Brit Chick Runs

Hola Cherubs,

Sooo I would write a lovely beautiful post today, about a delightful weekend eating Whole Food’s goodies and being in the sun and eating general yummy foods and having good runs…but NONE of those things have happened!

I actually have been really sick – I came back Saturday from my London blogger meet up feeling achey and tired and not brilliant, then I got really bad in the night. I went to bed with a thick blanket over my quilt and multiple layers cos I was so cold, then woke up an hour later with a raging temperature, sweating like woah, dizzy, headachey, shaking, aching, hot-cold-hot-cold, nauseas, heck I even was sick! It was not a nice night.

I hardly managed to eat anything on Sunday – I was in bed til 12, and managed a 30g bowl of oats and a piece of toast! 10hrs later, I was back in bed.

I feel much better today, but I still haven’t got my appetite back – I had some oats this morning, and 5hrs later still had a nasty stomach ache. Soooo my point is – I have no photos! Instead, I’ll give you another guest post Enjoy!

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Hello Brit Chick Runs readers! I’m Ffion and I blog over at Chocolate and Raspberries. My blogs all about my quest to loose weight healthily, try new and exciting foods, and I’m also trying to fall in love with running!

I’m a chocoholic who loves food in general! I’m slowly learning to swap chocolate, cakes and pizza…

(Yup, there’s A LOT of pizza eating evidence! FYI I still eat these foods, just not as often! I know I can’t go through life never eating pizza again! That would be KERAZZY!)

… for big healthy salads:

And this is making me happy:

Ok this is crazy happy. I also might have been a bit inebriated. That’s not the kind of drinking I’ll be encouraging today!

This is me attempting a normal face… have you noticed yet that I dye my hair lots!?

I’m lucky in that I luurve healthy food just as much as I love unhealthy food! (Possibly I love healthy food that little bit more!) Have I mentioned that I love food? Ha!

Before I get on to my guest post, I’d like to wish Freya luck on all of her exams! I graduated this time last year, and so I know how absolutely stressful it can be! Just breath girl, and you’ll be fine Freya says: Thank you lovely!

It really is such a great opportunity to get to write here, I love this blog! I imagine that everyone who’s reading this post loves reading health food blogs in general and therefore loves food! Talking about it, thinking about it, cooking it and actually eating it. Its something that all of us as part of this little health bloggers community love to do! Some might say we are crazy, but personally I think people who aren’t interested in food are crazy: what’s not to like?! However today I’d like to talk about something that’s even more important than food, or even exercise when it comes to staying healthy: water!

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Yes water. Not really that exciting compared to food with it endless possibilities, but water is SO good for us, and is essential to us living, as well as making sure that we are happy and healthy! I think it’s interesting to note that we could survive without food for much longer than we could survive without water! Here’s a little scientific quote about what water does for us!

Water is vital to many functions in the body. These include maintaining cell structure, forming a solvent within which chemical reactions in the body can take place, physically transporting other nutrients and oxygen through the body via the bloodstream, transporting white blood cells to fight infection via the lymphatic system, and enabling the body to get rid of waste products via the excretory systems, such as through the formation of urine.

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I can see why water is overlooked on healthy eating blogs (and in general): there’s not really that much to say, and its not like you can have an infinite amount of different combinations like you can with food. Water is just water. However since it is so awesome, I would like to dedicate a post to talk about it, and celebrate it, and be mindful of how important it is when aiming to stay healthy!

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According to the UK Food Standards Agency women need about 1.2 liters of water each day. This number varies depending on climate, diet, exercise and body composition. With it being cool in the UK we need less than someone living in warmer climates such as Australia. It is also suggested that we should consume an extra 1 litre of water for every hour of strenuous exercise according to the British Dietic Association. I think that’s good to know!

So here are some facts about water!

• Here is one especially for Freya: water improves concentration! So make sure you keep well hydrated throughout this week!

• Water makes up 70% of the world and 50-60% of our bodies. It really is the elixir of life

• Water makes your skin look better. It flushes out toxins in the body, and it helps carry nutrients to cells, and makes sure that they function properly! Water helps prevent dryness, and it also maintains the elasticity and suppleness of the skin.

