Click here to listen to Sandra Nash, the manager of the National Laser Institute in Texas, talk about the new regulation in Texas for laser hair removal technicians.
Out with the Old in with the New
By: Contributing Writer Parminder Deo
pdeo@smu.edu
Extroverted. Introverted. Type A personality. Myers-Briggs. All of these words are used to describe different personalities and test what category people fit into.
Many people believe it is impossible to change your personality, but the few that believe you can say it only takes a few steps.
Step 1: Write down what you want to change about yourself. Then think about who you admire and write down what you like about their attitude and how you can incorporate it into your character.
Step 2: Think about your environment and the people you surround yourself with. You want positive people around if you are trying to improve yourself. Ask your friends what they think you should change. But be careful, you want to choose friends that you can take constructive criticism from.
“When I was more introverted I was unable to be friends with as many people as I wanted to be. Eventually I came to the realization that I am more myself when I am outgoing and can better understand others and ultimately found out that at the core I am an extrovert,” sophomore Brianna McIntyre said.
Step 3: Watch your progress. Make sure you are writing down how you are changing. Are you making people around you act differently? Are people noticing a difference in your behavior?
Step 4: Answer to yourself and set yourself up to succeed. Don’t make goals that are unattainable or unreasonable. Be sure to reward yourself as you notice improvements. Every step you take to become better deserves recognition.
It seems pretty straightforward doesn’t it? But can you decide what you like and dislike about yourself?
“Entering college made me question my prior beliefs that I accepted without hesitation. With so many conflicting ideologies, I had to explore avenues I had never been down and revisit ones I had. This was not an instant realization but rather a process of self-exploration,” first-year Jacob Garza said.
Changing your personality can be very beneficial. I can safely say that everyone has, at least once, wanted to change attributes about themselves to help them be the best they could be.
However, don’t change for the sake of fitting in. Discover who you are and see how you can fit some of your old self into your new self.
See how it works out and the great thing is you can always go back to your normal self.
Take your workout to the Katy Trail
The fall weather is drawing many people outdoors, and the Katy Trail is the perfect place to do your workout if you are in need of a breath of fresh air.
The path is located close to SMU’s campus and can be accessed by going down either Abbott Avenue or Hillcrest Avenue.
It takes less than 10 minutes to walk to the trail and once you are on it you can walk down as far as the American Airlines Center.
I went on the path earlier today to illustrate just how beautiful the path can be at this time of year.
I accessed the Katy Trail by walking on Hillcrest Avenue towards Harvard Avenue.
The Katy Trail offers a separate path for people who are walking and jogging.
One runner takes a break to look at one of the many views the trail has to offer.
The Katy Trail has three main water stops, one has both a fountain and a water cooler.
The fall weather is perfect for biking, roller blading, walking or running outside.
Love Your Body Week
This week SMU’s “Love your Body Week” program has been promoting a healthy body image around campus.
Tri Delta Sorority is one of the six organizations involved in “Love your Body Week.” The sorority has their own program “Fat Talk Free Week” where the girls pledge that they will go the entire week without any fat comments.
Megan Enriquez, the wellness educator chair for Tri Delta, said, “We realize that body image dissatisfaction is a huge societal issue.” When she was approached by Claire Florsheim, the dining services nutritionist in charge of “Love your Body Week,” and asked to help out with the event Enriquez hopped on board.
Whitney Reichlin, a SMU junior who is interning with Florsheim, believes that the most important part of “Love Your Body Week” is that it addresses the medias portrayal of the correct body image and helps students understand why it is incorrect.
The SMU fitness center is also helping out with the event by offering free Group X classes all week.
Yesterday evening “Love Your Body Week” had a symposium where several speakers came to talk about body image and eating disorders. Katya Deahl, a contributing writer to The Daily Campus, attended the symposium and wrote an article about the different speakers, their pasts and their advice.
One of the speakers at the symposium, Kristen McAlexander is a wellness instructor at SMU. She too was asked by Florsheim to participate in “Love Your Body Week.”
McAlexander struggled with unhealthy body image and eating disorders throughout her life and uses her experience to educate others who may be going through the same thing.
“‘Love Your Body Week’ is a great and innovative way to begin or continue conversations about loving and valuing, not just your physical body, but who you are,” McAlexander said.
CrossFit Bootcamp
By: Anne McCaslin Parker
I tried a CrossFit bootcamp with some of my sorority sisters. They have been going for a few weeks and convinced me to go with them yesterday.
Honestly my expectations were not as high as they should have been. I am pretty set in my ways when it comes to working out and I typically like to be on my own schedule.
