Sunday, July 19, 2009
We Have A New Place to Call Home!
Sunday, May 31, 2009
WE MOVED!!!!!!!
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Party Etiquette? Send a Fabulous Note Card from Dragonfly Dreams!!! (Also, great note cards for sororities!)
It's that time of the year! Graduation and wedding shower time!
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Our Favorite Summer Dress (Great for an Engagement Party or Outside Wedding!)
This lovely red one-shoulder dress from Francesca's Collections ($34.00) is great for an outside afternoon wedding OR an outside engagement party!
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Who Doesn't Love a Great Movie!? Our top 5 movies!
What a Way to Start the Morning!!!
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Chopstick Etiquette????
P.B. Loco New Flavor! (We Can't Wait to Try It!)
If you keep up with our blog, you know by now that we love peanut butter. In particular, P. B. Loco Brand. (We buy ours at Target!)
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Your Perfect Fit for an LBD! Plus - A Summer LBD (Little Black Dress) from Fashion Junkee!
Monday, May 11, 2009
College Lifestyles (TM) Director Has Successful Book Signing at Enchanted Gardens!
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Another Trip To Our Favorite Place! Target!!! (Road Trip Food!)
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Great Food Finds at Target!
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Still Looking for an Internship??? Your wish is granted!!
College Lifestyles is accepting applications for its virtual internship for the summer and 2009-2010 year.
College Lifestyles is a nutrition, etiquette, and lifestyle firm for co-eds. College Lifestyles prides itself in bringing the most current information on nutrition, eating disorders, body image, the sorority experience, travel, etiquette, dress, fashion, and lifestyle to it’s readers in its blog, packets, and presentations.
Currently, College Lifestyles is expanding it’s blog to include stories and packets from aspiring writers form our own co-eds!
In addition to blog work, we are looking for interns who are ‘go-getters’ and who are not afraid to set up interviews/pod-cast; perform interviews for posting on our blog and website; who can develop media packets; blog on their own personal life; and website development.
Interns can range from freshman to graduate students and can be any major; but we would prefer the following majors:
- PR/Marketing.
- Business.
- Nutrition/Dietetics.
- Fashion Merchandising.
- Social Work.
- Psychology.
- Computer design.
- English.
- Journalism.
Requirements for internship include:
- Internet/Computer Access.
- Camera (for snap shots/pics).
- 15 minute biweekly con call with our director. (Every other week)
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Keeping Disordered Eating at Bay over Summer Break - Guest Blog Post/Interview from Melissa Henriquez
College Lifestyles contacted Melissa Henriquez, author/blogger of Tales of a Disordered Eater, for tips/suggestions on disordered eating over summer break. Melissa gracious replied to our request and we thank her for her time. Enjoy her post, as well as follow her blog! Thanks Melissa!
You’ve taken your last exam, hugged your friends goodbye, and now you’re headed back home … the place that, for whatever reason, often triggers your disordered eating behavior.
Perhaps your disordered eating habits began there. Or maybe your parents harp on you about your weight (as in, “you’re too thin” or “you’re overweight”).
Whatever the reason, going home for summer break – time away from the rigidity of a structured class schedule and the flexibility of college night life – can be a very scary notion for many young women who deal with disordered eating behavior.
But it doesn‘t have to be.
As with anything else in life, you are in control. You make choices. Every day, you choose to live a healthy life … or not to. Naturally, there are consequences when we choose not to, and we feel better about ourselves when we choose to.
Maybe at school, your disordered eating was finally getting under control. That’s awesome! In that case, take those positive steps home with you.
Do your parents know about your disordered eating issues? If so, you might feel they have you on a much closer watch than you’re accustomed to at school – which can no doubt be frustrating.
Try not to let that trigger your behaviors you’ve worked so hard to undo. Remember that that they care, and want what’s best for you.
Though my personal experience with disordered eating didn’t begin until several years after college, I still sometimes find visits home to see my family a challenge, because most of our time together centers around our two favorite things: talking and food.
My parents have been extremely supportive in my recovery process, and I appreciate that they acknowledge that holidays are often a challenge … or when they compliment me on just going with the flow (not easy for me!). That means a lot, and just knowing that they realize it has helped me enormously.
Here are some tips I use to keep my disordered eating issues at bay when I go home. Whether it’s for a holiday weekend, a week, a month or a whole summer break, I hope that these tips to manage your disordered eating behaviors will come in handy for you, as well.
1. Capitalize on positive coping mechanisms. Think back to which coping mechanisms worked for you at school. Was it hanging with friends who liked to go out and have fun, enjoying a night of pizza and wine? Was it working out for a little bit before class to help get your day off to a healthy, good start? Journaling your thoughts/feelings? Cooking some meals, or preparing snacks for days on the road? Seeing a therapist? Instead of being worried about looking for new coping mechanisms when home, keep in mind the old adage, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” and continue doing whatever worked for you at school when you’re home.
