Community Blog

Yoga is the new black. At first I thought it was just a fitness fad, but then I have been doing some research and decided to join the wonderful of yoga myself and loved it! At first, I was very intimidated. I thought that I needed to be flexible and super skinny. That was not the case at all. Yoga is for all fitness levels. After my first class I felt very relaxed and loose. I have been going ever since and I love it. It’s a great change from my everyday cardio and weight lifting routine.

Before I entered my first yoga class I had read all these tips on yoga for beginners, but never really believed them. I came to find out that they were true. Below are 3 of the tips that I think are most important.

1. When you go in there relax. It’s not a flexibility contest. Let go of the competitive spirit and connect with yourself.
2. You don’t have to be a certain physic to do yoga.
3. Keep looking for the right yoga place until you find it. It is very important that you love where you go to do yoga.

I really like going to The Yoga Center in Tuscaloosa. I hope these tips help you out! Do you have any other ones to add to my list? Good luck getting started. Once you do it gets a lot easier.

Photo courtesy of flickr

I can’t believe the first Crimson Tide game is this Saturday! I am so excited. My friends and I are throwing a pre-game party on Friday night. I was trying to decide what to bring to the party. I wanted to take a dessert that wasn’t unhealthy, but tasted good. I found this great recipe for Apricot Upside-Down Cake. I tried it out last night and it was delicious. Below is the recipe:

You will need:

• 1/2 cup(s) packed brown sugar
• 8  ripe apricots, each cut in half and pitted
• 1 1/4 cup(s) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup(s) granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup(s) cornmeal
• 1 1/4 teaspoon(s) baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon(s) salt
• 1/2 teaspoon(s) baking soda
• 3/4 cup(s) low-fat buttermilk
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoon(s) margarine or butter, melted
• 2 tablespoon(s) canola oil
• 1 teaspoon(s) freshly grated lemon peel
• 1 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract

Cooking Direction:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 10-inch cast iron with nonstick cooking spray. Sprinkle brown sugar on the bottom of skillet. Arrange apricot halves, cut side down, over brown sugar.
2. In large bowl, mix the  flour, granulated sugar, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, and baking soda until blended. In small bowl, mix the buttermilk, eggs, margarine, oil, lemon peel, and vanilla extract until blended. Add buttermilk mixture to dry ingredients and fold with a spatula until just blended. Pour batter over apricots and spread to cover evenly.
3. Bake 35 to 40 minutes.  Let cool in skillet on wire rack 10 minutes. Wait about 30 minutes before serving.

You can find other great recipes like this at Good Housekeeping.

What is your favorite dessert recipe?

Photo courtesy of flickr

Senioritis anyone? I remember my last year of college I had the hardest time focusing. My last 2 semester were not that bad, but I still had to study. I remember talking to my adviser about this who was also my marketing teacher, so we decided to put a presentation together for everyone in the class. I discussed different ways to avoid senioritis and how students can increase their focus. I also recently read an article in Yahoo that had a lot of the same tips. Below are a few of the tips that helped increase my focus the most.

First, I organized my desk or work space. The cleaner it was with the least amount of objects on it, I was able to maintain focus. You are less likely to start playing with something or doodling with colored pens. The second thing I did was scheduled breaks and created goals. That guaranteed that I got the amount I needed done. During my breaks I would grab something to eat or go workout at the University Downs gym. The third thing is I would put my phone away. This eliminated any distractions and helped me save a lot of time.

Do you find these tips useful and how do you increase your focus?

Photo courtesy of stock.xchng

The food is delicious. The employees are very friendly, the place is clean, and the pizza always hits the right spot. Our drinks were never empty. I had not been to Depalma’s in a really long time. I finally went back this weekend and quickly remembered why I used to go all the time. The food is delicious. The employees are very friendly, the place is clean, and the pizza always hits the right spot. Our drinks were never empty. We just ordered a regular cheese pizza with a few veggie toppings. I love the fact that there wasn’t too much cheese and the pizza crust was cooked really well.

For being in a college town they really do work with a students’ budget. The prices are pretty cheap for the food that they serve. If you haven’t been here I highly recommend it. Their portions are also really big, so you definitely will have leftovers as well. My favorite thing is that Depalma’s is only 2.5 miles away from University Downs, so I can just walk from my apartments to the restaurant.

What is your favorite restaurant in Tuscaloosa?

Photo courtesy of stock.xchng

Hope everyone had a great first day at UA today! Now that school is back in session, so are the stressful days. I just had one of those days that was just bad and it wouldn’t go away. I was talking to a friend that morning and she suggested a handful of things that I could try to make it better. I didn’t try any of them that day, but now that I look back if I did I am sure I would have been able to snap out of it. I think everyone should have these tools handy so that when they are in a bad mood they can get out of it in no time. Below are 5 of my favorite tips to get through a bad day:

1. Write a gratitude list. Think about what you have instead of what you don’t have.
2. Go hang out at the apartment pool. There is always someone there to chat it up with.
3. Turn up the iPod and go for a run/walk. This will help you get out of your head and think about something else.
4. Do a random act of kindness. This will help you focus on something else.
5. Go to bed 30 minutes early. Chalk the day up as a bad one and get ready for the next.

I love all of these ideas. Number 5 makes me laugh, but if you are at the end of the day still feeling terrible there is no reason to prolong it. I will say my favorite is to go to the pool. I love the pool at University Downs.

