Eating Healthy in College!

Eating healthy in college can be a challenge.  The last few weeks of the semester can be stressful.  However, do not give up your good eating habits because of stress and a busy schedule.  Keep reading to learn ten tips to help you keep eating healthy the last few weeks of the semester.  Check out more tips at Clarke.

1. Eat a good breakfast - Studies show that skipping breakfast detracts from scholastic achievement. When there isn’t time to sit down and enjoy your morning meal, grab a bagel, piece of fruit, and some juice. Most of these items can be easily stored in your residence hall room.
2. If you must eat fast foods, choose wisely - Choose pizza with half the cheese, a regular size roast beef sandwich, baked potato, or green salad with reduced calorie dressing. Limit high fat offerings like French fries, fried chicken, or fish sandwiches and watch out for salad dressing!
3. Keep healthy snacks on hand - This way, if hunger strikes during a late night study session, you won’t be tempted by vending machine candy, chips, or ice cream. Possibilities include fresh or dried fruit, pretzels, unbuttered popcorn, rice cakes, or whole wheat crackers. If you have a refrigerator, consider raw vegetables with low-fat yogurt or cottage cheese dip.
4. Eat plenty of foods rich in calcium - People in their early twenties need to be building up stores of calcium in their bodies to prevent osteoporosis later in life. If you don’t like milk, try to include ample amounts of low-fat yogurt, low-fat cheese, and green leafy vegetables in your diet.
5. If you need to lose weight, do it sensibly - Starvation and/or diets that offer a quick fix usually backfire and are harmful. There is no truth to the theories that suggest eating foods in any particular combination will promote weight loss. The only safe way to lose weight, feel good while doing it, and keep it off, is to eat a balanced diet and exercise.
6. Limit your sugar intake - Sugar provides calories in your diet but few other nutrients, and it contributes significantly to tooth decay. Use it sparingly and consider sweetening coffee, tea, cereal, and fruit with diet sweeteners instead.
7. Visit the dining hall salad bar - The dining hall salad bar can be either an asset or a detriment to your diet depending on how you choose from it. Of course, leafy greens, raw vegetables, and fresh fruits are beneficial. But, if you choose a lot of creamy dressings, bacon bits, and mayonnaise-based salads, the calories and fat may equal or even exceed those of a burger and fries—so choose wisely!
8. Limit your alcohol intake - If you drink alcohol, keep in mind that it supplies calories but no nutritional value. A light beer, a glass of wine, or an ounce of liquor each has about 100 calories. There may also be health problems associated with drinking alcohol.
9. Drink lots of water - Your body needs at least eight glasses a day, and, if you exercise vigorously, you may need more. To remind yourself, carry a water bottle along to class and keep it handy during late night study sessions.
10. Enjoy your food - Food is a lot more than nourishment for our bodies, so take the time to enjoy and savor it!

Four Ways to De-Stress While Working

Working and studying can stress anyone out.  These are four great items to help you de-stress while you are working on that last term paper or project at work.  You can learn more great health tips on apartment therapy. 

Everyone has to deal with stress at one time or another, so having a few tools inside the desk to pull out for a stress-break can be helpful (as well as giving your eyes a break from the computer screen). These are quick, easy, and not to mention fun ways to relax yourself throughout the day.




Knock Out Desktop Punching Bag
$29.99
We're not going to judge if you're imagining a horrible boss as you punch away. It's amazing how getting a little adrenaline going and hitting something (versus someone) can feel so liberating and help reduce your stress levels. Just be careful not to get too into it and start cursing out loud for all your coworkers to hear.




 

Resistance Bands
$15.79
These little resistance bands are so small you can keep them in your pocket and carry them throughout the work day. We would recommend taking your hands out of your pockets while you're working out your hands, fingers, and forearms. Comes in packs of 5 color coded resistance levels.




 

Thera-Flex Therapy Putty
$6.46
Squeeze away your stress, no matter the shape and pattern. Or make a putty figurine of your boss to squish at your command. Odorless and non-sticky, make sure to keep it fresh and clean by storing it in its air tight container. Comes in multiple sizes.







