Healthy Campus 101

Hi all! Sometimes, it can feel as if being a student is a barrier to living a healthy lifestyle. It's easy to get caught up in a mindset that eating instant ramen daily, experiencing irregular sleep patterns, and becoming caffeine-dependent are inevitable consequences of being a proper university student (sometimes I think these things myself). But, really, with all the resources we have at the St. George campus to better our health, is it possible that this mentality is simply an illusion? I have a sneaking suspicion that the student gig does not necessarily need to include attending random clubs’ AGMs for the free pizza. In preparation for this week’s Design For Change conference, I decided to brainstorm a list of ways that UofT is a Healthy Campus in line with some of the themes of the roundtable discussions at the event. On Thursday, student and staff will get together at Hart House to discuss designing a shared vision for a healthier University at the first annual Design for Change conference, and we (students) are all invited! That sounds pretty super to me.

My #TryItUofT Experience

Last week I wrote about some personal strides I’ve been hoping to make academically. Another thing I want to do this semester, though, is to become more involved in the U of T community. Seeing as how it is still #TryItUofT month, I thought now would be a perfect time to change things up.

Graduation Inspiration: Meet Juliette

I work for my College’s residence building, and through this job I have the pleasure of meeting some really wonderful people. This week I decided to write about a coworker and fellow U of T student who inspires me to work harder and prioritize my long term goals.

Juliette is a third-year student, studying Employment Relations at U of T. Amazingly, this is her final year at university, as she has managed to graduate in three years by following a strict regimen of self-discipline, wonderful study habits, healthy lifestyle choices and a six-course workload. Born in Edmonton, Juliette spent her childhood Vancouver — eventually moving to Hong Kong with her family at the age of seven to go to French school. Juliette eventually made the transition to a British International School, where she attended until Grade 11. In Grade 12, Juliette moved again; this time travelling across the world to finish her high school diploma in Toronto, where she would eventually make the decision to pursue post-secondary studies at U of T.

#HowDoUMove: the DPA of UNI

If you grew up in an Ontarian elementary school, you probably remember the Daily Physical Activity (DPA) program, which required teachers to facilitate a minimum of half an hour of physical activity per school day. It was a commendable initiative, but it fell short for me as my school's idea of physical activity was to get us to run around the neighbourhood boulevard right after we arrived at school. For me, this was not ideal as I was the kind of kid who more-so preferred long, slow, chatty walks in the morning, and not running in my low-rise Garage jeans being chased around by my homeroom teacher.

It wasn’t until my intermediate grades that I got into running, and stuck with it on the high school cross country team. Now as a full-time university student, I recognize that it can be challenging to find the same time and energy resources to be active. That said, I am able to achieve my prescribed half an hour of physical activity on most days.

New Year, New Me!

“Woke up this morning I was laid out flat on the dark side With the moon and the room on the wrong side I took a needle, sewed myself right back at the seams I saw my universal gleam” - 'Flick of the Finger', by Beady Eye

Liam Gallagher might not have the same vocals he did back in Oasis’ heyday, but his last effort to bring back the glory days with his (now disbanded) Beady Eye did bring back some of the open lyrical interpretation the band was known for instigating - but I digress. Nevertheless, it makes for a great quote that can relate to the idea of starting the new year with resolutions. It’s a time of year when - for whatever reason - you can see your errors more clearly, and when you decide to pick up the metaphorical needle and attempt to sew yourself back together again. I’m not typically one to fall into the societal norm of setting resolutions specifically to ring in the new year - but given that this will be my first full year as a university student, I decided to give it a shot.

Fitness Instructions

It's a New Year! A fun fact about me: I am a fitness instructor on campus.

No, but seriously. I love being a fitness instructor:

I find group fitness motivating. It keeps me active, because I know that at least once a week I have to smile while I'm working out. That takes training. In our industry, we are often reminded that when we are instructing, our focus is on the participants getting a great workout. So I try to attend multiple group fitness classes a week to get a good workout myself.

#GOALS

Like a new year (hello 2016!!), a new semester never fails to get me in the mood to reflect on my goals. Goals forgotten, goals achieved, #goals that I aspire to move from the murky depths of my Pinterest board to real life and goals that are relevant to what I hope the new semester might hold for me. At the beginning of last semester, I spent one particularly quiet night shift at work outlining the academic hopes and dreams that I would ‘surely’ have no trouble fulfilling — the steps that would have me on the road to university success in no time. However, upon revisiting said list, I can now safely say that my list was pretty unauthentic and maybe even impractical. My goal for this semester? Setting realistic goals.

Reflections on 2015

Hello! There's no doubt, this time of year can be full of emotions. We are reminded of all the things we witnessed and experienced over the past twelve months. Google is reminding us of what we Googled. Facebook is sharing our top moments. We count down 2015's top songs, movies, sports moments, inventions, new stories, and of course, funny memes. This time of year also calls on each of us to consider our personal Year in Review. I love counting down to the New Year, and feeling all the hope that comes with a fresh start. Looking forward with a vision for the next year can be daunting, however, I believe it's important to reflect on our accomplishments and milestones from the past year.

Two familiar faces I spend New Years with each year. Courtesy of www.adweek.com — On New Year's Eve, I normally find myself lounging on a couch, babysitting, and reflecting the past year with these familiar faces. Photo courtesy of www.adweek.com

Once exams are over, I often take some time to check in on how things are working in my life. I encourage you to try doing this too - patiently, thoughtfully, and truthfully. I like recording my thoughts down on paper so I can get a visual se. What were my ambitions for 2015? Did I achieve them?

peanut butter and exam jam

Hey there! The Community Crew has been sharing some great tips recently for de-stressing during exam season. Annette wrote about staying active when we are busy; Tiffany provided some very helpful study tips in her post; Madeline (our Arts & Science Blogger) wrote about remembering to eat healthfully; and Emma recently discussed the importance of taking breaks. Now imagine taking all these tips and tricks, and showcasing them all in one lobby. That's exactly what happened this past Thursday, as part of UofT's annual Exam Jam - 2015 edition!

20151210_114959 — Brought to us in the spring and winter exam season by the ASSU and the Faculty of Arts & Science and friends

Somewhere in the building students reviewed with their profs, and elsewhere there were open study rooms to hang out in. The lobby was alive with activities!

Excellent Eats: a mid-exam season treat

Exam time has finally arrived. If you’re anything like me, your sleep schedule is not the only thing that suffers during this time of year. In addition to never getting the amount of sleep my body would like, I’m also…

Category: Balance (page 62)

I work for my College’s residence building, and through this job I have the pleasure of meeting some really wonderful people. This week I decided to write about a coworker and fellow U of T student who inspires me to work harder and prioritize my long term goals.