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Wellness > Health

Lose the Freshman 15: Taking a Day Off

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I should probably stop signing up to do crazy things while I’m on this diet. I’ve already run a half marathon, spent a week on a cruise and now I’m doing something even crazier, as I am in the midst of standing for 26.2 hours straight.
 
At least it’s for the kids, though.
 
dancemarathonAs I write this, I am currently partaking in the largest student-run philanthropy in the southeast. It’s called Dance Marathon, and I, along with 800 other University of Florida students, have chosen to spend our weekend inside, standing for 26.2 hours in an effort to raise money for Shand’s Hospital and the Children’s Miracle Network of Gainesville, Florida.
 
We stand for that long to symbolize both the physical and emotional challenges that patients at Shands Children’s Hospital at UF experience every day. It’s an exhausting weekend, but it’s for a good cause.
 
And because everything that I do today is for the kids, I am declaring today a free day – a day free from diet and exercise.

I bet you didn’t realize how difficult it is to watch what you eat when you’re standing for 26.2 hours straight and continuously so hungry that you’ll eat whatever’s placed in front of you. It’s actually one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do – not just the standing part, but the food monitoring, too.

So I’m not doing it. 
 
psfilters1But I promise that I’m not going to completely blow off my diet, because it’s ingrained in me at this point. I’m not going to be eating candy bars and fast food all day, but I’m also not going to be counting my calories either.
 
And I’m okay with that.
 
I’ve worked really hard these last few weeks, and I deserve a day off. Especially on a day when I need to eat as much food as possible to keep my energy levels up in order to keep myself awake through the wee hours of the morning.
 
But, I’m anticipating that all of the standing and moving around that I’ll be doing will help me burn off any of those unnecessary calories that I’ll be eating throughout the day, night and early morning. Because I really will be dancing for all 26.2 hours. 
 
I’ve got a long, long night ahead of me, but I’m just keeping in mind that it’s all for a good cause. And I may be taking the day/night off from my diet, but everyone deserves a break now and then, right? 

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Sara Kaner
Sara Kaner was born and raised in Santa Barbara, California and first fell in love with journalism as a freshman in high school thanks to her wonderful Intro to Journalism teacher. A family move brought her to Fort Myers, Florida the summer after her freshman year of high school, but she continued to pursue an interest in journalism. She is in her second year at the University of Florida and is pursuing a dual degree in Public Relations and Psychology. She is heavily involved on the UF campus and dedicates most of her time to her various organizations and to her friends. She loves people, magazines, sports and social media, and she hopes to combine all three in her job someday. For now, she aspires to attend Law School and specialize in Media Law. She secretly aspires to be Chelsea Handler, but she's happy being herself for the moment, just as long as she can lose the freshman 15 this semester.