57 items found for your search. If no results were found please broaden your search.
(04/22/18 9:29pm)
There are two types of people on a college campus: people that have cried themselves to sleep, punched a wall, ripped a pillow, slept through all their classes for the day and then there are weird people.
It’s the end of the semester. We have to worry about grades, housing, applying to grad school, filing taxes, figuring out what we’re gonna do once we graduate. Who in their right mind hasn’t had a complete meltdown yet?
It’s totally healthy to not have all the answers like Sway sometimes, so of course, you’re going to break down. But once you break down, how do you fix yourself back up?
Let it all outIf you haven’t already, take some time to cry. Punch a pillow. Throw something you don’t need. Break some junk. Rip up some (non-important) papers. Write. Scribble. Release the bitterness, the anger, the disappointment and everything else that’s been consuming you as a college student.
Eat something you loveHaving a healthy relationship with food means you can eat anything you want anytime you want. Grilled chicken sandwich, a salad, an apple. French fries, ice cream, hamburgers. A healthy relationship with food means knowing what foods make you feel energized, icky, awake, sleepy or even happy. When you’re recovering from a mental breakdown, you want to put extra emphasis on the happy foods. Eat things you sincerely love and enjoy, don’t worry about the calories or the fat and sugar for once and just eat.
Go for a walkEven though you might feel dejected and disgusting inside, the weather (as I write this article) is beautiful. Get out of the prison walls of your dorm room and take a walk. Let the rays of the sun warm your skin and basque in the beauty of nature. One place I like to go is down near the soccer field in between the library and UC. It’s not totally off campus, so you’re not gonna get robbed, but it’s still a bit secluded and private.If you don’t mind moving cars, you can also trek down to the 1975 Adam Winship apartments. At the end, there is a water fountain flowing in front of a bench. Cars pass by now and then, but most of the times you’re left alone to take in the soothing sounds of the running water.
Dress upIt’s time to pick yourself back up. And we all know, when you look good, you feel good, even if it’s just a temporary feel good. I don’t wear makeup often, so when I need a quick pick-me-up, I pat on some foundation, heavy eyeliner and a dress I haven’t worn in a while. Most of the times it’s not only the outfit that makes me feel pretty but the number of compliments I get on it too. Being vain shouldn’t always be reserved for airheads. Compliments go a long way on a bad week.
Get back into the swing of thingsGo back to eating whole and nutritious foods. Go back to jogging 3 times a week. Go back to making your bed every day. Gently slip back into your daily routine. We all know everyone on this campus is eventually going to (mentally) fall one day. It’s the getting back up part that’s uncertain.And if you need a helping hand, talk to people. Drive home for the weekend or ask your parents to come visit you. Schedule an appointment with CAPS. Or even seek some help online. I am a member of Therapy for Black Girls Thrive Tribe on Facebook, and they actually helped me create this list. There are people everywhere that would love to hear how strong you are, so don’t ever feel like you can’t share your struggles.
(04/04/18 2:12pm)
Are you majoring in biology? Do you love helping people? Are your parents immigrants? If so, you’re probably at this school to become a doctor.
Becoming a doctor seems like every parent’s dream for their child. It sure was my Nigerian mother’s dream. Why would she leave her home country to give a better life to her children, spend so much on me to come to this private school only for me to not go to medical school? Might as well...am I right?
Of course, I’m not.
From a young age, I realized that even though I liked to help people, becoming a doctor is not the best route to take. And here’s why:
Doctors are (sometimes) unhealthy
If you’re on the pre-med track, you’re probably going through hell and back studying for test after test after test, some of which have material you won’t even need in medical school (sorry, photosynthesis). And then after you get accepted into medical school, you get placed into the fire again, with probably the same or even less sleep.
Then you have to go through residency, which is a bit of an upgrade since you’re finally getting paid for all the labor you’ve been doing, but at 100 hours a week. After medical school, you would think it gets better, and it does. At least you’re getting paid to work 59 hours a week.
Doctors don’t have much freedom
I watched a documentary in my public health class discussing what doctors endure. One doctor left her hospital because she was not able to meet enough patients (one patient for 15 minutes every day).
The medical and healthcare sector of America is a sticky place. Why is it that we have all this fancy technology and expensive healthcare system, but our citizens are not living any longer than our other first-world counterparts?
According to the World Bank, one of the longest-living people are the Japanese with a 83.84 life expectancy. Their healthcare cost per person is $3,703. The United States has a life expectancy of 78.4. Our healthcare cost per person is $9,403 (2014).
With the astronomically insane prices of medical care costs that prevent families from getting the treatment they deserve, there has got to be some part in the doctor’s job description that battles this health disparity.
There isn’t.
Doctors can be unethical
It’s no doubt that doctors suffer from mountaintops of debt. Being a doctor pays well and all, but with an average medical school debt of $183,000, CBS News reports, a little more moolah wouldn’t hurt that bad. And what better way to make money than to push prescription drugs on people that don’t need them?
Doctors are great people, but because of the unethical practices of pharmaceutical companies, inflated healthcare spending and a dangerous education system, being a doctor is not the best way to change someone’s life.
The good news, you can still show your science skills, not get in so much debt and still give medicine without being a doctor. It’s called public health: preventative medicine. If you really want to help people, prevent their problem from even happening in the first place with preventative medicine.
(03/20/18 11:28am)
Raise your hand if you applied to this school because you heard Mercer was the Ivy League of the South.
Mercer, academically, is a rigorous school. It has been ranked in the top 15 percent of schools in North America by the Princeton Review. We’ve got Mercer on Mission, a Health Sciences Center and multiple resources for students pursuing a career in medicine or health.
Ironically, there are several things that make Mercer an unhealthy school that might have slipped our attention. Luckily, there are ways to make this medical, health-niched school practice what it preaches.
1) Make flu-shots free...for students
According to the CDC, more people died from flu-related respiratory illnesses this flu season compared to last year. The good news is that Mercer’s Student Health Center provides flu shots. The bad news is that students have to pay $27 for them, according to Nurse Kaye.
It should be in the school’s best interest to make sure their students, the changemakers of the world, the ones that don’t get paid to be here, are protected against influenza.
College students have sick friends. They go to lunch with their sick friends and even share rooms with their sick friends. On top of stress and unhealthy eating choices offered as meal swipes, college students should be the first persons to be offered free or severely discounted flu shots on a college campus. Which brings me to my next point:
2) Put Grilled Chicken as a meal swipe for Chick-Fil-A
Currently, at Chick-fil-a, a meal swipe buys you a fried chicken sandwich. Fried. We know how nutritious fried foods can be. And by nutritious, we mean dumped in artery-clogging oil. One of the healthiest options available, a grilled chicken sandwich, can only be bought through dining dollars.
Obtaining healthy and fulfilling food in general at Mercer has just been a challenge. Whenever I talk about going to the caf with my upperclassmen friends, I get a stank face, and I don’t know why. I’m trying to put on muscle, and with having only two meals a day on my Any-14 meal plan with no kitchen, I can’t spend my meal swipes any kind of way.
