What I Learned at Cheer Camp.

1. There is a reason why Freshmen in college gain weight. The food is plentiful and alcohol is over the top. While I was at cheer camp (yes you may judge), we ate like we would have if we were in a dorm. Remember back in the day when you were a little bright eyed Freshmen ready to take the world on. Remember that dorm food that you swear was disgusting. You probably blocked it out, but you DESTROYED plate after plate of that disgusting, processed, easily accessible food. Do NOT deny it. At every meal, there was something AWFUL waiting for me to consume but I said NO. NON. I stayed away from fried food and chose to eat salads and my delicious Clif Bars. Even when we went to McDonald's, I got a grilled chicken sandwich with a bottle of water...wah wah waaaaah. But I saved myself 680 calories. The point is, you have choices. SO MAKE THE RIGHT FREAKING ONES. You know what's right and wrong. If you are in a situation, like a limited menu, then make decisions that will save you calories and a ton of regret.

2. You need to be creative with your work outs. I thought, "We will be at a camp in the woods. OF COURSE there will be a trail I can run on." Well the camp is called Trail's End. Yeah...about that. I only had one GIANT hill and that's about it. I was bitching and moaning all week. "I can't work out" or "What am I supposed to do?" It wasn't until the last night I saw the light...literally. At night the tennis courts are lit up and all the camp workers use that as the track. Gosh damnit. I spent 3 days trying to figure out how to get some kind of a work out and there it was the entire time. FAIL. Lesson learned here: BE CREATIVE.

3. Your youth is the time to lose weight. Not when you wake at 45 and decide it's time to be fit. It's MUCH harder to become healthy later in life than when you are younger. Why? Your metabolism slows down but it is NOT impossible to lose weight later on. As I looked around the camp, I saw girls that were over weight and struggling to feel comfortable in booty shorts and tank tops. I had flashbacks to my days on the drill team and SQUEEEZZZZINNNGGG into those uniforms and always feeling uncomfortable in my shorts. I'm about to be brutally honest right now. Avert you eyes if you are sensitive to the truth or don't want to me to heartless. If you know a teen that is over weight, you need to intervene. It's hard enough being a teenager, but being an overweight teen is completely awful. I wish, no...I'm not going to regret my youth but I am going to say a conversation about weight and health can go a long way. They are going to hate you and tell you that you're a horrible person but you're doing the right thing.

To recap: You must make the right decisions with your food, be innovative with your work outs and catch your (or your teen's/friend/sister/boo's) bad habits sooner rather than later