Does it feel like October slapped you in the face? I was unaware that time sped up, but apparently it did. You know what this means, don’t you? Midterms are almost here. Campus is about to get chaotic: Freshmen will be flipping out about their first big tests. Sophomores are going to try to act cool in the library and be really noisy. Juniors will curl up in the fetal position as they realize it’s the hardest year. Seniors like me will be banging their heads against the wall because that class was supposed to be easy. Everyone is going to be cranky and sleep deprived. Prescription drug deals will be happening at every bus stop. This is real (college) life.

To help you fight the good fight this semester, we’ve rounded up some of the best and worst ways to help you stay awake while you’re studying: Read More »

Here’s a quick little midterm for you: you have $10 in your pocket, but you need to unwind at the end of midterm week.

Do you:

A.) Blow all your cash on one drink at the swankiest club in town.
B.) Scour campus for a party and drink for free
C.) Stock up on cheap, flavored, and surprisingly strong cans of malt liquor.

I’m pretty sure everyone chose the last choice, and even though our little midterm isn’t graded, that answer is decidedly wrong. Four Loko is a popular new canned alcoholic beverage. Essentially an alcohol-fueled energy drink. Each can contains the equivalent of three beers, caffeine, and artificial flavoring, all for under $3. But the benefits of this cheapie drink are eclipsed by the serious threat it poses to students who intend to party hard.

Recently 23 Ramapo College students were hospitalized due to intoxication in just a few weeks – many of these incidents involved Four Loko. Currently, the president of the North Jersey school is banning this and similar beverages, and urging the leaders of other schools to do the same. We’ve all heard the warnings about cocktails like Red Bull and vodkas – the alcohol brings you down while the caffeine heightens your senses, confusing the body and making it difficult to determine just how intoxicated you are.

Read More »

[While I have covered physical exercise in previous editions of the Body Blog, this week I'm going going to take a step away from the various routine tips and dive into some good eating/snacking habits that will increase your energy without adding the pounds, while giving you the right nutrients to complete your workouts.]

Everyone knows staying energized is important. But staying energized the right way is often unclear. Drinking cups of coffee or energy drinks to give you a necessary boost to keep going is not the right (or nutritious) way to satisfy your cravings and give your body the energy it needs.

Here are some healthier alternatives for on-the-go gals like us, especially those trying to get into shape:

- Almonds. Grab a handful and throw them into a Ziploc bag for the day. Full of nutrients and antioxidants, you’ll be satisfied, revitalized and energized for those long classes and long workouts.

- Carbs. Now, I know what you’re thinking: carbs are bad, bad, bad for you. Well, in one respect that is correct. But, if you are a runner like moi, you need carbs to keep you going; they are a runner’s fuel. So, if you are gonna eat crabs, eat the right ones: whole grain crackers, whole grain/wheat pretzels, or half a cheese and wheat bread sandwich (so you can get your dairy and carb in-take in a small dose). Read More »

If you’re as addicted to caffeine as I am, you are probably broke (not to mention a real gem in the early morning hours). But, like any good junkie, you’re more than willing to flip the couch cushions in search of a few quarters, or sell your kidney to pay for a grande White Chocolate Mocha on your way to school.

I have to admit, I’m a huge Starbucks fan, and am usually fine with shelling out a few extra dollars to indulge in something tastier than Folgers. Still, I need a new winter wardrobe… so I’m weaning myself off of overpriced coffee drinks (that taste like dessert) and makin’ my coffee at home.

I know it’s a bold move, but after playing around a bit I have learned a few things: 1) Making your own coffee can save you billions, and 2) It is really, really easy. Here are a few tips:

1. Flavor it Up.

Whenever I make my own coffee, no matter how good the brand, or how carefully I measure the coffee-to-water ratio, it always seems to taste like dirt. My solution? Flavor, flavor, flavor. Syrup, syrup, Equal, syrup. Seriously, who just gets a latte from Starbucks? Everyone has their signature: the Pumpkin Latte, Caramel Macchiato, White Chocolate Mocha…what do they have in common? Manufactured taste. Instead of shelling out $4-$5 a day for Starbucks, buy a bottle of Torani Syrups. This brand is used in tons of coffee shops across the country, so you might not even taste the difference. Read More »

I can easily pinpoint my caffeine addiction to my first year of college, when I worked part-time as a barista at Starbucks. I distinctly remember going to my Starbucks at 8:00 a.m. and demanding that one of my coworkers serve me espresso after espresso while I crammed for my 10:00 class.

