Body
Stress can be tough on your bod—headaches, bein’ totally moody and it can even ruin your flat abs by releasing cortisol (aka the stuff that may make fat stay on your tummy). And what’s more stressful than the make it or break it feeling of finals? Not this year. We’ve got 5 simple stress-busters that’ll leave ya calm and cool. Bring on the A’s!
1) Get it together. Feel like you’re drowning under a pile of papers? Can’t find a pencil? It’s time to bust out the Post Its, and rearrange your workspace. Once everything’s in its proper place, you'll be able to tackle the pile. With all that icky clutter gone, it won’t look like as intimidating. Make a to do list and get to it!
2) Go, girl! Banish study woes by hitting the pavement. Go for a jog, play some pick-up b-ball or do some Pilates moves. Ya may feel like you don’t have time to work out, but movin’ for a few minutes will help you clear your mind. In a few minutes, you'll be ready to hit the books again.
3) Inhale and exhale. Being stressed takes a toll on your breathing, too. Your inhale ‘n’ exhale routine becomes shallow, aka way less helpful. When you’re feeling like ya wanna toss your Chem book out the window, take a deep breath and exhale all the negative vibes. Repeat! Beltin’ out your fave jams can help ya breathe deeper.
4) Break it up. If you’ve been making flashcards for hours and have reviewed your notes for the 100th time, it’s time to walk away. Set mini goals for yourself, like “I will review Chapters 6-8 of French until 8:30.” Once you’ve done that, take 20 minutes off to just chill. You deserve a bit of a break, but make sure your studying doesn’t turn into a major slack sesh.
5) Sniff it out. Bubble baths, scented aromatherapy candles and relaxing music can all help calm you down after a serious study session. Hint: lavender is proven to relax you. Need to get pumped up for studying? Try using a peppermint or citrus scent to get you goin’.
-Aubrey Tippett
Blog It Out... What’s your best-bet way to de-stress while you are studying?
BY JIAE K. ON 5/16/2008 6:27:00 AM 2 COMMENTS
All GL readers want to be healthy and helpful, right? Well, now you can be both. One4One, an organization that helps raise awareness for cervical cancer, wants you to get involved in the fight against cancer by participating in their latest fundraiser. One4One will use the money raised to sponsor programs and services to educate women about cervical cancer.
And cervical cancer is a big deal, too. This type of cancer is actually brought on by a virus called the human papillomavirus (most people just call it HPV for short). Women can be exposed to HPV as early as their teens or twenties. One4One reports that last year over 11,000 American women found out that they had cervical cancer.
Yikes. Talk about some scary statistics, huh? But there is some really good news, too—cervical cancer can be prevented. And here’s where you come in. From now until June 5, Merck & Co. (a company that discovers, makes and sells prescription drugs) has agreed to donate $5 to One4One for every woman who goes to one4onepledge.org and pledges to talk to her healthcare provider about cervical cancer.
So talk to your mom, your aunt, your grandmother and any other close woman in your life and tell them about what you know about cervical cancer and the One4One fundraiser. Yep, it’s that simple. Remind them to go online to one4onepledge.org to promise to talk to their healthcare provider about cervical cancer (and you should do it, too!). It seems like such a li’l thing, but it really can make a difference.
-Aubrey Tippett
BY JIAE K. ON 5/13/2008 12:00:00 AM 21 COMMENTS
We know that tons of you GL gals out there are amazing gymnasts, but check this out: gymnastics has the same clinical amount of catastrophic injuries as ice hockey! The magazine The Week reported lotsa people don’t consider gymnastics as a sport, but rather an activity. Because of this, parents don’t realize the risk of injury when their kid is doin’ flips and vaulting. Most of the injuries occur when attempting tricks at home, or practicing with an ill-trained instructor.
So gymnasts, be careful! Gymnastic injuries account for some of the highest numbers of injuries for kids between ages 6 and 17. How bad are these teens getting hurt, you ask? Anywhere from ankle sprains, to broken or dislocated arms, to serious spinal cord fractures. Ouch!
By: Jaime Sunday
BY JIAE K. ON 5/12/2008 12:00:00 AM 39 COMMENTS
Q. My friends are always complaining about their bodies. I don’t know what to say anymore. Help!
We chatted up Nancy Redd, the author of Body Drama: Real Girls, Real Bodies, Real Issues, Real Answers to get her advice on your prob.
A. “It’s SO stressful when your friends are putting themselves (and maybe you!) down. It makes you feel like you have to be negative about yourself, too, which isn’t true. The next time your BFF starts putting her body down, stop her and say, “You’re wrong! You’re beautiful and putting yourself down isn't good for you or for me.” It’s not going to be easy the first time you and your friends stand up for yourselves and your bodies, but it will get easier with time. Remember, achieving a good body image is a process…it’s a marathon and not a race!”
BY JIAE K. ON 5/6/2008 12:01:00 AM 87 COMMENTS