• Keeping hydrated is key for runners! It is important to increase water consumption before and after running in order to make sure your body stays hydrated, and therefore performs at its best even when we are running and losing lots of fluids. If you’re not properly hydrated it could stop you achieving your personal best, or even worse, result in illness and injury!

Water is optimum for re-hydrating, but what about coffee, tea, fizzy dinks and fruit juices?

Fruit juices do contain water and are hydrating, but they contain a lot of sugar! I stay clear, and now if I have a sip of orange juice I find it waaay too sweet. Try drinking it half juice and half water, it will help you cut down your sugar intake, and in my opinion it tastes better! You can always work down the concentration by adding a little less juice and a little more water each time! I’d rather eat the fruit and get some extra fibre, yum!

Coffee, tea and fizzy drinks all contain caffeine and are therefore diuretics! This means they make you dehydrated! Here’s some science to back up my point:

Caffeine is a weak diuretic, which means that it stimulates the body to produce more urine than it would if same volume of water was consumed. This can have a dehydrating effect on the body. For example, six cups of coffee per day can result in a 2.7 per cent decrease in total body water.(5) This amount of water loss means that the body is mildly dehydrated and some physiological and performance responses will be impaired.

The extent to which caffeine acts as a diuretic can vary between individuals, and regular caffeine drinkers appear to be less susceptible to the dehydrating effects.(6,7,8)

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I’m not saying that you need to keep away from drinks including caffeine, but just be aware that it is not hydrating you, and that you should drink some water too!

I personally LOVE water. I think it’s my favourite drink. I don’t think anything refreshes you like water does! My number two favourite drink is a good old cup of tea, I suppose being British/Welsh I kind of have to love it! (I know Freya doesn’t like tea, but I am here to share the tea love!) As I stated above tea can dehydrate you due to the caffeine levels. But there are teas that don’t have this issue as they are caffeine free, such as mint and fruit flavoured teas. I have to admit that I am not the biggest fan of fruit flavoured teas: they smell wonderful, but taste of nothing. (There are a few exceptions: usually anything orange, apple and cinnamon flavour I love!).

I do love Mint teas though! I think mint teas are similar to green tea, but SOOO refreshing and fresh tasting! They are also less bitter and therefore so much easier to drink! My number one has to be peppermint tea. If you’ve not tried it already, or are perhaps a bit new to the world of teas, I definitely recommend a peppermint tea! Another favorite of mine is pictured below: fresh mint tea! Just buy some mint, stick it in a mug and top with boiling water!

My top tip for making sure that you have enough water is to keep a water bottle with you at all times, then you’ll never be tempted to get another drink cos you’ll already have one! I recommend investing in a reusable bottle, you’ll be saving the planet, and saving so much money cos your water consumption will be pretty much free! I sit at a desk all day (boo hoo), and so I aim to drink a litre bottle between 9-5, which I think is a good grounding in getting all of my water in! I’ve got a Bobble, which I definitely recommend: it has a filter built in to it and everything! Plus the filters come in different colours, and so every time I change a filter people think I’ve brought a whole new bottle! It’s all about restyling! You could even have a few filters on the go at the same time, and then you could change the filter in order to match your outfit/mood! Amazing!

I know some people don’t like the taste of water (quelle horreur!), so here are a few tips into learning to love it:

• Try adding a few slices of lemon, lime or orange, for some zingy flavour.

• Drink it in tea form! Add in a bag of peppermint tea! You could even make iced peppermint tea, just leave in a pitcher of tea in the fridge overnight, and then add some ice, lovely!

• If you must add some squash, go for the sugar free kind.

• Just do it. Start of with making the effort to drink one glass, and then increase the amount you drink. Make it seem more special by adding ice and a straw, and serving it in a nice glass.

You know what, all this talk about water is making me very thirsty! I’m going to pop the kettle on. I suggest you do too

If my craziness hasn’t scared you off, be sure to check out my blog over at Chocolate and Raspberries !

Lookey who I found today!

