SUMMER BALL 2007 - Seren - Bangor University

Seren - End of Year Issue 20077HealthTHE GREAT ORMESophie talks health, beauty andfashion tipsFashion may be the last thing on yourmind at the moment, what with workand exams, but with such wonderfulweather, summer clothes are in. The weatheris so gorgeous that it makes it even harder todo any work. Lying in the sun with a glass ofPimms would be ideal.Big this summer is the colour blue andit always sets off a tan nicely. You can weara bright t-shirt or accessorize it up. Thechoice is yours. The miniskirt is back, butstunning as they may be, they require a lotof maintenance. Take the easy option andshave your legs, or be brave and get themwaxed. The benefits last longer, but apartfrom that it’s pretty painful. If you dare, trya bit of fake tan, though an easier option arethe ranges of tanning moisturisers. Let’s seethose pins ladies, give the Bangor men aneyeful.Oversized bags are still in, which is myfavourite trend of the moment, but don’tload them up too much, or there is seriousdentege on your shoulder. Along with theold minis, team with some chunky shoes:platforms, wedges or stack heels. They willmake your legs look inches longer and canmake an outfit.Nu-Rave is in. This means neon, acidand bright colours - eighties smiley cultureis back, be it a t-shirt, bag or earrings. Atthe moment Topshop have a great jewellerysection, go for a browse, the prices are abargain too. Accessories of the momentinclude massive sunnies, the kind thatswamp your face. Pretty headscarves are in,they are cute and keep you cool, wear as aheadband or wrap it around a bun.Statement eyeliner is back, try somevibrant colours to give you a striking look;char kohl (for trash), neon if you dare, newmetal (metallic and gold eyes), try poparthot-pink kohl, and finally why not tryelectric blue.That should be enough to keep yougoing ladies, enjoy the sunshine, bring onthe summer. Also a sad farewell to all thirdyears, good luck with your futures, Bangorwill miss you x xSophie de l’OrmeDOC SPOTIn my opinion there are ten great foods weight and/or retain good health.for losing weight. There is a common • Yams and sweet potato: Great dietdelusion that to lose weight you have foods because they are low on the socalledto barely eat, and the calories you do eatglycemic index. The glycemic indexshould be no more than what is required measures the values of various foods basedby a mouse. But research has shown that on how quickly they break down and arefinding good quality food is more important absorbed into the bloodstream. The slowerthan quantity when it comes to weight loss. the digestion, the lower the score, the betterCombined with adequate exercise, your the food is for regulating blood sugars,meals can be regular serving sizes. The food insulin, and over all metabolism- all ofjust needs to be, well, wholesome. Don’t which affect fat deposition.skip meals. When you want to lose weight • Oranges, apples and grapefruit: Theseit may be tempting to starve yourself – but particular fruits contain high levels ofeating small amounts of food frequently soluble fibre pectin. Fibre slows digestion,can help you maintain a healthy, balanced helps eliminate toxins stores in body fat, andcalorie intake throughout the day. Also, your gives you a feeling of fullness.blood sugar level will be adversely affected if • Killer sandwiches: To lose 40 poundsyou don’t eat often. You can even divide the in 21 weeks, gorge on plenty of heartystandard allotment of three meals into five sandwiches stacked with vegetables, suchor six smaller meals. There are some essential as tomato, cucumber, sprouts lettuce andhealthy foods for anyone who wants to lose onion. For bread choice, anything brownBELIEVE INYOURSELFYour guide to exam stress andhow to deal with itExams are a difficult time for everystudent but Seren is here to help! Hereare our top tips on how to battle examstress and advice for revising.The most important thing is not to panic.Just as long as you allow yourself plenty oftime to revise and avoid cramming then youwill feel more confident walking into thatexam room. And don’t delude yourself intothinking that these exams are the be-all andend-all. Believe it or not, there is life beyondexams!Whilst revising, it is important to beorganised and plan just how you are goingto go about acing that test. Write yourself upa revision plan, detailing how and when youare going to tackle each section of the work.Remember to stick to the revision plan; it’sno good making it if you’re going to spendyour time down the pub. Also, think abouteach topic separately, grouping all of yourrevision together and getting worried abouthow much you have will not motivate