However, this was the hardest workout I have ever done and it only lasted about 30 minutes!!!
We did:
15 minute warm up
50 Russian Twists (side to side ab move with 10 pound medicine balls)
50 wall-balls (squat and throw a 10 pound medicine ball above your head to hit the wall, catch it, squat again)
100 lounges
25 tricep dips
50 wall-balls
100 lounges
50 russian twists
The science behind why the workout is so short is because the trainers at CrossFit believe the shorter amount of time you spend on your workout, the more energy you are able to exert and the more effective it is.
I would recommend this place to anyone. It is right by SMU next to homebar. Not only is it convenient, I was there at 6:30 a.m. and out by 7:20 a.m. I don’t know about you, but I hate feeling like I wasted my day away by spending hours at the gym.I loved every minute of it even though I am going to be so sore tomorrow. It was great bonding time with my friends too. I will definitely be back for more next week!
Tips on what and how to eat at The Texas State Fair
One of the biggest hits at the State Fair of Texas is its food.
You can’t attend the fair without indulging in some of its unique food creations.
This year the most creative food award went to the fried bubble gum and buffalo chicken in a flap jack won the best tasting food award.
I went with some friends to the fair yesterday and all though we did not try either of the above mentioned food items we did taste the fried oreos. I’m not a huge fan of fried food but the oreos did not disappoint.
All though the fair does offer a few healthier options, such as the large fruit cups, lemon chills, cotton candy, popcorn, rotisserie chicken, chocolate covered strawberries and TCBY, some people come prepared to eat the not so healthy items.
John Dolus and his wife ran a marathon in San Francisco the Sunday before attending the fair.
“I figured I’d kill 2,600 calories in five hours, I think I can put on 2,000 calories in 25 minutes,” Dolus said.
Dolus had already had a fried frito pie, fried cheesecake and was about to indulge in some chocolate covered straberries.
Some options for people who are attending the Texas State Fair and looking for
options that will help you feel better about what you eat here are some tips:
1. Share with friends and family: If you split an item, whether it is “healthy” or not you will still save calories.
2. Workout: Make sure you do not skip your workout before or after you go to the fair. This way, just like the Dolus and his wife, you can indulge without feeling too guilty.
3. Eat before you arrive at the fair or bring a snack: This way you can still try out one item you’ve heard about, but wont over eat on everything you see.
4. Throw half away: Don’t feel like you need to eat the whole thing. Yes, it can be pricey, but if you don’t want to feel bloated the next day only eat part of what you buy.
5. Ride rides: No one wants to get sick while on one of the many rides at the fair. Think about that as you begin to eat all of the fried food and other snacks offered at the fair.
One last advice I will give you, the turkey leg. It may sound like a healthy option but as I was researching online I discovered how unhealthy it really is. If this is one of your favorites I’d advise not reading ahead because in this case ignorance really can be bliss… The turkey leg consists of 1136 calories and 56 grams of fat. If you’re eating it as your meal because you think it is a better option than another item you really want, you should probably just go for what you’re really craving.
A Special Treat for Healthy Skin
A facial is a treat everyone can indulge in, plus it is a great way to maintain healthy skin.
Photo from exhalespa.com
Here is the extra information I promised in my article in The Daily Campus. Exhale Spa is allowing SMU students to use the promotion code studentpeel100 to receive $100 off their 60 minute True Facial with pumpkin enzyme peel.
Facials are a relaxing way to exfoliate your skin and clear out all of the dirt that is clogged in your pores. If you are stressed or in need of some serious skin therapy a facial could be just what you need.
Listeria Outbreak Kills as Many as 15
Photo from Associated Press
One crop of cantaloupes has caused as many as 15 deaths in the U.S. Two of those deaths were in Texas.
A Colorado cantaloupe crop was contaminated with the listeria monocytogenes bacteria.
There have been over 84 reports of illnesses in relation to the listeria outbreak (17 in Texas). And the report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that the illness could still grow.
The Rocky- Ford brand cantaloupes are produced by Jensen Farms. The company issued a voluntary recall of the fruit on September 14, but consumers should still be careful.
FoxNews reports that Jensen Farms can’t provide a list of its retailers that have sold the cantaloupe because the fruit has been sold and resold to too many different stores.