Yessss, that was my exciting thing I had planned today! Gabriela of Une Vie Saine fame, and Carrie off of Moves n Munchies! Gabriela has been on holiday in London the past week, so we had to meet up – I met her last year at the Healthy Living Summit, and she’s still just as lovely! As is Carrie! I can’t wait for many more meet ups in the future.

We met up at Saf, which is a vegan & raw restaurant on the top floor of the Kensington Whole Foods (pretty ideal right?). We started off with schmancy green and orange juices:

I haaad:

Saf’s Super Green
Cucumber, spinach, kale, apple, lemon, celery and Pure-XP Super foods

It was green, for sure! Very tasty though – I certainly felt superfooded-up after…

We didn’t actually order a starter..yet somehow the waiter thought we did, and brought over this:

Saf Cheese Trio
Three different cashew cheeses served with grapes, homemade jam and raw flaxseed crackers

The cheese was in there somewhere!!

For mains, Carrie had:

Saf Burger
Seasonal vegetable patty, sliced gherkin, grilled onion and tomato fig jam in whole meal burger bun

That!

And Gabriela and I both had this:

Rustic Farinata
Slow roasted seasonal vegetables and mushrooms in a home-made chickpea crepe topped with a tarragon aioli

SO good.

We then wondered round WFs for a while, as foodies do, and then went our separate ways. It was lovely seeing them!! It’s hard to explain, but I feel so much more relaxed and ‘me’ when I’m around fellow food bloggers – it’s like a connection we have. There’s never awkward silences, just awesome talk all the time! I soo need to move to..well, anywhere nearer some bloggers!

Aside from the lunch date, I also:

Did a FABULOUS 8 mile run in the morning! NO pain, lots of hills, and an 8.22 pace, meaning I finished in 1hr06. I was thrilled! I started off slower, with a 9.06 mile, and gradually increased until my last mile was 7.45. I finished feeling strong and confident; just how running should make you feel.

After that, it was a super quick shower, breakfast and get ready, so I could be on the 10.06am train to London. London itself was HEAVING; a) engineering works (whhhhy!!??), b) a Saturday, c) bank holiday weekend, and d) some stupid massive football game (Champion’s League?), equating to 60,000 extra folk in London – the majority of them being loud males yelling football chants…fun. It took a looooong time to get to Kensington today, that’s for sure!

On the way home, I started to feel really quite ill; this past week has been CRAZY – 5.5hours sleep every night, 22 miles ran, study done aaaall the time, 4 exams, and becoming 21 on Friday. Tough week, and I think it caught up with me on the way back. My whooole body aches, I’m headachey, sensitive skin…heck, I even ate my (WFs’ salad bar) dinner an hour earlier than normal, in prep for an early bed time!! I reaaaally hope I’m not ill: Hold out Mrs Body, just FOUR more days and ONE more exam to get through!!!!

Gah.

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Now, howz about some random foodie eats from the time I’ve been gone!? You know you want them (or maybe you don’t, but I’m gonna show you anyway :-p):

If memory serves, I felt incredibly hungry a mere 1.5-2hrs about that banana chia pudding – further proof that chia pudding and me do not get along!

Pumpkin and I, on the other hand? Why, we get along swimmingly!

KittyCats, to break up the food photos…..

Swweeeet!

Those are weird. Their outing is kinda like a crispy shell….really odd…

More coffee. I have drunk a LOT of coffee this past week! I even made my mamma buy me some straws so my teeth won’t stain :-p

Tempeh with hemp seeds – SO good! For once, a tempeh block that didn’t crumble apart!! One was impressed.

Sweet taters, parsnips…

…you know how it goes.

BLENDS!

I’ve been on a cooked oats-left-to-go-cold-overnight-and-blended kick

OOHH! And the world’s most anti-oxidant packed smoothie known to humanity:

Mixed frozen deep coloured burries with spinach! Does it get more boosting!? No, would be the answer you’re looking for.

Ohhhh and the other day, I had something speshal for breakfast: Oats, cooked the night before and left to cool in the fridge overnight, then topped with cherries, agave and cinnamon:

You know those breakfast cookies everyone eats? It was like a cooked, more volume-filled version! So stiff I had to attack it with a fork (TWSS?).

