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The News Argus October 2005 Read on Food Choices: Healthful foods are good for you HEAlTHmNESS Learning to control stress important for overall health By Jill Miller, M.P.H ADJUNCT INSTRUCTOR HUMAN PERFORMANCE AND SPORTS SCIENCE DEPARTMENT College is a time of dead lines, financial concerns, social pressures, and major life decisions, in other words, college is stressful, perhaps one of the most stressful times during life. If stress is managed ineffectu ally, high levels can impair learning and memory, and over the long term, cause shrinking in the hippocam pus, an area of the brain. Also, stress, interacting with heredity, personality, envi ronment, and behavior can significantly increase your risk for temporary illnesses like colds or chronic diseases such as diabetes, arthritis, and heart disease. Now, should we try to eliminate all of the stressors in our lives? Absolutely not—we need stress to challenge us to perform our best. In essence, we should be like Goldie Locks and find a stress level that is "not too high, not too low, but just right." Unless your professors cancel midterms, the win ning lottery ticket is in your hand, and your dream date is knocking on your door, it is unlikely that your stres sors, or situations that trig ger an emotional and physi cal response, are going to be eliminated. And that is alright if you don't let stress control you, but learn to con trol stress by developing a plan to manage it. Start by simply identifying the stres sors in your life. Try keep ing a journal for a few weeks noting when you experience stress and what you were doing at the time. Also, describe what you were thinking and feeling and the outcome of your response. After recording your behav ior, review your journal and look for patterns. What peo ple, places, and activities are causing the most stress? Were your responses appro priate or did you make mat ters worse? Creating a jour nal to objectively identify stressors helps to develop effective strategies for cop- ing. To develop a strategy for managing your response to stressors, incorporate a vari ety of stress management techniques into your day, and work to make them sec ond nature, just like brush ing your teeth. Social Support: Develop meaningful connections with others. Sharing life's frustra tions and accomplishments contributes to improved well-being. Developing a social network is impor tant—try volunteering, join ing a campus organization, or striking up conversations with classmates. Exercise: Physical activity helps dissipate nervous ener gy, stimulate birth of new brain cells, and minimize the physical response to stressful stimuli. Research shows that people who walk 3 times a week at least 45 minutes per session report less daily has sles. Add functional exercise to your routine and use human powered transporta tion often. Nutrition: A healthy diet that involves moderation, plenty of fruits and vegeta bles, and limited caffeine help to maintain weight and well-being. Erratic eating patterns often result in low energy stores, low self esteem, and feelings of guilt and lack of self control. Sleep: While require ments vary for everyone, it is important to get sufficient sleep to improve mood, con centration, and alertness. Levels of stress hormones are related to sleep patterns, and sleep deprivation alters hormone concentrations. Budget adequate sleep time into your schedule. Time Management: College students often have Making wise food choices can help you feel you best MyStudentHealthZone.com KRT WIRE SERVICE While some students stock up on fruits and veg etables in the dining hall, sometimes it's hard to resist the less-healthy options. The foods you choose affect your energy, concentration, and memory, because your body and brain need the right nutri tion to function properly. So before you reach for a cup of coffee or another slice of pizza, remember that the right choices from the dif ferent food groups will help you feel your best. WHAT DOES YOUR BODY NEED? Each person's nutritional requirements can vary, but your diet should provide you with a balance of pro tein, dairy products, carbo hydrates, vegetables, and fruits. For specific recom mendations suited to your needs, talk to a doctor, reg istered dietitian, or your student health office or your school's nutritional coun selor. Many nutritional experts recommend that the majori ty of a person's diet come from grains, vegetables, and whole fruit. Whole-grain carbohydrates, like brown rice and whole-grain breads, cereals, and pasta retain more vitamins, min erals, and fiber than their more processed counter parts (like white bread and regular pasta). It's better to eat fresh or frozen vegetables and fruits, because those that