 

Chinese Medicine Balls
$13.68
Harness the power of the far east with a traditional Chinese stress reliever, hand exerciser, and agility builder. Fit the two balls in your hand and rotate them around in circles. The trick is to do so without the balls ever coming into contact with each other. Practice and work your way up in ball size and rotation speed until you're the (zen) master of your workspace.

University of Memphis to Host Guitar Festival

The University of Memphis will host a guitar festival on April 5th, 6th, and 7th.  The festival will include three concerts, a competition, and master classes.  Some of the world's most famous guitarists will be there to perform and educate students and artists.  You can learn more at the University of Memphis News.

Performances by virtuoso artists Lily Afshar, David Mozqueda, and Daekun Jang will highlight the Annual Memphis International Guitar Festival at the University of Memphis Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music. The event, which will be held April 5-7 in Harris Concert Hall, 3775 Central Avenue, will include three concerts, a competition and master classes.

Artistic director of the Festival, U of M professor Afshar has been called “one of the world’s foremost classical guitarists” by Public Radio International. She was honored with the 2000 Orville H. Gibson Award for Best Female Classical Guitarist and has won the Grand Prize at the Aspen Music Festival Guitar Competition. Her collaborations have resulted in premieres of new works by many contemporary composers, and her four CDs and DVD have attracted critical acclaim.

Afshar was “Artistic Ambassador to Africa” for the United States Information Agency. She is head of the University of Memphis guitar program. She is a recipient of the U of M’s Board of Visitors Eminent Faculty Award and the Alumni Association Distinguished Teaching and Research Award.

Critics have called Daekun Jang “… one of the best guitarists of his generation who can bring life into the musical notes through his magnificent techniques and full poetic feelings." Jang has won more than 20 prizes at various guitar competitions, among them first prize at the Luys Milan International Guitar Competition, the Kukulcan International Guitar Competition, and the Zarautz International Guitar Competition.

A noted solo and chamber performer, Jang has given recitals throughout Europe and Asia. He has appeared as a soloist with such orchestras as Orquesta Clásica Santa Cecilia, the Mexico City Symphony Orchestra, the Europea Mediterranea Symphony Orchestra, Bucheon Philharmonic Orchestra, Seongnam Philharmonic Orchestra, Millennium Symphony Orchestra, KBS Philharmonic Orchestra and Arco Diavolo Chamber Orchestra. He has published three CD’s: “Songs of the Guitar,” “Impressions of Spain” and “Azahar.”

For two years, David Mozqueda won first place in classical guitar in the “Concurso Cultural para la Niñez” in México City. From 1982 to 1987 he won first place in four international competitions organized by Fine Arts National Institute in México. In 1993 he took second prize in the “The Great Lakes Classical Guitar Competition” and in 1994 won second prize in the “Concurso Internacional de Guitarra Manuel M. Ponce.

Mozqueda has performed as soloist with the Philharmonic Orchestra of Jalisco, Orquesta Filarmónica de Michoacán, Orquesta de Cámara del Conservatorio de Las Rosas, Orquesta Filarmónica de Guanajuato and others. He has played in festivals including the Festival Chitarriztico, festivals in Rörsrat, Dortmund and Köhln, Festival Internacional de Guitarra in Cuernavaca and Kingstone Chamber Music Festival in Rhode Island.

He has recorded CD’s with the “Cuarteto Concertante,” ensemble “Ars Antiqua” and his solo CD, “MEMORIAS.” He is currently recording his second solo CD.

The schedule of events is as follows:

Concert Schedule

April 5 7:30 p.m. Lily Afshar

April 6 7:30 p.m. David Mozqueda

April 7 7:30 p.m. Daekun Jang

Master Class Schedule

April 5 1 - 6 p.m. David Mozqueda

April 6 1 - 6 p.m. Daekun Jang

April 7 1 - 6 p.m. Lily Afshar

Competition Schedule

April 5 9 a.m. First Round

April 7 9 a.m. Finals

For admission to multiple events, a 3-day pass to all events is $75, and a 1-day pass to all events that day is $30. Tickets to evening concerts only will be sold at the door; their cost is $20 for the general public, $10 for seniors and non-U of M students, and free for U of M students, faculty and staff. More information is available by calling 901-678-2541.

