I resisted coffee for a long time. I used to hate the taste, and I didn’t want to depend on caffeine to get me through my days. I made it through all of high school and my first two years of college as a tea-only person. But then something happened. The long nights of college. My summer job that required me to be at work by 7 a.m. Adulthood maybe? And now, after my junior year of college, I am a full-on coffee addict. I love the taste. And it’s gotten very, very difficult for me to get my day started without a cup.

Luckily for me, my newfound love of coffee might be great for my health. A new study, conducted by the National Institutes of Health, showed that older coffee drinkers have a lower risk of death than those who don’t drink coffee. This lower risk of death was seen in decaf drinkers as well.

The participants in the study ranged in age from 50 to 71. They filled out a questionnaire about their coffee drinking habits when the study began in 1995-1996, and then were followed either until their death or until the study’s conclusion in 2008. Overall, people who drank three or more cups of coffee per day had a 10% lower risk of death than those who did not. And women who drank six or more cups per day had a 15% lower risk of death than women who drank no coffee.

Six cups? That’s a lot of coffee. Some of the old ladies in this study made my own coffee habits look really tame! And of course, since most college students aren’t in their 50s or 60s, it’s difficult to tell whether our age group may see the same health benefits from coffee. More research also needs to be done in order to determine whether or not coffee drinkers might have something else in common that leads to a lower risk of death.

Still, it’s interesting to think about. Wouldn’t it be great if your coffee habit led to awesome health benefits? For now, I’m just going to tell myself that my morning cup is doing wonders for my longevity.

What do YOU think? Is coffee your healthy secret weapon?

Garnet is a student at Columbia University in New York City. She is “that person” who starts dancing at a party when everyone else is standing around, and if there were a Facebook stalking Olympics, she would be a gold medalist. She also loves cheesy 90s music, and almost died of happiness when Vanilla Ice retweeted her. Once. Follow her on Twitter @garnethenderson.

You wake up early to the sound of an alarm for class or work on weekdays. But you follow a totally different sleep schedule on the weekends, sleeping in and going to bed later. Does this sound like you? Sounds like almost every college student I know, myself included!

But it turns out that this habit might have some seriously negative effects on your health, beyond just the rude awakening on Monday morning. Scientists call this condition “social jet lag” – the practice of following a different sleep schedule on the weekdays than on the weekends. Essentially, social jet lag means that your body’s clock, or your circadian rhythm, is out of sync with your weekday sleep schedule. Which is why, when you have the chance, you sleep in later on days off. In some cases, it’s the equivalent of changing time zones for the weekend, and switching back on Monday. That’s what led researchers to compare it to jet lag.

So what’s so bad about social jet lag? A recent study has shown that adults with differences between their weekday and weekend sleeping habits had triple the odds of being overweight. And that’s not all. The BMI, or body mass index, of overweight people tended to increase as the gap between their weekday and weekend sleep schedules broadened. So if you’re working on eating well and exercising to stay healthy, you might be undoing a lot of that effort with your different weekend “time zones.”

Past studies have linked sleep deprivation and irregular sleep schedules to higher BMI. There’s no exact answer as to why this is the case. Scientists suspect it’s because irregular sleep habits lead to irregular meal times, and changes on the cellular level that affect how we digest and store nutrients.

So what’s a college girl to do? It seems like social jet lag is almost unavoidable with a college schedule. And students aren’t the only ones who experience social jet lag – two-thirds of the participants in the study reported some differences between their weekday and weekend sleep patterns. The researchers who conducted the study actually think that employers should allow personalized schedules, so that workers can tailor their workdays to their natural clocks. Hmm… something tells me professors wouldn’t be so into that.

For now, it looks like daylight might be the best solution. The body’s internal clock is affected by exposure to light. So if you’re looking to fall asleep earlier at night and wake up earlier, you should try to get some sun in the morning. On the flip side, if you want to go to bed later and wake up later, you should try for more daylight in the afternoon and evening.

Garnet is a student at Columbia University in New York City. She is “that person” who starts dancing at a party when everyone else is standing around, and if there were a Facebook stalking Olympics, she would be a gold medalist. She also loves cheesy 90s music, and almost died of happiness when Vanilla Ice retweeted her. Once. Follow her on Twitter @garnethenderson.

We all know the importance of taking care of our health, but let’s be honest — we usually don’t make it as much of a priority as we probably should. The good news is there are small steps you can make every day to improve your health in the long run… but if you’re anything like me, you have a hard time remembering to do those things.

Budge can help with that.

