday, my school had a campus wide "Quad Day" complete with inflatable amusements, free food (Cherry Berry FroYo and Chipotle!) and a Color Run 5k! It was so fun! I ran the 5k with one of my suite mates, Amanda. We ran an 8:17 pace. Not bad for someone who usually runs 9:30 on her own. Since it was more of a fun run than an actual we race, we kept it comfortable and ran it easily. Amanda is a varsity cross country/track athlete on campus, so she definitely had to slow it down for me, but I appreciated her company nonetheless.

The Color Run was so much fun! I'd been wanting to do one for so long and I even thought about doing one over the summer, but I never got the chance. So when I heard that my school was going to be hosting their own color run, naturally I jumped on the opportunity. I showed up about a half an hour early so that I could get a free t-shirt. I didn't even have to pay a registration fee! They didn't throw color around during the race, but we were bombarded with colored powder at the finish. After we finished everyone was given a few bags of the color powder and we just attacked each other with it. It was so much fun! I got so many pictures!

     

My shoes are currently unrecognizable because of all the powder on them. But I Clorox wiped the crap out of them so they're slowly returning to their normal appearance as they dry.

Left Shoe = Cleaned Shoe; Right Shoe = Post Color Run

Anyways, even if you don't like running, I would strongly recommend doing some sort of fun run. There are tons of different theme runs, like the Color Run, various mud and obstacle course runs, not mention costume runs. Many of these types of runs have 5 and 10k options. Participating in fun runs makes running more enjoyable, even for people that don't typically take pleasure in it. They also take away any pressure to run super fast or even to run the entire thing. If you need to walk, that's fine because tons of people are probably walking, just like you. Everyone just does these types of events for fun. It's a great and supportive environment. So if you currently hate running but think you might be interested in trying to get into it or if you just want to participate in a fun run, I'd encourage you to sign up for a Color Run! It's super fun and, of course, crazy colorful!

After all the colorful festivities

What's the most fun race/event you've ever done?

Eating Healthy in the Cafeteria

Four weeks into the semester and I'm already sick of cafeteria food. Everyday is the same old same old; there's always pizza that's WAY too greasy, pasta with fattening sauce, and, of course, the entrée made of mystery meat and pickles. On occasion, the main food bar in my school's cafeteria serves something worthwhile and delicious (well, delicious by Sodexo standards), but for the most part, the food they serve on campus isn't quite up to par, especially when it comes to eating healthy.

Being on a college meal plan doesn't exactly leave a lot of room for pickiness. I try my darnedest to eat healthfully on a regular basis, but I'll admit that I cave to cafeteria pizza and the occasional cone of Froyo. Well, I'm tired of feeling guilty every time I eat in the cafeteria, so today's post is all about to eat healthy on campus.

For starters, when eating in the cafeteria, make sure to look around at ALL the options. I usually go straight to the vegetarian section, but if the vegetarian/vegan entrée doesn't look appetizing, I'll look around at all the other food bars. If all else fails, I'll just have soup (I stay away from the thick, creamy soups) and some hummus with pita bread. That's a pretty safe way to do things. We also have a make-your-own salad and sandwich bar in my school's cafeteria. There's almost always spinach at the salad bar and an abundance of vegetables, dressings (go for a non-fat vinaigrette), and other salad/sandwich toppings, so of course making your own salad or sandwich has the potential to be the healthiest option in the cafeteria.

Most colleges and universities have plenty of dining options outside of the traditional cafeteria. For example, beneath the cafeteria at my school, there's a small restaurant area that has Subway, Starbucks and Chipotle style dining along with an international cuisine line and a separate soup and salad line. So far, I've tried everything except the soup and salad bar. When getting something from a food line that doesn't allow you to serve yourself, it's best to choose an option with a lower fat content and load it up with fruits and/or vegetables and, of course, guacamole and hummus are never bad toppings. :) Of course, you can always choose to stay in and make your own food. When I eat in my dorm, I like to make oatmeal topped with fruit and cinnamon or I'll have some hummus with carrots and wheat thins.

I'll admit that eating on campus or in the dorms, especially when everything is self-serve, makes it harder to control portion sizes. To keep myself in check, I record everything that I eat on Map My Run.  That way I'm less likely to eat to crappy foods or even overeat the healthy stuff, because I hate having to own up to three servings of chips or a large bowl of ice cream. I also track my workouts on so I can compare my calorie intake to the amount of calories I burn.

These are just a few tips to eating healthy on campus, most of which I'm sure you already knew. I'll probably have another post on more healthy campus options in the near (or not so near) future.

What healthy options do you have on campus?

Monday Hits Hard

After a long weekend of sitting around, reading and enjoying the start of the Packer football season, Monday hit me like a brick wall. I woke up this morning feeling as though I could've slept the whole day through. I made my way to my 9 am class sluggishly and felt groggy and spacey throughout the entire period. Now, I'm not really a morning person to begin with, but 9 is a pretty good time for me. I can wake up, eat, brush my teeth and head to class feeling energized and ready for the day, but today I was NOT feeling it.

As soon as I got back to my dorm I headed straight for my bed and crashed for a couple of hours. When I woke up, I felt as though I hadn't gotten any more rest. In my free time after my nap, I just couldn't bring myself to do a workout, even though I knew that I needed one. Instead, I cleaned my room and decided to catch up on some homework readings.

