Caitlin O’Keeffe’s new blog combines the expertise of a chocolate lover and a fitness enthusiast. Continue to read Caitlin’s blog to find tips on how to get healthy.

Hello!

My name is Caitlin, and if there’s one thing you should know about me, it’s that I believe in sweat and sweets. Together, we’re going to take this school year by storm and give LMFAO something to sing about.

This blog is a chronicle of one chocolate lover’s quest to achieve the perfect balance of success, sanity and silliness. I’ll be your personal trainer at the gym, yelling that my grandmother warms up with double of what you’re lifting, as well as your nutritionist, encouraging you to grab an apple during the afternoon. But, I’ll also be your best friend who helps you get through midterms with your wits because I know you can, and I’ll be the spiritual guide who gives you a piece of cake just when all hope seems lost. I can promise that our journey will be worth it, but I can’t promise it will always be easy.

Now onto my first blog post!

In a word, summer is awesome. Not only is the season itself awesome, but I feel awesome during it. I’m well rested, I’m tanned (well, my Irish skin never fully manages to graduate from the “off-white” stage), and I’m in shape.

On the other hand, the school year can be the opposite of awesome. I get minimal sleep, need some form of foundation to hide a translucent complexion and I am tempted to trade my Olympian inspired training regimen in for that of a champion hot dog eating competitor’s.

But the school year doesn’t have to be the opposite of awesome! Besides the perks the school year provides (such as seeing friends every day or writing for WSPN), there are conscious choices you can make to reduce stress. Make the choice not to torture yourself. The homework’s already doing that job for you.

I know you want to maintain your beach body, but I also know you’re eyeing the cookie jar. Speaking from experience, starving yourself of fatty goodness will lead to a late night carb binge, which lands you back at square one. If you want to moderate yourself, don’t have dessert at every meal and don’t super-size it. The cake will taste just as good even if you only eat half a piece. How much is too much, you ask? Well, if your hand won’t come out of the cookie jar after you’ve ventured into it, then you’ve eaten too much.

Not torturing yourself goes for the gym as well. Working out won’t be as effective if you don’t want to be there, so find something you love! I personally enjoy an intense strength and conditioning routine followed by cardio, but I know better than anyone that this isn’t for everybody. For every mile I’m running at the gym, I know my sister is consuming that many ounces of potato chips at home (but somehow doesn’t gain a pound, bless her soul).

There are other exercise alternatives to a classic run on the treadmill for both the novice fitness practitioners to the gym rats who just want to break up their routine. Grab a schedule of the classes your gym offers, and just try new things out until you find something you like. (Don’t belong to a gym? Look up videos on YouTube, or hulu) I go to a hot yoga class every week, but I’d recommend a Zumba class for anyone looking for lighter fare or just a good time. You have to have a good sense of humor about yourself, but if you bring a friend, you’ll work up a sweat and build some core muscles from all that laughing.

Cha-ching.