Most people would agree that making sustainable choices is the right thing to do. But most of us don’t know where to start and think that to make a difference we have to do something big. Doing small things to reduce waste and energy consumption can add up to big things, including savings. Not only is making sustainable choices good for the environment, it is good for the pocket book. [More]

Ahhh...the lazy days of summer! What do you do with these precious few months off from the stress of school? Do you work, play, plan or do a whole lot of nothing? I don’t know about you but “a whole lot of nothing” sounds nice but is definitely not an option. [More]

Hello Readers! I attended an event put on by the Center for Civil Engagement (CCE) titled “Who will be taking care of Grandpa?” discussing the elderly population. The topic of growing older is always an interesting one but nonetheless a topic people may not like to discuss because of the inevitable result that comes with growing older. Despite this, it is a topic that needs addressing. Many young people may not think about growing older themselves but do think about their grandparents, or even their own parents, and what will happen to them. This was certainly the case for me. During one of the activities of this workshop, the mentors asked the group a series of questions to which we replied if they applied to us. I will mention a few of them and  for you think about for yourself:   ·Do you have grandparents 70 years or older? ·Do they live on their own, in a nursing home, at your home? ·Have you thought about where your parents will live when they that old? ·Will you put them in a nursing home or have them live with you? ·Where will you live when you are old?” After this interaction there were a few guest speakers that shared on topics such as cultural differences, nutrition and physical health of the elderly. It was interesting to hear about the different cultural aspects associated with the elderly. Hearing about what it can be like for elderly in homes made me realize that these people need a lot of healthy care and interactions with other people. There are many reasons why we should get involved with the elderly. First of all, it helps the elderly. There are some cases in which these people can feel lonely (this is not the case for all people in homes) and by visiting them we can build new relationships! It also keeps their minds active and can give them a way to give back to society by sharing their experiences and wisdom. Their wisdom can also teach us and it feels good to give our time to th... [More]

Hello Readers! How much water do you drink every day? No, tea, coffee, Gatorade, alcohol and juice don’t count. I’m talking about regular water. Water is very important to your diet and your body, but a lot of people tend to get bored with water or don’t realize what the significance is. I want to show you how water is good for your body and also how to have fun with it! According to healthguidance.org, most of our body is made up of water. The brain is around 70% water, the lungs 90% and the blood 82%. Not only is our body made up of water, but our systems use it to keep us healthy. Water causes us to urinate so that we can flush out toxins and waste, it helps dissolve our food so we can absorb nutrients, and it helps regulate our body temperature and metabolism. It is pretty crucial to get the right amount of water and, for most people, the right amount is about seven to eight glasses a day. So what can you do if you are a person that isn’t motivated to drink water? Here are four tips I use to get my water in: 1.Lemon ice: usually if my water is more colorful I will want to drink it! I fill a muffin tin or ice tray half way with water and place a slice/piece of lemon or orange and freeze it. I also like to use berries as well! 2.Flavored water: you can also just put some flavor in your water. My favorite mix is lemon slices and strawberry halves with a few mint leaves but you can use almost any fruit or vegetable (cucumber and strawberries are good too!). 3.Close at hand: I find it very helpful for me to keep a glass or water bottle on my desk at all times. I usually drink from it every few minutes without even thinking about it! 4.Use a straw: a lot of people find it helpful to sip water. I think it’s more fun to drink things through a straw! No matter what your method is, drink that water! Live healthy Readers! -Brandy (Image was provided by Google Images.)

Hello Readers! College is a time of great freedom! One of those freedoms is being able to choose your own meals. Sometimes it can be hard to efficiently buy food and also find the time to make healthy meals during the week. When I moved off campus I had to learn that in order to be successful at making meals for the week that are healthy, I need to plan. Today I will share some of these tips with you on how to buy and plan for meals during the week. At the beginning of my week, it is my habit to make a grocery list. It usually consists first of the usual things I need like milk, eggs, bread ect and 2) things that I will need for specific meals. These meals can be ones that I have already made before or ones that I have looked up. I also look for meals that will reuse leftovers. Some of my favorite websites that I use to find recipes are allrecipes.com, Pintrest.com and Real Simple. When searching for recipes, I look to see how large the serving size is and if I can adjust it to fit my needs. You may want a serving size of two or three to be able to store leftovers for later. Having a list means that you only buy what is need and not waste food. So now that you have a weekly supply of food and a plan for your meals, how will you find additional time to make these meals? Here are a few of my tips: 1. Make meals ahead of time. Use the weekend or a free day to fully make the meals for a few of the days. If you know you will not have time to make dinner before a class/lab on Tuesday night, make it Sunday or Monday night. Store in glass or plastic containers and stick it in the fridge/freezer to heat up later! 2. Prep your food ahead of time. If you think cutting all the vegetables or cooking the pasta will take too long to be able to complete your meal all in one night, do these things the day before or morning of so you can throw it together quickly that night. Some of the meals I make almost every week are Chicken Salad Sandwiches (which I make using leftover... [More]

The fear of having someone steal financial or personal information has driven Americans to spend an estimated $3.5 billion each year on identity protection. But is the protection a worthwhile investment or just another money making scheme? [More]

Your credit score, whether you like it or not, can affect your ability to get a loan, insurance and maybe even a job. A credit score is not just an arbitrary number. It is based on certain criteria that are supposed to tell a lender if you are a good risk or a bad risk for a loan. [More]

I recently watched the movie, Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead. In this self-made documentary, Joe Cross chronicles his 60 day juice fast during which he loses 80 lbs, completely turns around his health and inspires others to do the same in the process. While most of us are not going to embark on a physician monitored juice fast, we can all experience some of the benefits of juicing a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. [More]

On a daily basis, Americans consume an average of 22.2 teaspoons of sugar per person, adding an extra 355 calories to their diet. That adds up to 8,000 teaspoons annually. [More]

As college students, we are all on a pretty tight budget and dates can be a pretty expensive proposition. Dinner, drinks and a movie for two can run you upwards of one hundred dollars. Save yourself some money and try a budget date. You might find you have just as much fun and save quite a bit of money. [More]