Lower your culinary standards

That’s right, it’s back to Bear’s Den for you. No more conning your parents into cooking your favorite homemade meals or taking you out for expensive dinners. Look on the bright side, though—your mom doesn’t make you chicken fingers when you come home at 3 a.m.

Stay out as late as you want!

(And maybe even later than that)

“As long as you live in this house, you follow our rules!” Sound familiar? School vacations are notorious for spurning power struggles between parents and children. So spend those first few weekends back at school living it up. You won’t have too much work yet, anyway.

Sew up those holes you burned in your pockets

Remember that wad of cash you had by the end of your family holiday party? Well, it’s not going to last forever. In fact, it probably hasn’t even lasted until now. Be happy with all the great deals you got on holiday sales and learn to be frugal again.

Use up your sleep reserves

If nothing else, winter break serves the purpose of allowing you to sleep 12 hours a day. Since you only really need eight hours a night to function properly, that means you have more than 300 extra hours of rest in your system. So don’t worry about pulling those all-nighters. In fact, you need to, in order to restore your equilibrium.

Become literate again

Imagine this scenario: It’s the first day of class, and your professor is lecturing about course expectations. You take out your notebook and pen and start to write, barely getting through five words before your hand cramps up and you cross out everything you’ve written because it looks like chicken scratch. Now you’re already falling behind, you’ve missed what he’s just said and you’re probably going to fail the class. We’ve all been there, and it’s not a good feeling. So exercise your hand muscles a bit before the first day of classes. And while you’re at it, learn to read again, too.

First and foremost, experts recommend that you pack lightly. Trust me, I’m just as likely as the next girl to bring home seven pairs of shoes and five pairs of jeans for winter break. The truth is, the odds of you needing every sweater in your closet are slim to none, and the few pounds it may save you in your luggage can really help you later.

Now, I know what some of you are thinking—one, I absolutely cannot remove any of my outfits from the packing list, and two, that is so unnecessary, I have a wheely-bag! The truth is, even wheeling a bag works your biceps and triceps and because of the awkward angle at which we usually pull a bag behind us, bags on wheels can end up doing almost as much damage as a shoulder bag would. Plus, the fact that we are more likely to stuff the bag to the brim only makes matters worse.

Second, whatever luggage you do bring, be sure to try to lift it in stages. Your laptop bag, clothes and ski equipment don’t all have to go from the cab to the check-in counter at the same time. See if there is anyone around to help, or make multiple trips. Trust me, your back will thank you tomorrow.

Third, back support for long car rides or planes is a must. These can be in the form of lower lumbar support pillows or neck pillows—which are available at most home stores and can even be purchased at most airport shops. Neither is costly, but both have proven extremely effective in preventing strain on the neck, shoulders and back. If purchasing a pillow is not an option, a rolled up sweatshirt or jacket can serve as a lumbar support cushion, wedging itself between your back and the chair. While the body is ordinarily using lots of muscles to assist in keeping a seated posture, adding cushioning allows it to relax fully, easing the tension in the muscle groups of the back.

Fourth, try to move and stretch as frequently as possible. Most of the post-travel-day discomfort we feel is just from being seated in one place for too long. If you are driving, stop every now and then at rest stops, get out, stretch your legs, get a drink and get back in. If airborne, a quick trip to the bathroom could save you hours of discomfort. Movement stimulates blood flow, which brings nutrients and oxygen to the muscles. This increase in blood flow prevents muscles from stiffening. Stretches for hamstrings (seated or standing toe-touches) or the hip flexors (one foot in front, the other foot in back, lunging forward) are most effective at preventing a tight back, as these are the muscles that meet the lower back muscles. When the hamstrings or hip flexors are tight, the lower back is tight too.

And finally, sit up straight! This is both the easiest and most difficult piece of advice yet. Most of us do not sit up properly, choosing to recline or slouch into “more comfortable” positions. The truth is, contrary to popular thought, the most “comfortable” seated position for your body is sitting straight up, with the back directly perpendicular to the seat. Head back, both feet resting on the floor or a footrest and sitting up straight will most definitely alleviate any neck or back pain you may be having.

Get ready to sit back, relax and enjoy winter break! Happy travels!

