Hey, guys!

In case you didn't catch it on Instagram, I wanted to let you know about the two yoga challenge I'm hosting for September.

The first one is #GoldenYogis2 with my girls @AlyR.Fit, @DoroteasWorld, and @Aleksic_Twins. This challenge will run for 15 days from September 1-15 (come on ... totally doable) and is designed for all levels (we alwaaays take care of our beginner yogis).

We're known for encouraging variations, so we'll give you a basic pose each day along with three variations (in both pictures AND videos) ... you can choose to try one of our variations, browse through our #GoldenYogis2 gallery for inspiration from other challenge members, or make it your own and show us a variation you've created yourself! Post a picture or get creative and use the pose in a flow and post a video. Your choice!

It seems like our challenges have grown bigger and better each time we've hosted them, and we were thrilled with the companies who contacted us wanting to donate prizes to be given away to our favorite posts from those who participate in all fifteen days of this challenge: Arthletic Wear is giving away a piece (women's OR men's) from their beautiful athletic wear collection (I have their Tattoo leggings and their Phoenix leggings and totally looove them both), Onzie will be giving away a cute crop top, Kos USA is giving away a pair of leggings from their collection (I have the Kosmic Mest Inset Cami which I absolutely love and have a hard time taking off, the Steel Print Studio Leggings, and the Siren shorts), Meddy Teddy is giving away the cutest teddy bear in the world to promote yoga and meditation with children, and Uriah Clear Light is giving away a tank top from their Etsy shop (I have the tri-cranberry gold lotus flower racerback tank that glows in the dark).

Good stuff, right?

The second yoga challenge I'm hosting in September is the #LOVEYourYogaBody challenge (spelled with the red heart emoji) with @YogaWithNicol. This challenge is also a 15-day challenge from September 1-15, and is all about promoting a positive body image. We want to help you flip the script on your negative body talk, and create some self-love focusing on appreciating what our bodies DO, rather than how they LOOK.

Each day we'll do a yoga pose that highlights a part of the body, along with giving you a positive body image affirmation you can use if you find the negative thoughts start creeping in. Do the day's pose, say the affirmation, post your picture, and then scroll through the challenge's gallery and see how many beautiful yoga bodies are in this with you. Give us a solid two weeks of trying to appreciate your body and stopping the self hate.

You got this.

We have two amazing sponsors who have agreed to donate prizes to our favorite posts from those who participate in all fifteen days of this challenge: Pogamat will be giving away one of their longer, wider, thicker exercise mats, and Jala Clothing will be giving away something from their collection (I have their Shine leggings which are the sexiest leggings evah!).

Want in these challenges?

Check out my Instagram gallery to grab the banners and repost them on your own feed to help get the word out, follow all of the challenge's hosts and sponsors on Instagram, and post your variations of each daily pose. Don't forget to tag all of the challenge's hosts and sponsors with every post, and use the challenge's hashtag so we can find you AND so you can be included in our challenge gallery.

That's it!

Let me know if you have any questions - and leave me a note below if you're planning on joining in - I'll look for you and leave you a little extra lovin' on your pics!

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Today is the first official day of summer for me ... and that means the beginning of my summer running (insert jazz hands emoji here). My favorite run? This one ...

Guys. Please tell me you've heard of the Color Run? It's dubbed "The Happiest 5K on the Planet" for a good reason ... because it is!

Go here and sign up. Hurry! Even though the Color Run has tripled in growth and is hosting more than 225 events this year in more than 35 countries, it still sells out hella fast. Forward this post to some friends so they can see how freaking cool y'all are going to look on Snapchat after the event and sign up together.

And if you've never done anything like this, and are a little nervous about what to expect ... no sweat - I got you! I've done the Color Run three times and have made a list of some things you should know before going in.

1) You do NOT have to be a runner to do the Color Run. This isn't a timed race at all - it's more about you just having crazy fun with your family and friends (and looking way cool on social media afterwards, yo). Run it, jog it, walk, it, dance, it, crawl it ... seriously. If you can move, you're good.

2) See those colored arches in the pic above? That's where the fun's at. Volunteers line that area and pelt you with color as you walk/run past. Don't be shy ... you waaant to get hit. Walk through the line with your arms up in the air or outstretched to the side so the volunteers have a clean target to hit your shirt. Twirl around in circles while you're getting bombed with the powder, or walk backwards so the back of you is multicolored, too. Scoop up the color on the ground and smear it on your friends, paint your face, or roll around in it.

The color's like your badge of honor. Wear it well.

3) Yes, kids can do this event, too (even if they just wanna chill in their strollers and have you push them through the course). You're such a cool parent.

4) The Color Run events are freaking huge. Plan to get there early so you can go off in one of the earlier waves and then hang out at the post-race Finish Festival afterwards (which is, basically, a massive party with music, dancing, unique photo opportunities, and massive color throws). You'll definitely wanna hang for a while and people watch.

5) The color powder? It's actually just colored cornstarch ... totally safe if you happen to have your mouth open when someone bombs you with a bag. However, one year I did it with a friend who has asthma and the powder bothered her breathing. If you think you might have problems with your breathing, too, wear a bandana or a painter's mask over your mouth when running through the color stations. Or, keep towards the middle of the lane when going through the arches ... it's harder for the volunteers to reach you there.

