College, although deliciously fun and entertaining, is full of things that are bad for us.  The four-day weekend bender? Bad for us.  The four Red Bulls we chugged to finish that paper at 5am? Bad for us.  The four classes we skipped because we were sleeping after that all-nighter? Really bad for us.

But, surprisingly, sometimes what we think is horrible for our health can have some benefits.  However, just like anything, these things should probably be done in moderation anyway.  Most benefits are demolished when you overdose on the activity (except sex…I maintain that you cannot overdose on that).

Stress – Yes, stress can be helpful (short of pulling out your hair because you haven’t started that art project that’s due in two hours).  Stress can benefit the immune system, preparing the body to withstand things like surgery and infections, and also pushes us to be most effective at the tasks at hand. Bring on the triple-bypass surgery, because I’ve had enough stress to boost my immune system to super human levels.

Caffeine – There are tons of benefits of drinking caffeine! Increased reaction speed and alertness, decreased evidence of liver damage, weight loss, lower occurrence of diabetes, and increased sex drives in females (it’s only been proven in rats, but I’m gonna make the jump).  Grab a cup of coffee from the cafeteria and enjoy the buzz.

Oversleeping – Sleeping too much is really bad for you.  However, how many college students do you know who are getting too much sleep?  Usually, we oversleep because we’ve been running on 3 hours of sleep for five days (finalsss) or because we’ve been killing ourselves with club meetings, classes, work, and assignments during the day.  Sometimes your body just needs some time to catch up and recover.  In fact, while you sleep your mind and body are putting things in order – repairing muscles, organizing memories and new pieces of information gained during the day.  Give yourself a chance to catch up to…yourself.  Sleep in! Read More »

[Welcome to my Weekly Love List. A list, on all things I love. Because if I love them - well then obviously you may (and should) love them too. As the Backstreet Boys song says (and yes I am actually quoting them) "My Love is All I Have To Give." So with that throwback, here are this week's list-worthy things…]

1. My Dropbox – Does your friend have all the good pictures from last night on her camera? Did she just buy the new Britney album that you want but are too embarrassed to purchase? We all know how annoying it is to transfer files via email – that stuff takes forever – and now you don’t have to. My Dropbox is a program you and your friends download. Wanna share some pics with eachother? Just drag em into your box (that’s what she said) and – voila! – any friends who are linked up with you now have the files too. It’s technology at its finest.

2. Healthy Mac & Cheese? 18 grams of fiber in one serving, and it’s GOOD. My late night munching self is in LOVE with this idea.

3. Eco Friendly organization. We all know we are supposed to hold on to every exam all semester long, along with our bank statements, our shopping reciepts, and a plethora of other junk that just ends up splattered all over our desks, and floors, and cars… and the list goes on. So check out these great, eco friendly ways to divide up your important documents and tuck them away in a neat, safe place. I don’t really love these, but my roommates love seeing the kitchen table, so I guess that’s good enough.

4. Laura Mercier ‘Almond Coconut Milk’ Hand Crème - It fits in your purse, makes your hands baby soft, and makes you think you are sipping pina coladas on spring break instead of cramming for your econ final.

5. Frustration Free Packaging. How many times do you spend 25 mintues trying to open up your new phone/Bluetooth/Barbie Doll and you just end up with a missing tooth, a bloody lip and the urge to scream and stomp on the product? Whoever designed that hard plastic packaging should work for national security. But, thankfully, Amazon.com is ready to do away with “Wrap Rage”; they are introducing a line of “frustration free packaging,” in recyclable cardboard boxes. Perfect for those of us with a need for instant gratification. Easy to open AND eco-friendly? Now that I L-O-V-E.

It’s 4:30am. You just got home from the bar and all you want is food. In your belly. Right now.

Unfortunately, your favorite pizza/ burrito/ burger/ neighborhood CVS closed 30 minutes ago and you are left to fend for yourself. Right. Because you could barely get your key in the front door, let alone boil water for some mac and cheese. (Mmmmm mac and cheeeeeese.)

Even a frozen pizza is much too difficult to figure out right now. Turn on an oven? To 350? Then wait 30 minutes? WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?!

Lucky for you, the food industry has been busy creating products for people on the go, which also happen to work quite well for people who are too-drunk-to-function. Yes, that would be you. Just stock up on any and all of these little guys and you are good to go when the Beer Pong tourny is over and you can’t remember your name (or how you made it home with one shoe and a missing bra…): Read More »