Information for this article was gathered from: http://www.spine-health.com/wellness/ergonomics/pain-free-travel-tips and http://www.johnshopkinshealthalerts.com/alerts/back_pain_osteoporosis/JohnsHopkinsBackPainOsteoporosisHealthAlert_2673-1.html

Bikram Yoga: it sounds like hell—90 minutes of stretching in a steam room set at 105 degrees with 20 or so other sweaty people grunting as they twist their bodies into pretzels—and yet, for some reason, it is becoming increasingly popular. I first heard about the studio near Schnucks when I was a freshman. The girls across the hall from me had gone a couple of times and came back raving about it. My curiosity was piqued—and so I tried it. Since then, I have been back several times.

The yoga routine is fast-paced and requires lots of stretching and balance with fewer traditional yoga vinyasa series. It is comprised of 26 postures and two breathing exercises and is performed in exactly the same order and exactly the same way all over the world.
The founder, Yogiraj Bikram Choudhury, insists that in order to teach “Bikram Yoga” instructors learn directly from him by enrolling in a $5,000 course that lasts several weeks. At the end of the course, the instructors are Bikram certified and allowed to teach classes in studios all over the world, as long as they strictly adhere to his program.

Choudhury developed Bikram Yoga as a means of healing his knee, which had been injured during a weight-lifting incident in 1963. At the time, he was 17, and his doctors told him his injury was so severe he would never walk again. Instead of accepting the diagnosis, Choudhury designed a workout routine that would allow him to stay in shape and strengthen his knee so that one day he would be able to walk.

His regimen worked better than he had imagined, and within six months, he had totally recovered. Learning about his success, Bishnu Ghosh, one of the leading yogis at the time, asked Choudhury if he would be willing to teach classes so that he could help others heal their bodies with such a practice. Since then, Bikram has become increasingly popular and has spread from Choudhury’s homeland of India to other countries worldwide. He moved to California and began teaching classes in Hollywood to celebrities including Quincy Jones, Michael Jackson, Madonna and Brooke Shields as a means of improving health and peace of mind.

Several of the postures stimulate organs within the body, and the excessive sweating has been touted as an excellent way of eliminating toxins from different body systems. There are some dangers involved, and students are reminded to drink water before and after class, as well as rest in the designated postures if they become light-headed or nauseous. Still, Choudhury insists that the point of Bikram Yoga is to suffer.

In a CBS “60 Minutes” interview, Choudhury said, “I don’t sell cheesecake, you know that. So you come here to suffer. If you don’t suffer, you don’t get anything. Nothing [is] easy in this life.”

The idea that suffering needs to happen in order to gain confidence and strength is an interesting one and it challenges some of the basic American health philosophies. Still, Choudhury is confident that the practice works and he attributes the popularity of the classes to that fact. His philosophy: “You use the body as a medium to bring the mind back to the brain, perfect match between body and mind, then you can unlock the door to the spirit.”

Wash. U. students are flocking to Bikram as well—and surprisingly, all of them have slightly different reasons for doing so. Some try it as an alternative to their normal workout schedule, others for the relaxing side effects and some for the spiritual high. There is definite proof of each—both medically and experientially, and while I could bore you with explaining exactly how it works, I figured I would let the Bikram students’ experiences speak for themselves.

Lea Oxenhandler, a senior and an intermediate yoga student, heard about Bikram Yoga and thought it would be a fun way to mix up her normal yoga routine. She found that afterwards she had a “totally relaxed feeling.”

Similarly, Nate Klass, a senior and member of the crew team, first tried Bikram Yoga with some team members as a workout alternative to erging one afternoon.

“It definitely was good for sweating and losing weight, I lost about 5 pounds,” Klass said.

Although challenging, he found the classes extremely beneficial, citing the aftereffects as the best part.

“I’ve found that the biggest benefit of Bikram is the way I feel afterwards. My muscles are totally relaxed, I’m more limber and definitely more flexible.”

Eric Levin, another senior at Wash. U., tried it out of curiosity and found that the practice left him feeling healthier.

“I feel like I sweat out a bunch of toxins and stress,” Levin said, “I would recommend it to anyone who is stressed or inflexible and who wants a healthy way to relax.”

Jayce McQuerter found the same stress-relief benefits and also linked those feelings with “getting rid of a lot of toxins.”

McQuerter said, “After the breathing I am much more focused and determined, and the dripping sweat gives you a feeling of doing something very intense.” He recommends the practice to “anyone who isn’t adversely opposed to the idea of exerting themselves.” I would have to agree with Jayce; while it is a fun practice, it can be especially taxing on the body and first-time students need to take extra care and remain fully aware of their body, breathing and mind while in the studio, as it is common to experience light-headedness, vertigo and disorientation, especially the first few times.

