LIVE.LAUGH.LOVE

Have you noticed your pants getting tighter? Have you noticed your favorite shirt isn’t fitting you? Are you too busy to eat a healthy meal?  Are you enjoying theBerkshire dining common stir fry a little too much? Are you not taking advantage of our new recreation center on campus? Are you gaining the freshmen 15?

Berkshire Dining Common at UMass Amherst

A popular stereotype amongst college students is the freshmen 15, a term used to describe student’s weight gain during their freshmen year due to the increasing amount of alcohol consumption and unlimited availability to dining commons. If you’ve always wanted to have chicken fingers for lunch, you can get an infinite amount.  Always wanted to drink soda instead of milk? You can have a glass. Most students are experiencing living on their own without mom’s home cooked meals and are facing the unlimited choices dining commons have to offer which can lead to significant weight gain.

  So, how can you avoid the freshmen 15 and live at UMass Amherst with a healthy lifestyle. The first step should be students eating habits in the dining commons. A value meal plan allows new students to have an average of fourteen meals a week. Nancy Cohen, professor in nutrition department here at UMass, advises students to adjust to their new eating patterns. “Students should watch portion sizes and food choices.  Half of their plate should be fruits and vegetables (mostly vegetables), with smaller portions of low fat meats or alternates and at least a quarter of the plate grains (preferably whole grains).  Choose low fat milk for drinks. Avoid sodas and sugary drinks and alcohol,” said Cohen. Students should beware of the hidden fattening foods such as butter, salad dressings, fried food, and cheeses. The most important advice Cohen has for all students is “Eat breakfast, Studies show that skipping breakfast does not help people lose weight.” said Cohen.

One of the biggest battles students will face is portion control. With an unlimited supply of various food items, students grab whatever they want while going through the food stations in the dining commons. The dining commons don’t offer trays anymore and only allow students to take plates between food stations. “We no longer have trays so students take a maximum of two plates,” said Dianne Sutherland, UMass Amherst dietician. Sutherland believes students should look at all the options the dining common offers before piling their plates with food. It’s a way of limit portion sizes and unwanted food. The UMass dining commons have also reduce their portion sizes of different entrees. “Students can try a little bit of everything rather than taking large portions and throwing away anything not eaten,” said Sutherland. “Students should have moderation with the food they eat,” continued Sutherland.

With every menu option, the dining commons supply a small tablet filled with the nutrition information for each meal including calories and sodium. This year, there will be an added whole grain icon on the tablets. It’s important that students pay attention to these tablets before taking the food to make the best judgment call regarding the food item. “Students can go online and learn the menu identifiers,” said Sutherland.

The next step to avoid the freshmen 15 is to be active. Our campus recently opened the popular recreation center. The recreation center offers a full indoor track, basketball courts, free classes such as Zumba, and gym equipment. Our campus has two swimming pools located in Totman and Boyden gym with frequent free swimming hours.  “I love the recreation center because it’s free and keeps me active,” says Junior Jonathan Forfa. The recreation center is free for all undergraduate students at UMass Amherst and is open6:00am-midnighton weekdays and is open throughout the weekends. Working out is a great way to avoid the freshmen 15 and distress from your classes and workload.

Another great option to remain active here at UMass Amherst is to go for a run around campus. Our campus has over 14,000 acres for students to explore and in the fall it’s absolutely beautiful. It’s a sight not to be missed. Students usually gather to play basketball on the basketball courts, play Frisbee in the Orchard Hill bowl, throw a baseball around on Southwest beach, and play volleyball on the various courts outside on campus.

In addition to eating healthy and having a daily work out routine, another way to reduce your risk of gaining the freshmen 15 is to limit alcohol consumption. Many college students consume alcohol in their first year. If you decide to consume alcohol, students should not engage in binge drinking because it can lead to rapid weight gain. AUniversityofBuffalostudy found individuals gained weight after consuming 3-4 drinks in one evening than individuals who drank in smaller amounts. Another option for not gaining weight due to alcohol intake is to find low calorie beers such as Miller Genuine Draft 64, or the new Budweiser’s select 55 beer. 

