Dare You To...

At some point over the past year, you likely saw someone -- or many people -- share a photo on social media with the hashtag #100happydays.


It's exactly what you think it is, where you record through photos 100 happy days in your life, in a row.  The movement began from 100happydays.com, which explains the problem of today's "too busy" lifestyles and promises to send you a book of your photos when you complete the challenge (though I never got mine...).  However, the hashtag has ballooned out into a viral exercise in happiness, where people do it just for themselves.

And it's not for nothing, either!!  In my post daring you to write three good things, I explained the psychological research behind intentionally identifying the good things in your daily life.  Practices like writing three good things or taking a snapshot of one thing that made your day happy force you to acknowledge something POSITIVE in your life, even if your day was otherwise so-so or miserabl…

Ah, as I forewarned at New Year's, this would be a stressful, BUSY spring for me!  Still popping in to share some things that have caught my attention, and I dare you to read:

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This break-up letter to Trader Joe'sexpresses exactly the same reasons
I stopped shopping there.  I used to love the adventure, but really can't
justify eating most of their products anymore.

Laura Schoenfeld brings us Three Ways to Manage Anxiety Without Drugs.   
The MS Society broadens its scope by investing $29 million
in new research regarding nutrition and lifestyle factors
in MS development.  Learn more [here].

Carla Birnberg asks, "When is okay to lie to your child?" As always, Carla's parenting inspires me. [Read here]
Are YOU a healthy woman?
Stefani Ruper offers "10 Signs You're a Healthy Woman".
Dare you to see if you pass the test - and consider what to
improve if something seems off!

I've been eyeing this "100 Happy Days" website and chal…

Quick note!Don't forget there's a book review and giveaway going on! Click here to comment and enter.

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Earlier this month, for my birthday, I made a bucket-list of sorts, various tasks I desired to complete throughout the year.  Basically, I had been somewhat saddened looking upon my previous year and how I spent it focused solely on work, and didn't go out of my way to make time for play, and play is important!  Looking ahead, I've decided that this year of my life will be different.  I will schedule in unscheduled time.  I will do things just for fun.  I will work to be better at my job while also ensuring that my sanity remains intact.  I want to stay young, to reduce stress, to enjoy life, and to remember that it's okay necessary to make room for balance between work and play.

At first, I shared my list with just a couple of friends on my birthday, but I planned on mostly keeping it to myself.  Just a week or two later, Alec posted her 27 before 28 list t…

Dare you to watch this video from Shots of Awe by Jason Silva.

Dare you to hear his message.

Dare you to love harder, hold tighter, and refuse to let go: 

This dare is just as the title suggests: I dare you to write down three good things in your life, every day.



The end!

Just kidding, I'll explain:

When I studied positive psychology(the scientific study of happiness) in college, many lessons stuck with me.  For example, money increases happiness only up until a certain threshold, at which point basic needs are satisfied.  Having children decreases momentary happiness, but dramatically improves long-term life satisfaction.  A lengthy commute significantly diminishes happiness--far more than people may predict.  ... SO many interested findings!

Martin Seligman, the father of positive psychology, tested various interventions to measure effects on human happiness.  One of the simplest was called Three Good Things in Life: "Participants were asked to write down three things that went well each day and their causes every night for one week. In addition they were asked to provide a causal explanation for each good thing" (Seligma…

Today is a monumental day in America, a day for the history books, a day for national pride, and a day for us in America and abroad to look back on the past year and see what's been accomplished.

I started a blog.

Sure, there's this election thing going on, and we cast our votes for the next American President, but what's REALLY exciting is that one year ago, I started a blog, and have since kept and grown it.  Dare You To... has been in existence for exactly one year. 

Happy "blogiversary" to me!

When I was somehow persuaded to finally create the blog and write my first post, I had no clue how much it would grow, take over my life, and take on a life of it's own.  I've met some amazing people--both online and in person--and learned so much about health, wellness, fitness, blogging, sharing, and the power of community encouragement and support.  Special thanks to my FitFluential family for helping me grow, and thank YOU, my readers, for sticking with my thr…

Ah, the weekend.  Got fun plans ahead?  Do share!

Perfectly in line with my aim to Enjoy July, Positively Positivereminds us that it's okay to be selfish, slow down, and have a fabulous summer.

Have a Selfish Summer. Four Steps to Health, Sanity, and Funsuggests four steps for the "Selfish Summer Challenge," which include (1) taking a mini adventure every week, (2) giving time to your body, (3) experiencing gratefulness, and (4) taking a summer class.  Check out theoriginal post to learn what these challenges mean and how to fulfill them.  If you do, you'll be well on your way to being selfish, taking time for yourself, and having FUN.


Summer, winter, fall or spring--we should always set aside some time to do some things we ENJOY, to be grateful, to step out of our comfort zone and try new things.  Summer, though, tends to be the perfect time to really follow through and let loose.  Many of us find more time to spare, the sun and warm weather make us WANT to get out…

Dear Readers,

SPRING IS HERE!


