Feeling Stressed? Why not try Running Relief?!?

Now that we have passed through the dark days of Midterms and things are calming down a bit you might find yourself full of nervous energy. You might be looking for a way to expel that energy in a healthy and positive way. OR perhaps you might be finding that you want to get a little more activity in your life, since its getting colder outside.

With this in mind I have a suggestion for you!! Have you ever heard of Running Relief?

Running Relief is a FREE running program run by Health Education and Promotion.

How does it work? 

-Run at your OWN pace

-Run with peer coaches who help with technique and keep you motivated

-Attend a running related 30min workshop once every other week

-Run for stress relief, to quit smoking, to become more healthful, for your own personal interest or just for fun!

Where does it happen? 

-RR takes place at the Toronto Track and Field Center (TTFC) which, conveniently enough is located RIGHT ON CAMPUS!! Check out this walking tour on how to get there!!

-It is important to note that use of the TTFC is FREE for all FULL TIME York students, all you have to do is ACTIVATE your YUCard. To activate your card you will need to bring PROOF that you are in fact a current full time York student. Once you activate your card you will be able to use the TTFC for free for the rest of the school year. 

Yeah this all sound GREAT but...When is it??

WHEN DOES IT HAPPEN?!?

-Running Relief happens 3 times a week

Monday, Wednesday and Thursday from 5:30-7:00pm. 

Friendly Tip

--There are lockers that you can use at the TTFC all you have to do is bring your own lock and a quarter. You can store your extra clothing and personal items so they are secure while you run. 

How HAPPY do they look!?!
They are READY TO RUN are you?

Piqued your interest? 

If you have any questions about Running Relief or you want to talk some more about how it all works feel free to check out Running Relief on YU Connect, or e-mail healthed@yorku.ca or healthedprojects@gmail.com , you can always tweet @healthedyork or like them on facebook as well!

Now GET OUT THERE and Run for Relief!!

Until next time...remember to take it one day at a time and catch me in the zone!

Nicole

Midterm grade NOT what you expected? Wondering what to do now?

Coming out of high school you might be accustomed to getting straight A's. Despite everyone telling you that university is not the same as high school, you still thought that you'd be able to keep up those high marks. However, now that you've started getting your midterm grades back you might be finding that the marks you're getting aren't quite what you had expected.

You might be thinking..."NOW WHAT? SHOULD I DROP THE CLASS? MY PARENTS WILL BE DISAPPOINTED! MY LIFE IS FALLING APART!!

Let me be the first person to tell you to CALM down!! It's going to be ok! You don't have to the class, your parents just want the best for you and your life is not over. Take a DEEP BREATHE!! Everything will be ok!!

So you didn't get what you thought you would...don't be discouraged. It isn't the end of the world...although it may feel like it right now. Here are some tips for dealing with less than ideal Midterm marks.

1. The BEST part about Midterms (if there is anything good about them at all) is that they are only ONE part of your grade! You still have time to improve you mark!! Midterms are NOT the END of your course. You still have other assignments, tutorial or lab work or a final that you can use to boost your grade.

2. Take the time to look over your grade. Look at how much of your grade the midterm is actually worth. Take the time out to go and talk to your professor or TA to figure out how to improve your grade, (If you're worried about talking your prof see my post ). Really look at your midterm and determine where you went wrong and how you can improve.

3. Try to put your grade in perspective. Of course we all want to do well, but how does this midterm mark impact your life. If you care a lot about your marks then a not so great mark might stress you out. I'm here to remind you that grades are one component of your whole university experience, and your time at university is only one part of your entire life. Although it might seem like a MAJOR ISSUE now, remember this too shall pass. Try not to stress yourself out too much over your midterms.

4. Try to STAY POSITIVE! If you didn't do as well as you hoped, don't be too hard on yourself. Negativity only makes you feel worse and doesn't actually motivate you try to improve. Get proactive, take the suggestions or improvements you get from your TA's or Profs and learn from them.

**Remember: If you find yourself really stressed out about your grades you can always check out CDS.**

- When I was in my first year, I had a really hard time adjusting to University life. It was the first time I'd ever lived away from home, I was in a new country where I knew no one, and I had just gotten back a midterm that I didn't do as well on as I had hoped. I was REALLY hard on myself and I didn't think that university was for me, I was really having a hard time. My Don suggested that I go and talk to CDS. Honestly I wasn't sure that CDS was for me...but I went and found that the people there were really nice; more importantly they were helpful. I know that sometimes it can be hard to ask for help but sometimes that's exactly what you need most. I highly recommend checking out CDS since they do offer FREE personal counselling!

I promise Midterm season will end! Lets get through it together. If you have any other tips for dealing with midterm add them in the comments section below! See you after Midterms!!

Take it one day at a time and catch me in the zone,
Nicole

Feeling a little overwhelmed? Here's my Midterm Survival Guide!

Swamped right now? ME TOO!

It's that time of year folks...MIDTERMS! Assignments are piling up, proposals are due, midterm exams are happening. BUTTTTTTT You still have readings to do for some courses and you have work, maybe you joined a club in September and so you have meetings and events to attend. Also your aunts birthday is coming up and you have buy her a gift and help plan the party and your parents need you to help them with house work. You might feel like you're being pulled in a hundred different directions.

So how do you cope?

I know, I know you guys are SOO organized...you've been making S.M.A.R.T Goals, To-do Lists and planning ahead...but let's pretend for a minute that you haven't...how then do you survive Midterms? Well this is where I come in...here are some of my top tips for surviving this CRAZY busy part of the semester.

-Try to get at least 7 hours of sleep every night

Often when people become busy and stressed the first thing they cut is sleep. This is a major mistake! Sleep is VERY important because it allows your muscles and tissues to grow and be repaired and helps your body to fight infection. Ever wonder why there are so many people that are sick around Midterm time? CUZ THEY'RE UP ALL NIGHT! Also sleep helps with memory storage and retention as well as new learning. If you don't get enough sleep you might find yourself making silly mistakes on exams or at work; mistakes you might not have made had you gotten enough sleep. All-nighters are NEVER the answer!



-Don't consume too much caffeine
Some people swear that having an Extra Large Tim Horton's Coffee every hour on the hour is the only way to get through Midterms! Buttt too much caffeine can lead to some pretty serious issues...according to the "Mayo Clinic"you can develop Insomnia, Nervousness,  Restlessness, Irritability, Stomach upset, Fast heartbeat and Muscle tremors. Some people are so sensitive to caffeine that even a little bit makes them jittery and can seriously impact their concentration. Check out this link for more info!




- TAKE BREAKS!!

Know that it's ok to give yourself a break! Sometimes people are really hard on themselves and try to study for 8 hours at a time without a break. However at the same time you can't take too many breaks because then you won't actually get too much work done. My fellow RSA Tori wrote a GREAT blog last week all about HOW TO TAKE A STUDY BREAK! so if you need some tips check out her blog.

**If you're having a hard time coping with the stress that you're feeling at this time of the semester, know that you do have support available to you. REMEMBER that you can always go to The Counselling and Disability Services Office in The Bennett Centre. Check out this link for more info about CDS **

Well that's my advice, but let me know what works for you and GOOD LUCK with your Midterms!!


Take it one day at a time and catch me in the zone!!
Nicole