Bacteria is Everywhere at St. Teresa’s Academy

The other day, my biology class conducted an experiment to find out where bacteria is living around the school.  We swabbed several places around campus and then incubated our petri dishes for a few days.  

When I went back to class to fill out my worksheet, I didn’t really expect to find anything too horrifying.

But, boy, was I wrong.

I opened the incubator and a terrible stench rushed out.  Not to mention the puffy yellowish specs of bacteria that covered the once transparent bottoms of the petri dishes.  It was disgusting.

We swabbed the piano keys of the piano in the auditorium, the staircase railing leading to the basement of Donnelly and the water fountain above the gym.  The water fountain had the most bacteria, but all three dishes contained gross amounts of bacteria.

All I have to say… wash your hands unless you want that bacteria living on you too.

Doctor discourages performance enhancing substances, so do I

Dr. Teri M. McCambridge, who practices pediatric sports medicine in Towson, Md., and is the chairwoman of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Council on Sports Medicine and Fitness, told The New York Times she believes schools should be proactive in discouraging the use of performance-enhancing subtances.  According to McCambridge, most high school students do not know the importance of a recommended dose, which can lead to harmful side effects if misused.

The New York Times article mainly deals with fitness supplements such as whey protein (which hastens the recovery of muscles after a workout) and creatine (which adds water weight to your muscle so you can lift more and add size quickly), but are sports drinks and energy boosters damaging as well?  I think so.  And if that is the case, many STA students should start being more cautious of what they are putting into their bodies (see senior Kylie Hornbeck’s article: ”St. Teresa’s Academy students use sports enhancers to increase energy, durability”).  

High energy drinks like Rooster Booster cannot be good for you.  They have so much sugar and risk of energy crashes.  As Julie Mohajir, health and wellness counselor, told The Dart, water is far more important than any energy drink.  

Being dehydrated even 2-3 percent decreases your athletic performance level.

Bottom line: I  agree with Dr. McCambridge and Stacey Zimmerman, a 25 year old and avid runner in New York who was also in The New York Times article, that you shouldn’t take things without knowing how they will affect your body.  And as Zimmerman said, “If my body won’t let me [do something] for some reason, then I probably shouldn’t be [doing] it.”

So next time you’re at Quick Trip, put down the Rooster Booster and grab a water.

Click here to check out The New York Times article: “When the Gym Isn’t Enough.”

Subscribe

To stay up-to-date on the latest health issues, subscribe to the health section of a local or national newspaper or magazine.  I subscribed to The Washington Post’s “Lean & Fit” newsletter which I receive via E-mail every Tuesday.  The newsletter contains tips for eating well, moving well and being well, provides answers to  submitted questions and supplies links to health in the news, recipes, etc.

To sign up for The Washington Post’s “Lean & Fit” newsletter:

1. Go here.
2. Click “Health Section.”
3. Type your E-mail address and create  a password.
4. Then, on the left side of the screen, scroll down to “HEALTH NEWS ON THE GO” and click “Subscribe to Lean & Fit Newsletter”.

It’s time to get in shape

Now that finals are over (well, mine are anyway) and school is out for a few weeks, commit yourself to getting in shape. 

My friends and I have made a pact with each other to work out every day over break, “no excuses.”

Today was day one.

I invite you to use these few feeks off to get in shape too; see how it goes.

Recall

You’ve seen the colorful aluminum bottles everyone is drinking out of.  Actually, you probably own one yourself, even though we’re not supposed to drink out of them at school. 

SIGG water bottles have recently been known as the safe alternative to plastic water bottles,which are bad for the environment and known to leach chemicals into your water.  They’re perfect for all of the green activists at STA.

However, SIGG recently released a statement about its eco-friendly bottles, confessing to a major design flaw: The resin liner inside each bottle contains bisphenol-A (BPA), a hormone disruptor and chemical that is often tied to cancer.

According to SIGG, water bottles purchased after Aug. 2008 have a BPA-free EcoCare liner.  But, if you started the trend among your friends and bought yours sometime before that, I suggest investing in a new one.