Oh my. My my my.

I tried it with a blended melon sauce too:

Merh. Not as good.

Annnnd final photo of the day:

A pre-exam lunch – yummeeeeh!!

Mk y’all, I am achey, tired and feel a bit ill, so I’m orf to maaah bed.

But but but, DO check out my guest posts if you haven’t already! There are some lovely ones

Goodnight!

HEYHEYHEY!!!!

Guess what?

I’m not finished with exams yet, BUT the Craziest Weeks of Crazy Weeks is DONE! Finito! Four finals and a 21st birthday in 5 days, and I am knackered. I’ve had 5.5hours sleep every night, I’ve ran, I’ve studied, I’ve eaten and I’ve studied some more. I’d say 2 out of 4 exams went to plan, and the other two are a bit hit and miss…but at least they’re done. The nastiest one is next Wednesday, then I’ll be back for good! I hope y’all are rejoicing…

Annnnyways – quick notes: I’m sorry if you’ve emailed me in the past 2 weeks or so – this gal has been super busy and has probably not had time to reply, but after next week is done, I’ll do my best to get back on track. Aussi, I shoooould have a fun post [from me] this weekend, cos tomorrow I’m doing something VERY awesome! So look out for it

But until then, my little studmuffins – enjoy my next guest post!

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Hey Brit Chick Run readers! Freya asked for guest posters during her exams, so good luck to her during this crazy time!

I’m Lauren from the Run Yoga RepEAT, and I live in the Green Mountain State. This means I always have hills (aka mini mountains) to run up, while looking at the gorgeous mountain views. I also like to snowboard in these pretty mountains during the winter.

Since it’s just about summertime now though, I wanna take about hiking these mountains! Last summer, I went on two big hiking trips.

The first one was a 2 day, overnight hiking trip with the boyfriend.

We hiked 17 miles on the Long Trail. The Long Trail is a 280 mile trail that runs the length of Vermont, and it’s also the name of a delicious local beer! Fun fact: My friend thinks we shouldn’t get jobs this summer and just hike the whole trail for a month. Fun, but I need money (for food of course).

We packed up big bags with sleeping bags, a tent, food, and various other supplies like toilet paper, a camera, cell phones turned off (to save battery life), and a map/guidebook. We also had a pocket knife, to carve our names into a little stick for fun.

It was a blast! We even saw 3 moose, which was a lot scarier than it looks. We walked around the corner and saw 1 huge moose (mama) and 2 baby moose. We had to chill out, eat a snack, and take pictures until they moved. I was freaking out and practically ran with my heavy bag past the moose area. They are huge and would probably kill us if they charged!

The second hiking trip was with my parents and younger sister on Mount Washington in New Hampshire. Mt. Washington is the biggest mountain on the East Coast, and we even found snow on it in June! My sister & I may or may not have thrown it at our mom. Hey, it was warm out, so we wanted to cool her down.

It was steep, very challenging, but the views were so worth it at the top. We were lucky to hike on a clear day, which apparently rarely happens. We also hiked on the day of the Mt. Washington Road Race. Crazy runners run up the 7 mile road where cars can drive up to the top, and they get a t-shirt that says “It’s only ONE hill.” I think that’s one race that I’ll skip out on.

Here’s my top tips for hiking.

1. Bring high-calorie foods for energy. Hiking burns a ton of calories, especially if you’re backpacking. Even if you’re not backpacking, you’re still walking up steep hills for a couple of hours. High-calorie foods like trail mix and snack bars are my favorite because they are high-energy and don’t take up too much space in my bag. Make sure to eat every 2 hours or so!
2. Take breaks. Hiking is hard, and you don’t have to power up the mountain as fast as possible. Take breaks so everyone in your group can make it up to the top. It’s also nice to take breaks to re-fuel or take pictures. You gotta take in the beautiful views too!