Finally, our university offers an excellent variety of nutrition classes including the popular general education class “Nutrition for a Healthy Lifestyle.” Many students take this class to fulfill their general education requirement for biological science but they walk out of the class filled with knowledge about how to live a healthy and active lifestyle. “The class really changed my perspective on eating and how your body is truly affected by every day eating habits that you may not think of as unhealthy,” said sophomore Melody Lam. Lam took the class last spring.

Watch out for the freshmen 15. It can catch you by surprise

 “It is not a myth, but it is an exaggeration.  While some people may gain 15 pounds, it’s about 3-5 pounds on average.  I remember that I gained 10 pounds, way back when,” said Cohen. The freshmen 15 can be avoided if you continue to live a healthy and active lifestyle. In fact, maybe your pants will feel a lot looser rather than tighter?

I came across this photo while browsing the internet. Quite interesting…and somewhat true. Highly based on popular media reports or stereotypes of each state in America.

What's your state the worst at?

Last week I came across the blog Stoolala that was written by Jenna Marbles. She was working with popular college website partner Barstool Sports. However, after becoming famously popular with her videos on Youtube, Marbles decided to quit the Stoolala  blog and spend more time focusing on advancing her career in the Vlog business.

Marbles, 24, graduated from Boston University with a Sports Psychology degree and is now a part time go go dancer to help pay for her rent in the Boston Area. She was virtually a no body until last summer when she released a video on Youtube titled “How To Trick People Into Thinking Your Good Looking.” The youtube video has over 15 million views. Since then, Marbles has produced over 15 other videos/rants regarding her life and things in popular culture such as Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga.

Not only are you envious of Marbles good looks…she actually has no makeup on in the beginning of her “How To Trick People Into Thinking Your Good Looking,” but she is one of the funniest comedians I have come across in awhile. In the next couple of years I see her being a famous comedienne. She reminds me a lot of early Chelsea Handler.

If you have any time or anything you need to procrastinate from you should check out her videos, facebook, or twitter accounts. She probably one of the funniest people I’ve came across in awhile. Her wit and no shame attitude is what makes her so laughable and lovable.

***Probably her funniest video to date.

Living on campus or with a group of your close friends sounds great at the beginning. Being able to live on your own without your parents and becoming a “grown up” is the ultimate dream of most college students. There are instances where a bad roommate situation could occur (it happened to

me) and there are certain ways you should deal with the following issue:

1. Don’t expect to be best friends:A lot of people go into the situation thinking that they will become best friends with their future roommates or become closer to their already friends. This isn’t the case…only the luck few get this dream. It’s like saying your going to
   

   Dealing with bad roommates sucks

   marry the first guy you fell in love with…it’s just unrealistic.

2. Try Talking: Have an open conversation with your evil roommate may sound terrible at first but it could help the situation. Just let her/him know that what they are doing is bothering you whether it’s their boyfriend/girlfriend spending endless hours in the room….even when they aren’t there or you find your favorite bag of chips keeps disappearing. Having a conversation about the issue could potentially resolve the problem or at least let them know what is bothering you. Being stuck in a small room or apartment with someone that bothers you is the worst thing ever. You feel like your walking on eggshells.
3. Reach an agreement: Maybe your having problems with them not cleaning after themselves in the room or you’re the one always stuck with bringing the trash out. Let them know you should trade off on the household chores and that you don’t think it’s fair. Maybe be like “Hey starting Sunday we can have a new beginning,” and hopefully you will see the change. Being vocal is key.
4. Ignore them and do your own thing: People can tell when your upset with them especially a roommate. Now this may not be the best alternative but it will allow you to feel less stressed out. Do you!
5. Go out: Your room or house should be your home away from home. Just try and go out and meet more people. You’d be surprised that there are other people out there that might be dealing with the same situation. Maybe your best friend is lonely in her single? Just join up. But don’t move in!
6. Move Out:Sometimes friends just cannot live with each other. See if there is another place you can stay or mov
   

   Lauren and Heidi were best friends and roommates. Nowadays, they are enemies.

   e into.

