Catch The "Go Green Bug"

It seems in today's world that everyone is going green. Recycling, organic foods and fuels, and energy efficient appliances seem to have become all the rage. So why not catch the "going green bug" and take a few easy steps to improve the health of our planet. Below is a list of twelve products you should stay away from if you are trying to go green, thanks to CNN.com.

1. Styrofoam
Carry your own reusable coffee mugs, skip the fast food, and use glass and metal storage containers whenever possible.
2. Plastic food containers with bisphenol-A (BPA)
If you really must use plastic, choose BPA-free varieties (such as those marked with No. 2, No. 4 and No. 5 codes). And be sure to recycle them when you're done.
3. Tropical hardwoods
Don't know where the wood in that magnificent dining table was sourced? Leave it at the store, and look for goods manufactured through certified forestry programs.
4. Aluminum in cosmetics
5. Incandescent bulbs
6. Petroleum-based fabric sheets and laundry detergent
 Switch to vegetable-based laundry soaps and seek out less potent alternatives.
7. Overpackaged goods
8. Paper towels and napkins
There are some messes best cleaned up with paper, but couldn't you use more kitchen cloths?
9. Plastic utensils
Consider some alternative strategies: portable metal mess kits for picnics, or simply washing plastic goods and using them again.
10. Disposable batteries
With all the electronic devices in our lives these days, it makes environmental (and financial) sense to switch to rechargeable nickel metal hydride (NiMH) and lithium ion (Li-Ion) batteries. They're less toxic and save you money.
11. Commercial insecticides
 But there are less toxic and nontoxic ways of controlling bugs, from borax (a poison) to essential oils, select plants, and ways to make common insects feel less welcome in your cupboard.
12. Household cleaners

Baking soda, vinegar and salt are the backbone of a cleaner-and-greener home.

High School Competition Squad of the Week

Greenup High School 2011 Competition Squad

After this performance, Greenup went on to take 1st place in the Large Varsity, Division II at the 2011 UCA Nation Competition. I chose this squad not just for their amazing stunts and tumbling passes but for their dance. Many squads tend to stick to the cookie cutter, stiff motioned dance routines, but not Greenup. They look like they're having fun and actually enjoy their original dance.



Is There A Top Exercise?

Exercising, whether to stay healthy or drop a few pounds, is on a lot of peoples minds today. It seems that some people are under the impression that there is one type of exercising that puts all the rest to shame. However, according to The New York Times that's probably not the case.

Looking for the best exercise for your body? Maybe it’s walking, running, squats or even the butterfly stroke. Phys Ed columnist Gretchen Reynolds has the answers (sort of) in this week’s New York Times Magazine. She writes:

Ask a dozen physiologists which exercise is best, and you’ll get a dozen wildly divergent replies. “Trying to choose” a single best exercise is “like trying to condense the entire field” of exercise science, said Martin Gibala, the chairman of the department of kinesiology at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario.”

My advise would be to try a bunch of different workout routines and decide which one works best for you. But remember try the workout out for at least a week or two, miracles don't happen over night.

Should Buying A School Lunch Be Mandated?

As a picky eater, I have packed my lunch everyday for the last 13 years of my schooling. If I was told that I would no longer be allowed to bring my own lunch from home, I would be furious. Well according to CNN this is actually happening in a school in Chicago.

Monica Eng and Joel Hood of the Chicago Tribune report that a school on the city's West Side is prohibiting its students from bringing home-prepared lunches to school, unless they have a medical excuse or an allergy.Instead, the children at Little Village Academy, must either purchase lunch from the school's cafeteria, or opt to skip lunch entirely.

I feel this is an injustice, especially at the Little Village Academy. How can a school deny a student a lunch from home? What if the child is a picky eater, like myself, and does not like what the school is serving that day; the school actually expects that child to go a day without food even though they brought something from home?

Principal Elsa Carmona stands by the ban she set six years ago after seeing students pack "bottles of soda and flaming hot chips" for school field trips. Carmont touts the health benefits of the cafeteria's offerings - especially after the Chicago school system tightened its nutritional standards last year to include a greater offering of fiber, whole grains, more dark green and orange vegetables and reduce fat and sugar content.

While I agree the nutrition of school lunches needs to be increased, a school can not ban packed lunches. A child needs to eat and if that means bringing a lunch from home then that's the food that child should be allowed to eat. The mere idea to ban packed lunches just seems way too extreme to me.

High School Competition Squad of the Week

Kamehameha 2010 Varsity Competition Squad

This varsity squad received 1st place in the medium varsity division at the UCA National Competition in Orlando, Florida. This squad starts out very strong in this routine which is why I chose them this week. They start off this routine with a team standing back-handspring, tuck and then go right into a four-in-a-row jump sequence. However, this squad wasn't finished after that amazing showing. Then in their cheer they used pretty much only single based stunts. Lots and lots of single based stunts, which are very difficult for an all girls team to pull off. All in all this is another amazing high school squad, who definitely deserved their first place finish.