Background information on this article was provided by: www.bikramyoga.com and “McYoga: A CBS News Special.”

So why does Phelps look so good? Well, swimming for 10 hours a day doesn’t hurt, for starters. While I can’t promise you results quite like his, I can provide a few tips to getting slimmer, sleeker and more toned-looking abs.

First, the key to having defined muscles of any type is losing the layer of fat that covers them in the first place. How do we reduce fat? Burn more calories than we consume. Simple as that. This can be done either by increasing activity or cutting back calories. The best way, of course, is to combine the two­—cutting back about 500 calories from your daily consumption combined with intense cardio/weight training daily will almost definitely result in a 1-2 pound weight loss per week. Aerobic activity, including running, swimming and biking, is the most effective way to burn excess calories. Weight training and toning classes are better for enhancing muscle already present and in some cases even result in a small weight gain. Of course, being careful about what we eat and getting physical activity will not automatically make us “fit like Phelps,” but it’s a good start.

When considering abdominal toning exercises, it is important to remember that there are many abdominal muscles in the body, all of which are worked differently depending on the types of exercises you do. The most prominent of these different muscles is the rectus abdominis, the long flat muscle that extends vertically between the rib cage and is split both down the middle and between the fifth, sixth and seventh ribs forming six different compartments. The rectus abdominis contributes to flexion of the spine. When well-toned, it creates the look we have come to describe as a “six-pack.”

Complementing these muscles are the side muscles, the obliques. There are both external and internal oblique muscle groups complementing one another in an opposite-rotator function. These are involved in the twisting and rotation of the torso. The transversius abdominis is the last of all the abdominal muscles, wrapping around the torso creating a corset around the body helping with respiration and the placement of organs.

Ideally, an abdominal workout would activate all of these different muscles. Below I have provided a list of a few exercises for you to practice at home. Of course, as with beginning any new exercise routine, please use caution and consult a trainer or physician if necessary. Keep in mind that the biggest faux pas most people run into while doing exercises is that they do not do them as deliberately as they should and thus do not reap the full benefits of the exercise. This can also lead to injury if done improperly. With abdominal workouts, it is extremely important that hip flexors remain stable and that all of the motion be generated from the abdominal muscles and not from the hips.

1. Bicycle crunch. What it works: internal/external obliques, rectus abdominis.

Start by lying on your back, both legs extended, hovering at about a 45-degree angle off the floor with your hands behind your head. As slowly and deliberately as possible, lift your right shoulder to your left knee, until they almost touch and return to the extended position, then do the same, this time with your left shoulder and your right knee. Repeat as desired. The motion, when done properly, should involve your legs pedaling like a bicycle from side to side, hence the name, “bicycle crunch.”

2. Captain’s chair leg lift. What it works: rectus abdominis.

This exercise can be done in most gymnasiums on the piece of equipment called a captain’s chair—it looks like a metal structure with arm rests on each side. Start raised on both forearms, hands gripping the bars and legs dangling below. Slowly lift your legs into a seated position. This motion should be done slowly and as controlled as possible. To make the exercise more challenging, try keeping legs straight and lifting them to your face in a V-like formation.

3. Vertical leg crunch. What it works: internal/external obliques, rectus abdominis. Start this exercise lying on your back, legs lifted in the air, arms folded behind the head. Slowly and deliberately lift your upper body (being sure to use your abdominals and not your hands to initiate the motion) until half of your upper body is off the mat, and then lower back to the mat and repeat.

4. Plank. What it works: rectus abdominis.

Lying face down on a mat with your hands flat on the ground, your arms bent in line with your shoulders, place your forearms against the mat. Hands touching so that they form a triangle in front of you, push up, resting on your forearms. Hold still for thirty seconds. Then, lower and repeat. To make this more challenging, lift one arm and extend it in front of you, return it to the mat, and then lift the other arm. This core exercise can also be combined with raising and lowering the legs in an alternate fashion from the arms—i.e., lift right leg and left arm simultaneously, then switch—to offer a fast and effective toning session.

5. Oblique twists with medicine ball. What it works: internal/external obliques and rectus abdominis.

Start in a seated position, with both feet on the ground in front of you and a four- to 10-pound medicine ball in hands. Twist first to the left, and then to the right. To challenge the abs even more, try this exercise while keeping feet lifted a few inches off the ground.

Best of luck in achieving those abs-olutely incredible looking abs!

Information for this article was provided by http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/abdominalcorestrength1/ss/AbAnatomy.htm.