Dealing with roommates is all situational…but the most important thing is communication. Keep those lines open just in case something occurs. Who knows you might need that awful roomie if you ever get into trouble? It’s better than calling mom or dad.

It’s not unusual for reporters to be banned or asked to leave professional athletes locker rooms but this weekend when female reporter Tara Sullivan was denied access to interview professional golfer Rory McElroy it was solely based on her sex. Sullivan claims a security guard denied her access because she is a woman to the Augusta National locker rooms at the Masters this past weekend.

Sullivan, a reporter for The Bergen Record, had been covering the Master’s event all day. She expected to be able to walk in with the rest of her fellow reporters to continue getting her story for her column due the next day. Denied access, Sullivan relied on reporters such as Bill Plaschke, a reporter for Los Angeles Times, to give her transcripts of the interviews that took place inside the locker room. Sullivan took to her Twitter feed immediately with the tweet “Bad enough no women members at Augusta. But not allowing me to join writers in locker room interview is just wrong.” Augusta has been known not to allow women to join their private club membership.

This past Monday morning the director of communications at Augusta National’s spoke out saying the act “shouldn’t have happened.” The most ironic thing about the whole situation was that the security guard was a woman as well. The director continued to elaborate that the guard didn’t know of the equal-access policy. In the past, female reporters have been allowed access into the Augusta locker rooms.

However, the issue of women being a part of the professional sports world whether an athlete or a reporter still plays a huge role in today’s culture. American society is slowly integrating women in the professional sports world. ESPN reporter Erin Andrews is one of the most prominent and popular women sports journalists in American society.

Andrews has been in the spotlight in the past due to her stints on ABC’s Dancing With The Stars and her GQ Magazine spread. She has brought women sports journalists sports.

The issue of gender and it’s role in the professional sports world is still dominant even in 2011.

This past week I came across the following rant from an undergrad college guy who wrote for the Wharton Undergraduate Journal. It’s such a true statement not only for guys but the points this particular guy points out depict girls so well. It’s true, most of us have that guy friend that is strictly just a friend because he is too nice to us and we don’t want to ruin that friendship. Enjoy this rant!!!

Ode To The Nice Guys:

This is a tribute to the nice guys. The nice guys that finish last, that never become more than friends, that endure hours of whining and bitching about what assholes guys are, while disproving the very point. This is dedicated to those guys who always provide a shoulder to lean on but restrain themselves to tentative hugs, those guys who hold open doors and give reassuring pats on the back and sit patiently outside the changing room at department stores. This is in honor of the guys that obligingly reiterate how cute/beautiful/smart/funny/sexy their female friends are at the appropriate moment, because they know most girls need that litany of support. This is in honor of the guys with open minds, with laid-back attitudes, with honest concern. This is in honor of the guys who respect a girl’s every facet, from her privacy to her theology to her clothing style.

This is for the guys who escort their drunk, bewildered female friends back from parties and never take advantage once they’re at her door, for the guys who accompany girls to bars as buffers against the rest of the creepy male population, for the guys who know a girl is fishing for compliments but give them out anyway, for the guys who always play by the rules in a game where the rules favor cheaters, for the guys who are accredited as boyfriend material but somehow don’t end up being boyfriends, for all the nice guys who are overlooked, underestimated, and unappreciated, for all the nice guys who are manipulated, misled, and unjustly abandoned, this is for you.

