From the NY Times...

Does Exercise Really Keep Us Healthy?

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Cooking for the College Kid

Here are some awesome and delicious recipes that are SUPER EASY, take barely any time to make and are budget-friendly! Enjoy! =)

Bagel Pizza

(add any toppings you like! pepperoni, vegetables)
Alfredo Sauce
(super easy to make & add onto pasta!)
Crock Pot Chicken
(can be served over rice or potatoes!)
Mexican Hot Dogs
(so delicious!)
Microwave Peanut Butter Fudge
(only 2 ingredients!!)

Combatting the Swine Flu

So everyone thinks this winter is going to bring a pandemic of the swine flu. Whether that actually happens or not remains to be seen. In the mean time, though, here's some incredibly handy information you can use to make sure you don't catch it and become a statistic.

SYMPTOMS:

Fever
Chills & Cough
Sore Throat
Runny Nose
Body Aches
Headache
Tiredness
Diarrhea
Vomiting

Yes, these are all essentially the signs of the "regular" flu, BUT the kicker is the fever. If you wake up and have a fever (99+ degrees) make sure you get to a doctor ASAP.


Here's some other information you may find helpful in staying swine-free.

• Wash your hands frequently with soap and water or use alcohol-based hand cleaners, especially after coughing or sneezing.
• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. If you don't have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your elbow or shoulder, not into your hands.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread this way.
• And, CLEAN, CLEAN, CLEAN! Wipe down counter tops, door handles, refrigerator/microwave handles, bathroom sinks, etc.

Happy cleaning, and good luck keeping healthy!

Basic Health and Wellness

WebMD is, without a doubt, one of my favorite Web sites. It contains so much information on so many topics. I decided to check out what it had to offer on the subject of "college". My search came up with over 4,000 articles and informational videos, including pretty much anything you can think of.

The Freshman 15 is a huge topic of taboo discussed throughout colleges and universities nationwide, well, maybe even worldwide. Everyone is seemingly convinced they are going to come out of their freshman year of college having gained 15 pounds.

FACT: A new study shows that nearly one in four freshmen gain at least 5% of their body weight, an average of about 10 pounds, during their first semester.

Here are three WebMD articles to help spell this common problem out for you. One article gives you all the facts you need to know about the Freshman 15, the second talks about what you can do to avoid it and the third goes over just how to lose those pesky 15 pounds in a safe and healthy way!

Freshman 15: College Weight Gain Is Real
Expert Q & A: Avoiding the Freshman 15
Weight Loss Health Check -
A really fun way to develop a diet plan

There are tons of other articles on WebMD that I'm sure would be helpful to all of you college students. Here are a few that I think you would enjoy, and, at the bottom, I've included a link to all the articles I found on WebMD in regard to college if you'd like to try and find something more specific to your own life.

Next time, I'll be posting some info I think is helpful about the Swine Flu. I know my parents are freaked out about it and so is my college campus. It seems like everyone is. I'll be giving you some info on how to avoid it, some symptoms and how to get through it if you think you may already have it.

• Tips to Prevent Meningitis
• Cooking Basics for the College Student
• The Comfort of Pets to College Students
• Relationship Violence Common in College Students
• VIDEO on Helping College Kids Stop Smoking

WebMD College Article Search

The Beginning

Whether you're a freshman or a senior, I think everyone could use a few tips on balancing their college life with their academic life. These two components, without a doubt, go hand in hand. Here are a few places that I've checked out for you. They've been a great help to me...

College Confidential
10 Tips from College Success Story
Ezine Articles

Also, I know the actual college or university you are attending normally has lists of tips on their Web site. I would definitely check that out for more specific information geared towards your life.

Stay tuned for health and wellness information for the average college student!...