Never got a SINGLE cold this year!!

If you know me, even just a little bit, you are very aware of the fact that I can't stand the season of winter, the disastrous colds that can be obtained, & the exponentially scary driving conditions that we have to commute through.

     I am beyond euphoric to report that I did not acquire a single cold this year. Can you believe it?!

Because I sure as hell can't! I hate colds and the cold with every burning ounce of energy inside me. I mean that quite literally. I hate the stuffy nose, the red & rashed nose, the loss of your sense of taste, the extreme drowsiness, & the beyond feeling of death. 

     Every year, it's a constant and nerve-racking battle between I and 'Old Man Winter'. I will do anything not to get sick during this time; as school, work, homework, and Fraternity Life are at their fullest. Sickness prevents me from doing things, more than procrastination and laziness combined. 

     With each year that goes by, my knowledge of Nutrition and how to extra precaution of myself during these times of bereavement and anguish. This year, I might have devised a plan that might just be the thing everyone needs to survive without a cold.

• Drink a glass (literally one glass) of Orange Juice every morning
• Drink more water than you probably normally do; drink more and more each day
• Make your daily routine so that you have at least 7 hours if not more of sleep
• Exercising does wonders! Even if it's little things. it de-stresses your body!
• Avoid the fast food (especially fast food!), and start converting to the produce section
• Don't worry about the little things in life; smile - everything will be okay
• Be organized, so the unexpected won't inconvenience you

     The orange juice will kick start, and prepare a defense for your body right off the back with that magical Vitamin C. During sleep, your body rests from the day, but it also repairs tissues, and bones too, & prepares your body for what's to come next the next day. The processed foods you eat from fast food chains ruins everything your body tries to defend against, and prevent sit from doing anything to help your systems. Whilst on the other hand, nutrients from the produce section speed things up and refreshes your body from the terrible processed foods - Give your body a break! Speaking of stress, stress can be the fastest thing to break your body down. Stress effects us more than you may think; emotionally, physically, & mentally. Being happy and smiling, releases endorphins, which are hormones, that are the 'happy' hormone. The less stress in your life, the happier you shall be as a result. Lastly, if you're organized and know what's going to happen next, you won't be surprised with the unexpected. This way, you won't be stressed over life, and will have that sense of security.

Use and tweak this recipe to how you like, and what fits your life.

I hope this treats you well.

I felt like I should share this ground-breaking information with anyone who wishes to know it.

May the health be ever in your favah.

Sincerely,

A Dreaming Dietitian

Back On The Grind & Trying A New Workout

Alright, so, a thought had occurred to me over the past few days, with my new found boredom:

I hadn't done an abs workout IN MONTHS. 

This was a drastic problem.

     Now, usually, I do the ab workout from Insanity, of which I absolutely love, really just the program in general. However, I've been doing this workout for a very long period of time now, so I'm used to it, and it's pretty easy for me now. I've tried other workouts, but alas, I was at a loss for what to try next. I needed something I hadn't done before and something new.

     I was lucky enough to be following this "Fitness Motivation" account on Twitter, and they posted this 'abs of steel' workout. That settled it. I tried it and I will tell you what I think of it.

The Process

     The picture to the right is the workout itself. You're given three exercises and three rows of different ones. You do 4 sets for the first row, 6 sets for the second, and 8 for the last. It's good that each row has different exercises, but over a while, it seems like there's just too many sets; it gets repetitive and boring - I'm not about that life. The exercises are pretty short, so I did them right after another, not really needing a break. I did two sets of each, and eventually eliminated each row.

The Results

     I did the process of what I stated above, and after a while, yes I was getting bored, but my body was shaking too. Not from the burn, but more like from your muscles not being able to contract; like, from getting too tired. I don't know if that makes sense, as much as I think it does. I'll admit, I was sweating, just a little though. I never ever sweat from my workouts, unless it has to do with cardio; my body recovers too quick for everything else. I can kind of 'feel it', but not the feeling that I want. I like the burning feeling, because it makes me feel like I did a good job. Motto of a good workout right?

Aftermath

     Now, thinking about the workout; this one is not for me. It was too repetitive, maybe there were too many exercises, perhaps? Who knows. I didn't get the right feeling I wanted either, and that's important to me. The important thing here, is that I finally started my ab workouts again, and I'm back on the grind. I also made a healthy, protein packed meal afterwards too. It was a multi whole-grain bread, with diced green peppers, with olive oil butter, spices, and an egg. It's always a good feeling to know that you're eating so nutrient packed. 

