The Dangers of the “Spring Break Body” Mentality

It’s that time when gyms start crowding up in hopes of achieving the ideal “spring break body”. People start dieting and working out as they realize how close it is to spring break, but why is this lifestyle something that is only strived for the month before a vacation?

Exercise and healthy eating are things that we should strive for all year. If people were really doing that, I would not be noticing a difference in the amount of people occupying the gym right after New Years Resolutions and right before spring break.

Exercising a lot right before spring break will not make any noticeable difference to your body structure. I promise that you are all beautiful the way that you are and there is no need to go on an unhealthy crash diet and mass exercise plan right before spring break. That’s just not healthy.

Instead I am going to urge all of you (including myself) to remember that working out and eating right is something that we should strive to do all year. Your goal for working out should never revolve around trying to change your pant size or loose x number of pounds. You should be working out to feel better about yourself, to be healthier and to have more energy.

Don’t do it for the people you will never see again on the beach.

Do it for the energy. Do it for the confidence. Do it for the health benefits. Do it for you.

 

How To Be Productive Over Winter Break

My winter break is 5 WEEKS LONG! It is such a long span of time and I have really tried my best to remain productive so that 5 weeks of my life are not a complete waste.  I am the type of person who truly believes that you need to put your future in your own hands and take action.  The more that you sit around waiting for something to happen, the more opportunity you are giving others to surpass you.  I knew that I would not want to feel like a waste of space this break so I figured out a few ways to stay productive.

The first thing that I did this winter break was I got a job.  A ton of stores are hiring seasonally so it really is not hard to find work over the holiday season.  I would contact stores in your home town or wherever you will be staying over break when you go home for Thanksgiving.  This is a time that especially a lot of retail stores need a lot of extra hands so you would be suprised how easy it is to find a job just for the break.

This is also a great time to get yourself into great shape.  During winter break there is so much more time on our hands and a lot more food consumption.  This is a great time to really get inspired and create your own fitness goals.  I know that I can work out for so much longer when I am home because at school I just don’t have time to go as often.  So take these 5 weeks and try to really reach your fitness goals.  You’d be surprised how much you can accomplish in that amount of time.

I did not do this, but many people are taking online courses.  I think that this is a brilliant idea because I would have plenty of time.  Plus online courses are much cheaper and you don’t have to take them from your university.  I really wish that I had done this because it would be a great way to get ahead on hours to possibly graduate early.

Do something related to your major.  I am a journalism student so I knew that it would be beneficial to make a blog, but during the semester I just didn’t have the time to devote to it in order to jump start the new project the right way.  I have had plenty of time to figure out the technical aspects of wordpress and I have had plenty of time to write my posts.

If you are planning on going to med. school maybe you should spend some time volunteering at the hospital.  If you are majoring in a foreign language this could be a great time to visit a country that speaks that language (or work to save up enough money to travel over the summer).  For business majors maybe you could contact a friend of your parents and see if you can shadow them at work.  Education majors can contact their old school or past teachers and see if you an assist in the classroom.  I’m not going to ramble on about everything that you can do, but this is a great time to dive into your major without any added stress on your shoulders and cramming your schedule.

Whatever it is on this list or maybe something that you have come up with on your own, find a way to really make the most of your breaks.  You can be productive during the days and still catch up with old friends at night.  Nobody wants to be bored at home all day so be proactive and make the most of this time.

 

Who Says Healthy Isn’t Yummy?

It’s a common misconception that healthy means boring, but I have found that this is not the case at all!  I am not a good cook whatsoever so anything that I make for meals has to be something quick and easy.  Today I went to the store and picked up lemon seared fish fillet.  It came in a box and all that I had to do was put them in the oven.  I knew that I would need a side to go with it, but I didn’t have the time to waste standing over the stove.  What i did instead was steam some broccoli and it made for a delicious side.

While I was eating this delicious and HEALTHY meal, everyone else in my family was eating pure junk.  When you look in the pantry when I am home it is chips and candy and pretty much anything you can think of that is no good for you.

I’ve never been able to understand why people don’t get inspired by other healthy eaters.  When I slip up and get dessert at the dining hall I rethink my actions when I see my friend eating veggies.  However, most people do not think that way.  Why do we consider fatty foods to be the most desired?  I am just as satisfied eating a juicy apple as when I eat a piece of cake.  It really isn’t that hard to be healthy.

And guess what?  Healthy really can be yummy!