The meal swipe at Einstein’s is basically bread. Panda Express offers brown rice and teriyaki chicken which is great, but not enough. Farmer’s Market is great too, but it’s just not enough food for me. And a Which Wich sandwich (without greasy chips and just water) will fill up ⅓ of my stomach. So the caf it is.
3) Tying in intramurals with academics
One way Mercer University can change the world is by changing the connotation of a successful student. Mercer should put less of an emphasis on assignments and grades and more of an emphasis on exercise and overall wellness.
There are hundreds of students pursuing health degrees, but how many of us regularly go to the gym? How can we be the game-changing, hardworking physicians that nurse people back to health if we do not practice what we preach?
Intramurals have been actively recruiting more students to join the fun. And students that exercise tend to get better grades. What if Mercer authority figures supported intramurals by offering an incentive for those that go to the gym or participate in intramurals? Encouraging students to exercise might not seem world-changing, but it is life-changing.
4) Update/fix the gym equipment
One of the first things that disappointed me at Mercer was the gym. We don’t have a squat rack. You can ask any bodybuilder or powerlifter. If your gym doesn’t have a squat rack, it’s not a real gym.
Instead, we have a Smith machine that is almost always “temporarily out of service.” Don’t get me wrong. There are benefits of using a Smith machine. But the machine has to work.
The gym at Mercer is beginner friendly, which is what a small college campus needs. But if something is broken, and keeps breaking and breaking, please throw it out and get something more useful.
Colleges, in general, are relatively unhealthy places. On top of obsessive busy work, STDs and people that sneeze into their hands, colleges are swarming with risk factors. But Mercer, for what it’s worth, does not have to be like general colleges. Mercer staff, faculty and students have the agency to make college a little less scary and a lot more healthy.
(03/18/18 12:39am)
Every year, members of the Sexual Assault, Hazing, and Alcohol Prevention Education organization, also known as SHAPE, host a carnival to educate students on these topics.
Every year, there is a theme that SHAPE designs the carnival around. Last year’s theme was Monopoly, but after a majority vote, the SHAPE committee selected this year’s theme to be “A Night with Netflix,” said Alisabeth Graham, the head of student committee for SHAPE.
“At this carnival, we will have multiple booths all centered around the theme,” Graham said.
“At these booths, there will be games to play and prizes, like candies, to win.”
T-shirts will be given to students attending the carnival.
Hoor Qureshi, a global health studies and global development studies double major, said she attended the SHAPE carnival last year and is anticipating going again this year.
“It was really cool getting to see all the different organizations interact by having various activities for students to partake in,” Qureshi said.
The SHAPE carnival is focused on educating students about important issues like those in their mission statement, sexual assault and hazing to name a few, she said.
“Students should look forward to a fun, educational way to learn about hazing, sexual assault, alcohol abuse and drug abuse. Since this year’s theme is Netflix, students can visibly see how things they watch all the time can relate to them,” Graham said.
SHAPE also puts great emphasis on providing students with easy-to-understand facts that have been double-checked from multiple sources. These facts are then presented by using games surrounding the Netflix theme, Graham said.
“We keep the research updated and add it to our database. We have a pro staff that handles the research and then I, as the head of the Student Committee make sure the information is student-friendly,” Graham said.
Graham said, SHAPE is still looking for people to host a booth at the carnival. Interested individuals or organizations should email shape@mercer.edu.
“Organizations are welcome to apply to host a booth by emailing us beforehand,” Graham said. “The organizations can present their own fun representation of the theme in any style. But every booth must be educational.”
The SHAPE carnival will take place March 21 from 5 to 7 p.m. on Cruz Plaza (rain location: Heritage Hall) and will be open to all Mercer students for free.
(02/15/18 1:00pm)
Last issue, we gave you some tips on using the gym to reach your New Year’s resolutions. Maybe you’ve tried a few of the suggestions but couldn’t get over the awkwardness of being a total beginner. If you’ve never been to the gym before, working out might make you feel uncomfortable. But with these five tips, you’ll be earning your gains (or losing the weight) in no time!
[video credit="Blossom Onunekwu" align="right"][/video]
Get out your phone
Believe it or not but social media is not just for wasting time! Use social media sites like Instagram to follow fitness accounts. These accounts record parts of their workout sessions and will list their routine so that if you find a few workouts you specifically like, you can add it to your routine. I like to follow people like Briana Chandler, BrittneBabe, and Mackenzie Forbes (a vegan bootybuilder!) on Instagram for workout ideas.
Write out your workout plan
Once you have a good list of moves, create your own workout routine. If you want to target a certain part of your body on a specific day, make a list for that day. When it comes to reps, you want to make sure you’re challenging yourself, but not overexerting.
Then, head over to YouTube to learn how to do these moves step by step. If you’re trying to build muscle, you’ll be hitting the weights a lot, so learning how to lift them appropriately will save you a few sprains and tears.
Go with friends
Friends make everything less awkward! Get a few friends that may know what they’re doing but also want to get right. And don’t forget to bring your list with you. Friends might get you off task, but the list will put you all back on track!
Use the restroom before you workout
There’s a muscle, the puborectalis muscle, in the colon that keeps our digested food inside until we’re ready to take out the trash. Squatting helps us relax that muscle entirely so that we can release easily. Therefore don’t be surprised if you feel the urge to let out some gas during your jump squats.
In short, some workouts might make you a little gassy. Relieve yourself before going to the gym in respect for others.
Gymtimidation is real, but it doesn’t have to last forever. Implement these tips the next time you want to get a workout in, and you’ll realize just how enjoyable and rewarding taking care of your body can be.
Additional tips:
Don’t drop the weights
Wear clothing that makes you feel good
On Friday and Saturday nights, no one is at the gym
Make Mondays or Wednesdays your off days (everybody and their momma will be there)
(02/05/18 11:09am)
I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase “work smarter, not harder.” But if you’ve studied for hours on tests, only to get an F, you probably aren’t.
The truth is, there are multiple evidence-based practices you can use to improve your memory, concentration and encoding skills to help your grades. Now, I’m not saying you should burn your textbooks after reading this. But if you’ve mastered the art of studying, here are some healthy practices you can implement to get better grades.
1. Don’t sleep on sleep.
The amount and quality of sleep you get is the most important factor in creating memories according to The Neuroscientist. Most of us have had psychology, so you should know about encoding, storing and retrieving memories. When we sleep, we go through a process called consolidation, which research suggests has a lot to do with how we encode new information.
2. Wake up early.
There are also many benefits to waking up early—even if you claim you’re not a morning person. In the morning, there are no loud roommates. Everyone you follow on Snapchat is asleep. You have no distractions. Why not get some work done at that time?
Ben Franklin said it best, “Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.”