Budge helps you build healthy habits by sending you daily reminders. Beyond simply writing it on a Post-it note or setting a reminder on your phone, Budge will text, email or tweet you every day (at whatever time you choose) to remind you to take small steps toward a larger goal.

Simply sign up and log onto Budge to get started. Choose a program to “play,” (such as flossing, stretching, or doing push-ups), set up when and how you want to be reminded and that’s it! Just remember to check in to Budge (either via their website, text or Twitter) so that it knows (and everyone else on Budge knows) that you’re making progress.

Sometimes, all you need is a little reminder. Thanks to Budge, I’ve remembered to floss three days in a row! Sign up, and you’ll soon be on your way to better health.

And so it is, just like we knew it would be. The end of the road for this 30 day exploration and experiment to accomplish a great feat of discipline for one as undisciplined as myself: 100 push ups per day. Did I make it? You damn skippy I did!

Week 4 presented all new challenges in the form of temptation. My schedule’s actually beginning to have slower moments in it, and that’s provided some flexibility in terms of when I’ve been choosing to do my reps of 35-40. I’d have thought more time would provide more opportunity, but the real opportunity was the opportunity to procrastinate.

When my schedule was more rigid, I knew I had a set window of time to do this in, so I didn’t f*ck around. However, with the wiggle room to negotiate with myself, “I’ll do it after re-watching the season finale of ‘Justified’” or whatever other awesome (or not so interesting) things I occupy my time with, I found myself getting down to the wire a couple of nights this week.

But I persevered. I kept up the clapping and the 3-point stances. I continued to vary the wideness of my arms positioning. I’m doing an average now of 105 push ups per day. More than the goal I’d set for myself! That’s a pretty fantastic feeling. Now the real question, do I look and feel any different? Well, you can check out my “After” pic and video below to judge for yourself.

The pecks are coming back! There’s more definition as well as tone as well. I’ve been pleasantly surprised to notice a stronger core and even the lightest of outlines of a budding 4-pack (if I keep this up and add some crunches, a 6-pack might just be in the cards!).

All in all, this challenge was incredibly inspiring for me. I didn’t know how much could be gotten out of 1 simple exercise. It goes to show that the only thing that stands in our path of finding ways to maintain and improve our health, is our own mindset. Once you know it’s possible and see the benefits, the motivation becomes stronger. You see the rewards of the work and the motivation becomes stronger. And you know what? I don’t care if my 30 days are up. I’m going to keep doing this, every day, because I know that I can, and I know I feel better for doing it.

Challenge Completed!

Dude Stinson

This year, people all over the country are reporting worse allergy symptoms than ever before. Unfortunately, I’m one of those people. I’ve always had allergies, and they’ve been getting worse for a while. But now they’re baaaad.

Usually, my allergies only bother me in the spring and summer. But this year, they never went away when fall came around. That’s due in large part to the unseasonably warm winter we had this year. The higher-than-normal temperatures meant that flu season came months late, and now it means that pollen counts are sky high. Unfortunately, this might not be a one-time occurrence.

Several recent studies have shown that the Earth’s warming temperature has significantly extended the pollen season. Well, sh*t. Because spring is arriving earlier, pollen is making it into the air sooner, in larger quantities, and staying there for longer. This has lead to huge numbers of people reporting cold and flu symptoms to their doctors, only to find out that they’re experiencing allergies. And scientists are predicting that pollen levels will only continue to rise as the Earth warms.

So what can you do if your allergies are driving you nuts? For most people, over-the counter medications do the trick. The more regularly you take your medicine, the more it will help. But if, like me, over-the-counter pills just aren’t cutting it for you anymore, it might be time to see your doctor. A doctor could prescribe stronger medications, a nasal spray, or even immunotherapy.

But there are a few things you can do on your own to help alleviate allergy symptoms. First of all, as beautiful as it is, try to keep the outdoors out. If you can, leave your windows closed. I don’t have air conditioning, so I have to keep my windows open. It gets way too hot for me to sleep at night if I don’t. But leaving shoes, coats, and sweaters outside can help decrease the amount of pollen you bring home with you. It’s also a good idea to wash your hair before you go to bed. Pollen and other irritants can stick in your hair, and have you sniffling and rubbing your eyes by the time you wake up.

And don’t forget to take care of yourself. The better general health you’re in, the better equipped your body will be to deal with allergies. Stress has also been proven to intensify allergic response, so set aside some time to relax. Good luck! I know I need it.