Photo from Wikipedia
Rep. Diana DeGette of Denver plans to hold a congressional hearing in relation to the listeria outbreak. Testcountry.com reported that the hearing will have a two-fold objective:
1. To highlight the success in tracking the source of the outbreak and
2. To come up with a better method to make sure another outbreak does not recur.
Eric and Ryan Jensen are the owners of the Jensen Farms brand. The mtstandard.com reported that Eric Jensen is unaware of how his cantaloupe came to be contaminated.
Photo from seattlepi
It is important to be aware of the cantaloupe you are eating while the outbreak is being resolved. Even if you are feeling all right after having part of a cantaloupe from Jensen Farms you should not eat the rest of it. CNN reported that consumers should also be wary of eating any cantaloupe if they are not sure where it originated from.
Jensen Farms is not the only company that has run into a bacteria problem. CNN reported in a separate article that on Thursday True Leaf Farms announced a recall on their lettuce products after a random sample detected listeria monocytogenes in a bag of its romaine lettuce.
Snack of the Week: The Revised Hummus Wrap
I have a few new weird obsessions when it comes to snacks and meals. I’ve been taking old recipes and turning them into low cal/ low carb snacks- plus these snacks take almost little to no cooking effort so they are perfect for people who either need to make something healthy quickly or if you are living in a place where you don’t have access to a stove or oven.
This snack of the week is the hummus wrap, minus the breaded wrap.
All you need is hummus, deli meat and baby carrot sticks.
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I prefer the rotisserie chicken from Delifresh, but I have used turkey slices too. And my favorite hummus to use is the roasted garlic hummus but any of the different hummus flavors and brands can be substituted.
First you will take your carrot stick and wrap it in a slice of deli meat, as if you were wrapping a sandwich with a wrap. Then all you have to do is dip your wrap in the hummus and your finished. Easy and delicious. Plus it fills you right up.
The carrot sticks- if you buy the 16 oz bag- are 35 calories per 3 oz, which would mean if you ate the whole bag you would be eating around 175 calories and no fat.
The hummus is per 2 table spoons and it is 70 calories with 6 grams of fat. Keep in mind hummus has the kind of fat that many people consider good. Most of the fat comes from the olive oil and tahini in the hummus.
The rotisserie seasoned chicken breast has 50 calories and 1 gram of fat per 6 slices.
Vegetables, protein and “good” fat are supposed to be in your every day diet, which is why I have found this snack, or meal, to be a perfect mix for me.
Hope you enjoy!
How to Navigate PeerFit
If you find it hard to motivate yourself to go to a new workout class or wish you had a better understanding on what exactly you would be doing in a specific group exercise class, Ed Bunkley, a PhD student from the University of Florida, may have the answer for you.
Bunkley has come up with an online program, PeerFit, that will help university students determine which workout class they want to attend when they go to the gym.
PeerFit allows fitness instructors to put detailed information up online describing the different workout classes and the specific routines they will be teaching. Students, and other instructors, can go online and read through the different classes to see which one they want to attend. It gives both parties a place to go to communicate and receive information quickly and efficiently.
Over the summer Bunkley had 44 universities test PeerFit and launched the program at 18 of them this fall.
SMU, along with Texas Tech, OSU, Nebraska and 14 others, is one of the universities chosen to launch the PeerFit program.
SMU’s Dedman Center of Recreation offers over 50 different group exercise classes. From yoga to zumba to kickboxing the wide variety allows everyone to find the perfect workout that suits him or her best.
“It can be very intimidating for people to go in a class and not know exactly what they are getting into,” Kelly Richards, the fitness coordinator at Dedman Recreation Center, said.
SMU’s athletic website posts a brief description of the class schedule, a description of the classes and who the instructor is. However, this new program will allow students to go online and read in depth descriptions of what each instructor has planned for his or her class each day.
“This is a way for us to keep things fresh and exciting,” Whitney Reichlin, a Group X instructor at SMU, said.
When you go onto the PeerFit website you will see four separate links you can click on: Classes, facilities, groups and workout builder.
The classes box allows you to search for group exercise classes in your area. You can search by city and state to find a specific facility that holds the different classes. And just a heads up, for SMU you search the city University Park, not Dallas.
The facilities link leads you directly to the gym closest to you. Again searching by University Park is the quickest way to find Dedman Rec. Center.
The groups box is supposed to let you connect with different trainers, sports teams, athletic clubs or friends.
Finally the workout builder allows you to quickly load your different workout routines. This is where instructors would go to upload their workouts for students, or other instructors, to read.
The PeerFit goal is to provide a one-stop shop for anyone to come and learn about different workouts and figure out which one is right for them.
Unlimited Group X Classes are $70 for the fall semester or $4 per class.
SMU Health and Fitness 