But if you want something more credible, the Journal of Biological Rhythms reported that morning people slept better than those that woke up later. Their later counterparts were more likely to suffer from sleep disorders. The study also reported that no matter how late these night owls slept in, they always slept for shorter periods of time.
3. Exercise.
This is a no-brainer. By now, you should know that exercise is not just for vanity. Why do you think doctors recommend exercising to reduce the risk of Alzheimer's? According to Mayo Clinic, physical activity helps the brain by delivering more oxygen-filled blood to the brain. Also, exercising releases certain chemicals in the body that help protect the brain.
Once you’re ready for a study break, before zipping down your timelines, try giving yourself a five minute dance break, crank out 50 pushups or 50 squats. Get some blood flowing.
4. Be stingy with your time
A lot of things in life are replaceable: your car, your phone, your hair. But one thing you can never get back is your time.
Be stingy with your time. Use your Notes app to jot down everything you do that’s unrelated to school work, and measure how long it takes you to do that. Do this for at least a week.
I noticed that I spent over an hour and thirty minutes every day eating lunch. And, I was eating alone, so I can’t even say I was having an intense, thought-provoking conversation with someone.
We might want to do other things when we eat, like check out what other people are doing online. That’s great and all because you’re taking a break, but even during a quick break, keep note of how much time you’re spending.
5. Meditate
Meditation is the process of emptying out our thoughts to make room for silence and internal peace. According to Psychology Today, meditation is great for helping us concentrate.
If you don’t know how to meditate, simply do a quick YouTube search. You can also use meditation apps to help you start.
I’m the kind of person that has thousands of ideas in their brain, but if I sit quietly for a long time, I’ll fall asleep. Therefore, I turn to journaling. I write down all the thoughts swirling in my head in the early morning and dump them out on the page.
Obviously, you have to study to get good grades. But to get even better grades, you’ve got to understand the material. To understand the material, you have to concentrate, spend less time on distractions and have a brain healthy enough to encode new information. These habits will do just that, so adopt them and watch your GPA soar.
(01/08/18 2:05am)
You’ve probably never heard of a quarter-life crisis. Maybe a mid-life crisis, or a mid-semester crisis, but what struggles do we really face in the first quarter of our life?
Good question: several.
If you haven’t caught the drift, our 20s are defined as the most important first part of our lives. Most 20-year-olds are working long nights (and days) to earn that diploma, trying to look for a job or just trying to establish themselves. We’re at a time in our lives where we’re forced to figure everything out so you’re bound to experience a crisis. Here are a few signs you might be in a quarter-life crisis, and what to do about it.
You lack motivation.
Maybe you used to be this Gatorade-powered weightlifter or a passionate ARC tutor, but all of a sudden you stop. You don’t make time to study anymore. You don’t feel energized going to the gym. You probably have even considered dropping out of school altogether. The fact that school is almost over scares you—so much so that you’re paralyzed in fear and in motivation.
WHAT TO DO: Discipline yourself.
Motivation will always be a wishy-washy thing. Discipline is much more effective for most. Cracking down on yourself and keeping yourself accountable makes things become more of a habit. So it doesn’t matter if you feel motivated to do something or not. You’re going to do it because you’ve been doing it forever.
But if you’re looking for a solution that doesn’t involve so much self-discipline, try creating a vision board. Grab a poster and a few magazines and cut out everything that inspires you. Then, paste it on the board any way you’d like. You can even invite a couple of friends and have them create their own vision boards with you. Once you’re done, hang the board up right over your workspace or somewhere you will see it.
Are you more of a digital person? Pinterest is also a great platform to find motivational and inspirational quotes. It’s the only social media network that also doubles as a search engine, so you can save images (called pins) to your account.
You sleep to avoid problems.
Been there, done that! Naps are a great strategy for shutting down your brain if you’re thinking too much. But there is such a thing as sleeping too much. If you slip into a nap every time life gets stressful, and you don’t address the problem, you’re digging a deeper hole for yourself. The problems don’t go anywhere when you sleep, and in fact, you just might exacerbate them.
WHAT TO DO: Take naps only when you feel groggy and overworked.
According to SleepFoundation.org, a quick 20-30-minute nap helps boost alertness, mood and overall performance. So along the lines of discipline, make sure to limit your naps and work through your problems instead.
You’re lonely.
Even with all the friendly faces you see every day at Mercer, you have this internal feeling of loneliness. You believe there’s not many people you can confide in because everyone is busy and dealing with their own problems.
WHAT TO DO: Talk to your favorite professor.
Professors don’t have to be the people you see only in a class setting. Believe it or not, but professors do want the best for you. And they often make the best mentors. If you feel a little alone some days, stop by your favorite professor’s office during office hours and chat with him/her. Get to know them a little bit better on a personal level.
You have absolutely no idea what you want to do with your life.
I’m about to spill ground-breaking, non-peer-reviewed quick facts: You don’t have to have your life together in your 20s. You don’t have to have your life together in your 20s. You don’t have to have your life together in your 20s.
You’re ONLY in your 20s. Do you really think anyone is going to know what they want to do with their entire life? That’s like asking a kindergartener what college he/she wants to go to. I’m positive there are kindergarteners that know about college, but the majority of them are too busy coloring or learning the alphabet to care.
WHAT TO DO: Stop Worrying
Stop worrying about what others are doing or have done. Really. You might get constant reminders about how “easy” it was for your mom and pop to move out at 18 and start their lives and how they didn’t need all the extra help it feels like you could use right now.
Well, newsflash: you parents were born in a less-difficult America. You didn’t always need a degree. Rent wasn’t as expensive. Heck, COLLEGE wasn’t as expensive.
Times are a lot harder for us; we’re not supposed to have it all figured out.
I found this quote on Pinterest (because I also have been suffering from a quarter-life crisis): “Nothing will ruin your 20s more than thinking you have to have your life together.” And isn’t that the truth?
The fact of the matter is, you’re going to be broke. You’re going to feel lonely. You’re going to go through several jobs before you get to your career. You’re going to get jealous of others.
But what you’re also going to do is figure things out. You’ll discover what works best for you. You’ll find your people. You’ll put in the work to make your life incredible. This too shall pass.
(11/12/17 7:15pm)
Want to hear something scary? We have less than two months left of school.
Stressed out yet? You’re not the only one. As we near the end of the semester, a sense of urgency and anxiety can be felt around campus. How will I get every assignment in on time? What do I need to study more? Does the professor like me enough to curve my grade 15 points to an A? You might have felt the need to ask yourself these questions, but what you really need to do is relax for a bit. Self-help is an $11 billion industry filled with discovery classes and projects. But you don’t have to pay for a subscription to take care of yourself. Here are five ways to relax without spending money.
Clean your room.
Cleaning your room is something we might forget to do from time to time during school, but I find it incredibly therapeutic. A cluttered desk contributes to a cluttered mind, so get organized! Spend a few minutes of your next break straightening out your room, disinfecting your desk and keyboard and washing your bed sheets. This will also help to fight off those germs during cold and flu season. The last thing you need is to get sick!
