Hi All.  My name is Carrie – a recent grad of James Madison University.  I majored in Public Relations with a minor in Writing and Rhetoric.  Now I’m in the real world and loving every minute of it!  I work for O’Keeffe & Company as a PR account coordinator in lovely Old Town Alexandria, and of course blog on the side

I grew up in Fairfax, VA, where shopping, friends, cheerleading, and the outdoors were my life!  I’ve always been active, starting at an early age of 5, where I played softball up until my Junior year of high school, on a travel team as well as the Lake Braddock High School team.  Although my talent was clearly in softball, my passion was Cheerleading.  I cheered for 6 years – I was captain of my high school team and led my squad to several district and regional championships, as well as several runner-up spots at the State Championship in Richmond, VA.

My love for cheerleading continued through my freshman year in college and landed me a spot on the James Madision All-Girl Cheerleading Squad.  During my freshman year (while I wasn’t cheering) I attended the University Recreation Center. Soon after, I started taking Group Fitness Classes and fell in love - I just  knew I had to be a Group Fitness Instructor.  An eight-week course, tryout, and interview later, I was officially part of the JMU Group Fitness Team!  For the next 3 years, I led 17 different classes including yoga, boxing, cycle, and many more.  While teaching, I got to be a fitness role model and cheer on my peers, helping them accomplish their fitness goals.  It was the most fun and rewarding part of my college experience.  Plus I got paid for working out…can’t beat that.

As a group fitness instructor, I got to perform at the 2005 Fitness Expo at Elon University and serv as President two-consecutive years for Peers Reaching Others Through Motion, a program for young children, put together by the group fitness team, to boost their fitness levels and knowledge, as well as increase their self-esteem and establish team-building skills.  As an extreme enthusiast for wellness, I didn’t stop there.  In 2005, I joined REACH, Reality Educators Advocating Campus Health, which allowed me to facilitate interactive programs for college clubs, kinesiology classes, and organizations, as well as middle and high schools across the Harrisonburg, VA community.  The programs delt with alcohol, drugs, eating disorders, sexual abuse, time management, stress management, and any other issues plaguing the young population.  Outside of the health and fitness realm, I was very involved in academics and my sorority, Delta Delta Delta. 

If you can’t already tell, I am a fanatic about eating healthy.  I keep a balance with my diet eating the right amounts of protein, fiber, and carbohydrates.  My favorite foods are pizza and ice cream though so I definitely indulge sometimes!  You have to cheat, right?

 Although I am a health nut, I still live for nights out with friends.  I just don’t over do it.  It’s all about moderation and balance.  So enjoy yourself, but stay healthy while doing it!

I am VERY excited about this website!  Lately, it seems there is nothing, but talk about the latest fad diet, miracle fitness routine, or health gimmick; however, it’s never geared towards college students.  Being a recent college grad and a fan of health and fitness, I know how EXTRA hard staying healthy is in college and after.  College students have homework, classes, friends to make, parties to go to, dining hall goodies to munch on, vending machines in the dorms (my favorite part of dorm life!), and sometimes with time constraints, social pulls, and free food punches,  fitness levels can suffer sometimes.  In the real world of ALL work, NO sleep, it is hard to push yourself to the gym when you could be at happy hour with coworkers or playing with your puppy (like me )  So this is why we have created the college skinny, although no longer just for college students.  It will offer strategies to get around the demanding daily tasks of college and the real-world.  We will offer exercises each week that you can perform at the gym or even in the confinement of your own home, and healthy food and simple recipes to get you through that 3 p.m. slum and spice up your usual cereal on the go.  We we will also cover beauty tips that help your overall health, and other fitness, nutrition, and health trends that pop up as we go.

We’re also going to try something new on the site – adding REAL LIFE to it.  I know most people visiting this site are health gurus like me so they probably can relate to the ups and downs of my life – work, eats, workouts, day-to-day routines, worries, stresses, etc.  All the good stuff – kind of like a diary.  Figure if we add fact with reality…I think people will relate more to me and hopefully feel a bond that will motivate them to jump on the healthy bandwagon.  We will see?!

And always…Giving you the SKINNY on health and fitness…one post at a time. – Carrie