Try new things, reflect on them, and make adjustments in the future. 

Push yourself to get back on the grind, and push your own self-motivation. 

Take it as far as you can go, and you will feel so upbeat that you did.

R.I.P to the two pieces of green pepper that fell on the floor, your nutrients will surely be missed.

Sincerely,

A Dreaming Dietitian

Do you really want that?...

Okay, so imagine this...

You're to that point where you're eating great, no bad stuff, and you're even physically active like a good, healthy, human being. Then comes a wild Hungry Howie's Pizza - and you can even eat some for free! Ohhhh, the choices!!

     At this point, there are a few factors knocking at your front door, including, but not limited to:

• The sweet taste of temptation 
• The future condition of your intestinal system being that of a semi hitting it
• Ruining your healthy streak in one cheese-crusted, processed bite
• The internal moral dilemma of setting an example for those around you
• The overall failed & crushed feeling of failing to everyone else that you couldn't stay strong
• The fact that you haven't had something that "great" tasting in what feels like an eternity

     The fact of the matter is, you know that this one piece, which also may turn into 2,3,4,or 5 pieces, is going to put yourself into a train-wreck of emotional shambles, imprisoned on temptation island, shackled by the chains of failure that's tied to the wall of disappointment. Yes, I'm aware that the aroma of fresh pizza is almost as enticing as eternal life, but how about the after processes of misery? This is honestly, the true test of internal strength that you embody. Resist this immense temptation and you will feel so rewarded and accomplished instantly! Once you resist something a
s big as that mountain, resisting these processed treats will get exponentially easier in the future. Test yourself, but don't ever fail yourself. If you put all this effort into your healthy schedule already, why would you throw it all away, and start over in 3 seconds?? Think about it, it doesn't make sense does it?

     Besides, there plenty of other things that are sweet and better for you. Not only will you feel better, but your body will too. What did cavemen eat for sweets way back in the day?... doughnuts? Nope, try again. They ate what grew, berries, sweeter vegetables, etc. They didn't have processed garbage like we do -how lucky were they?!

It all really comes down to being true to yourself. If you turn the other cheek, the only person you're failing is yourself. You can't lie to yourself, and why would you? Be strong and put in the effort, and you'll see the benefits & results you're looking for. Period.

Sincerely,

A Dreaming Dietitian

The Joys of Lucky Bamboo

     As of a April 16th, I've acquired "Lucky Bamboo" from a student organization event on my campus. Sounds exotic doesn't it? It also sounds gimmicky though, which is a little depressing to my soul. Sadly, these types of serendipitous things get me though; I find things like this so beyondly fascinating. These things make life full of wonder & mystery! I'm all about that life.

    I'm going to share the variety of joys & wonders of this beautiful, mysterious plant.

• Lucky Bamboo just needs the very basic care to thrive, which is marvelous (for a lot of people, that can't keep the simplest organism alive)

• Lucky Bamboo... isn't really Bamboo (unfortunately),it's part of the Lily Family (I like Lily's too, I'll accept that), because it's Dracaena Sanderiana - Dracaena's are part of this family, and are actually from West Africa

• They are dubbed their name because they look distinctly like Bamboo. The Chinese have associated Bamboo with good fortune, fortitude, and resilience.

• This plant is the perfect harmony of the five elements of Feng Shui coming together as one - Earth, Water, Fire, Wood, & Metal. The vertical stalks are Wood. The plant is placed in Water. Small coins or ornaments are used as the Metal. Rocks or Pebbles represent the Earth. Any shade of red that can be added stands for Fire.

• You can place this arrangement in your house, office, or any spot to keep positive energy flowing through the area and ridding of the negative energies; as Feng Shui insists.

• The legend of symbolizing is a as follows:
  - 2 stalks: Love
  - 3 stalks: Happiness (Fu [happiness]) (Lu [wealth]) (Soh [longevity])
  - 5 stalks: Wealth
  - 7 stalks: Wealth & Happiness
  - 8 stalks: Growth
  - 9 stalks: General Good Fortune
  - 10 stalks: Completion and Perfection
  - 21 stalks: Abundant Blessings

     I think these types of concepts and items are so necessary in life. Even if you are skeptical about the meanings and the serendipitous of it, what's the harm in maybe having good fortune, and happiness, or blessings? Plus it looks beautiful, and it having such a brilliant meaning, gives it that much more peregrine.  It's increasingly hard to try and put how much respect and magnificence I have towards things like this; really, it just brings happiness and wonder into my life, and I hope it does the same for you.