Go to the library, go to the nook on the third floor and look out at Cruz Plaza.
It’s called people watching, but 100% warmer. If you go to the third floor of the library and make a right, near the bathrooms is a tiny nook with couches and a window. If someone’s not already hibernating in the corner, take a seat and watch people out on Cruz. Or, find your own little nook on campus where you can just take in the sights. What are you accomplishing? Absolutely nothing, and that’s one of the keys to relaxing.
Ditch the electronics.
If you’re like me and grow flustered at the amount of time you spend behind a screen, give yourself a break. Unplug yourself from the digital world for a while. Instead of scrolling down your Tumblr feed, write out your feelings, draw, jam on the piano in the Administration room in the CSC or just daydream. Do anything that gets you away from the phone and into relaxation.
Eat some dark chocolate (with at least 70% cocoa).
If you don’t like chocolate, you’re missing out on the therapeutic effects a simple taste can do! According to the peer-reviewed journal Antioxid Redox Signal, chocolate can improve your mood to make you feel more content. Why not use it to relax? Plus, it tastes pretty good too!
Dark chocolate is not exactly free, but if you went trick or treating and rationed it like the health-conscious student you are, you should have a few in the mix.
Take a day off from work.
This might be counterintuitive to you. Why would you take off work, miss money and dig yourself into even more debt? But, if your job is stressful and taking time away from your self-care, consider taking a day off and gain some of that much needed relaxation time.
Don’t wait until you feel overwhelmed to take some time off from your busy life. Take a step back, stop thinking about all of the assignments you have to do for a while and take a breather. Give your body and brain the break it deserves so you can effortlessly crush these next couple weeks of school.
(11/10/17 8:05pm)
Want to know what inclusion and open-mindedness look like? Check out the Mercer K-pop Team: a talented group of Bears that hear Korean, dance Korean and sometimes speak Korean too.
The Mercer K-pop dance team, MKT, was founded two years ago by sophomore Jessica Lee, who is of Vietnamese descent.
In October, MKT performed with the Mercer Bearitones for a Halloween concert.
“I thought this would be a great opportunity for us to be exposed as a team,” Lee said. “I really want us to expand and grow.”
To Lee’s fortune, growth is an understatement. Not only is there a growth in members, but a growth in diversity. There are a variety of races and ethnicities on the team.The members come together twice a week with one goal: to bring popular Korean songs and dance moves to life.
“It doesn’t matter if you can’t understand what they’re saying,” sophomore Elizabeth Daniels said. “Music is about the feeling that it gives you. You can dance to it... cry to it. If you like music, no matter who you are, you should be able to enjoy K-pop.”
Chloe Phillips’ fervor for K-pop also drove her to the team.
“I’ve always been a pretty big fan of K-pop, but I never had the opportunity to go out and do the choreography,” she said. “I would just learn it by myself and do it in my room because all my friends were too scared to do it with me. So the team allowed me to meet new people who had similar interests, and it’s a lot of fun.”
Lee explained that the group mainly performs at cultural events, such as the Taste the World cultural expo last spring.
“For now, it just makes sense to perform for mainly cultural events,” she said. “But I do think K-pop is growing. It’s becoming more [a part] of American culture. There are K-pop songs on Spotify’s popular playlists. BTS [a popular Korean boy band] actually won an American award!”
When asked about the highlights of dancing for MKT, Lee described a typical agenda for the team.
“Every week, there would be one K-pop song to be learned. But up until the week before the concert, MKT had never practiced as a whole team,” Lee said. “Having everyone together and seeing each other perform is phenomenal.”
“Most people think K-pop is very girly,” Lee said. “But it's not. We do intense songs.”
This school year, MKT plans to perform at African Student Association’s Art Explosion in November and other cultural expos.
If you’re interested in K-pop, love to dance or both, “we might open up auditions for second semester,” Lee said. For more questions, you can email the team at mercerkpopteam@gmail.com
“Sometimes people take K-pop as a joke,” she said. “We are a big group of people that are really passionate for it.”
(11/04/17 10:00am)
Mental health has always been a topic that people would rather not think about. From little boys being told not to cry, to older generations thinking mental illnesses aren’t real, the American culture hasn’t been so accepting of mental health. But when you break a leg or an arm, everyone’s sympathetic and telling you to see a doctor.
Even when you’re not sick, you’re still encouraged to go see your doctor to prevent physical illnesses or conditions. The same reasoning should be applied to your mental health. You shouldn’t wait until you’re mentally ill to seek professional help. Here’s why you should go to the counselor even though you’re not depressed.
1. Your friends have their own problems.
You might think that just because you’ve known your friends for so long that they’ll be able to figure out your every need. But your friends have their own needs too. College comes with 99 other stressors and sometimes they aren’t in a good place themselves to help you out. It’s great to vent to your friends about people or issues in your life that bother you, but if your friends have a ton on their plates and even more in their ears from you, it’s best to be more considerate.
2. Your friends won’t always give the best advice.
Another reason I recommend seeing a counselor is because your friends are not counselors. They have absolutely no credentials to help you figure your life out, and no, taking PSYCH 101 with Jenkins does not count.
You might have had your friend play psychologist successfully before, but once grades get locked in and stress rises, so does agitation. Your friends might have the best intentions but give you bad advice anyway that only hurts your mental health.
3. You don’t know everything.
You might think if your friends can’t help you, then you’ll just figure it out on your own, right? Well it might not be so easy. Just like your friends, you’re an angsty, stressed-out, and broke college student with little to no credentials. If something really does feel off, it might be best to seek professional help in tackling the matter before you jump to unfounded conclusions.
Even though we’re all adults managing jobs, schools, and extracurriculars, we’re not superheroes, and the stresses of college life can weigh down on us. We might be great at turning in homework at exactly 11:59, but we have our weaknesses too. Luckily, helping people figure out their lives is a counselor’s strength.
4. Sometimes you’ll feel better just getting things off of your chest.
If you have a lot on your mind and a lot on your heart, releasing everything and being open for just a couple minutes of your life can be refreshing. It’s as if you’re taking a huge weight off your shoulders. And it’s not as if you’re airing out your dirty laundry to the world. It’s more like you’re just trying to cleanse your mind.
In my experiences, talking to a counselor was like taking a test: after my session ended, I felt rejuvenated and free. Similar to holding in powerpoints of information, I was holding in endless bullet points and sticky notes and to-do lists and things to think about. It was all distracting me from getting work done efficiently, so I decluttered my brain by sharing my thoughts with my counselor. And after the meetup, I felt capable of tackling any upcoming task.
5. Their services are free.
One of the wonderful things about college is that it’s loaded with resources that you will have to pay for once you graduate. We students are still trying to figure ourselves out, and sometimes it can get a bit stressful. That’s why we have services like CAPS to help get our lives together. After you graduate, you’re the one responsible for finding a therapist you like, driving to the office, and paying him/her for the services. We have the privilege of on-campus psychologists that work with our schedule and don’t ask for a service fee. Don’t take their services for granted!