3. Hydrate! Besides eating enough, this is probably most important. If you’re going on a day hike, bring 1-2 water bottles per person, especially if it’s a warm day. You’ll get super sweaty and thirsty. If you’re going on a multi-day hike, bring 1-2 water bottles per person, and re-fill EVERY time you see a river or water source. Just bring some water purifying tablets to kill any bacteria in the water.

4.   Be mindful of your body’s limits. You may be in amazing shape from running, biking, or more, but hiking can tire your little legs out easily. Hikes are long, so you don’t need to push yourself to exhaustion and run up the mountain (unless you’re really crazy). Hiking up is the hard part, but save energy for the way down when you wanna be careful. Just because your heart’s not pumping hard, going down can be really hard on your knees. You can also roll your ankle easily on the rocks if you’re not careful!

5. Have fun with it! Play games with your friends, take turns leading, or even leave silly stories in the shelter logbooks. Safe games obviously, don’t play the “who can get closer to the edge game.” Yes, there will be bugs, peeing in the woods, and no cell or internet service, but if you can get over that, you will have a blastie surrounded by trees, gorgeous views, and all the trail mix you can eat!

6.   Don’t get lost. Long story that deserves its own blog post, but I got lost on a day hike one night, we got rescued to get shown the way down at 1 am. I got lost with another American friend, a Brit, a Kiwi, and a guy from Ireland.

Since the snow is finally gone in the mountains here (although ski resorts did stay open until early May), I’ll probably be heading out for some day and multi-day hikes. Be sure to check out my blog for my hiking adventures, as well as some running, food, and other adventures!

Have you ever gone hiking?

Have you ever gone backpacking or on a multi-day hike?

What’s your favorite “high energy” snack?

Hey hey HEY!

I’ve made it – half way through the epic long battle that is four finals in five days (and a 21st birthday thrown in there for good measure).

Today, I have a lovely guest post from the gorgeous Rhona, who blogs at Red Wine Runner! She’s pretty awesome – a runner, but a hardcore one. Why? She’s from up north! So far north in fact, she can call herself Scottish! Now we all know a little bit about Scotland…although my knowledge is limited to it being full of hills, cold, rainy, and snowy. Oh, and loads of midges in the summer! I’m guessing there’s more to it than that though, soooo – over to Rhona!

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Hello Brit Chick Runs readers!

My name is Rhona and I blog over at RedWineRunner.co.uk and I’m delighted to be your guest blogger today whilst Freya is working hard for her University exams! I live in Aberdeen in the North East of Scotland, and today I’m going to be sharing with you what it’s like to be a runner in my part of the world.

I’m relatively new to the fitness and health blogging world and launched my blog in November 2010 after I fell in love with running in early 2010. I mainly write about running, races and all the things that come with such gallivanting, but occasionally real life creeps in and I get talking about food, my cats, beer, goths and helicopters and somesuch. I like to keep it varied 

So when Freya put out a call for guest posts I was delighted to help out – I’ve been enjoying BritChickRuns for some time now; as a fellow healthy resident of the UK it’s comforting to read a blog with similar British frustrations that I can relate to; such as how almond milk is hideously expensive, sunbutter is non-existant and that canned pumpkin is harder to find than Bin Laden down a cave.

I love to read the blogs of some of my American friends across the pond and look at their sun-kissed pictures – but sometimes I feel the frustration of being stuck on our cold, wet, windy, unhealthy island; where fresh produce is small and expensive, runs are NOT under swaying palm trees and coconut water and kombucha tea are yet to be spotted.

HOWEVER: The minute I step away from my computer screen and get out for a run, I’m reminded of what I’m blessed with by living where I am. Of course the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence (or the ocean in this case!) It’s so easy to forget what you’ve got when it’s right under your nose. So let’s start at the beginning with a quick geography lesson:

Where the hell am I?

There we are! In the United Kingdom, or UK, which is made up of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. In case you ever wondered, the term ‘The British Isles’ refers to all of the islands within that red circle, and ‘Great Britain’ refers to the largest of all the land masses, not an actual country. Confusing right?

So I’m a resident of Scotland, which is part of the United Kingdom, which is ON Great Britain.

