HEALTH
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SHAPE UP F PURSUING THE ELUSIVE BEACH BODY
// ELLIOT METZ
It's almost here. That glorious week when KU students, along with 1.5 million other college kids across the country, get to kick back and forget about classes: spring break.
Many will be headed for tropical destinations in faraway lands like Cabo San Lucas and Cozumel. These off-the-clock Jayhawks will relax in foldout beach chairs, enjoying tropical drinks, taking in the warm sunlight and frolicking on the beach.
In preparation for such frolicking, many of those students have been racking up extra time at the gym. After all, 150,000 students will be vacationing in South Padre Island and 500,000 in Panama City alone, according to a study by Online Schools. So it makes perfect sense that spring breakers want to look their best.
"I think about looking good and fit," Overland Park senior Lindsay Santee, who is going to Miami for spring break, says. "I try to make smarter choices, but I don't stress out about it as much as other people."
DANGEROUS CHOICES
With spring break only a couple days away, you may be tempted to try a more drastic alternative. "I know quite a few people who have been crash dieting for spring break," Santee says.
"Don't starve yourself," Bonnie Matthews, a contributor and blogger for The Dr. Oz Show,
says. "Crash diets are often dangerous and don't promote healthy eating or exercise habits."
The idea of a "perfect beach body" is very common, but perhaps equally dangerous. "We are bombarded by media telling us to look as thin as possible and that usually means drastic, unhealthy measures," St. Francis senior Sheryl Miller, personal trainer, group fitness and yoga instructor at the Ambler Student Recreation
Center, says. "The truth is, they do not work."
According to Miller and Matthews, the healthier alternative is to make small lifestyle changes that will result in a healthier overall routine. Though spring break is almost here, these same changes can help you to develop a hot beach body for summer.
A BETTER WAY
Matthews, from The Dr. Oz Show, lost 150
SMALL HEALTHY CHOICES
commendations from St. Francis senior Shervl Miller, a personal trainer at the Rec, and Bonnie Matthews from The Dr. Oz Show.
pounds when she started exercising and making healthy diet choices. She thinks that there is an important social aspect to losing weight. She believes that, especially for people trying to lose weight for a specific event like spring break, you need to resist going out with your friends for fatty meals and alcohol. "You'll be enjoying tropical drinks and eating a lot at the all inclusive resorts, so consider this a short-term commitment so you can splurge a little during spring break," Matthews says.
DIET:
EXERCISE:
Beverages: Miller says that adjusting your liquid intake can make a big difference. "If you drink regular pop, switch to diet. If you already drink diet, switch to water. Regular pop is made of liquid calories that don't fill you up, and diet pop just dehydrates you."
"Never Nevers": Matthews believes that cutting out three foods that are high in sugar, fat and calories is one of the easiest ways to improve your overall diet. For her, cutting out ice cream, sugar and pizza was a big help. "It's a great place to start, and won't leave you feeling overwhelmed." Matthews says. "I call these my 'never never' foods."
Weight training: Both Matthews and Miller agree that adding just 30 minutes of weight training is extremely important for a healthy lifestyle. And with it comes a pretty great advantage: muscle burns fat even when you're just sitting in class.
Fight laziness: We all know that it's better to take the stairs than to take the elevator, but that doesn't mean we always do it. By not allowing yourself to cheat like this, you can burn off easy calories. "Unless you're injured or the temperature is under twenty, try not to take the bus," Miller says.
LIFE IN GENERAL:
Being aware of everything you're putting into your body is a good way to start to change your routine, says Matthews. Many apps, such as Calorie Counter and Diet Tracker, are available for smart phones to help you track not only what you ingest, but how many calories it contains.
Get your beauty sleep: If your sleep schedule is out of whack, the overall wellness of your body will soon follow suit. "This includes those pesky hormones that tell your body to hold onto fat in your midsection," Miller says.
Peer pressure can sometimes be a hindrance when trying to lose those last few pounds. It's hard to resist going out for wings and beers with your friends, but in the end, it'll pay off.
Another easy way to shed some flab before you hit the beach is to take a bottle of water onto campus with you, instead of hitting up the vending machines in the halls of Wescoe before class. Miller, the personal trainer at the Rec, says that drinking lots of water is vital, and has multiple benefits. The best of these is that it keeps you hydrated, which prevents your brain from giving off false hunger pangs. "It also makes you look and feel less bloated, because it flushes your system out," Miller says.
during parade
BY JONATHAN SHORMAN
jshorman@kansan.com
In between bagpipes and drums, the St. Patrick's Day Parade also had some pop this year.
Raising awareness, student volunteers for The Jayhawk Buddy System performed a flash mob dance routine to Taio Cruz's "Dynamite" at several locations along the parade route Thursday afternoon.
about 15 dancers, all wearing green lajhawk Buddy System T-shirts, came out of the audience and took to the street for the routine.
Shannon Foster, a sophomore from Overland Park, said she volunteered to dance after the president of her sorority urged members to do so.
Fieldhouse. A video of the routine posted on YouTube by KU Athletics has more than 279,000 views.
"They're just trying to get their message out," Foster said as she jogged to the next performance.
The Jayhawk Buddy System is an initiative of the Office of the Vice Provest of Student Success and encourages students to have a "buddy" when going out or drinking to stay safe.
The Jayhawk Buddy System first performed its routine at the men's basketball game against Missouri on Feb. 7 in Allen
Students interested in joining the next flash mob can e-mail vpsscoms@ku.edu.
Edited by Marla Daniels
Members of the Jayhawk Buddy System perform a flash mob at the St. Patrick's parade on Massachusetts Street Thursday afternoon. The St. Patrick's Day parade has been a Lawrence tradition for more than 24 years.
Ashleigh Lee/KANSAN
Line-item budget for the next school year compared to the current budget
*These are just six of the groups that were included in this year's line item budget.
groups will receive an even smaller budget
$9,258 less allocated for groups for next year compared with this year. For the current school year $104,046 was allocated,and $94,788 was allocated for next year.
For this year ...
INDEX
Classifieds...9A Opinion...5A
Crossword...4A Sports...12A
Cryptoquips...4A Sudoku...4A
71
groups received funding from the line-item budget.
CRIME | 3A
For next year ...
52 groups will receive funding from the line-item budget
All contents, unless stated otherwise, © 2011 The University Daily Kansan
Students need to be safe next week
Data provided by Student Senate.
By Max Lush
Officials warn of possible dangers that can occur during breaks.
TATTOO | 6A
A unique way to show Kansas love
A student showcases her passion for the Jayhawks through basketball and Lawrence tattoos.