I know, 20 bucks bites the dust.

But this leads me to another point: April 14, Rutgers’ Food Policy Institute released a study showing that many Americans fail to check their homes for recalled food products. Only about 60 percent of the studied sample reported ever having looked for recalled food in their homes and only 10 percent said they had ever found a recalled food product.  (The study was based on a survey of 1,101 Americans interviewed by telephone from Aug. 4 to Sept. 24, 2008.)

Check for recalls, market withdrawals and safety alerts here and start checking your pantries, people!

Find someone to work out with

“Nothing’s better than the wind to your back, the sun in front of you and your friends beside you.”  – Aaron Douglas Trimble

I’ve found that in order to maintain good workout habits (and to enjoy doing so), you need someone to work out with. 

At the beginning of the school year, a friend and I decided to run together every day after school.  Almost every day, my friend Taylor and I go out to our cars after school, change out of our uniforms and meet behind the gym.  We walk to the yellow speed bump by the tennis courts and once we’ve stepped over the bump, we turn our walk to a jog and run down Westover and along Ward Parkway and back for three to five miles, depending on the day (some days we have other athletic or academic commitments to tend to). 

There have been so many days where, if it weren’t for Taylor, I would have gotten in my car and driven home, telling myself I would run tomorrow instead.  Having a running partner gives me that extra motivation to lace up my shoes and hit the pavement on days when I’m not feeling up to it. 

Studies actually show that those who exercise with a partner are more likely to stick with it long-term.  With someone counting on you, running becomes an obligation, as opposed to the first thing to dismiss when your schedule becomes busy.  

Another benefit of having someone to work out with is having someone to take your mind off the thoughts of quitting or turning back.  There are times I hardly notice my side aches and cramping calves because Taylor and I are just chatting away between gasping breaths.

This “someone” I’ve been talking about can be anyone: a sibling, your mom, best friend, whoever.  I even forced my boyfriend to come running with me once because, now that I’ve seen the benefits of having someone to work out with, I don’t like running by myself anymore.  And though he may not admit it, he enjoyed it too (or at least more than he would had he gone by himself).  He even called me to go running the next week.  Obviously he saw the benefits of having a running partner.

So do it; find someone to work out with.  Whether you’re doing crunches in the living room, running on a treadmill or taking a walk around the block, someone counting on you and taking your mind off the struggle is all you need to maintain those good workout habits.

2,000 calories of candy

There’s no reason to cry this Halloween.  Instead of restraining yourself from the candy that seems to surround you, let loose.  Hey, why not JUST eat candy Saturday?  I mean, 2,000 calories is 2,000 calories, right?

Here’s how to do it:

• 13 pieces of candy corn = 85 calories
• 4 Starbursts = 80 calories
• 5 pieces of Laffy Taffy = 160 calories
• 6 Rolos = 171 calories
• 1 roll of Smarties = 25 calories
• 1 Tootsie Pop = 60 calories
• 1 Dum-Dum sucker = 26 calories
• 1 small box of Nerds = 50 calories
• 1 box of mini Dots = 70 calories
• 1 bag of fun size Skittles = 80 calories
• 1 fun size package of Milk Duds = 54 calories
• 1 fun size package of M&Ms = 88 calories
• 1 fun size Twix bar = 50 calories
• 1 fun size Snickers bar = 80 calories
• 1 fun size Milky Way bar = 75 calories
• 1 fun size Kit Kat bar = 73 calories
• 1 fun size Heath Bar = 74 calories
• 1 fun size Butterfinger bar = 85 calories
• 1 fun size Baby Ruth Bar = 85 calories
• 1 fun size Almond Joy = 80 calories
• 1 fun size Pay Day = 90 calories
• 1 fun size Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup = 88 calories
• 1 fun size Three Muskateers bar = 64 calories
• 1 fun size Crunch Bar = 50 calories
• 1 fun size Mr. Goodbar = 90 calories
• 1 fun size Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bar = 67 calories

Total: 2,000 calories, the recommended daily intake of calories.

Happy Halloween.