6.. You actually might be depressed. Or even anxious.
Let’s be honest. If you’ve taken a psychology class, you’ll know that there are thousands of mental disorders known to man. Stress is a risk factor for several mental and physical conditions. By self-diagnosing, you put yourself more at risk since you’re not getting the treatment you urgently need. It’s like taking asthma medication when you actually have pneumonia (there is a correlation between inhaler users and an increased risk of pneumonia (Paul et. al, 2010)). The medicine you take won’t be that affective and eventually your symptoms will get worse. Counselors studied mental illnesses for years and can discern between conditions better than Google can. If you are showing signs of mental illness, it’s best to seek out help from a counselor and determine what’s really going on.
Even if you’re not suffering from depression or having panic attacks or suicidal thoughts, if you constantly feel mentally uncomfortable, if you always feel the need to get something off your chest but you’re afraid to be a burden, or if you just need someone to talk to, consider seeing a counselor.
CAPS (Counseling and Psychological Services) is located on Mercer University’s campus behind the Mary Erin Porter Residence Hall. They are available from 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday through Friday and can be reached by phone at (478)-301-2862.
(11/01/17 1:20pm)
Saturday is homecoming game night, but do you really need to wait until the game to be entertained? The Townsend School of Music begs to differ.
The annual Kaleidoscope concert is on Saturday morning at 11 a.m. in Fickling Hall.
“We will conclude in plenty of time for tailgating,” said Stanley Roberts, Mercer’s Choir director.
For those new to the tradition, the concert includes talent from Women’s Choir, Mercer Singers, the String Quartet from the McDuffie Center for strings and soloists.
“It is a way that visitors to campus, alumni and students can get a little sampling of the very things that we do here at the Townsend School of Music,” Roberts said.
The repertoire for the event might not include several songs the average music lover knows of, but Stanley assures that there will be multiple pieces that inspire people.
Mercer Singers is composed of both graduate and undergraduate students. Roberts also puts location and acoustics in mind.
The Mercer Singers are constantly asked to perform for several events: family weekend, celebrations, churches and much more.
“I have to pick things that sound great depending on location,” he said. “There’s a process that’s very practical.”
Women’s choir travels much less than the Mercer Singers, but Roberts exclaims that the turnover is huge.
“You might have one semester a bunch of singers with varying skillsets and then the next semester is an entirely different group. You’re working with a variety of students,” he said.
It’s not just about selecting music that compliments the choir’s skills, but Roberts mentions that there is an essential education aspect he always considers. Exposing students to several styles of music is another thing he does.
“I need to give them things that give them a reservoir of repertoire that’s out there. It’s what I call the great literature chase. You’re always chasing literature,” Roberts said.
You might not know the selection, but Roberts said you should look out for three students playing a gigantic marimba. There are also 5 french horns that are playing a jazz/swing piece that Roberts think the audience can jive to.
At the end of the interview, Robert explained how the Kaleidoscope concert is more than just an annual homecoming concert.
Roberts implores us to live in the peace of music for about an hour.
“Why not sit some place where you can be transformed by hearing finely tuned music with inspiration rather than just something out of a can?” he said.
“Our society has to find a way to rediscover true art and true peace,” Roberts said.
(10/24/17 7:35pm)
Mercer’s 3-year-old acapella group, the Mercer Bearitones, will have their second Halloween concert on Oct. 30 at 6 p.m. in Willingham.
“It’s a Halloween concert, so there will be typical Halloween songs,” said Mary Marudas, the organization’s president. “But we will be singing songs not necessarily for Halloween, but still spooky.”
Marudas hints at a Gnarls Barkley acappella rendition along with Amy Winehouse’s Back to Black.
The marketing major explained the process for preparing for the concert. Members are expected to have practice on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
[related title="Related Stories" stories="22241" align="right" background="on" border="none" shadow="on"]
“We just have so many passionate, dedicated members,” she said.
The president went on to explain how Mercer Bearitones recently performed at Pilgrimage to Penfield.
[related title="Related Stories" stories="16689,13521,11125" align="center" background="on" border="none" shadow="off"]
Even though the Mercer Bearitones group puts in long hours to make every performance euphonic, the members consider themselves close friends.
Vice President and pre-medical major Darian Bishop said, “The most fun part about being apart of Bearitones is traveling together as a team. We’ve grown to be friends and family and we’ve developed a lot of camaraderie.”
The Mercer Bearitones won’t be the only family performing at the concert. The Korean dance group, Mercer KPOP team, has also been asked to perform.
“We didn’t want us to perform our songs, be there for 15 minutes and then leave,” said Marudas. “If it was just us, we would have to perform for about an hour, and that’s a lot of material.”
Marudas said Hana Hollis, the choreographer and member of the Mercer Bearitones, suggested to her that the two groups should partner up. Hollis believed both clubs were small but had immense talent.
The Mercer Bearitones are looking to collaborate with other organizations in the future as well.
“If you don’t go for the music, go for the performance. It’s fun,” said Marudas.
With pop, rhythm and blues and dancing, The Mercer Bearitones take pride in being diverse in not only singing, but entertainment in general.
We asked other members why Mercer students should attend the Halloween concert.
“Because we’re aca-awesome,” said Mason Mishael. “We’re singing a handful of cool songs most people will know, and MKT will be there!”
Pooja Gala, a mezzo-soprano, said she also believes they will put on a great show. “It’s a different experience that people don’t know about. True music to the ears!”
Editor's note: This article was edited 10/26/17 to reflect that this Halloween show is the second for the Mercer Bearitones, not the first, the correct spelling of Gnarls Barkley, the name of the Korean dance group, Gala's vocal specialization, the correct spelling of Mishael's name, and the correct spelling of Hollis's name.
(09/29/17 10:00am)
blossomoh@aol.com
Short answer: Stay home.
But if you’re like every other college student, you’ll look forward to doing something on the weekend other than homework and studying. Unfortunately, parties can sometimes cause even more stress than a biochemistry test. Alcohol poisoning, sexual assault and even rape are themes heavily associated with college parties. But here are some ways to avoid these themes and safely enjoy a night out in college.
[sidebar title="Reminder" align="right" background="off" border="none" shadow="off"]
Although Mercer encourages its students to relax and enjoy their downtime, it’s important to note that Mercer is a dry campus that does not condone underaged drinking. Bears, please drink responsibly.
[/sidebar]
Go with people you trust
You should probably never ever go to a party (on or off campus) by yourself. You don’t know everyone in that party, and even if you do, everyone acts differently under the influence. Get a group of friends that you trust. Go to parties with people that sincerely care about you and won’t leave you vomiting in the bushes or dancing with a handsy stranger. Take care of your fellow bears.
Keep your phone on you at all times
If you can’t find your friends, call them or send them a text to let them know you’re okay and that you’re looking for them. It can be dark at times, and depending on how deep the club is, you might not be able to see your friends. Save yourself and your friends by shooting them a text when you happen to lose contact with them for long periods of time.
