Eating Healthy in College

Eating healthy in college can be a challenge.  The last few weeks of the semester can be stressful.  However, do not give up your good eating habits because of stress and a busy schedule.  Keep reading to learn ten tips to help you keep eating healthy the last few weeks of the semester.  Check out more tips at Clarke.

1. Eat a good breakfast - Studies show that skipping breakfast detracts from scholastic achievement. When there isn’t time to sit down and enjoy your morning meal, grab a bagel, piece of fruit, and some juice. Most of these items can be easily stored in your residence hall room.
2. If you must eat fast foods, choose wisely - Choose pizza with half the cheese, a regular size roast beef sandwich, baked potato, or green salad with reduced calorie dressing. Limit high fat offerings like French fries, fried chicken, or fish sandwiches and watch out for salad dressing!
3. Keep healthy snacks on hand - This way, if hunger strikes during a late night study session, you won’t be tempted by vending machine candy, chips, or ice cream. Possibilities include fresh or dried fruit, pretzels, unbuttered popcorn, rice cakes, or whole wheat crackers. If you have a refrigerator, consider raw vegetables with low-fat yogurt or cottage cheese dip.
4. Eat plenty of foods rich in calcium - People in their early twenties need to be building up stores of calcium in their bodies to prevent osteoporosis later in life. If you don’t like milk, try to include ample amounts of low-fat yogurt, low-fat cheese, and green leafy vegetables in your diet.
5. If you need to lose weight, do it sensibly - Starvation and/or diets that offer a quick fix usually backfire and are harmful. There is no truth to the theories that suggest eating foods in any particular combination will promote weight loss. The only safe way to lose weight, feel good while doing it, and keep it off, is to eat a balanced diet and exercise.
6. Limit your sugar intake - Sugar provides calories in your diet but few other nutrients, and it contributes significantly to tooth decay. Use it sparingly and consider sweetening coffee, tea, cereal, and fruit with diet sweeteners instead.
7. Visit the dining hall salad bar - The dining hall salad bar can be either an asset or a detriment to your diet depending on how you choose from it. Of course, leafy greens, raw vegetables, and fresh fruits are beneficial. But, if you choose a lot of creamy dressings, bacon bits, and mayonnaise-based salads, the calories and fat may equal or even exceed those of a burger and fries—so choose wisely!
8. Limit your alcohol intake - If you drink alcohol, keep in mind that it supplies calories but no nutritional value. A light beer, a glass of wine, or an ounce of liquor each has about 100 calories. There may also be health problems associated with drinking alcohol.
9. Drink lots of water - Your body needs at least eight glasses a day, and, if you exercise vigorously, you may need more. To remind yourself, carry a water bottle along to class and keep it handy during late night study sessions.
10. Enjoy your food - Food is a lot more than nourishment for our bodies, so take the time to enjoy and savor it!

Make Plants Work in a Small Apartment

 Did you know that it is easy to keep plants alive in a small apartment?  You can help your plants grow by just continuing your everyday routine?  A hot shower can add humidity in the air for plants.  Also your apartment is not a huge house, so you can remember to water the plants just by seeing them everyday.  Keep reading and check out Apartment Therapy for more decorating tips.

Plants can seem like the world's biggest joy or the world's biggest headache. They can make any house or apartment feel like home, but in a small space your options are a little more limited. 
I've lived in all different sizes of homes: houses, lofts — heck, even churches — but the thing that made any space feel like home was a plant or two. My current space is a postage stamp and, although I don't have floors filled with my favorite palms and large-leaved friends, I do have plants galore. Is your space small? Here are five reasons why it's more awesome!

1. Humidity: Although many folks are okay with remembering to water their plants, many plants need additional humidty to look their best. In a small space it's easy to mist, or simply take warm showers, to fill the place with a little extra. 
2. Use Your Walls: Even though the same options are open to those living in larger spaces, somehow it seems less scary to use your walls for hanging planters or wall planters. When it's your only option, you just do it instead of looking at 1,000s of pictures of them on Pinterest for months without pulling the trigger. 
3. Light Control: Plants, and the light they receive, have a symbiotic relationship. In a smaller space, this is easier to control and see the exact light each one is getting. 
4. Watering: When my environment was larger, the plants at the far ends of my home always seemed to suffer the most. My watering can would either run out, or I would simply forget. In a small space it's easy to flit around, water them all, and call it a day!
5. Design: In a smaller space, you're much more aware of each and every thing in your home. Plants become art pieces and specific choices, instead of just something you got on sale or a friend handed down. Their pots are suddenly worth their designer prices as they've become show stoppers! 

Plants and small spaces go hand in hand if you're willing to add them in. Don't be scared! Do you have plant woes in your small spaces? Let us know below!

University of Maryland has Four NSCA All-Americans

The National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) recently named four Maryland student-athletes Strength and Conditioning All-Americans. The quartet of Amanda McCann (softball), Jimmy Sheptock (wrestling), Jake Stinnett (baseball) and Moriah Young (track and field) is among 229 total collegiate and high school athletes the NSCA recognized with the honor. Athletes are selected based on nominations from their strength coaches.

"This is a tremendous honor for our department," said Director of Strength and Conditioning for Olympic Sports Mike Szemborski. "Having four student-athletes attain this accolade speaks to the dedication and work ethic of all Terrapin student-athletes. It is a privilege to work with these student athletes every day and we're grateful the NSCA has given us a way to acknowledge their commitment to training."

Assistant Strength Coach Matt McManus on McCann- "Amanda has worked hard in all aspects of her training to turn herself from a walk-on into a starter and leader on the softball team. She represents Maryland well and has earned the respect of her teammates through her tireless work ethic and positive attitude."

Assistant Strength Coach Brent Kwiatkowski on Sheptock- "Jimmy Sheptock is a grinder. Jimmy has consistently proven to be a leader on our team and a role model for our younger athletes. He does things the right way. He is extremely dedicated to his physical development, which has resulted in consistent gains in the weight room and increased performance on the mat. As a sophomore, Jimmy was an ACC Champion at 174 pounds and as a junior won the ACC at 184."

Assistant Strength Coach Seth Diters on Stinnett- "Jake is a true leader both on and off the field. He is someone that all the underclassmen look up to and respect. He does all the little things right and is truly deserving of this recognition." Kwiatkowski on Young- "Moriah is the type of student-athlete that steps into the weight room and commands attention, not because she is loud and seeks out attention, but because of the way she carries herself and her consistent effort and dedication to her development. She is an extremely coachable athlete and a great leader. Through hard work and perseverance, Moriah has set school records in the squat, clean and bench press in the past year. Moriah has shown consistent improvement in her events, finishing second in the ACC in the weight throw in 2012 and she currently has the second longest throw in Maryland history in the hammer."
The National Strength and Conditioning Association has named four Maryland student athletes Strength and Conditioning All-Americans.  These athletes come from the softball, wrestling, baseball, and track and field teams.  These athletes are selected based on nominations from strength coaches.  You can find out more information at UMTERPS.