And that’s Scotland, and Aberdeen where I stay – very cold, very isolated, and very beautiful 

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We’re blessed with so many beautiful places to run around Aberdeen; starting with an amazing beach front right by the city with a two and a half mile esplanade which is perfect for running.

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Further up the coast there are impressive sandy beaches with dunes which are a protected site of special scientific interest. There are lots of paths winding in and around the great vistas of sand which make for challenging training runs when you’re bored of pavement!

Source: Earthly Light Photography

There are plenty of fantastic trails around the two rivers which run through the city, but it’s when you get out of town and inland that you can do some really breathtaking running.

Source: Earthly Light Photography

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I recently had the opportunity to take part in a 12k race around Loch Muick (above, pronounced ‘Muck’) which was easily the most challenging and beautiful race I’ve ever participated in.

How could you fail to be inspired by scenery like this?!

There is a great running scene in this part of the country, with hill running and cross country being especially popular. There is also the Scottish Ultra Marathon Series in which several of my hardier friends participate. This series includes the epic West Highland Way race which takes place in June and covers all 95 miles of the West Highland Way. I have never taken part in an Ultra Marathon, but since Aberdeen has it’s very own Ultra race in March (the D33 – a very conservative, flat 33 miles) I hope to be able to tick that race off my ‘To do’ list at some point soon – maybe even next year!

Of course, the sun doesn’t always shine on our little corner of the world, and winters are tough on our energetic local running scene. The last two winters have been the hardest I’ve ever experienced; with the first snow falling in October before settling deeply in early November. It would be February before we saw ground without snow and ice again.

Never the less – tougher weather grows tougher runners; and we go out regardless! I learned a lot about dressing appropriately for the weather this winter – more clothing is not always the correct answer!

However Spring has finally sprung again here and I’m looking forward to a couple of months of decent outside running whilst the going is good. I’m training for my first marathon in October (Loch Ness) so I’m hoping for the good weather to last as long as possible in to the Autumn. It doesn’t get hot here, or even terribly warm – it’s just not as cold. Ideal running weather I suppose!

I hope you’ve enjoyed learning a little bit about my part of the world, and I hope that somewhere there’s a girl on a laptop reading this whilst sweating under a palm tree, wishing that she could run where I get to run! One of the greatest things about running is how it links strangers from all corners of the world together – whether you’re an Eskimo from Alaska or a Kenyan tribesman, we all speak the international language of running.

Now put on your shoes, get out there and appreciate where you live!

Rhona xxx

Blog – http://www.redwinerunner.co.uk

Twitter – @rhinomittens

Blog – http://www.redwinerunner.co.uk

Twitter – @rhinomittens

Heyho! How’s it hangin’?

Two exams down, four to go! Today went well I think (15 pages of furious writing, and another claw-hand), but tomorrow is my second-to-worst – fingers crossed! Anyway -

Today, I have a guest post from a truly lovely blog friend, Jessica. She was one of the first blog-friends I made, right back in the beginning, and she’s awesome! She had a very tough time with a nasty stress fracture, but times are changing…she’s just got ENGAGED!!! Mr Right did follow a few Mr Wrongs for Jess though – which is where this post is comin’ from. I love it, and I hope you will too! Enjoy

Adventures in Dating

My name is Jessica and I blog over at The Process of Healing. First of all, I want to say thank you to Freya for allowing me this opportunity to do a guest post for her while she works her bootay off on exams (good luck girlie!). She asked me to do a post about my recent engagement or love and romance in general. While I COULD babble on and on and on about how much I love my boyfriend fiance and our wedding plans (or lack thereof, as I know not what I am doing) I thought I’d share a post with you guys on the ins and outs of dating… AKA, what I have learned from a year’s worth of dating.