Let your friends know your every move
Since you’re with friends that you love and trust, it wouldn’t hurt to tell them where you are. If you want to dance with someone, make sure your friends are nearby and send them a text every now and then to let them know you are still okay.
Don’t binge drink
Four out of five college students admit to drinking alcohol, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse. On that same note, we’re not going to pretend that binge drinking isn’t a big issue among college students. Are you a guy who’s had five or more drinks in two hours at a party? Are you a woman who’s had four or more drinks in two hours? Then you have been binge drinking.
Binge drinking hurts not only your liver and your state of being but also everyone around you. Some people act abrasively around their friends while under the influence. Others might go to certain extremes like driving. The effects of binge drinking are responsible for over 80,000 deaths in the U.S every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
However, even if you pledge to never drink and drive or binge drink, it’s still important to recognize your limits. Some people have relatively higher alcohol tolerances than others and this is something you should be aware before you make the decision to go out.
Get your ride settled BEFORE you reach the club.
If you're going to drink, don't drive. Period. Find a designated driving friend and have them drive you to the party/club. If none of you have a car, use the trolley, but make sure you've downloaded the Mercer app so you can find the trolley’s schedule. Know the time of the trolley's last run so you won't miss it. And trust me, if you're downtown, slightly inebriated, and with a bunch of strangers, you won't want to miss it.
If you choose to drink: mix alcohol and juice, not alcohol and sex
Sex is a common activity that many college students partake in. But one thing that’s equally as common is rape. It’s totally natural for couples to slip away from the parties and into the bedroom. However, it’s safer to do so consciously and fully aware of everything. In short, sex and alcohol do not mix. Both you and your partner should be able to consent to sex, and repeat after me: if you are under the influence, you cannot consent.
If you see something, say something.
Not everyone has time to read the Cluster and prevent a stressful night. That's why, if you see someone disregarding these tips, help them out. Whether you know the person or not, if you see someone drinking obsessively, dancing uncomfortably or acting aggressively, do something about it. Don't think of yourself as a bystander. Instead, stand by anyone who might need your help.
(05/22/17 9:45am)
Summertime is right around the corner. Bring out your sunscreen, your water bottles and your barbecues.
In American culture, it’s never too hot to barbecue. But now that you’re more health conscious since reading The Cluster, you wonder: are burgers healthy? I mean, it’s got lettuce, mustard, onions and protein? So that means it’s healthy, right? Well, yes and no.
What’s in a burger?
What makes up your typical burger? You can’t rule out or rule in burgers if you don’t account for all the ingredients that make them so juicy.
Bun: Carbs. Almost always nutrient-lacking. Maybe if you get a whole wheat version, it would be more nutritious.
Cheese: Who doesn’t love cheese? Plus, there are so many options mozzarella, parmesan, all of which are better than American cheese.
Condiments: Ketchup contains high fructose corn syrup, which is another type of sugar. Nothing is wrong with HFCS in moderation. But the fact that it’s usually the first or second ingredient should raise a red flag. It’s not like you’re dousing your burger in ketchup, right?
Mayo also tastes great, but you can only have so much (1 tablespoon) before you eat too much. A tablespoon of mayonnaise has about 10 grams of fat. In addition, mayonnaise’s main ingredients are eggs, oil, and lemon, but why are there so many extra ingredients at the back of your mayonnaise jar?
We need to appreciate the beauty and nature of ordinary mayonnaise, like Kendrick appreciates the natural stretchmarks on ordinary women.
Fruits and veggies. Lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles are probably the most vegan-friendly things on your burger.
We can’t forget meat. More specifically…
Beef.
What is Beef?
Beef (cow) is a red meat. Red meats have been linked to cancer, according to Harvard Health in 2013. However, there have been studies counterattacking such claims.
Grass-fed beef, on the other hand, is not as bad. Regular cows are fed chicken poop, according to OneEarth.org (2013). You are what you eat, so why not be grass instead of chicken feces?
The less controversial option is chicken or turkey. Especially the breasts. The breasts have the least amount of fat on the bird, and a typical 4 oz chicken breast contains 35 grams of protein and only about 3 grams of fat. The same size of turkey breast has 27 grams of protein and one gram of fat.
Turkey ranks better in sodium and cholesterol, but you really can’t go wrong either way.
So should you eat a Burger?
If you’ve eaten something as hearty as a burger yesterday and the day before, I would skip out.
If you’re not that hungry, but want to fit in and eat a burger, I wouldn’t.
If you’ve had a terrible school year or have been working your butt off in the gym or don’t remember the last time you ate a burger and want one. TREAT YOURSELF!
Eating one burger won’t make you gain 10 pounds, and by itself, it won’t clog your arteries either.
One burger isn’t going to kill you — that is, unless you choke.
Healthy living is not so much a diet, but rather a lifestyle. You can still have your burger, and eat it too — just not every day.
(04/25/17 7:58pm)
Spoiler alert: people die.
Earlier last month, a lady was so bored in traffic that she started to host her own karaoke show on Snapchat. Before we could give her a standing ovation, the screeching of a car wheel sounded and the livestream abruptly ended. The next snap pictured the diva’s face adorned with bloody scrapings, her body resting in white. Caption: “My bed for the night. Lucky to be alive.”
For some reason, we are addicted to our phones. We use them when we’re in school, when we’re supposed to be studying, when we’re “exercising” and even when we’re defecating. For some reason, we just can’t seem to stop sharing every part of our day.
Bored in class? Let’s take a picture of it. Snapchat has a new filter? Let’s test it out! It’s a habit almost everyone with a Snapchat is guilty of, including myself. And it’s a relatively harmless activity when you undermine your grades since you’re probably procrastinating.
But once you take the Snapchat on the road, things can get deadly.
Accidents and Driving
Based off of what you see on television and during our life experiences, what type of actions do you think cause the most accidents? Drunk driving? Distracted driving? Speeding? There have been several campaigns to stop speeding years ago. Drunk driving was the next big campaign to help others make better decisions on the road. But distracted driving has caused more accidents than drunk driving and speeding, according to the U.S Department of Transportation in 2013.
Snapchatting while driving is distracted driving
Distracted driving involves looking for things in your car, eating food, applying makeup and, of course, using your cell phone. In 2011, over 387,000 people were injured and 3,331 were killed due to distracted driving, according to the U.S Department of Transportation in 2013. That was the year Snapchat had its debut and barely anyone even knew about it. Imagine how many lives are injured or lost due to distracted driving today.
Actually, you don’t have to. According to the New York Times, there has been a steady decrease of deaths from auto crashes. However, in the last three years, the number of deaths have increased. Before July 2016, highway deaths had already jumped 10.4% higher than the total in 2015, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
According to Diststraction.gov, “At any given moment in the United States, approximately 660,000 drivers are using cell phones or manipulating electronic devices while driving.” Among all the other apps millennials use, Snapchat is the app most likely to be used at the wheel.
