Hey collegiettes! I took my first final today– yay Chemistry! While I think I ended up doing alright on the exam, I am so glad to be done with that subject for at least a few months. I’m not gonna lie though, with all the studying and stress, eating right and exercising has been tough. I’ve been a little bit of a hypocrite by not following my own tips for staying healthy during finals week. There is WAY too much free food being given out at my school during this time: donuts and cookies in the library, late night ice cream sundaes in the cafeteria, pizza and snacks on my floor– I can’t resist it all! Even though I always feel guilty when I veer off the diet, it’s important to remember that one day of poor eating cannot make you overweight, just like how one day of healthy eating cannot make you lose weight! It’s all a process, and one slip-up does not mean you all of a sudden have to revert back to old unhealthy ways. Just pick yourself right up, and tell yourself you can do it! Remind yourself of all the reasons why you want to lose weight to motivate yourself to keep powering through!
Saying no to temptations is tough, especially during finals week when there is so much else on your mind. Here are some of my favorite apps that can help me stay on track with both diet and exercise:
- MyFitnessPal– I love this app for calorie counting! Counting calories can be dangerous because you do not want to become obsessive, however I like to monitor my daily calorie intake just to give me a ballpark of how I’m doing. Little snacks here and there add up quickly, so recording them helps me see how much they affect my total number of calories. No matter how much you may exercise, in the end, in order to lose weight you must burn a significant amount of calories compared to the number you are consuming (For references, 3,500 is a pound). What’s also great about this app is that you can record your cardiovascular activity, and it will tell you approximately how many calories you have burned based on your current weight and the duration of your exercise. It also gives you daily recommendations for the number of grams of fat, carbs, and protein you should be consuming!
- DietBet– The DietBet bet app lets you access your diet bet game on the go! Check out round two for our Lose the Freshman 15 game here! What’s great about the DietBet app is that it makes weighing in and sending photos a whole lot easier because you can access it all on your phone. You can post comments throughout the day about your exercise and eating updates! Plus you can connect it with your Facebook or Twitter account if you’d like.
- RuntasticPRO– Love this app because it tracks your activity, from running to cycling to skiing to crossfit training, you can record it all. I personally use it most for when I go on runs. The GPS and map function lets me monitor where I am going and allows me to try new routes, which is especially helpful in college! Since I don’t know the area too well, it’s nice to have that security of the map. The app also tracks my total distance, my pace, calories burned, and other statistics.
These apps are just three of my favorites. Download an app this week! Tell me what you like! Honestly, there is such a wide variety of apps out there that can fulfill anyone’s needs. They can help provide you with workouts, track your workouts, log your workouts– basically can do everything for you except complete your actual workout! Now that’s up to YOU! I know this time of year is tough, but we all can get through it! If it happens that you gain a few pounds back, don’t fret. You can just get right back on track after all the stress is over! For me, I will be done on Friday when I take my Economic exam. From now until then, I have to finish two papers, and then I’m done with my freshman year, which is just so crazy to me. I can’t believe it’s over, just like how I can’t believe this program is almost over either!
Let’s finish it off strong!
Until Friday (when I’ll be done with school– ahhhhhh!!)
xoxo
Nicole