Food & Health
THE FLU.
February 8th, 2018 / Hannah Frank
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Flu Season. Two of the more common words you hear around the upper school this time of year. According to the always helpful WebMd, the flu is an extremely contagious respiratory illness, caused by influenza, which is a nasty viral infection. The flu is typically identified by some very uncomfortable symptoms, including but not limited to a cough, a sore throat, a runny or stuffy nose, headaches, muscle aches, and exhaustion. Your average upper schooler who is unlucky enough to contract this nasty bug would normally recover in a week or two, however the severity and strain of flu can differ from year to year.
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Since October, it is estimated that there are 51.4 hospitalizations for the flu per 100,000 people in the United States. The percentage of deaths has increased to 9.7% due to pneumonia and influenza. Nationally, the percentage of people testing positive for influenza viruses was 26.1%. But the flu is nothing to joke about. Although it is technically just a scarier version of your common cold, one can see that the statistics don’t lie. The flu is nothing to joke about, as I’m sure some of the unfortunate upper schoolers can tell you. Of course, the statistics shown above are not for everyone. While your chances of contracting the flu are higher this time of year, there are still some easy changes you can make to reduce your risk and the risk of others.
For starters, avoid close contact with your friends, especially if you’ve seen them coughing or sniffling. Next, wash your hands often. Purell works well too, just as long as you’re taking measures to keep your hands clean. And then of course, the things you should be trying to do all the time, not just flu season; getting plenty of sleep, staying hydrated, and maintaining a healthy diet. And by all means, please do not come to school if you are sick! Your teachers will be happier if you have to do makeup work than get them and other students sick.
DIY ACAI BOWL.
February 7th, 2018 / Emory Sutton
INGREDIENTS:
2 packs of Sambazon Acai Puree (you can get it at Kroger or Whole Foods in the frozen aisle)
1 TBSP. of Almond Milk or Whole Milk
1 banana
¼ CUP of granola
SOME chopped strawberries
STEPS:
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Follow instructions on pack of ACAI (tip: once acai is in the blender crush it with a spoon a bit to help blending go faster)
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Add ALMOND MILK, and BANANA, and add any extra VEGGIES or FRUIT (I like baby spinach)
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Then pour out into a bowl and add GRANOLA+STRAWBERRIES on top or any other toppings (I sometimes add dark chocolate chips)
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ENJOY! I like to eat this for breakfast or I’ll turn it into a SMOOTHIE by adding a bit more almond milk and about ¼ cup of GREEK YOGURT and no toppings and eat it as a snack.
TOO EARLY.
February 9th, 2018 / Sydney Johnson
How many hours of sleep do you get a night?
Many students hate waking up early for school because many stay up late doing homework or other activities. Studies have shown that growing teens need to get nine hours of sleep or more. On average, young adolescent adults in high school get 6-7 hours of sleep due to workloads and many other factors. Sleep deprivation can cause many mental and physical problems such as diabetes, depression, anxiety, substance abuse, mood swings, and potential impacts on brain development. Those effects are just to name a few. Many private schools start later due to these outcomes, and counties are starting to plan for a later start time in public schools in the future years. While many teens drive to school, 56% have recorded that they have felt too tired to drive, and more than one in ten have said to have fallen asleep while driving due to early school times. Sleep is extremely important, and should be prioritized!
My Favorite workouts & Tips
February 7th, 2018 / Emory Sutton
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-I’m going to start by saying that working out really isn’t that bad and once you start working out you will love it because your body releases endorphins while you workout which make you happy. You will also feel great and accomplished afterwords.
-MY #1 WORKOUT TIP: do it every day and it will become a habit… If you workout almost everyday and take one or two break days (but STRETCH during those break days) working out will become a habit.
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MY FOUR FAVORITE AT-HOME MOVES + TIPS:
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RUN: I like to try to run 2 miles at least three times a week but my goal is to start running five times a week. While 2 miles is not a very long distance it is still beneficial and it is how much my skating coach tells me to do because it helps with my stamina on the ice (but you can run 10). Run with your DOG to make it more fun, if you want. CARDIO is very important and running is a fun way to do it, however I recommend doing other cardio exercises too, such as playing a sport or dancing.
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AB WORKOUTS: I love doing ab workout videos. One of my favorites and a classic at the skating rink is Uptown Abs (it can be found on youtube if you look up “Uptown Abs”. My skating coach has me do this workout twice a day except for Sundays. I play the video and then without a break restart it and repeat the workout. However, if you would like something a little bit less hardcore try doing planks or do Kendall Jenner’s 11 minute at-home ab workout (just google it and it should pop up). It’s a light and slow-paced workout that still works the core. I also do pushups and use resistance bands for my ARMS, but I won’t go to into depth about that.
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LEG WORKOUTS: I have a few favorite moves for strengthening my legs. I do ankle raises (about 3 sets of 50) to strengthen/tone my calves and ankles. I also do squat-jumps (go into a parallel squat positions hold for 5-seconds and then jump and land in the same position and repeat. I do about 3 sets of 15). Finally, to work the inner thighs I do multiple things but there are tons of great inner thigh workouts on youtube. My favorite is a one by POPSUGAR FITNESS and it is a 10 minute at-home leg workout. I also do specific leg workouts for skating but they are hard to explain and kind of unnecessary for a non-skater. But, if you want more info email me at emory.sutton@stewardschool.org.
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Finally, STRETCH STRETCH STRETCH. Always stretch before and after working out. You don’t have to do anything super wild, but stretch. It helps PREVENT INJURIES and just helps your muscles look less bulky. I like to do lots of stretches but it would take up two pages for my stretching routine so I recommend going on youtube and finding an after workout and/or before workout stretching video.