Garnet is a student at Columbia University in New York City. She is “that person” who starts dancing at a party when everyone else is standing around, and if there were a Facebook stalking Olympics, she would be a gold medalist. She also loves cheesy 90s music, and almost died of happiness when Vanilla Ice retweeted her. Once. Follow her on Twitter @garnethenderson.

[Lead image via Alex Cofaru/Shutterstock]

Guys don’t have a lot of contraceptive options – abstinence, condoms, and vasectomies are about the extent of it. All three of those options have drawbacks ranging from unrealistic (sup, abstinence for life) to mildly annoying to painful, expensive, and permanent. Luckily, the medical community has noticed a need for more options and one in particular has been getting a lot of buzz. While I totally support men having the opportunity to do their part to keep babies from being formed, I am not nearly as gung-ho about male birth control as a lot of people are.

It’s pretty obnoxious that women’s bodies are always preparing to get pregnant. I wish we all had an internal switch that defaulted to the “off” position, and could only be activated through some sort of baby-making chant, therefore notifying our bodies that yes, we are open for business. Unfortunately, that is not the case. So once we start fornicating for fun, the number one priority is keeping our uteri as unoccupied as possible. As women, we bear the majority of the consequences if our birth control fails. It’s not fair – in fact, it completely and utterly sucks, but that’s how it is, and I’ve come to terms with it. This is pretty cynical, but ultimately, I don’t expect anyone else to be nearly as invested in my body as I am. So even if  men had a zillion different birth control options, I would never relinquish an ounce of control in this regard.

However, I’m not suggesting that guys should be totally blase and laid back about contraception. At a bare minimum, dudes should at least be familiar with the most popular forms of female birth control and its side effects. If they’re in long term relationships, they should offer to help pay for some of the cost. And, when they’re engaging in casual sex, they should always be prepared with condoms and not say stupid shit like, “but you’re on the pill, right?” It’s not only absurdly immature and rude to put the onus on the girl immediately, but also beyond irresponsible from a health standpoint. And if guys are totally willing to let their balls be injected with a needle, that’s awesome. But, for as long as I’m the one who faces the most severe consequences of birth control goes awry, I will always assume more responsibility.

[Lead image via Deklofenak/Shutterstock]

Rumors have been swirling that Miley Cyrus is anorexic. However celebuzz.com reports the singer/actress is denying such rumors, attributing her weight loss to a gluten and lactose allergy. Surprisingly, I believe her. Several studies have shown that cutting out gluten from your diet can lead to weight loss. Gluten is in practically everything, so Miley has had to cut out the majority of foods. Miley has even encouraged cutting out gluten in one of her recent tweets:

“Everyone should try no gluten for a week! The change in your skin, phyisical and mental health is amazing! U won’t go back!”

What do you think? Do you think Miley’s telling the truth? Would you try a “no-Gluten” diet?

[Lead image via celebrityhotwallpapers.blogspot.com]

Would you work out in a 105 degree room? How about 110? Hot workouts are all the rage in gyms across the country, especially in New York and Los Angeles, where some gyms are adding heat to just about every class.

You’ve probably heard of Bikram yoga, or some of the other hot yoga styles that have been popping up over the past few decades. But now, you can take classes in Pilates, the Bar Method, cycling, martial arts and more — all while roasting in a room that’s 100 degrees or even hotter.

Devotees of these classes love them because they leave every workout dripping with sweat. They see quick weight loss results, and think that all the sweat is helping them detox. But are they really doing that much good? Or are these benefits outweighed by the possible risks of exercising in extreme heat?

Experts have debated the safety of Bikram and other hot yoga styles for years. Bikram is practiced in a 105 degree room, with at least 40 percent humidity. First of all, doing intense exercise at temperatures that high puts you at risk for severe dehydration, or even heat exhaustion and heat stroke. In order to remain properly hydrated during a Bikram class, you would have to drink 4 ounces of water every 15 minutes. However, hardly any students drink that much water during class. Most of the weight loss experienced by people who work out in the heat is just water weight. And that’s not the kind of weight you want to lose. It isn’t uncommon for students to faint during hot yoga classes – I don’t know about you, but that scares me.

The other problem with exercising in extreme heat is that it makes it very easy for you to overstretch. The warmer your surroundings are, the more flexible the tissues in your body become. So, in some ways a warmer room can be good for your muscles. Heat allows you to stretch more fully and deeply. However, when the temperature is extreme, it becomes too easy to push your muscles too far. This is a serious problem, because your muscles work like levers. It’s good to be flexible, but the more you stretch, the more your muscles literally lengthen. When a muscle gets too long, it becomes weaker and less efficient.