Lets hope it brings me enough luck to acquire more Lucky Bamboo in my future. 

Sincerely,

A Dreaming Dietitian

Sources:

http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/growing-lucky-bamboo

http://www.lucky-bamboo.org/lucky-bamboo-meaning.html

Sunshine, Suntans, & Sunburns

     As it's Spring now, and summer (thank God) is right around the corner and within our midst, we will all be exposed to lovely and virtuous rays of the sun. I, myself, cannot get enough of the supplemental rays and would bask in them, if I didn't be at the adverse health effects of our beloved rays. Adverse health effects? What? Ohhhh yeah; don't be fooled by the warmth and nice tans you may get - your Melanin that is produced by your Melanocytes in your body is accelerated, which in turn darkens your skin; resulting in the nice brown tan.

     There is a lot of controversy over tanning and the addictive habit of doing it. Now, hold on, in my opinion, people are getting way too skittish about the sun. Lets review for a second:

1. First off, we literally need the sun to live
2. The sun is the key ingredient in producing our body's vitamin D 
3. Soaking up the rays even releases Endorphins that make us happy (Last time I checked, being happy was a good thing)
4. & who doesn't like a nice tan?

     You're not going to burst into flames if you walk out in the bright, light and you won't get stage 4 cancer by laying out for a little while. Too much of anything, including good things, can be a bad thing. You can get burned, and develop a higher risk for cancer, but if you stay out for too long. People have put on sunscreen for a long time, to protect themselves from the UV rays, but it's being speculated that the chemicals in sunscreen can put more harmful effects on your body than the actual sun itself. I'm not saying this is a sure thing, but I wouldn't doubt it either, with the amount of harmful chemicals the world has that people use.

     Tanning beds have become very popular for people who want an even tan, and that can time how much exposure their getting. These beds have been very harmful as well. This is not real sunlight, it's man-made, so it is not the same, and could be even more dangerous. If you fall asleep, you could have severe burns. These should be cautioned very high. Granted, I won't be a hypocrit, I've used tanning beds before; but this was when I was naive to them too.

     The truth is, is that your body can only absorb so much Vitamin D, and after it soaks up more than enough, it starts to break the Vitamin down. If your skin is tarting to feel too hot, get into the shade or put cool water on it (not cold, COOL!). Just because you won't burst into flames, doesn't mean you shouldn't be cautious and protect yourself.

Have a wonderful warm season!

Sincerely,

A Dreaming Dietitian

Be YOU, Be Happy.

     Now the usual agenda for someone is to go to grade school, high school, and then college, am I right? At least for most people anyways; besides the circumstances that may come along at one point or time. That was the plan for me though.

     Here I was, barely 18, and I was starting my collegiate career, in my first semester, and not knowing what I was in for. You hear the stories, you see the movies, and you have the ideas - but really what are you in for?

     We've grown up with the social pressures that come with the territory of schooling; trying be 'cool', wearing the latest trends, being 'fun' to others, being socially acceptable, & having all the other socially desirable traits that your peers like. Granted, there will always be those cruel individuals that won't hit puberty accurately as anyone else, and will continue to be jerks throughout their life and accumulate endless karma. However, after people go through their maturing stage in life, essentially we are all the same. Let me explain. Throughout grade school, we criticize each other based on our likes & dislikes, and everything in between; so much so, that we are accustomed to thinking people will always criticize us until the end of our days. This is the sad part! After the maturing stage does it's thing, we all will end up with our own quirky ways to eat things, we find our inner nerd, and we take to liking things, that in middle school, people may not have seen as acceptable. It's a whole different ball-game people!

     If your favorite character is Legolas from Lord of the Rings (Which he is) and the story of the Three Deathly Hollows in Harry Potter is the most amazing story in the entire world, and you are one that could consume cheese for breakfast, brunch, drunch, dinner, & second-dinner, SHOUT IT! 

     If you love the Petronas Charm so much you
have a tattoo of it, and you would rather just sit in your room and cuddle up with your chemistry book all day, and you would rather drink wine than most beverages for dinner, EMBRACE IT!

     If you eat your waffles in a geometrical fashion at all times, and you think it's just the most absolute amazing thing on Earth to see a minuscule seed grow into a mature plant with brilliant green leaves, and think that Shamrocks Shakes are something that the Gods made with their own hands, PROCLAIM IT!