I could go on more about how I was tired and sulked my way through the day, but you guys really don't need to hear me complain. The point is that life happens. Some days (especially Mondays) hit you hard and make you feel like the only thing you can do is sleep and sleep and sleep. Sometimes, you just need those days. Take a nap, give yourself a rest day, eat some ice cream or a slice of pizza, and let the day pan out the way it's supposed to. And you don't have to punish yourself about eating some junk food or not working out. The next day will be better. Nobody can be perfect at all, let alone 100% of the time.

That being said, we can't let everyday get to us. We can't make excuses for our laziness everyday, but it's ok to let that happen every once in a while. So, in short, I did not have the most health happy day today, but I know that tomorrow will be better. I'm not letting my one day setback bother me. I'll just kick my butt into gear tomorrow and just keep swimming. :)

School Year Kickoff

As the regular NFL season begins, so does the academic year. Friday I finished up my second week of my sophomore year of college. Since I've been on campus I've gone on approximately 6 runs, 10 bike rides, 1 swim, and have made several trips to the on campus gym. I have taken only two rest days and I feel better than ever. Thursday, I joined my friends for a bike ride uptown where there was a "Light the  Night" event where everyone biked uptown for free bike tune-ups, LED bike lights, live music and free food. The key word in all of that was "free." I love free things! It was a really fun event and the band was great! I should try and find out who they are.

As you can see, Kirsten and I were the only ones concerned for our safety. ;)

Live Band at Light the Night

While the workout scene at school has been pretty dandy, the cafeteria has not been on a winning streak as far as the food goes so I've mainly been eating my own food. That's not for lack of options, though. Over the summer, my school spent over a million dollars renovating the "Underground" (the area underneath the cafeteria) putting in hardwood floors, granite countertops, a soup and salad bar, sub shop and an international cuisine food bar. There's also a Starbucks-esque café, complete with a Freshens frozen yogurt stand (I treated myself to my favorite peanut butter protein shake the other day). Not to mention the Titan bar and grill on the other side of campus that we can eat at.

Aside from the food, though, the first couple of weeks on campus have been pretty good. I love all of my classes so far, though I'm still waiting for a couple of books to arrive. My teacher's aid job has started as well and working with all the little children makes me so happy! I just know that this is going to be a great year!

More pictures, posts, and stuff about health and fitness to come, but for now, I'm going to watch the first regular season Packers' game of the season! Go Pack Go! ;)

Thirsty Thursday IS a Thing.

For all of you who haven't started college yet or for those of you who have but have not yet had the pleasure of living across the street from a frat house, I can tell you that "Thirsty Thursdays" are officially, a real thing. At about midnight last night, raging music started blaring from the Sigma Chi house across the street. People were yelling, or at least talking really loudly, and there were lights shining all over the house. Lucky for me, I was laying in bed, listening, before giving up any hope of sleep and writing this post.

Not to be a cynic or a party pooper or anything, but I've never understood the appeal of "Thirsty Thursday". Don't you have homework to do? Don't you still have another day of classes, and lectures, and paying attention and taking notes? Why would you want to get trashed the night before only to feel hungover and sluggish during your classes the next day? Maybe it's okay on the weekends when you can spend the rest of your time lounging around and sleeping in. I don't know. I'm definitely not judging anyone that partakes in this weekly "holiday." I just don't get it. Whatever floats your boat, I guess. Who says you can't have fun before the weekend? And for those of you who can get through a full day of classes like a pro the day after a night of drinking, I take my hat off to you. I know I definitely couldn't.

I hoping tomorrow's post will be more upbeat, once I've had about twice as much sleep.

Home Suite Home

Well, school has officially started now and I am finally completely moved in and readjusted to on campus living. This year I'm living in a suite with seven other girls. There's no kitchenette but there is a nice living area where we all hang out, have [health] food parties ;), girls nights, and watch football on our big screen TV. It's a pretty good arrangement.

Reunited...at Cornfest. (I'm not in the picture)

Several of the girls living in my suite are varsity student athletes and had to arrive to campus a few weeks early to begin training with their respective sports teams. A couple of other girls are theatre majors and needed to be here a few days early for the semester's auditions. Everyone else moved on the first available move in day for normal students...except for me. I waited until the last possible day to move in because, although I tried to make it otherwise, I was not prepared to head back. The week leading up to move in day was hectic. Just when I thought I had gotten everything packed and bought everything I needed for my new living arrangements, I would remember something else that I had forgotten and still had to get. So naturally, I waited until there could be no more waiting before I shoved all my belongings into the back of my van and headed off for campus.

My van was stuffed nearly to the ceiling!

Since I was the last one to arrive to my new university home, I was bombarded with excited, girly, greetings from all my friends/suite mates. I walked in to find my room already set up nicely (courtesy of Kara, the best roommate ever!), a "welcome home" sign scribbled on the suite whiteboard, and several pieces of my artwork from my May term class hanging in the living room.

Suite (sweet) friends!

After my parents and I unloaded the van and got my room somewhat organized, we headed to dinner at  Tobin's, a local pizza joint near campus that has been around since the 60's! It still serves it's original pizza and has that old town, close community feel to it. When we finished up, my parents took me to Target to grab a few last minute groceries, then we said our goodbyes and I returned to my suite to relax and finish my unpacking.

Dorm room kitchen, complete w/ the Easy Mac essentials.

I'm really looking forward to this year and the new experiences and healthy inspiration it will bring me. Hopefully I'll be a more consistent blogger, too. I guess only time will tell. For now, though, just keep swimming. :)