Since then, I’ve gone through phases of white chocolate mochas, skinny vanilla lattes (when I realized how many calories are in a WCM), energy drinks, caffeine pills, and, of course, a good ol’ cup o’ joe (or twenty). My caffeine tolerance is so high that I can finish sugar-free Monster, and be in bed, sleeping, an hour later. I’m pretty sure that’s not healthy.

I’m well aware of the health problems associated with caffeinated products– I’ll probably get tumors from my sugar-free energy drinks, and I’ve already suffered heart palpitations from Stackers energy pills, but that’s a whole different story. And now this; a new issue has for me to worry about. A recent study has suggested that too much coffee can decrease a woman’s chances of getting pregnant, at least for women already diagnosed with fertility problems. Read More »

About two weeks ago, I decided that it would be an amazingly brilliant idea to try different energy drinks. I never hear the same thing said about an energy drink twice; it’s always a different response, and very few of them encompass the drink as a whole. So I decided to test stuff out on my own.

See? I didn’t die.

Still, once I found myself working my way down (or up) this list, I was getting a lot more negative side affects than positive. So use caution when drinking these guys, and for God’s sake, don’t drink them all in a two-week span like I did.

5. Mad Croc: I wasn’t crazy about this stuff, I’ll be honest. It tasted a lot like Red Bull and bubblegum ice cream combined (gross combo, I know). . If you’re looking for something to just keep you up, this is probably your product. I had a mild case of the shakes for about fifteen minutes, but no other noticeable side affects really showed up. Read More »

So, uh, I quit. I quit Master Cleansing.

I tried to talk myself in to sticking it out. I really did. I kept telling myself all the little motivators I mentioned in my last update. I told myself that if all sorts of other people could do it, I damn well could. I told myself that not only were all my friends and family aware I was doing it, but I was broadcasting it on the internet – to quit would mean failure, and everyone would know.

But then I went to the gym. And I’m totally one of those sick people who genuinely enjoys the gym. I love to sweat, use my muscles, feel all strong and healthy and accomplished. And when I found myself sprawled out on the workout mats, head all fuzzy and discombobulated, too tired and pissed off to do a crunch or run on the treadmill, I thought, this is totally moronic. I’m miserable. I don’t care if I’m so loaded with fucking toxins that I mutate in to the Incredible Hulk, this Master Cleanse sh*t has got to stop.

So, I gathered up my stuff, walked out of the gym, walked to the closest cafe, bought a parfait, and f*%king chowed down. And it was AWESOME. Immediately, everything turned around. I was cheerful, happy, energetic, ready to run on the treadmill and hang out with my boyfriend and paint my room and do all the things that seemed utterly insurmountable while I was living off of f*%king syrup and lemon juice. Read More »

Let’s be realistic; with classes, homework, studying, hobbies, work, and that thing you like to call a social life, we college girls don’t have all that much time for sleep. As much as we’d like to say that 8 hours a sleep of night is ideal, most don’t get that. And after five hours of sleep, that coffee machine is your best friend.

But when our needs go beyond the capabilities of coffee, the next step up is energy drinks. We stock up on “emergency cans” for those long study (read: party) nights, but we all know the hazards of those high-caffeinated drinks, don’t we? I mean, reading on the side of the can that kids, older people, and pregnant women shouldn’t drink it should be warning enough. Read More »

How many times have you ordered a Vodka Red Bull at your favorite bar? Or pounded an energy drink to “wake you up” before a big night of party hopping?

Well, you may want to think twice about ordering up this risky cocktail from now on.

Apparently, according to researchers from Wake Forest University, “College students who consume alcohol mixed with energy drinks were twice as likely to be hurt or injured, twice as likely to require medical attention, and twice as likely to ride with an intoxicated driver, compared to students who did not consume alcohol mixed with energy drinks.”

WOW. Those are some heavy claims and statistics. And that is not all, it gets much worse.

“Students who drank alcohol mixed with energy drinks were more than twice as likely to take advantage of someone else sexually, and almost twice as likely to be taken advantage of sexually.”

After reading this information, I was astounded that people who enjoy an extra boost from their cocktails could really be that much more likely to hurt themselves, others, sexually assault, or be sexually assaulted… Read More »

I personally find Redbull and all those other caffeine-boosting carbonated cans of crap disgusting, as far as taste is concerned. I just don’t get the appeal, but in college, it is all the rage, whether we’re determined to party until sunrise or have to cram for a test. I myself admit to doing many a Jaeger bomb on Friday nights until wee hours of the morning.

But after reading Wired.com’s rundown of just what exactly goes into making this stuff, I will definitely not be mixing Redbull with Jaeger again any time soon.

Chock full of ingredients with names I can barely pronounce, here’s what you’re digesting till 4am: Read More »