Yoga Moves To Tone Your Entire Body

Everyone has that one trouble area they've been trying to tone and trim for years. Thanks to this routine created by Mark Blanchard, the Los Angeles based man behind the popular True Power Yoga DVDs, follow this 25-minute sequence 4 times per week, and in 3 weeks you’ll be much firmer all over.

Start With This: Stand tall with feet together, equal weight on both your feet, arms by sides. Inhale and exhale through your nose 5 times.

To Stretch Your Back And Legs: Inhale as you reach your hands up toward the sky, then exhale and bend at the waist to fold over your legs, reaching toward the ground (hold your calves, if it feels comfortable; shown). Hold for 5 breaths, concentrating on lifting your quadriceps (don’t lock your knees) and letting your upper body hang

To Get Rid Of That Muffin Top: Exhale as you put hands on the ground (bend your knees, if you need to), and walk your feet back to Plank position (shown here). Your feet should be hip-width apart, with your hands directly under your shoulders. Keep your belly firm and hips lifted as you press through your heels. Hold for 5 breaths.

To Tone Arms And Thighs: Inhale as you bend your arms to lower to Low Plank position. Hold for 1 breath.

To Tone Your Back: Exhale as you lower your body to the mat, with hands still under your shoulders and the tops of your feet on the mat. Inhale as you press up through your hands to Upward-Facing Dog, lifting your knees if you’re able (shown at right). Keep your shoulders down and away from your ears, chest open, and fingers spread. Hold for 3 breaths.

To Stretch Your Back And Legs: Inhale as you tuck your toes and push back up into Low Plank, then exhale as you lift your hips and thighs and straighten your arms (don’t lock your elbows), moving into Downward-Facing Dog position (shown). Keep your hips lifted high as you press your heels down. Hold for 5 breaths.

To Tone Your Hips: Keeping your hips square, inhale as you lift your right leg back, then bend your knee and step your right foot forward. Come to standing with your left foot turned out 45 degrees and left heel centered behind your right foot. Face your hips forward and stretch down over your right leg, arms reaching down on either side of the leg. Bend your right knee to 90 degrees, and lift your arms up overhead (hips still facing forward) into Warrior 1 position. Hold for 1 breath.

To Tone Your Lower Abdominals: Inhale as you straighten your right knee, then exhale as you bend it again, twisting your torso toward the left and lowering your arms so that the right arm is straight out in front of you and your left arm is straight out behind you (shown to the right). Hold for 1 breath.

To Tone Your Thighs: Inhale as you straighten your right leg and hinge forward at the hip to come into Extended Triangle pose, bringing your right hand to your shin, ankle, or the floor and raising your left hand straight up into the air. Hold for 1 breath.

To Tone Those Love Handles: Keeping your legs strong and belly firm, inhale and reach both hands forward. Bend your right knee and reach your right shoulder toward it, then straighten your leg as you raise back up (shown to the right). Bend and straighten 2 more times, then turn your chest toward the ground and fold over your straight right leg; hold for 5 breaths. Inhale as you bend both knees, and return to Plank position. Hold for 1 breath. Do steps 3–10 on the left side, then repeat the whole series (steps 3–10 on each side) 2 more times.

To Tone Your Butt And Thighs: From Plank position, inhale as you step your right foot forward, followed by your left. Slowly rise halfway up, lifting your chest and bringing your arms overhead. Sink back into your hips (be sure to keep your knees behind your toes), as if sitting in a chair (shown). Keep your back straight, and tuck your tailbone. Hold for 10 breaths.

To Tone Your Back: Inhale as you slowly return to standing. Exhale as you wrap your hands around the top of your hips and butt with your thumbs at your tailbone. Lift your chest as you gently push your elbows back and in toward each other, bringing hips forward and arching your back. Hold for 5–10 breaths.

End With This: Release. Inhale as you reach your hands up toward the sky, then exhale and bend at the waist to fold over your legs (shown to the right). Hold for 3 breaths, letting your upper body hang like a rag doll.

Is The Grass Really Greener?

The grass is greener on the other side; we've all heard this popular saying, but is it really true. This week is tryout week for cheerleading at my school. Since I'll be graduating this year, instead of trying out I am helping teach the material. While I enjoy teaching dances and cheers, and coaching is a way that I can continue to cheer even after my cheerleading prime has passed me; I would not say that the grass is greener on this side. I would much rather be on of the cheerleaders than the coach in charge. Even though coaching lets me be a part of the sport it doesn't let me participate in the sport, and that's the major reason the grass is actually a little water deprived and starting to shrivel on the other side. After all these uneasy thoughts of having to someday stop doing what I love, I keep getting more and more excited and anxious for the week of Big 33 and to start cheering in college. June 11, the first day of the Big 33, can not come fast enough.