Now, I know how lucky I am to have the man of my dreams but believe me when I say, this was not always the case. I didn’t have a boyfriend OR a first kiss until the ripe old age of 17. And then I spent the next 4 years of my life in a WAY too serious relationship for my age. I don’t hold anything against the fellow but let’s just say it was NOT the healthiest of relationships, which I realized 2 years in and spent 2 more years trying to get out of. And then, THEN, came the dating. I remember the excitement and the thrill of going on first dates… let me rephrase that, the gut-wrenching, vomit inducing nervousness that came with first dates. But fortunately, most of that went away after a few minutes in and it started to become fun. And if not? Well, I think we’ve all got those horrible first (and only) date stories. To make a long story short, between then and now, I’ve been on my fair share of good and bad dates and had my fair share of good and bad relationships. And something I have learned? Guys can generally fall into one of many categories.. ladies, pay close attention..

1. First up, we have The Player. A.K.A. Ladies Man… A.K.A. Jerk Face.. A.K.A. Run For Your Life. – In all seriousness, you do want to stay far, far away from these guys. They generally all just want to have “fun.” Dating? No way. They claim they are looking for the elusive “good girl” and then, THEN, they will settle down. And they will convince you that YOU are THAT girl. But ladies, you are not. Your girlfriends will tell you… your mother will tell you.. your father will tell you.. but you will pretend that they are wrong and you and right and darnit HE’S CHANGED. But really? He hasn’t. And he won’t. Please, save yourself a lot of anxiety and “why didn’t he call?” and just don’t waste your time here.
2. The Tall Silent Type – You know this guy. He’s pretty quiet, he’s not outgoing, he always looks dark and brooding.. yep, him. The one who listens to heavy metal music on his iPod at all times. You think “Oh, he’s just shy, he’s probably a really nice guy.” And that may, in fact, be right. BUT, there is also the other tall silent type who is NOT so nice. This guy will make you think you’re lucky that he “let you in.” And for a while, you may be happy. But trust me on this… this guy is not a good guy. In my experience? He’s all about himself and his wants and his needs and stuck in his own little world. Eh, you can do better.
3. The Jock – This is THE Football Player. The tall muscular good-looking guy that EVERY girl dreams of being with. And when he looks at you, and JUST you, everything is alright in the world. And for a while, you’ll be happy. You’ll feel lucky to be on HIS arm and get the evil eye from all the other girls in the room. But eventually? The jock will move on. Without you. Plus, you don’t really want him anyway. He’s cocky and arrogant and thinks he walks on water. TRUST ME on this one. Note: Guys may also fall into the Player category.
4. The Good Guy – This is the guy that your parents DREAM that you bring home. He opens the door for you, pays for everything, brings you flowers, calls when he’s supposed to,.. you get the drift. Sometimes he may be good looking, sometimes he may be kind of nerdy, but he’s a GOOD GUY. And trust me ladies.. these men are HARD to find. Unfortunately, you may not always click with said good guy. And sometimes? He may not be perfect. But oh boy, how many times do I wish I could go back in time and give the good guy the time of day, rather than the jerk face that I was currently in “love” with.
5. And then we have, The Bad Boy – I think every woman, at some point in her life, has a thing for a bad boy. He’s everything your mother DOESN’T want for you. Like the player, you think he’s changed. You think you’re the exception. You think he’s “different.” He’s not, you’re not, and he’s NOT. It may be fun for a time and can definitely be exciting, but this is not the guy you want to end up with.

In my opinion, you shouldn’t take dating seriously. No, you don’t want to end up with the player or the jock or the bad boy but hey.. you only lived once. I’ve dated guys that fall into each and every above category and you know what? I don’t regret a thing. I’ve loved and lost and loved again, I’ve thought my life was over because of the pain in my heart, and I’ve also experienced the joy that only love, and real love, can bring. And all those things? Well, they led me to *cue the corniness* the love of my life. He’s amazing and wonderful and I never would’ve have gotten here without all the guys in my past. So my advice? Be careful and don’t put yourself into a position that you KNOW is not good for you but HAVE FUN in the whole dating adventure! We only have this one life friends, make the most of it

“Life is too short to wake up in the morning with regrets. So love the people who treat you right, forget about the ones who don’t, and believe that everything happens for a reason. If you get a chance, take it. If it changes your life, let it. Nobody said that it’d be easy; they just promised it’d be worth it.”
- Harvey Mackay