Even more dangerous is the risk to your ligaments, the tissues that connect bones to other bones. Once ligaments are stretched, they don’t return back to their original shape. In normal temperatures, your ligaments would hardly stretch at all. But in the heat, they become more pliable. If you stretch out your ligaments, it can lead to weak, loose joints, which put you at a serious risk for injury.

There are some benefits to exercising in the heat. It’s true that hot workouts are more difficult, and make you work harder. Dr. Douglas Casa, a professor at the University of Connecticut and an expert on heat and athletics, told the New York Times that the benefits stop past 100 degrees. Any hotter than that, and you’re only increasing your risk for illness or injury, not getting a better workout. Dr. Casa also called the detox claim a “hoax,” saying that there are no proven benefits from sweating more.

I don’t do hot workouts. I hate feeling desperately overheated, so a hot workout class sounds like a nightmare to me. But I know lots of people who swear by Bikram yoga.

What do YOU think? Are hot workouts worth the risks?

Garnet is a student at Columbia University in New York City. She is “that person” who starts dancing at a party when everyone else is standing around, and if there were a Facebook stalking Olympics, she would be a gold medalist. She also loves cheesy 90s music, and almost died of happiness when Vanilla Ice retweeted her. Once. Follow her on Twitter @garnethenderson.

[Lead image via Peter Bernik/Shutterstock]

Like most people, I have a love/hate relationship with the gym. In fact, our flame is so hot and cold that I sometimes I stare at the door the entire time I’m working out, counting down the minutes ’til it’s time to leave. There are, of course, other days where I am so excited to go to the gym its like okay, who put the steroids in my coffee?

I hate going to a packed gym, so I always try and go when it’s inconvenient for me and everyone else. Lunch? No thanks, you guys go munch on delicious flat-breads, I’m gonna go pump some iron and have a protein shake. Sleep? Eh, I think I’ll run six miles instead.

Even though it’s a vicious cycle, I do love the gym. But I always feel like a trip to the gym is like looking through a digital People of Walmart magazine. I just want to say to the guys lifting weights in work boots and the preteen girls reapplying mascara in the locker room…. what are you doing? This is the gym. A place where it’s okay to sweat, pant, and guzzle your water down so quickly it’s like Y2K is a threat all over again.

Even though I think it’s great that people are working out and staying on top of their health, I just want to grab those preteen divas by their preteen cheeks and tell them to stop trying to lift the 30 pound weights. Then I want to step on the work-boot clad lumberjack’s toes and remind him just how important arch support is!

But, I know I’m not the gym police, so I have to take my rants somewhere else people will listen to me…. like the internet, where I can share my list of the 10 most unforgivable and horrifying mistakes everyone is making at the gym:

initiating the gallery...

Kylie is a writer, blogger and Harry Potter fanatic in the NYC area. She has an affinity for eggs benedict, spicy bloody mary’s and shopping (who doesn’t?). Are you a CC girl living in NYC with a tip to share? Tweet @NYC_CC for all Kylie’s random acts of New York-ness!

Former Vice President Dick Cheney is recovering from a heart transplant after having five heart attacks in the past twenty-five years. He’s had various medical procedures over the years including a quadruple bypass surgery in 1988. In 2010, he suffered from his fifth heart attack, and doctors placed him on an LVAD (left ventricular assist device) because his heart couldn’t pump strong enough on its own. After being on a waiting list for two years, Dick Cheney finally received a new heart from an unknown donor.

Some are saying that at 71, he’s too old to receive a transplant, but many disagree. Dr. William Zoghbi of Methodist Hospital’s DeBakey Heart and Vascular Center in Houston said ”It is not too old. Age is really not a factor.” According to the United Network for Organ Sharing, 332 people over age 65 had heart transplants last year. Seventy percent of heart transplant recipients live for at least five years, although survival chances are lower over age 65.

Regardless of your political beliefs, I think it’s pretty amazing that Cheney has gone through so many surgeries and issues with his heart. Many people don’t survive one heart attack, much less five. It’s incredible that he’s been strong enough health wise to stay alive. We wish him well in his recovery!

Do you think Cheney is too old for a heart transplant?

Caitlin is a senior at the University of Alabama who has an obsession with cupcakes, coffee, and Harry Potter. She always has random fun facts on reserve and aspires to be a professional blogger, social media bug, and/or James Franco’s assistant. Follow her fabulous life @caitlincorsetti. You’re welcome!