Imagine if you had a child in the passenger seat and you’re crossing an intersection when suddenly a speeding car crashes into your car on the right, killing your child on impact. Minutes later you found that the driver of the speeding car was singing along to one of his favorite songs in the car and recording it to Snapchat.
The driver acted as if he couldn't have streamed that song later. He acted as if that would be his last time listening to that song. But in reality, it was your son’s last time.
Snapchat’s motto is “Life’s more fun when you live in the moment,” which I find ironically fitting. Because, yes, recording and uploading stories that disappear within a day can be classified as living in the moment to an extent. But after that moment ends, what’s to say your life won’t as well?
(03/26/17 4:33pm)
Sleep sounds like something everyone is giving up when they go to college. It’s a common fact that most college students are sleep deprived. It seems that If you’re getting enough sleep, you’re doing something wrong. But are pre-health students walking hypocrites? Here’s why sleep is so important as a college student.
What happens when we sleep?
For the workaholic, it seems pointless, but quality sleep is key in weight management, muscle repair, skin rejuvenation, mood management, blood circulation and alertness in the morning, according to a Harvard study. Sleep is our daily off button. Ever have a smartphone that felt so slow and unproductive one time,so you restart it? Usually after you restart it, the phone is as good as new. And that’s pretty much how sleep works.
How much sleep do we need?
Sleep deprivation is different for everyone depending on age, but for college students, we typically need about 7 to 9 hours of sleep according to Mayo Clinic. The University of Georgia reports that students get about 6 hours of sleep a day.
What happens if we don’t get enough sleep?
If you don’t get enough sleep, you might not retain the Dif. E.Q notes as well as you could. Someone who is sleep deprived will not learn information correctly, according to Healthy Sleep. It’s hard for us to focus, judge and give adequate attention to things when we are sleep deprived. Ever studied for a test with little to no hours of sleep? Your overworked neurons won’t be firing as normally, and memory recall is challenged. Think twice about pulling that all-nighter for that test.
Studies have also linked sleep deprivation to weight gain.
The University of Chicago conducted a case study in which they assigned a case group with only 4.5 hours of sleep for four consecutive days. The next day, they were given a chance to eat whatever, and they chose the more nutrient-lacking snacks. It’s because the lack of sleep toys with the eCB (Endocannabinoid) system in your brain, which, when activated, makes you crave fat and sugary foods. The higher the eCB levels, the more unhealthy eating choices.
You immune system is also impaired when you’re sick. T-cells have been reported to go down when you’re sleep deprived, according to NIH.gov. Worried about allergy season? Trying not to catch the flu? Don’t make it hard for yourself and get more sleep.
Sleep deprivation is also like smoking: you hurt yourself and, you can hurt the people around you—and we’re not just talking about your grouchiness. Being sleep-deprived impacts your performance and alertness. So when you’re driving in your car drowsy-eyed with your foot on the gas, you’re putting lives in jeopardy. In fact, driving sleep is just as bad as driving drunk, according to Jama Internal Medicine
How do I go to bed earlier?
Turn off all electronics 30 minutes before bedtime (read a book instead).
Don’t procrastinate on your assignments.
Do some yoga.
Listen to relaxing music like Chillstep, or type in “ambient music” on Youtube.
Start off with getting one extra hour of sleep, and then gradually make your way up until you’re getting 7 to 9.
Before you prepare to procrastinate and lose sleep, think about what consequences will arise. One night of sleep deprivation won’t do much damage, but once you start marking this habitual, you’re gonna wish you sowed more seeds to reap.
(02/21/17 4:39am)
For some, a new semester is a wonderful time to start off having new professors and new opportunities, which is why it’s best to start off stress-free. But for many, college is a stress bomb. Difficult classes, unhelpful professors, drama, financial situations, parties, drugs — it’s hard to keep calm all the time.
And if you can’t take my word for it, according to the American Psychological Association, the mental health of college students is a growing concern. Here’s some facts: almost 42 percent of college students suffer from anxiety. Depression places second at 36.4, and relationship issues affect 35.8 percent of the student population (APA, 2013). The stats were taken from the counseling directors from the Association for University and College Counseling Center.
Stress is great. It’s a hormone that reminds that you’re alive and kicking, but too much of everything is a bad thing. So, what’s a college student to do to manage their stress levels in college?
Evaluate why you are doing what you are doing
Why are you in college? Why are you pursuing a specific major? Why are you on a specific track? What is your motivation? The stress is worth it if you know your end goal and if you’re passionate for the end goal, but if you’re living a life your parents want you to, is it really, then? Taking out immense loans, getting little sleep, and bombing classes all for you family’s interest — is it worth it?
Prepare, prepare, prepare
If it is worth it, you need to prepare yourself. Say you’re taking one of the hardest classes in the school taught by the most selfish professor in the world. You can’t go in as a student acting the same way as you normally would. You have to be alert every class period and ready to ask questions. That class needs to be at top priority every day, even when you don’t have that class. That teacher’s office hours need to be ingrained on every note card, in every planner you own. Get prepared to get busy.
Start journaling
If you’re one more sigh away from tearing up, struggling with social anxiety or just don’t know who to talk to or what to do, grab a notebook and write your feelings down. Write down all your responsibilities, all your ideas and all your stressors. You can write them all in pencil or switch it up with different medias.
Oh, and cry. Think of this whole process as a cleanse, so get it aallll out. Men and women. Cry.
Eat better
When your mental health is struggling, the last thing you want to do is mess up your physical health by eating junk on top of junk. Unhealthy food consumption increases your chances of getting sick since they lack the nutrients to promote a healthy immune system.
Blueberries, cashews, and oranges are all said to have stress relieving properties according to Prevention.com. And if you’re craving some candy, dark chocolate can help reduce blood pressure.
Stick to a whole foods diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables. It’s said that apples and other fruits can help with stress relief.
Sleep
Pretty sure most people who are stressed out aren’t getting enough sleep. According to APA, sleep deprivation can lead to muscle deterioration and memory loss. Wondering why you stayed up all night to study but can’t remember anything? Sleep is the answer. 7 to 9 hours of sleep is optimal, and is possible if you plan accordingly. Get some rest.
(02/07/17 7:32pm)
Going to the gym and losing more weight has been people’s New Year resolution for years. But after February, some act as if they forgot what a gym is! A study on StatisticsBrain.com states that only 9 percent of citizens stick to their New Year resolutions and accomplish them by the end of the year.
If your resolution was to go to the gym more, have you done so? And if so, how often? The fitness center is an asset that we have already paid for, and if you’re not using it, you’re wasting money.
Maybe you keep forgetting. Maybe you have classes non-stop. Maybe you have three jobs, one internship, and chapter commitments. It might seem difficult to squeeze working out into your rigorous college schedule, but it’s definitely possible.
There’s a quote that goes, “If it’s important to you, you’ll find time. If it’s not, you’ll find an excuse.” You’ve made enough excuses. Here’s how to make time.