The Festival is sponsored by the Augustine Foundation, which sponsors the study and performance of classical guitar.

How to Live with White Walls?

In many apartments, you are not allowed to paint the walls. It is also hard to put many decorations on the walls without damaging them.  Here are some great tips on how to live with white walls, and how to bring some life to them.  Plants are great because they can be moved around and bring some color into your room.





Plants — they not only bring bring life and clean air into your home, but they're also an easy way to naturally add color to an otherwise white space. You can still get pops of color and texture in your home without using paint or wall covering — just add plants.

Plus, they're not permanent, you can move them around, plant them in a new pot, they'll grow flowers for even more color — and it's nearly impossible to make a decorating mistake with plants. Here are some great examples of plants in white rooms.

For more information see Apartment Therapy.

Let's Go Tigers!

The University of Memphis Tigers will take on the St. Mary's Gaels Thursday as part of the 2nd round of the NCAA Tournament.   You can read more about the game below or at SportsChatPlace.

The Memphis Tigers and St. Mary’s Gaels meet in the 2^nd round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday. 

Memphis won the Conference USA Championship and finished 30-4 overall and 16-0 in conference play.  Memphis appeared in the tournament last year and lost in the second round to Saint Louis.  Head Coach Josh Pastner is 0-2 in two appearances in the Big Dance.  The Tigers were unbeaten in C-USA play for the fourth time in seven seasons.  Joe Jackson tops the team in scoring and assists, averaging 13.8 points and 4.9 assists per game.  Jackson has also improved his three-point shooting over the last season, shooting 49.3% this season.  The Tigers also boast the league’s sixth man of the year in junior Chris Crawford, who averages 9.3 points per game.  The Tigers are very efficient from the floor, shooting 37.9% from three-point range and 47.9% from the field, however; their 66.7% mark from the free throw line ranks 260^th in the country.  Memphis has defeated notable teams such as Tennessee, Ohio, and Southern Miss this year. 
 
The St. Mary’s Gaels won the opening round game over Middle Tennessee State and will advance to the second round of the tournament.  The Gaels finished the season 27-6 overall and 14-2 in the West Coast Conference.  Head Coach Randy Bennett is 2-4 in four appearances in the NCAA tournament.  After an anxious week on the bubble, the Gaels have back-to-back NCAA bids.  G Mathhew Dellavedova will be the key, as he has been through his career.  His teammates played well in the opening round, but they might not be able to give him enough help against a physical perimeter defensive team, one reason they lost to Gonzaga three times.  Dellavedova is averaging 16.5 points, 6.2 assists, and 3.4 rebounds per game, while Stephen Holt chips in with 11.8 points and 5.3 rebounds per contest.  St. Mary’s lost to Gonzaga multiple times but they did beat Creighton, Pacific, and BYU this season. 

St. Mary’s looked good in their opening round game, but Memphis will be a much bigger obstacle for the Gaels to overcome.  Memphis has faced some quality guards this year and they have an outstanding one of their own in Jackson.  The St. Mary’s doesn’t have enough talent across the board to hang with this Memphis team.  This could turn into a track meet and I’ll take Memphis to win comfortably in the end.  

DIY Drink Place Holders

Are you having a St. Patrick's Day Party, or are you attending one?  These DIY Crafts are super easy to make, and they will help you figure out whose drink is whose.  All you need is some different color card stock, scissors, and straws.   You can follow the directions below and make the straws in different colors.  This way you know what drink belongs to everyone.  For more great DIY St. Patty's Day crafts, you can click on Martha Stewart.



As a nod to Saint Patrick's Day, let your kids create their own luck with four-leaf-clover straw toppers. Shamrocks fashioned from green card stock make for an instantly festive table.