youat all.Take regular breaks. It is vitally importantthat you don’t get too weighed down andinformation overload doesn’t set in. Everycouple of hours take a half hour break;go watch an episode of Friends; make asandwich; go annoy your housemates whilstthey’re revising; it doesn’t matter what youdo, just make sure you don’t soldier onpretending you don’t need a break, becauseyou do.Eating and drinking sensibly is alsoessential. Avoid snacking and eating fattyfoods as this affects your attention andconcentration span. However, once a daytreat yourself to a little chocolate as thisreleases endorphins in the brain – thecause of happiness. It is also a myth thatdrinking tea or coffee will increase yourconcentration. It may well keep you awake,but the caffeine will have an adverse effecton your attention span.Regular moderate exercise is a great wayto stay focused and relieve some stress. Ifyou’re a member of a gym then great, butdon’t worry if you’re not, just go for a lightjog or a kick around in the park. You’ll feelbetter afterwards and it will help you settleback into your routine.Exams are stressful times but byimplementing just a few of these steps youwill feel much happier in yourself and thiswill be mirrored in your impending examsuccess. Good luck!Siobhan Holt and ChrisThomsonwith lots of seeds and heavy grains you canactually see, because less-milled ingredientscontain much more fibre.• Cereal: Low sugar cereals packed withprotein and fibre are good and can make youfeel fresh with cold milk.• Salad: If you eat a salad, make itvaluable. Get field greens and add a yoghurtdressing. Plus you need plenty of vegetablesand some good lean protein, like grilledsalmon.• Yoghurt: and other dairy goods thatare great-tasting, low fat products.• Almonds: nuts are loaded withmonounsaturated fats – the good fats thatare rich in omega-3 fatty acids, known tolower cholesterol. Fats are as necessary to ahealthy diet as protein and carbohydrates.Small amounts of nuts are a good startingpoint.• Nut butter: likewise, nut buttersOn 2 nd April,Wales saw theintroduction ofits smoking ban. I’m suremost of us weren’t aroundat that point – a lot of uswere probably in Englandwhere we were all still freeto smoke in public places.After a night out at thepub we would still comehome and have to sprayour clothes to get rid ofthe smell.Whatever your stanceon the matter, the banhas come into force inWales and its mark hascertainly been put onBangor. The High Streetand other areas with pubsare littered with smokersstanding outside, insome cases providing anintimidating entry to thebuildings in question.What of the pubs andclubs of Bangor though?Arriving back the weekafter the ban came in and going to watch thefootball in the Yellow Pub, I was pleased tosay as a non-smoker, how much better I felt.I’d never before realised how intrusive otherpeoples’ smoke was. Nights out in Academiwere never too smoky but the differencenow is still noticeable.The efforts made by pubs to caterto smokers even with the ban in placeare interesting. I read in the Bangor andAnglesey Mail a few times about some pubsapplying for outdoor seating areas or evenjust a canopy for their customers to smokeare a great source of those healthy,monounsaturated fats. Use almond orcashew butter as a much healthier optioninstead of peanut butter.• Hummus: it is great if used instead ofbutter and in wheat pitta bread or organiccorn chips.• Salsa: this dip is great if made at home,doesn’t take much time to make and is ahealthy option for snacking.Don’t forget to exercise! At least 15-20minutes of physical activity a day will ensureyour health and help you lose weight (andnot to mention, firm up those muscles).Weight-bearing exercises are especially greatways to burn those pesky caloriesDr. Rashesh MehtaFor more details,under. Much to the displeasure of pubowners and smokers alike, the plans wererejected for fears of drunkenness and noiseon the streets of Bangor. Some of our chainpubs provide sand buckets for smokers,and some don’t, either way I hope that ourstreets don’t become a graveyard for usedcigarettes.All in all I think that people who don’tlike smoke are enjoying their nights outmore. At the moment, in the warm weather,the smokers seem to be alright with standingoutside. Overall I think there has been ansuggestions or queriesmail: health4u_78@yahoo.comWALES’ SMOKING BANincrease in the number of older peoplespending their nights out in bars and pubssince the ban has come in, making placesa little less student vs. local. I myself amenjoying not having to wash or spray myclothes back to a clean smell after a nightout. Nights out in Bangor have certainlybecome more pleasant since April 2 nd .Jen Stanley