     The amazing thing about the world we live in, is that every person is different and has their own unique qualities. We all should embrace our own nerdy, quirky, ridiculousness and proclaim it and shout it to the world. It's so liberating to do all the things you love to do in front of everyone else, without the fear of social backlash. By this point in life you know who you are, and you're not the only one that has embarrassing things they'd rather just ignore. If you put them out in the open, there's nothing that can make you feel embarrassed - you will literally become the badass of hysterical antics; and both you and everyone else will find you incredible. 

~Simply, be you and be happy~

Sincerely,

A Dreaming Dietitian

The Wonderful World That Is Relay

Hey everyone!
     Sorry I haven't posted since the archaic times, but school has been kicking my butt; actually just chemistry is. It's incredibly interesting, but it's really hard, or maybe it's the professor trying to teach it. Pray that I actually pass this class!

     Anywhoozer, last morning to this morning (or Friday 10am-Saturday 10am), my campus had our biggest event of the year, as it's better known as, relay for Life. This event is so incredible beyond measure. Let me try and put this into words for you. This event is all about Cancer Awareness and raising money for Cancer. There are always tens of orgs that participate, including my own Nutrition org that I created this year! I was so proud to be able to participate and make a difference with the org that is just fresh off the block. This is a huge deal on our campus, and especially in the Greek Life here. Every year, it's basically a giant competition to see who can raise the most money, single-handily and as an organization as a whole. This makes me so happy, because we're all coming together for an important cause and nurturing healthy competition while doing it. This year, we had a couple people raise over a $1,000 by themselves, including Anneke Hoogenstryd (right) from Tri Sigma Sorority and Amir Baz (left) from Theta Chi Fraternity! Now, that is just too amazing for words right now - what a breath-taking feat! besides those special people, we had more than a few organizations raise in the thousands themselves. The Phi Sigma Sigma sorority are most known for their combined efforts, in my opinion. One of their members, Dani Champlin, has been passionate about this event ever since I came to the university. And of their other sisters, Erin Bovan, is also part of the awesome team that puts together Relay. That committee works effortlessly and passionately to make this event a success, whilst putting countless hours of their time into it. Every year is a major success, especially for our campus being small and it being a commuter school, as well. Without these ladies, and the other committee members, Relay would not be the same.

     Relay is the funnest 24 hours you will ever experience. From having mini-games every hour, on the hour to games people start playing themselves; basketball, lightning, soccer, frisbee, volleyball, and this year we also had BOUNCE HOUSES! Like, whaaattttt. You could play basketball in one, try and bungee to the end of another, or just chill in the traditional bounce house if you'd like. They were all fun to play with. Plus, we also yoga with our favorite yogi, the amazing and wonderful, Sharnee Mead. Now, in other related news, my fraternity, Kappa Sigma, and Theta Chi Fraternity usually have a head-shave fundraiser every year; and we also usually do it separately. However, this year, we combined the event and did it together. It made me smile a bit because I love Greek Unity at any level... and that a lot of them have close to no hair left; which surprisingly isn't too shabby on them. All of the above statements are great and all, but my absolute favorite aspect of Relay is the bonding that everyone experiences during this event. It brings everyone together for a common cause; especially my lovely Greeks. It's the happiest day for me when all of our Greek orgs mix it up and hang out together, where it doesn't matter what affiliation you're from, we're all just having a good time together. That's what drives my happiness - when all of my friends come together, and are happy together. This is why I love being a socialite, because you get to laugh with everyone from different organizations, backgrounds, different senses of humor, and different conversations. Because think about it, you're bringing people into your life as nothing different than a friend - everyone is the same to you, you don't treat anyone different, does that make sense? And when people hang out together, it takes that concept and makes it real life. On the opposite of that, it's when people stick to their own affiliations, and separates themselves from the other organizations. I don't want to really confuse you, but it's hard to explain in writing.

Segway - I really hate when I'm thinking of something or of a concept in my head, but it's more than impossible to explain in words. It makes me feel stupid and like, people can't follow me. -_-/=[

Continuing on, Relay is just a lively experience that you have take on yourself. It makes you feel so accomplished and proud, when you stay up for the whole 24 hours and when you reach your goal for fundraising, like Anneke or Amir did. It's definitely something you have to prepare yourself for. I woke up today with accumulated soreness that I haven't experienced since the last Relay; so much so, that i have barely got out of bed all day (not that I could anyways! =P). That my friends, is a sign of success. Another favorite part of mine, are the tens of picture that you take during the event, and that you see on Facebook the next morning. I love to do that myself, because after all, like I always say, each picture is a memory frozen in time.

P.S. - I will try to be more punctual on my postings from now on! Until the next post, my friends.

Sincerely,

A Dreaming Dietitian