2. Enlist support of your family or loved ones when things get stressful. Remember that restricting or over-exercising or binging, or binging and purging won’t solve whatever is really eating at you; seeking help from family or trusted loved ones or a counselor during tough times can work wonders. This might have worked for you at school, and it can work at home, too. Remember, you don’t need to go it alone, and they will probably be so encouraged to see you reaching out. As we all know, admitting we have a problem is the first step; doing something about it is the next one.
3. Keep wholesome comfort foods around. Knowing that you have a fridge and pantry stocked with good, nutritious choices is always a good thing. When you’re not stuck with a dorm room’s mini-fridge and university cafeteria options, you can pick and choose what you eat. And if having, say, Fuji apples or White Chocolate Macadamia nut Luna bars or Barney Butter almond butter in the dorm helped you feel “grounded,” why not pick these items up at the store to have on hand at home, too?
4. Test yourself a bit every day. If you’ve been struggling and the notion of going out to eat, for example, causes stress, start small by going out to a casual lunch with friends to build confidence. If no one has a suggestion, pick a place that you know you can feel comfortable and relaxed. Try dining outside; sunshine and a nice breeze calms nerves. The more you put yourself in uncomfortable situations, the easier they become; in cognitive behavioral therapy (a method my therapist used with me), this is called “systematic desensitization.” Eventually, dining out won’t spur the same magnitude of fear it used to, if at all.
5. Live a little! Because disordered eating behavior usually exists (and thrives) in solitude, you might need to be reminded every so often to keep busy with friends and loved ones during your time home. Remember, this is your summer break – you don’t want to go back to school in September with the only memory of your vacation being spent within the confines of your house or gym. Take up a new outdoor activity or go with an old standby, like biking. Go to a concert, hit the beach, check out a new city; anything to keep you busy and feeling fulfilled.
6. Ditch “Perfect Girl” syndrome. You’re human, not a super-woman. If you do have a slip-up at some point – and you very well might – remember that “pebbles” like these are normal along the path to recovery. It doesn’t have to be a set-back unless you see it as one. To avoid this all-or-nothing approach, try to reframe it as a “blip on the radar,” and remember, tomorrow is a new day, a new opportunity.
I’m not going to lie; recovery isn’t easy, and being out of a comfort zone can cause stress and anxiety on anyone — especially someone with disordered eating issues. I still struggle myself.
Yet I’ve learned, how you manage it is up to you. It’s your choice: to flex your “resistance muscle” and keep your disordered eating issues at bay, or to give into it and struggle.
No matter how you choose to handle it, summer vacation will inevitably come to an end, and before you know it, you’ll be back at school facing a whole new set of challenges.
I hope you’ll keep these tips in mind, remembering that they can travel with you throughout your life as you encounter potentially triggering situations.
In the words of L’Oreal, “You’re worth it.”
Melissa Henriquez (http://TalesofaDisorderedEater.org) is a married 29-year old PR professional who started her blog in an effort to overcome her own struggles with disordered eating. Between traditional therapy and blogotherapy, she's been an advocate for women struggling with similar demons. She's been featured as a guest blogger at Elastic Waist, Run4Change, Back in Skinny Jeans,
DietsInReview.com, as well as two Glamour.com mentions.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Need an Internship? Apply for a Position with College Lifestyles!!!!
Love nutrition, fashion, sorority life, and/or etiquette? Join our TEAM!!!
College Lifestyles is accepting applications for its virtual internship for the summer and 2009-2010 year.
College Lifestyles is a nutrition, etiquette, and lifestyle firm for co-eds. College Lifestyles prides itself in bringing the most current information on nutrition, eating disorders, body image, the sorority experience, travel, etiquette, dress, fashion, and lifestyle to it’s readers in its blog, packets, and presentations.
Currently, College Lifestyles is expanding it’s blog to include stories and packets from aspiring writers form our own co-eds!
In addition to blog work, we are looking for interns who are ‘go-getters’ and who are not afraid to set up interviews/pod-cast; perform interviews for posting on our blog and website; who can develop media packets; blog on their own personal life; and website development.
Interns can range from freshman to graduate students and can be any major; but we would prefer the following majors:
- PR/Marketing.
- Business.
- Nutrition/Dietetics.
- Fashion Merchandising.
- Social Work.
- Psychology.
- Computer design.
- English.
- Journalism.
Requirements for internship include:
- Internet/Computer Access.
- Camera (for snap shots/pics).
- 15 minute biweekly con call with our director. (Every other week)