Friday, February 22, 2013

Gotta Love Your Genes



Did you know about 8 million Americans have an eating disorder? What’s interesting about that is 95% of those who have eating disorders are between the ages of 12 and 25. In acknowledgement of National Eating Disorder Week, SFA is having “Love Your Genes Week” to help celebrate and promote positive self body image and self-esteem. It’s important to build self-awareness and self-esteem. With a society like ours, it’s really important to appreciate yourself, and to appreciate others.

 

 

Here is a run down of “Love Your Genes Week”:


Monday, February 25th:
·      "I Pledge to Love My Genes": 11am-1pm in the BPSC Plaza
o   Here’s an opportunity for people to donate jeans.  They’ll also get to share what they love about themselves and “Pledge” to love their genes.
·      Love Your Genes Partner Yoga: 5:30pm-6:30pm outside (Meet at Rec Welcome Desk)

Tuesday, February 26th:
·      Step Up "Bystander Intervention" Training: 6pm-8pm in the Rec Meeting Room
o   The Campus Rec Dietitian Sarah Drake along with The Office of Multicultural Affairs, health educators and counselors are having a discussion panel about eating disorders and how to get involved with helping others.

Wednesday, February 27th:
·      "America the Beautiful" Film and Discussion: 11am-Noon in the BPSC Tiered Classroom
o   It’s like a lunch-and-learn where people get to see a great film about America’s culture of beauty and then discuss it. (Lunch is provided)

Thursday, February 28th:
·      "Breaking Down Boundaries" with RHA: 10am-2pm in front of the Education Building
o   In this exercise people will tear down blocks showing statements that they may like or may not like about themselves, in the hope of breaking down stereotypes. 




Throughout the week you’ll also be able to donate old pairs of jeans to the Family Crisis Center of East Texas. Just simply drop off your jeans in the box at the Rec Center lobby. We will also be selling Love Your Genes shirts for $7. Also look out for large posters that will be posted in the spirit lounge addressing a variety of information and stats.








So next week when you’re going through your daily routine, remember, love and be yourself, because everyone else is taken.




- Thought from Dev. Hill

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Is Chocolate Good for Your Health?



 Since giving chocolates on Valentines Day to significant others and friends is so popular,  I decided to give you guys some insight on chocolate and its benefits.

 

 

Effects on Health

Chocolate in moderation can actually be beneficial to you. There is something in chocolate that helps protect your cardiovascular system. That something is cocoa beans. They are rich in natural antioxidants called flavonoids.

In plants, flavonoids help protect from environmental toxins and help repair damage. In humans, antioxidants help the body's cells resist damage caused by normal bodily processes and from environmental contaminants like smoke. An increase in damage from either of these can cause bad cholesterol in your blood to form plaque on the artery walls.

Flavanols are the main type of flavonoid found in cocoa beans. It can lower blood pressure, improving blood flow to the brain and heart and help lower bad cholesterol.

Are all types of chocolate healthy?


Before you get temped to buy up a ton of chocolate candy bars or slices of chocolate cake, it’s important to know that not all chocolates contain high levels of flavanols.

Cocoa by itself naturally has a very strong, bitter taste, which comes from the flavanols. When cocoa is processed (through fermentation, alkalizing, roasting, etc.) into chocolate products, it loses this taste and ultimately reducing flavanol levels. As you can tell, most commercial chocolates are highly processed. Most people think that dark chocolate contained high levels of flavanols, but that all depends on how much it as been processed. Still, dark chocolate is the better option over milk chocolate. Cocoa powder is another good option as long as it hasn’t gone through treatment with an alkali to neutralize its natural acidity.



On the bright side, most chocolate manufacturers are looking for ways to keep the flavanols in their processed chocolates. Here is a list of companies that are trying to provide better options.

CocoXan
http://www.xanconfections.com
CocoXan offers chocolates specially formulated for PMS (with chasteberry and bilberry), pregnancy (with folic acid and DHA) and brain health (vitamins A,C, D3 and E). 

Attune Probiotics Chocolate Bars
http://www.attunefoods.com
The texture and taste of their chocolate were great according to reviews. They also come in familiar varieties like chocolate crisp, chocolate almond, chocolate mint, and just plain chocolate.

Gnosis Chocolates
http://www.gnosischocolate.com
Options include Low-glycemic, vegan and organic. The chocolate named “Simplicity” contains only four ingredients: cacao, agave nectar, vanilla bean and blue-green algae.


-Just a thought from Dev. Hill

Reasources:
1.) http://www.livestrong.com/article/514529-healthy-options-for-chocolate-lovers-in-grocery-stores/
2.) http://spryliving.com/articles/the-new-healthy-chocolate/
3.) http://my.clevelandclinic.org/heart/prevention/nutrition/chocolate.aspx

Friday, February 8, 2013

Noo !!! Not Time Management!

One of the hardest things to do in college is to manage time. Sometimes it feels like you want to do a hundred things, but only have time to do two of them. In this blog I’ll go over some tips to help with time management and unlock the door to productivity. 


