DR. WALLACE: I'm a guy who is 19 and attending my first year of college at a good university near my hometown. I'm a really strong student, but I'm pretty weak when it comes to my social interactions.

I'd like to find some suitable girls to ask out on dates, but I don't attend too many sporting events on campus, music events or fraternity parties, if you know what I mean.

Let's just say that I'm not exactly a social butterfly. I have a good part-time job, so I do have some discretionary income to spend on my social life, but it just seems that I can't come up with an idea on how to have enough in common to ask another girl on campus out on a date.

Do you have any ideas that may help jumpstart my social life? — I'd Like to Socialize More, via email

I'D LIKE TO SOCIALIZE MORE: Congratulations on being an excellent student and being able to hold down a good part-time job while you achieve these excellent academic results.

Since you're not too much into sports or music, and the party scene is not your cup of tea, I suggest that you focus on potentially finding a counterpart who takes her studies as seriously as you do. Take a look around the room in all of your classes and see if there are any female students who seem to be applying themselves academically in a similar manner as you do. You might start out by introducing yourself and asking a question about a class, a lecture or something in one of the textbooks. You might even ask a girl to become a study partner of yours, rather than asking her out on a formal date. This would serve the purpose of both breaking the ice for you socially and putting you in a position to eventually come across a fellow student who may be compatible with you from a dating perspective.

WHAT TIME OF DAY IS BEST?

DR. WALLACE: I'm 17 years old now and have one more year of high school in front of me starting next fall. Since the school year is almost over, I'm planning on starting a workout program this summer that I hope to continue doing for a long time. I'd eventually like to start jogging, but I'm going to begin a program of walking briskly every day for 20 to 30 minutes.

I'm actually going to schedule this walk, and I'm debating in my mind whether I should do it in the mornings, the afternoons or in the evening. Does it matter what time of day I get this workout? If there is a major advantage to a particular time of day, I want to factor that into my thinking. — Motivated to Start Soon, via email

MOTIVATED TO START SOON: Over the years, I've consulted with many physical fitness experts, and the general consensus regarding workouts was to do them in the middle or back half of any given day because, by then, muscles are more flexible and warmer after the human body has been moving regularly for several hours.

However, beyond the time of day, the most important thing for you is to be able to set and stick to a regular workout schedule any time that is convenient for you, and one that you can stick with for the long run.

So, no matter what time of day you select, know that your body will soon enough adjust to the time of day and remember that you can get excellent health benefits if you regularly workout 30 to 45 minutes a day at least four days a week.

Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. Email him at [email protected]. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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