6) Wear a white shirt. Plain white. It will get ruined from the color powder, so do like I did and buy a cheap pack of men's white undershirts and pass them out to your crew to wear.

As for the rest of your outfit? Go freaking nuts. Tutus and knee socks are my personal faves (duh), but you'll also see people in wigs, crazy rub-on tattoos, huge hats, and wild costume pieces.

Told ya.

Just leave your Lululemon leggings and new Brooks running shoes at home. This event is all about getting dirty. Well, colorfully dirty.

7) Your entry fee will include a tricolor headband which comes in pretty useful if you start sweating and don't want it to run down your face to mix in with the color powder (never a good look and, come on, you know you'll be flooding your Instagram feed with pics of yourself bombed with color afterwards, so work the headband into your look).

8) Also, wear shades (or goggles) - they're a must-have for protecting your eyes from the powder that's thrown at you.

9) Yes, you can bring your phone, camera, or keys with you during the run, but keep them safe in a Ziplock bag. I'm telling you, color powder will be flying everywhere ... keep your stuff protected inside a bag.

10) There are air-blown color cleaning stations at the finish line, but they won't get you "get-in-the-car-and-drive-home" clean. Bring towels to sit on for the ride home, and/or a set of clothes for a quick change in the parking lot.

But here's a tip ... it is kinda cool to stop on the way home for a Diet Coke (or, ummm, a cupcake) and walk inside still wearing your color-bombed clothes looking like you just took a ride on the wild side. Act like you don't notice the stares ... you'll be the coolest kid on the block.

Have you done the Color Run before, too? Any tips I forgot? Tell me in the comments below. And if you're going this year, please tag me (@NaughtyYogaGirl) in your pics on Instagram ... I'd love to see!

Did you even knooooow it was Global Running Day? Me? I had no clue. But when I saw some of my Sweat Pink sisters post this interview from Jonesin' for a Run, I had to join in the link up. I love getting a peek into the lives of other runners.

Here's a look into mine ...

Why do you run?

I started running to lose weight ... which I did. Quickly. But, now, I'm running for the feeling I get from doing it. Not the feeling I get while I'm running (holy hell, no) ... but for the feeling I get after I'm done. The runner's high? It's a real thing, yo. And I get it whether I run one mile or six. And it's delicious.

How do you plan to celebrate Global Running Day?

Well ... since I didn't even know about Global Running Day until this morning, not much. I did get my normal run in this morning with the sunrise ... so, there's that. I guess I still have time to bake a cake.

How many miles have you run so far this year? Do you have a mileage goal for the year?

Ummm ... 20 miles so far this year?

Ahem. Let me explain ... I hurt my back last year and had to stop all physical activity for three months. And when I say "all physical activity", I mean everything. I was on the floor, laying on my back, for three months straight. Hello, Sciatica.

So, I had to stop my running during that time. When I finally started feeling better, it was January ... and for Indiana, you don't really run outside unless you like running in a snowsuit with ice cleats (I don't ... I prefer sticking to my running skirts).

So, I waited until Spring hit and had to start my running all over again. Like ... back to "Couch Potato to 5k" all over again. I went from easily running five miles a day last year, to barely making it through one mile a day now. That's a hard thing to accept, but I know that my stamina's building, slowly, and I'll be back to running those daily five miles very soon.

What big  events do you have on the race calendar so far this year?

I'm signed up for our city's four-mile run on the Fourth of July, and the Color Run is coming this summer, too ... I'd love to do it.again (is there really anything more fun that getting bombed from head to toe with color powder with a group of girlfriends?).

Before I leave for a run, I must have:

My Garmin Forerunner 10 GPS Watch. I knoooow it's the older version (I don't even think they sell it anymore, actually) but it does everything I need ... it tells me the time, my pace, my calories burned, and my mileage. Plus, it's pink, so what more could you want, really?

I also can't run without my phone and earphones. I'm a multitasker, so I use the hour while I run to catch up on my podcasts.

Do you track your runs? If so, what do you use?

I used to track them in a special calendar last year when I was running five or six miles a day - it was fun to add them up and see how far across the states I had "run" in a year. But, now that I'm just going a mile at a time, it's too depressing for me to keep track. As my stamina builds and I start going farther distances every day, I'll get back to logging my miles again.

Who is your favorite running partner?

That would be me. Juuuust me.

I use my running as my "get up with the sunrise, lace up my running shoes, and get the hell out of the house before anyone else wakes up" time. I like to be alone. I don't want to share that time with anybody else or worry about matching a pace or keeping up a conversation. It's just for me.

What races have you run so far this year?

None. Nada. But check back in with me at this time next year ...

If you had to give someone one piece of advice about running, what would it be?

You can do it. Yes, you. You can be a runner. Get yourself a pair of running shoes (I'm partial to pink, but whatevs), download the Couch Potato to 5k app, set your alarm for thirty minutes earlier than you need to get up ... and then get outside, put one foot in front of the other, and let yourself go.

Wait until you feel that runner's high.

You're welcome.

Describe your relationship with running in one word:

Freeing.