I know for me, nothing feels better than the feeling of being productive. It is sometimes hard to achieve that feeling. A friend may call and ask to hang out or a favorite TV show may come on. To help with this problem, I found a list of things you can do.

1.) Start with a list

Write down everything you need to do for the day. If you don’t carry a planner or notebook already, start working on that. Personally, I preferred a small, simple, white-lined notebook because you aren’t restricted by the various boxes and lines. A simple To Do List is often a huge help to anyone, but make sure to avoid a list that reaches outrageous length and is overwhelming to look at. It also helps to make use of down time. If you get out of class early and need to read a chapter or two for another class, take advantage and get reading! It’s less work you have to do later.

2.) Reward Yourself

Whenever you accomplish something, especially the important things, make sure to take the time to reward yourself. If you finished your studying on time, treat yourself to ice cream or something.

3.) Concentrate on 1 thing at a time
The human mind works more efficiently when it is focused. Multitasking has shown to be a disadvantage to productivity. Focus on one thing and get it done. Try not to let tasks run into each other. At times, multitasking may seem like a more efficient way, but it’s really not.

4.) Avoid Procrastination
When trying to be more productive and save time, procrastination should be avoided at all cost. It is the ultimate productivity-killer.

5.) Set Deadlines
Nobody likes deadlines because they cause major stress and aggravation. A simple way to alleviate some of this stress is to set your own deadlines. Challenge yourself and reward yourself for meeting a difficult challenge. Not only will this save you time; it’ll help you avoid missing those deadlines.

6.) Set Long Term Goals
In the everyday grind, we sometimes lose sight of our goals. Setting up a long term planner will help you keep your long term goals in mind. Whenever you find yourself thinking “Why am I putting myself through this right now? I could be home watching whatever,” just take a look at your long term goals and you’ll be reminded of why you need to keep going. Revise your long term goals monthly to keep them up-to-date.

7.) Avoid Burning Out
Burnout occurs when your body and mind can no longer keep up with your tasks. Don’t try to force yourself to do the impossible. Decide on times for important tasks, but always be sure to leave time for relaxation and reflection. Review your recent accomplishments and make sure you feel good. Review and reflection is one of the best ways to gain confidence, and higher confidence means more productivity. Also make sure you are getting enough sleep. Although it's tempting to work long hours, in the end you're actually less efficient when you're tired.

 
-Just a thought from Dev. Hill

Here's a list of videos you can watch that could help with time management:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdFQk0umynM&list=FLgWTFq1JwuKUsUZ7QqHNOcw


Resources
http://www.dumblittleman.com/2008/02/11-solid-ways-to-improve-your-time.html
https://www.youtube.com/user/watchwellcast?feature=watch
http://careerplanning.about.com/od/timemanagement/a/time_mgt.htm

Friday, February 1, 2013

Let the Recycling Games Begin !!

 

This year SFA is competing in the 2013 Recyclemania Tournament! 

Before I go into what RecycleMania is, let’s first talk about why it’s important to recycle in the first place.




1.) Recycling is good for the environment
It takes less energy to create new items from recycled materials than it does from raw materials. Mining minerals and cutting down trees into lumber requires vast amounts of energy.  Recycling allows us to reuse materials multiple times to conserve natural resources while creating the products we use in our everyday lives.


2.) Recycling is good for communities
Getting materials from mines or forests usually takes place far away from the place where they are consumed; however recycling can start in your own community. Gathering recyclables and reprocessing them into feedstock for future products is done locally.

3.) Recycling reduces pollution
Burning garbage or throwing waste into landfills produces byproducts that pollute the environment. Nasty runoff from landfills and metals (like mercury) can find their way into streams, rivers and oceans, fish, and eventually into human beings.

RecycleMania is a friendly competition for colleges to promote recycling in their campus communities. This year SFA is one of 600 colleges around the U.S and Canada that are competing! For 8 weeks each college reports the amount of recycling and trash collected each week and are ranked based on who recycles the most. Winning schools have the best recycling rate percentage of total waste and generate the least amount of combined trash.  So with each week’s updated ranking, we can see where we stand among other schools and see how much we have to reduce and recycle to be number one.



Why is this a good opportunity for us? Well, besides helping the Earth, national recognition is provided to the winning school in each category on the RecycleMania website and is featured in a national press release. Winning schools receive an award made out of recyclable materials and win the right to host that category’s trophy for the upcoming year.

 
This would be a great way to put SFA on the map! The competition starts next week on Monday, February 3rd, and ends on Saturday, March 30th.
SFA will be collecting CARDBOARD ONLY for this competition.  You can drop off your cardboard at Ralph W. Steen Library or the Student Recreation Center.



Let’s kick some AXE and Recycle!!

For more information, visit recyclemaniacs.org


-Just a thought from Dev. Hill

Resources:
http://www.grownyc.org/recycling/whyrecycle
http://recyclemaniacs.org/about