Study Habits for Finals Week

Finals week is this coming week and finals are under way at my University.  That means that the time of stress is upon us.  Finals mean eating junk food late at night while you are studying, or not eating at all because you are too busy to think about food.  It also means your stress level can be through the roof, which can cause you to get sick, and make studying and taking those final exams even harder.  So, here are some study habits to follow for finals!

1. On final exam day, make sure you have breakfast, and eat before the final.  Also, bring water to your final.  
2. Make sure you are eating.  Don't simply forget to eat because you are too stressed.  
3. Make sure you are thinking about eating, not just absent-mindedly nibbling on snacks while slaving over those textbooks or your computer,  
4. Also, choose snacks that will help with your study habits.  
5. Get lots of sleep the night before your final exam.  
6. Don't stay up cramming until the wee hours of the morning.  It won't help as much as you think it will and it isn't a positive study habit.  

Study Habits to help you Save Yourself from Burn Out

1. Take a study break.  
2. Take a walk around campus, or your neighborhood.  
3. Take a quick trip to the gym to release some endorphins and relieve that stress.  
4. Go grab a cup of iced coffee/tea/smoothie, whatever your favorite cool drink of choice is. 
5. Take a shower
6. Call a friend or your parents, make sure the phone call doesn't take too long, so you can get back to your studies, but sometimes hearing a familiar voice is comforting

Make sure when you study you are in an environment that suits your personal study habits.  If you need noise, then play some music, if you need it silent, then go somewhere where you can find absolute silence.  

Do what works for your own study habits, and take care of yourself, so you don't get sick before your finals.  

Good Luck on Your Finals!

Stay Balanced!

Words Hurt

Words are a tricky thing to mess with, especially when you are talking to adolescents.  Terms like "gay" or "retarded" should not be thrown around willy nilly.  When a person in authority, especially a teacher of professor uses language like this in front of adolescents, it teaches them that it is ok to use that language.  It IS NOT OK! I will repeat that until it is ingrained in everyone's heads.  It is not a proper environment for kids or students to be in when the adults in their lives use negative language to talk about other people.  Gay is technically a term that should be used for something that is happy and jubilant.  Now, it is also a term that is polite to be used when referring to a homosexual individual.  Retard or retarded is a term that refers to someone with a mental retardation, but it should never correctly be used as an adjective for a person.  Someone can have a mental retardation or be mentally-retarded, but they are not simply "retarded" and a situation is not merely "retarded" due to it being stupid or lame.

I always get extremely upset when someone uses this terminology, because they don't realize that it is a form of verbal abuse.  Ponder that! Every time you use a word improperly you are verbally abusing the person you spoke illy about, and you are verbally abusing a person who really does apply to that term you misused.


Websites like www.r-word.org are around to help combat the negative language.  Go online, and sign the pledge.  Be the Change! Change Your Language!

Aerial Fitness -An Alternative Work-Out

Everyday millions of men and women go into a gym.  But not all of them are going to an aerobics class or to run on the treadmill.  Some of them are going to take a new type of exercise class called Aerial Fitness, where you get to swing from the ceiling on silks.  Aerial Fitness incorporates each of the aspects of the aerial arts; this includes trapeze, aerial silks, aerial hammock.  It is also referred to as "aerial dance".  Aerial fitness classes are nothing like anything you will ever experience anywhere else.  You are suspended high above the group on curtain-like fabric which you wrap around yourself to support your body weight and you climb, and then hang and/or spin as you travel up and down the silk.  

Aerial fitness uses upper body strength, lower body strength, core strength and mind strength to combine a full body work-out.  Your arms are your main area of assistance to help you climb up the silks, while your legs are usually your main form of grip while using the trapeze bars.  The silks are a really fun way of working out, but they are usually associated with the circus.  They are known as the "flying silks" there.  

Aerial arts are both fun to do and fun to watch.  If there is an aerial arts studio near your house, take some time to go over and just watch.  You will see how much fun people are having doing this alternative to a general work-out.  It is an art of its own.  The aerial fitness classes are filled with people with big smiles on their faces, unlike most aerobic classes where everyone is cringing or struggling to push through those last reps.  The silks make you feel weightless and almost like a bird.  The fabric that the silks are made out of are very soft and supple. 

Aerial Fitness is a very good work out.  It is fun, and a way to relieve stress and have fun with friends.  You can have aerial fitness parties with friends, or go to an aerial arts performance to see how you like the show and then find aerial fitness classes in your area.   

Health Tips to Teach Kids About Staying Healthy-The Food Pyramid

Adolescents need a strong foundation to start their "balanced" lifestyle with.  They need positive role models to show them how to live healthy lives by teaching them health tips like how to cook, and what to cook.  They need to know what healthy living is and how to make healthy living choices.  They need to learn how to follow a balanced lifestyle; this can include eating well, exercising, and taking care of their mental and emotional health as well as their physical health.  