Tools and Materials

Card stock
Scissors
Bendable drinking straws, in green

Shamrock Straw Toppers How-To

1. Cut card stock into 5-inch squares.
2. Fold each square in half diagonally, creating a triangle, and then fold in half once more to make a smaller triangle. Trim off outer points as indicated.
3. Unfold paper halfway, as shown. Cut a small V at the bottom, in the center.
4. Unfold shamrock, and crease diagonally, reversing the direction of the fold; repeat to make another diagonal crease. Slide card-stock shamrock onto one end of a green straw. Make a wish, and have a sip!

Women's History Month at the University of Memphis

March is Women's History Month and the University of Memphis will be celebrating the occasion with more than 20 events scheduled over the next few weeks.  You can learn about women's history to famous Tiger Alumni in the various events around campus.  Check out the list of events below, and you can find out more at memphis.edu.

Women’s History Month will be observed at the University of Memphis with more than 20 events that will celebrate “Women Making History Every Day,” which is the theme for this year’s observance. Setting the tone will be the March 1 opening event, “A Personal Journey Through Women’s History.”

The luncheon, from noon to 2 p.m., in the University Center Ballroom, will feature a presentation by Dr. Janann Sherman, chair of the U of M History Department. Dr. Sherman will share her own story as a chronicler of history, especially women’s history and politics in 20th century America. Dr. Sherman’s research and books have explored the lives and careers of progressive women such as the early feminists who secured women’s suffrage; the first elected woman senator, Margaret Chase Smith; the founder of the modern women’s movement, Betty Friedan; and pioneering aviatrix Phoebe Omlie.

Because of limited space, reservations are necessary for the luncheon. They should be made no later than Feb. 25 via email to crow@memphis.edu.

The second major event, “Muted Belles Revisited: A Conversation Celebrating Women’s Lives,” will be an art exhibit and discussion March 7 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. in the U of M Art Museum. It will feature the “Muted Belles” sculpture on the U of M campus. Created in 1994 by Gail Rothschild in cooperation with U of M students and faculty, the statue honors eight Memphis women. Dr. Janann Sherman, Peggy Caffrey and Christine Eisel of the U of M History Department and Leslie Luebbers, director of the Art Museum, will discuss the significance of the sculpture and the women it represents. Light refreshments will be served.

The “Muted Belles” exhibit will open March 5 and remain in the Art Museum Lobby through March 31.

The third major event will be March 26 from noon to 2 p.m. in the University Center Ballroom. “Women Who Lead” will feature a panel discussion by U of M President Shirley Raines and the women who occupy four of the six vice-presidential-level positions at the University – Dr. Rosie Bingham, vice president for Student Affairs; Ms. Linda Bonnin, vice president for Communications, Public Relations and Marketing; Ms. Ellen Watson, vice president for Information Technology; and Ms. Julie Johnson, vice president for Advancement.

This is the first time ever that the President’s Executive Council has been predominantly female, so it is critical to capture and celebrate this unparalleled moment in the history of the University. Having a predominantly female executive council contributes uniquely to the campus climate, culture, aesthetics and overall success. Each of these female leaders will share their "herstories" of their journeys to advancement and success in their current roles.

Space is limited, so reservations are requested. They should be made by March 22 via email to Ms. Kelli O’Brien at kobrien1@memphis.edu. Light refreshments will be served.

“Women Who Lead” is sponsored by representatives of Women in Higher Education in Tennessee (WHET) at the University of Memphis.

A few of the other events set to take place during Women’s History Month at the main U of M campus are Wellness Days, March 6 and 26; Islamic Art, March 9; a screening of films dealing with domestic violence, March 25; the Mr. Gentleman Pageant, March 26; Women in Nursing, March 27; and several music concerts and women’s basketball and softball games.

Women’s History Month events at the U of M’s Lambuth Campus in Jackson will include Pie Day on March 13 and a Lunch and Learn meeting on March 28.

Details about these events, plus a full list of all U of M Women’s History Month events, are available online at www.memphis.edu/whm.