Recreation and Wellness Center News
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11-06-09 Bagel Breakfast: Which Spread Should You Choose? Bagels have gotten a bad reputation for being a dieter's nightmare, since one plain bagel contains 260 calories and 56 grams of carbs. But I believe a carb-free diet isn't the healthiest way to drop pounds and maintain a healthy weight, so I think it's more than OK to enjoy a warm, toasted bagel every so often. They're not all as unhealthy as everyone thinks, especially if you choose one made with whole wheat flour, whole grains, or seeds. It also depends on what spread you choose to smear on. Does butter contain more cholesterol than cream cheese? Which contains more calories, almond butter or peanut butter? To find out the answers and see the nutritional info for other bagel spreads, keep reading. The calculations can be seen in the link below which are based on a serving of two tablespoons (.7 ounces). As you can see from the chart, when it comes to calories, fat, and cholesterol, cream cheese is the better option when compared to butter. And if it's protein you're after, almond and peanut butter are definitely the way to go. Click here for full Story |
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10-30-09 Is too much sleep making you tired? Instead of feeling crisp and refreshed, Jesse Wu wakes up sluggish after 12 hours of sleep. "If I sleep the right amount, I feel really good," said the 25-year-old who lives in a suburb of Chicago, Illinois. "If I sleep too long, I feel groggy throughout the whole day." Like Wu, some feel exhausted after long hours of rest. "Many people will tell you, they sleep a little worse when they sleep a long time on weekends," said Dr. Daniel Kripke, co-director of Scripps Clinic Sleep Center in La Jolla, California. "Too much long sleep on weekends does not seem to make people feel better." But he acknowledged that the reasons haven't been determined. For years, doctors have warned about the dangers of not getting enough shuteye -- traffic accidents, weight gain, decreased productivity and immune protection, but the effects of oversleeping are not well-understood. There isn't medical evidence to recommend that people who sleep long hours should change their habits, Kripke said. Daylight saving time ends this Sunday, giving sleepers a bonus hour of sleep. Wu savors his sleep. "I really enjoy it," he said. In the morning, he needs five alarms -- each with a different sound -- that he smacks as he lumbers out of bed. Like many professionals, Wu sleeps little on the weekdays (about five hours) and makes up for it on weekends, spending eight to 12 hours blissfully hibernating. Sometimes, after a long stretch, he wakes up too tired to function. "After I've gotten so much sleep, the first situation is I fall asleep at 10 p.m., even though I've gotten 12 hours of sleep, because I feel so groggy," said Wu, who works as a membership coordinator for a professional association. This is known as sleep drunkenness, when a person hovers between sleep and wakefulness, said Dr. Lisa Shives, medical director at Northshore Sleep Medicine in Evanston, Illinois. In one case, a patient who had sleep drunkenness came to the emergency room because his wife thought he had a stroke. "They'll wake up and be in this weird state of sleep drunkenness," Shives said. "If it's really severe, you're not going to be in any state to make decisions. If it's just regular [case], a lot of us feel 'blah,' and most of us have to carry on and get going on a shower and cups of coffee." Oversleeping once in a while doesn't present serious health risks, experts say. But if you habitually sleep excessively, it could be the result of an underlying health problem. And it could be cutting into your life span. "There's been at least two epidemiological studies to show that if people get less than five hours, or more than 10 hours of sleep, it increases their mortality," said Michael Breus, the clinical director of the sleep division at Southwest Spine and Sports in Scottsdale, Arizona. A 2007 Finnish study found that the mortality risks increased by about 20 percent for both people who slept more than eight hours. That same year, a British study found that people who slept five hours or less and those who slept more than eight hours also faced increased risks. Another study showed that people who routinely slept more than eight hours a night had a greater chance of stroke than others with less sleep. Scientists say sleep and longevity are somehow associated, but there might be confounding factors. "We don't know if it's the long sleep. It could be something else causing illness and the long sleep."said Kripke, who has researched the topic for 35 years. Click here for full Story |
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10-02-09 What your student body will look like in 10 years College populations for the coming decade will see more women, a larger number of older students, and greater racial diversity, according to a recent report from the U.S. Department of Education. The education department’s projections for schools granting degrees show enrollment will increase: * 38% for Hispanic students, 26% for black students and 4% for white students * 16% for women and 9% for men * 9% for students ages 18-24; 25% for students 25-34; 12% for students 35 and older * 12% for undergraduates and 18% for graduate students * to 20.6 million overall in fall 2018 – 13% higher than 2007 stats. Click here for full Story |
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10-02-09 Honey, I shrunk the argument Lisa Diamond's research associate keeps her voice deliberately neutral as she talks through a microphone to a couple in the next room. he man, Tim, slumped on a couch, and the woman, Stacey, sitting upright on a wing chair, have been wired with monitors that measure their heart rate and respiration, as well as the flow of electrical currents across their skin -- all of which are indicators of nervous system activity. An unobtrusive video camera records the couple's every twitch and flitting smile. Earlier, they were shown a series of innocuous photographs of landscapes while their baseline pulse rates and other measurements were recorded. Now they're being asked to argue. "The source of conflict that Tim chose," the researcher is telling them, "is 'You treat me like you're my mom.'" At this, Stacey, an elegant 30-year-old operations manager for a nonprofit in Salt Lake City, stiffens. Tim, her tall, lean 29-year-old photographer boyfriend, smiles awkwardly, abashed. With his slouchy T-shirt, clunky black glasses, and floppy hair, he's a study in nerdy chic. He looks at the floor. "Tim, you should explain what you mean by this particular conflict," the researcher continues, "and then both of you try to resolve it. You'll have four minutes." "Um --" Tim says, by way of starting. "What do you mean by that?" Stacey cuts in. Click here for full Story |
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10-02-09 Men have insecurities, just like women! You'll never see a dude turn to another dude and ask, "Do I look fat in these pants?" But that doesn't mean men are invulnerable to insecurities, no matter how much we'd like to think so. Women are upfront about their fears, doubts, and self-esteem. I used to think it was just compulsive gabbiness, a quirk of the fairer sex. But, in fact, it is an admirable coping mechanism that's even a little bit courageous. That said, I'll sack up and admit that I've spent a lot of my life feeling like a fatty, a chubasaurus, half-man and half-marshmallow. (Do these pants make my butt look like too much Jello was shoveled into too small of a trash bag?) Men have always had insecurities. We just don't talk about them, preferring to grit teeth, squint, and clench fists. Mostly, we overcompensate, mistaking swaggering arrogance for bravery. And we have been doing this since time immemorial with diminishing returns. Our swagger has gotten us trampled while chasing bigger Wooly Mammoths, or splattered by limestone blocks while designing taller pyramids, or shot in the face while vaingloriously galloping mighty white steeds into machine gun nests. Not much has changed: There are still dudes flashing plastic and braying like sweat-glossed swamp donkeys. Sometimes they drive their sports cars into trees. Hopefully, in another thousand years, we'll have rid the gene pool of this transparent bluster. After all, giving a name to your fear makes it easier to kill. If I had to hazard a guess as to the number-one male insecurity, I'd say it was hair. Many men, from their early twenties on, live in mortal fear of losing their locks. Click here for full Story |