This is for that time she left 40 urgent messages on your cell phone, and when you called her back, she spent three hours painstakingly dissecting two sentences her boyfriend said to her over dinner. And even though you thought her boyfriend was a chump and a jerk, you assured her that it was all ok and she shouldn’t worry about it. This is for that time she interrupted the best killing spree you’d ever orchestrated in GTA3 to rant about a rumor that romantically linked her and the guy she thinks is the most repulsive person in the world. And even though you thought it was immature and you had nothing against the guy, you paused the game for two hours and helped her concoct a counter-rumor to spread around the floor. This is also for that time she didn’t have a date, so after numerous vows that there was nothing “serious” between the two of you, she dragged you to a party where you knew nobody, the beer was awful, and she flirted shamelessly with you, justifying each fit of reckless teasing by announcing to everyone: “oh, but we’re just friends!” And even though you were invited purely as a symbolic warm body for her ego, you went anyways. Because you’re nice like that.

The nice guys don’t often get credit where credit is due. And perhaps more disturbing, the nice guys don’t seem to get laid as often as they should. And I wish I could logically explain this trend, but I can’t. From what I have observed on campus and what I have learned from talking to friends at other schools and in the workplace, the only conclusion I can form is that many girls are just illogical, manipulative bitches. Many of them claim they just want to date a nice guy, but when presented with such a specimen, they say irrational, confusing things such as “oh, he’s too nice to date” or “he would be a good boyfriend but he’s not for me” or “he already puts up with so much from me, I couldn’t possibly ask him out!” or the most frustrating of all: “no, it would ruin our friendship.” Yet, they continue to lament the lack of datable men in the world, and they expect their too-nice-to-date male friends to sympathize and apologize for the men that are jerks. Sorry, guys, girls like that are beyond my ability to fathom. I can’t figure out why the connection breaks down between what they say (I want a nice guy!) and what they do (I’m going to sleep with this complete ass now!). But one thing I can do, is say that the nice-guy-finishes-last phenomenon doesn’t last forever. There are definitely many girls who grow out of that train of thought and realize they should be dating the nice guys, not taking them for granted. The tricky part is finding those girls, and even trickier, finding the ones that are single.

So, until those girls are found, I propose a toast to all the nice guys. You know who you are, and I know you’re sick of hearing yourself described as ubiquitously nice. But the truth of the matter is, the world needs your patience in the department store, your holding open of doors, your party escorting services, your propensity to be a sucker for a pretty smile. For all the crazy, inane, absurd things you tolerate, for all the situations where you are the faceless, nameless hero, my accolades, my acknowledgement, and my gratitude go out to you. You do have credibility in this society, and your well deserved vindication is coming.

Britney Spears is one of the most entertaining celebrities in the world with her music, dance performances, and her own personal life. She has been in the spotlight for over a decade. With over 100 million records sold and countless of number one hits she is back with a brand new album titled Femme Fatal. Spears has been active on her Twitter and Facebook accounts giving previews, teasers, and information regarding the excitement that surrounds her new album. With two hit already “Hold It Against Me” and “Till The World Ends,” her album sounds promising.

Spears Looking Sexy for Her New Album

The past month Spears has told her fans how excited she was for her Good Morning America spring series concert. Today was the day her concert premiered and unfortunately it was a huge disappointment. Spears has absolutely no more rhythm and looks lazy in her dancing. What ever happened to the Britney that would dance sexy and energetic? A huge part of her career is based on her dancing and choreography skills. Ever since her meltdown in 2007 with shaving her head and losing all functioning to control her finances and life, Spears has never performed a great dance number in her concerts or videos.

The performance this morning was nothing to be excited about. She spent most of her performance of “Hold It Against Me” sitting in a chair swirling her hair around. She would just move her feet and her hips looked stiff as a board. In her performance of new single “Big Fat Bass” she would lip-synch lyrics about dancing the night away and not dance. Spears was anything but a perfomer this morning. It’s really sad. With millions of fans across the world and millions of dollars, you’d think Spears would spend more time on her dancing skills than her constant runs to Starbucks.