1. Workout with friends
Teamwork makes the dream work, and partner exercises are amazing. Find someone who also wants to workout more this semester and set up workout dates with them. Are you into the athletic type but aren’t athletic yourself? Easy: find some hunk/fit chick who you know likes to work out and see if they can show you the ropes. No awkward conversations required! You can also have competitions with regular friends and see who can do the most burpees or hold the longest plank. (Good luck with those by the way).
2. Wake up earlier
This is the solution to getting much more work done, especially if you think you’re too busy for it. Wake up an hour or two before you normally would and hit the gym first thing in the morning (after a nutritious breakfast, of course). You’ll feel refreshed getting it out of the way so you can focus on the other demands of the day.
3. Schedule it in
If you forget to go to the gym because you’re so busy, don’t prioritize your schedule, schedule your priorities! Yes, we know classes and meetings are important, but your health and self-development are just as important—if not, more! If you like to-do lists, put working out at the top and write it multiple times in different places. You don’t have to work out more than once a day, but it puts more pressure on going to the gym.
If you like putting reminders on your phone, make one. Analyze your schedule and figure out what times you have available to your disposal every day. Put in a daily reminder to go to the gym at that time.
4. Find out what’s wasting your time in a day
Social media is wasting your time. Netflix is wasting your time. You have goals to accomplish and if you’re involved in a daily ineffective activity that’s not helping you approach these goals, you’re wasting your time.
Lots of people think working out and going to the gym is supposed to be something long and grueling, but a workout can be as short as 15 minutes if you need it to be. 30 is optimal, but if you think you’re really pressed for time, there are several short workouts on Youtube that you can follow.
In order to crush your resolutions for the new year, you’ve got to make time for them daily. In the beginning, it won’t matter how long. All that matters is how frequently because that’s how habits are born.
(12/04/16 5:49pm)
It’s finally getting cold in Georgia, and as the temperature goes down, so does motivation. Winter, warm blankets, and comfy clothing are all associated with the urge to sit down and do nothing productive. It’s the reason “chilling” means exactly that.
But the cold season, home to many holidays and comfort foods, should be the best time to take care of your body and workout. Don’t let the winter bug get to you. Here’s how to get yourself motivated to exercise!
Fill your Facebook with fitness. Not just Facebook, but all your social media. Follow people that have met their fitness goals. Follow people that are trying to do so. Follow people that are just like you and are trying to get back into the hang of things. Social media doesn’t have to always be a useless time waster —if it’s where you spend most of your time, you can surround yourself with pictures and statuses that talk about fitness. Type in “fitness” or “exercise” in Facebook to find many pages and groups dedicated to healthy living. Instagram, now with its one-minute limit integration, is home to many short workout ideas. Pages such as “homeabs” and hashtags such as “#fitspiration” can help lift your motivation.
Buy more gym wear. Buy fitness wear that makes you feel good. According to the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, putting on the new and trendy workout gear acts as a mental shift. It’s as if you’re telling your body that you want to start living healthier. If you’re especially new to exercise or have enough black clothing as it is, try going for bright and trendy colors. The day of, place these clothes out and in the open — specifically in an area you cannot ignore, like on top of your bed. That way, if you ever feel like lounging in bed for a while, your gym clothes will kindly remind you that you had a date with them today.
Find friends that also want to work out. You can try meeting friends in the gym, but it can be less stressful (and not to mention awkward) to find people that are at your fitness level or slightly higher and plan gym sessions with them. YouTube and Pinterest can help you find complex partner or group exercises you can do. You can motivate each other to finish your sets and challenge yourselves.
Have a workout playlist. Research has supported that listening to music while working out can increase your performance. A study from the Scandinavian Journal of Medical Science and Sports wrote that when listening to music — specifically faster-paced music — cyclers pedaled faster and covered a longer distance. You can also try your hand at motivational music. Do you like oldies? Classics like “Eye of the Tiger” and “Don’t Stop Believing” are workout favorites in the University Center gym, but you can always listen to your own fast-paced music.
After exercising, do something you enjoy. If you’ve got time to spare, watch your favorite TV show. Hop on YouTube. Go to sleep. But make sure you’ve refueled your body with ample carbs and protein after your workout.
Just because it’s cold outside doesn’t mean you have to Netflix all day. Warm yourself up the healthy way by heading to the gym this cold holiday season.
(11/17/16 12:00pm)
Thanksgiving is the day everyone cheats on their diets. An array of food lines the dining table, and you don’t want anyone’s hard work going down the drain, so you eat everything. Then, the next day, you beat yourself up about it because you ate unhealthily. You don’t have to stuff yourself full every Thanksgiving, and here’s how.
Drink lots of fluids (specifically water) to make you feel full faster. Before you even sit down at that table, make sure there is a beverage available that isn’t sweet tea, alcohol, or anything that isn’t water.
Prepare your own plate. So you won’t feel guilty of not clearing your plate, prepare your own plate. That way, you can control the portion size. Make sure your portion sizes are small enough so that you don’t waste food. Of course, if you’re feeling hungry, you can always go back for more. You can’t just scrape the leftover food back in the pots, however. Less is more.
Spark conversation. Maybe you eat more because you have nothing else to do. Try sparking conversation with your family. You can talk to them about their favorite TV shows, ask them how to build credit/buy a house, how they cooked a certain dish, or if you’re really up for a chatter fest, talk politics. That makes everyone riled up. Just make sure you’re respectful of other people’s opinions.
Get your fruits and veggies in. You can still eat your turkey but instead of pairing it with peach cobbler, try going for fruits and vegetables. The benefits of plant-based foods are innumerable, and for some vegetables like carrots, you burn more calories eating them than actually consuming them, according to Livestrong.com. And no, macaroni and cheese is not a vegetable.
Stop eating when you feel full. We’ve all done it before. For some reason when our bellies are protruding from our pants so much that unbuttoning is the only solution, we still stuff our faces. To prevent overeating, you first of all have to stop eating. Placing your fork and knife parallel and on your plate is a sign of etiquette telling everyone you’ve finished your meal. You can even mask your plate with your dirtied napkins to further dissuade you from eating.
Stop worrying. If you’ve been craving Grandma’s rhubarb pie or Auntie’s cheesecake all year, then by all means eat. If you’re worried about gaining weight this Thanksgiving, scientifically, it’s a lot harder than it seems. According to Mayo Clinic, there are 3,500 calories in one pound of fat. That means, if you want to gain just one pound, you’d have to eat 3,500 calories extra to what you already consume. If you put these tips into play, it’s difficult to eat 3,500 calories extra. But if the temptation was just too much, don’t sweat it; you probably only gained at most 1 pound.
Thanksgiving is the day everyone cheats on their diets. But we’re all human. We most likely won’t eat clean 100 percent of the time. Instead of stressing over how fat you’re going to get after the feast, be thankful that you have been given another day to be with your family and eat edible and affordable food.