Working Out at Home-the Alternative for a Busy Lifestyle

A great way to feel good, be healthy, and stay balanced is to work out at home! Sometimes busy people don't have time to get to the gym! Either you work late, or you work early, and going on the weekend involves leaving your family for longer than you want to.  So, I am a big believer in home workouts.  You can't use the same equipment, but you can make your own!

Secrets to Staying Slim

The term slim is tricky.  Slim technically means healthy, svelte, a weight that is good for your height and proportions. It does not mean toothpick, or skinny, or size 00 or anything that should cause a person to make themselves starve to create a warped body image.

I found 8 Secrets to Staying Slim (they may be updated if I find more, but these are the starting 8)

1.  Satisfied over Stuffed-Be aware of how full you are.  Take breaks while you eat and do a check in for yourself of how full you are.  Use a 1-10 scale.  If you are above an 8, then slow down, you are probably almost full and the food just needs to digest.  
2. Being hungry isn't an emergency-don't rush to the fridge the second you feel a slight twinge of hunger.  Make sure you really are hungry before you rip open that bag of chips, and better yet, reach for a protein bar, or a bag of grapes
3. Don't cure sadness with food-Teach yourself about HALT-hungry, angry, lonely and tired.  If you are hungry, eat a snack like a handful of nuts or some fruit.  If you are angry, instead of eating a sleeve of Oreos, go for a run or walk around your house.  The endorphins you create will lighten your mood.  If you are lonely-call a friend, go to the mall, e-mail a family member.  Being around people helps you feel more comfortable to your community.  If you are tired-SLEEP! 
4. Eat more fruit-Sprinkle berries into your cereal or yogurt in the morning.  Add sliced apple or pear to your sandwiches.  Add berries or sliced fruit to your salads.  Aim for 3 servings a day. 
5. Creatures of habit-Dr. David Katz(author of The Flaver Full Diet) says that most people who stay thin usually have a food index that they stay around.  An example would be cereal for breakfast, a salad for lunch and grilled chicken with steamed veggies for dinner.  Its ok to add turkey to your salad or switch up your veggies, but keeping on a track helps your stay balanced.  
6. Self-Control gene-create self-control for yourself for when disinhibition is high. When you are at an event, tell yourself you will only take 3 or 4 hors d'ouevres that are passed around.  If you go out to dinner, order an appetizer and then share a dessert if you find something you really want on the menu.  And if it is finals time or tax season or a busy month in the office, make sure you have tasty, big flavored and crunchy snacks like carrots, granola, or fruit at the ready.   
7. Movers and shakers-Make sure you are moving around.  Many people over-estimate how active their days really are.  Where a pedometer so you can gauge how much you are moving.  Take the stairs instead of the elevator, and try to get up to 10,000 steps a day.
8. Sleep Well-make sure you are sleeping.  It sounds easy, but it is very important.  Work your way up to 8 hours and see how much more refreshed and happy you feel.  

Spring Break....Time to Get Back on Balance and Avoid Falling Off

It is Spring Break here! And I am SO excited! I can't wait to see my dad and my puppy at home.  I can't wait to sleep in and lay around all day and have free time to do whatever I want.  Oh...and want to know what else I can't wait to do...I can't wait to EAT! I love going home to Southern California because I get to eat at my favorite restaurants.  I get to eat steak at Flemings, the best Veal Milanese at Il Barone, and garlic parmesan fries that would make your mouth water from a mile away at The Counter! None of this sounds healthy though does it?

They aren't leafy salads and cucumber soup, but they do have nutritional value.  Lean beef is an anti-inflammatory, did you know that? It is also filled with iron, omega 3, and Vitamin B12.  The nutrients in red meat help your body create healthy skin, bones and eyes.  Veal is one of the leanest meats, and is usually the most tender. Both veal and beef are stated to be "part of a well balanced diet".  And well....parmesan garlic fries are just really tasty.

"I'll Walk a Little Taller in Some High Heeled Shoes"....Looking good and Feeling Good Go Hand in Hand

Name the song lyric? Read the title.....can you tell me what song that quote is from?


If you guessed Hairspray than you were CORRECT!

Hairspray the musical/movie is a wonderful example of a usually forgotten integral part of living a balanced lifestyle...Treating yourself right! For me, I feel best about myself, when I am dressed in a favorite outfit, with a great pair of shoes, and my hair and make-up are all done.  Now, this doesn't actually mean I need to be in a dress and some high-heels, just as long as it is an outfit that makes me feel confident and spunky!