How do you get through a bad day?

Photo courtesy of stock.xchng

August 21st the American Diabetes Association is kicking off their “Step Out: Walk to Fight Diabetes” Campaign. It’s an easy and great way to get involved with giving back and the community. The event is from 11am to 1pm at Shelton State Community College. The college is located at 9500 Old Greensboro Rd Tuscaloosa, AL 35405. You can call 205-247-SSCC for more details.

There will be live music, food, and prizes! There will also be success stories being told to give people insight on why fundraisers like this make a difference and the importance of helping. There will also BBQ lunches available for purchase and all the proceeds from this will go to the American Diabetes Association Step Out Campaign.

I did the 3 Day a few years ago and it was one of the most rewarding events in my life. I walked for my mother and several other mothers that I knew who were diagnosed with breast cancer. The feeling after was indescribable. Ever since that I have been doing local walks whenever they come up. I see it as every bit helps.

Have you ever done a walk or run for a cause?

Photo courtesy of flickr

So many people think that they can make up sleep on the weekends or that 6 hours is enough a night. Both of these are false statements. I know for me I need to get at least 7 to 8 hours of sleep a night. This past week I have only been getting 5 to 6 and I am exhausted today. I will definitely not be doing this again. Once in a while it’s okay not to get a full night of rest, but if you do it everyday it can lead to health problems.

I was reading an article this morning on Yahoo! about sleep myths that I think everyone would benefit from.  The first myth is that it’s not good to workout close to when you are going to bed. This is false; it depends on the person. For me, I can workout, go home shower, and fall asleep right away. The second myth is that falling asleep in an afternoon meeting is normal. Feeling slightly sleepy is normal, but if you’re eyes are struggling to stay open then you really needed to get more rest.

The third myth that really stood out to me is it doesn’t matter what time you go to sleep. Studies have proven that people who are night owls are more likely to get depression than an early riser. The article suggest to break this habit, start going to bed 15 minutes earlier in increments to get your body used to sleeping earlier.

What type of sleeper are you? Do you get enough sleep each night?

Photo courtesy of stock.xchng

University of Alabama is starting welcome week this Friday and I remember how stressful it can be. I mean I know there is a lot of fun, but late nights sometimes equal stressful days. When I was college I took a self-help class that I thought was silly then, but now see the benefits of it. One of the things we learned about was how to make yourself happier. If you are feeling down or just feeling blah there are plenty of things to get your spirits up. Below are 3 of the tips that I learned, use today, and think everyone would benefit from.

• Spend time with happy people. People don’t say “misery loves company” for no reason. It is so easy to get caught up in someone’s drama and take on their emotions. The best things to do are step back and bring some positivity into the situation or spend more time with other people.
• Unplug wisely. Everyone has different ways to unplug, but I have found that instead of watching television, doing something like yoga or meditation is actually better. I feel a lot more rejuvenated and healthier after.
• Give a little. I know times are hard right now; so many people can’t give money. But there are plenty of other ways of giving. Drop a nice note on a friend’s car or send them flowers. It will definitely lift your spirits to see how happy it makes them.

What other ways do you like to make yourself happier? I surround myself with happy people for the most part. I do volunteer and struggling youth, so I am able to take my hope to them. The other two I try and do at least 3 times a week. You can find more tips like this on Yahoo!

Photo courtesy of stock.xchng

As we get older our metabolisms naturally slow down and we gain weight. I learned the hard way in college I broke my leg and then definitely picked up 15 lbs pretty quickly. It was hard for me to get it off, but then I trained one summer really hard and got back down to my ideal weight. It didn’t take long again for it to creep back up. And the once I graduated college I went on this health kick, but I couldn’t attain my goal. This past year I have finally balanced out and my weight has set in. I am no longer doing the “yo-yo” program. There are a few keys that I have learned along the way by working with trainers and reading numerous articles that I think everyone could benefit from.

• Left weights. Just doing cardio is not going to cut it. You need muscle in your body to help you burn more calories through out the day.
• Eat more frequently. Eating 5-6 times a day is better than 2-3 big meals. Consulting with a nutritionist is also a good idea because of your body changes. I learned that I wasn’t eating enough calories and once I increased my calories I lost weight.
• Be consistent. I have learned that working out hardcore for 1 week and then not going for the next 2 weeks isn’t going to cut it. Make a schedule that is feasible. As we get older our schedules get busier. For me I try to go 4-6 days per week.

What other tips do you have for keeping the unwanted pounds off?

Photo courtesy of stock.xchng

Do you ever have those nights where you can’t sleep? I will have nights where I just toss and turn through out the entire night. These nights definitely do not make a fun morning especially when I have to be at work by 7am. I was talking to my doctor about this because I thought something was wrong with me, but that wasn’t the case. She gave sent me this article from Shine on ways to help induce sleep. Below are some of the tips that I have used and worked awesome!

• Tense all the muscles and then release all of them. Doing this over and over will help relax your brain.
• Play memory games. They are generally pretty boring so they will put you to sleep and not stimulate your brain.
• Listen to an evening meditation. This will help calm your mind and body.

Listening to an evening meditation is my favorite one. It helps me reflect on my day and let it go. By the time the meditation is over, I am already sleeping. What other ways do you make yourself sleepy?

Photo courtesy of stock.xchng

Next Page »