For many college student’s retail or the food business is where they find their part-time jobs to help support their drinking, late night munchies, and sexy clothes habits. These jobs don’t pay that great but they usually are flexible towards a college schedule. Personally, working in retail for five years there are just some things that drive me crazy and completely question the human existence.

1.      Returning things that’s been open or half eaten: Now just because you didn’t like the brand new pecan ice cream flavor doesn’t mean you should try and get your money for it. It’s absolutely amazing how people will deceive a sales associate. You bought the item, you should pay the consequences.

2.      Asking dumb questions, like what time your open: Almost every store in the universe displays their store times on the internet or in the front window. Stop being lazy and take a look.

3.      Arguing over a price that is less than a dollar: So your shirt was an extra dollar…is it really worth annoying the associate? It will take more time to look for the exact price, price tag, or anything else that states it was a dollar less. Just pay it!

4.      Leaving your trash for me to clean up: I don’t want to throw away your receipt, sample cups, or anything else. Be a big person and throw away your own stuff.

5.      Unsupervised Children: If you are a brave parent and bring your kids to the store. Watch them! It’s not my job to baby sit.

6.      Cell phones: If you’re on your cell phone expect horrible customer service. That is by far the rudest thing for retail workers. Because if you won’t pay attention to your things being rung up and you end up being charged extra that is not my problem. Pay attention and let your friend know you will call her back. If your shopping, there must not be such an important call that makes you forget what human interaction is besides cell phones or computers.

7.      Sure, I will empty your carriage: Working in a grocery store, I can’t tell you how many times I wait for 10 seconds to see if someone will empty their own stuff on my belt. It’s very rude. Plus, expect me to just dump it because I won’t care if I break your eggs…you were too busy being lazy.

8.      Dirty “green” bags: I would appreciate if those bags you expect me to touch and pack aren’t filled with trash, dirty, or smell. Clean them! Or buy new ones…they are one of the cheapest things in retail these days.

9.      Coupon Scammers: Coupons are nice once in a while but when you threaten me because a coupon wouldn’t scan through, or you didn’t buy the item in the first place don’t expect me to just give you free money. Also, every store has explicit rules about coupons, take the time to read them before you decide to scream at the innocent associate.

10. Creepy old men: I don’t plan on walking into work to get hit on. (Unless it’s a very cute 21 year old boy) Don’t be a creep and tell me how pretty I am or how I look like someone you know. This past month, I’ve had a creep keep asking me to marry him…and he was serious. It’s disgusting and freaks girls out.

I started watching this seasons American Idol just a couple of weeks ago and Scotty has stolen my heart. His voice is so surprising and amazing at the same time. At 16 years old Scotty will go on to become one of the famous country singers in the world. Just a prediction!

I adore Facebook. It’s allowed me the opportunity to catch up with former friends, family members, and even the cute boy in my class. But this week Facebook executives have pushed the line and have left me with the decision to possibly delete my account. They want to let third party users have access to my home address and phone number. Last year, Facebook was attacked for allowing user data, such as a phone number, to be released on certain apps on phones.

Now was it just me or wasn’t there a huge issue over the years regarding putting that sort of information on the net? I remember my parents and teachers explaining don’t put your personal information such as where I lived online. The internet was this new world. The wrong person could get a hold of me. Facebook has somewhat lessen the blow from a decade ago. The social networking site has made it more comfortable and acceptable to post private stuff such as photos, places, and about me sections. While Facebook has allowed users such as myself the option to release where I live (just the town; not address) and the option to put my number on there (which I don’t) it isn’t justifiable for Facebook executives to “leak” my personal information to other people, especially future companies I might end up working for.

By doing so, this is going to allow that creeper that watches me in class the opportunity to have more access to my information. In today’s world there are so many psycho crazies that it worries me anyone could have this information. Do I have to mention Catch A Predator.

I deserve my privacy Facebook!!!