Alright, it may actually be kinda summer already. Who can keep track anymore??


Spring rushed in...and out...and in again this year, which is both exciting and terrifying in my opinion.   (The sky is falling! The sky is falling!)  Either way, it reminds us that the year is speeding right along, and so we should take some time to prepare for summer, to clean out our lives, to remove any burdens holding us down from enjoying the warmer weather.

You may notice I've already begun spring cleaning my blog!  To lighten up a bit, I'm toying with new colors, new backgrounds, a new section on the bottom, and new "pages" for food and fitness roundups!  I would love your thoughts, suggestions, and comments.  I'm not saying you should judge a blog by its cover, but it's important to me that you like the look of what you're reading :)

So let's talk about cleaning up.  This doesn't just mean your home; spring cleaning can apply to you…

GREAT NEWS!
Want to get in a great workout but don't belong to a gym?  Want to try one out with no commitment?  Get ready to thank Fitness Magazine, because they're giving away free passes to GYMS all over the country, in honor of Fitness's 20th anniversary!  

Check out the Fitness Magazine website to download a free gym pass.  On May 1, you could be working out at...
- 24 Hour Fitness
- Bally Total Fitness
- Crunch
- Gold's Gym
- Boston / Philadelphia / Washington / New York Sports Club
- A number of YMCA locations throughout the country

Thank you, Fitness Magazine! 

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In other news... I had a lovely weekend.  How was yours?

I decided to take the weekend off from work.  Time for fun!  Saturday was a faaabulous (if exhausting!) day.  The BF and I had lunch at Vapiano, a chain I used to frequent in DC.  Their design-your-own salads, pizzas, pastas are delicious, and (FYI:) the individual "charge cards" makes it a GREAT place to go with group…

This post begins with a shout out to Yellow Haired Girl who has been a loyal reader and commenter here, and who gave me a pleasant surprise of tagging me on her awesome blog with a Liebster Award!



... What's this about? Here's what the "Liebster Award" is:


This award is given by bloggers to other new bloggers, to help spread the word about their blogs and to help them gain more recognition. The Liebster Award comes with four conditions that each recipient must satisfy when accepting: Choose 5 up-and-coming blogs with less than 200 followers to award the Liebster to.Show your thanks to the blogger who gave you the award by linking back to them.Post the award on your blog. List the bloggers you are giving the award to with links to their sites. Leave comments on their blog so they know about the award.Share 5 random facts about yourself that people don’t know about you.Make sense? It's not unlike other taggy-games except this one is directed specifically at newer bl…

Wait, another new month?  Sorry, guys, I'm a little bit in shock here.  I feel like every. other. week. I'm writing "So it's a new month; let's look back on last month's goals and accomplishments and set new ones for this month!" ....  Didn't 2012 just arrive?  Like... yesterday?  No?  It's April?

Okay, FINE!  I'll carry on then. April, it is.

March was busy. Crazy busy. And not only the usual busy--lots of added curveballs, too.  Did I finish my 50 miles?  I think I was just short on the running front, although if you count elliptical miles I passed it.

I'm sort of in a rut with my running, and I'll tell you why:  setting a goal to run 600 miles in 2012, or 50 miles each month, turned running, a relatively new interest of mine, into WORK.  That's no fun.  Instead of thinking "Oh, look how bright it is outside!  I should go for a run!" I have been thinking, "I'd like to go to Spin Class, but I really should run…

TGI-Monday!  Sure, it's late Monday night... Tuesday by the time you read this, I know.  Just bear with me.

But first...  Be sure you entered the PopChips giveaway!  Three lucky readers get a month's assorted supply, so enter here!

NOW, back to why we're being thankful for Monday:  This morning after uploading my own post, I read a thoughtful piece by Angela at Eat, Spin, Run, Repeat, in which she challenges (yayy) us to treat each Monday like New Year's Day, to start fresh, to say that this will be a good day, a good week, and to make plans to ensure as much.


She suggests selecting a focus for the week, and to take steps toward that focus all week long.  Specifically, each Monday, she (and I) will declare...

One main focus for the week, which may or may not change from week to week,Two things I'm going to do as part of the focus to make my week better, andThree benefits I'm going to see/feel/experience as a result of these positive actions.(Quoted from Angela.)…

Switch off your cell. Table your tablet. Close your computer.


( WAAAAAAIT!!!! Read this post first, please. )


It's 10 pm... 11... 12. How can your brain power down at night if your electronics are still buzzing and bright until the latest possible moment before your head hits the pillow? Studies have shown it takes time for the effects of the light rays to wear off, those light rays that keep your brain active and awake.

This week, I dare you to pick a "shut down" time, at minimum, 30 minutes before bed. Make it 60 for bonus points. After that time, give your mind and body time to relax before bed. Read a book, talk to your family, tidy up your room, wash and brush, etc. Do anything that does not require an on/off button. Even better still, make sure the 'off' electronics are not leaving hints of light in your room! Best to sleep in complete darkness.

Personally, I find folding and putting away laundry strangely relaxing. Write a (pen and paper) to-do list…