come in cans sometimes contain lots of added salt or sugar. Also, try not to skip your vegeta bles in favor of fruit. (You should actually eat more vegetables than fruit for an ideal balance.) Protein is another essen tial part of any diet. It's found in meat, fish, poultry, eggs, or nonanimal sources such as beans and nuts. Dairy products like cheese. See CHOICES, page 7 BUDGET, from page 3 expenses. Look for cheaper solutions to a dull, hungry Friday night — such as lunch meat and a board game with friends. Never budgeted before? Learn how on www.CreditTalk.com. Use credit cards wisely. Credit cards build credit history, which is good for getting credit on future big- ticket purchases. However, experts warn students not to use a credit card without a compelling rea.son. "If you're using your credit card just for convenience, you're getting yourself fur ther and further behind," said Jean Ann Fox, director of consumer protection for the Consumer Federation of America. Watch your food costs. If a meal plan is required at your school, sign up for the one where you pay for the fewest meals per week. The meal plan is usually more expensive than buying gro ceries. So unless you are in love with the cafeteria food. opt to go with the cheapest plan, then take your savings to the store. Make saving money a priority. Computers and automobiles crash. But a rainy-day fund can get you back behind your keyboard or steering wheel. Saving money can also make for a more pleasant life after graduation. Fox said. "You don't want to spend your 20s bailing yourself out of debt from things you don't even remember you bought," she said. Comparison shop for food, clothes and books. It might sound tedious going to several different grocery stores to compare prices. But the practice could save a lot of money throughout the semester. It's also good to shop around for books if there is more than one bookstore on campus. And if money is really tight, don't rule out a trip to the second-hand clothing store. Use an online applica tion to speed the student loan process. It could save three to four days, said Denny Welch, cashier man ager at the University of Akron. "Online you get to see what you're doing right away and you see if it was accepted," Welch said. Stay eligible for finan cial aid. If you receive aid, be aware of the minimum GPA to retain it. For federal financial aid, students must keep at least a C average, UA's McNutt said. Apply for loans early to keep from getting kicked out of classes. Don't be the subject of a horror story about being dropped from classes a few weeks into the semester because the loan still hasn't gone through. Get it done sooner to elimi nate that stress ahead of time. Avoid taxes on stupidi ty. Parking tickets, hbrary fines and video rental fines are unacceptable for college students who have to pinch pennies. Mike Raser of Knight Ridder Newspapers (KRT) contributed to this stoiy. Photo courtesy of KRT Wire Service The stress factor can begin as early as high school. Twin sisters Stacy(left) and Tracy Chen, say getting into college is a major stress factor. too little time, and in some cases, too much time. Perfectionist, over-commit ters, and procrastinators need to practice good time management skills. Improve your time management skills by setting priorities, schedul ing tasks during peak effi ciency, setting realistic goals, combining task when possi ble, delegating responsibility, and most importantly, stop thinking and start doing. Spirituality: Faith and commitment to a belief sys tem, whether it is found in religion, nature, or other, fos ters a meaning and purpose to life and provides perspec tive and connectedness dur ing stressful times. Relaxation: Lower blood pressure and breathing rates, as well as quiet mental alert ness result from relaxation. Try mediation, yoga, deep breathing, or listening to music to elicit a relaxation response. As midterms approach, don't let life toss you around like laundry in a dryer that you should have done yes terday, take control of your life. Identify your life stres sors, devise a strategy to manage them, and then practice your stress manage ment techniques everyday. Maybe while you are de- stressing the meaning of life will become crystal clear—or NOT. But who cares, life is totally manageable. Homecoming October 23^0 Treasure the Rarfi Tradition’ ^ UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS SCHOOLQFlaw i DECEMBER 31,2005 S . Tl DM Is\i(! and .1 b;3.SC:: On Vi-..aci- •'.vjih ihc- cc-c'tic-s. ol c.hici'.. p'diicip.es. our rcco-ii.zcc cxi.crix-iliip I v. t-ii i-; , coiTniTri':‘TiT r;‘> ooiT .'mininr :v.'.n.‘ianJ oi:.* :5!CL„.y, .sn i .. uiik- .o coEii.dc-r •ir I. ! til .Si.Ti :;-iiT-. 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