Time Out with Tiger - Safe Spring Break Tips

Wampus Cat Greetings!

This time of year, many RAs and residents are excitedly preparing for their upcoming spring breaks!  One of your Wampus Cat mascots, Tiger, wants everyone to be safe in their spring break travels.

Here are some spring break safety tips to keep in mind and share with residents:

Property Safety
Be aware that there are lots of people out there who see students on Spring Break as easy targets for theft. Don't prove them correct. When traveling, here are some precautions you should always take with your valuables:

•Take as few valuables with your on your trip as possible.

•Book hotels that give you access to a safe. Lock up anything of value. Do not leave money or valuables around your room.

•Always lock your hotel room door.

•If you are traveling abroad, keep your passport in a secure location at all times.

•Watch out for scam artists who try to rip off students. Avoid high pressure sales pitches, and never go off to a secluded location with someone who wants to sell you something.

•If your cell phone or credit cards are stolen, report this immediately to the companies so they can cancel your service.

•When booking your trip, watch out for Spring Break travel package scams.

Physical Safety
High profile cases such as Natalee Holloway-- a high school student who disappeared during her Spring Break trip to Aruba-- are uncommon. However, sexual violence and other violent acts during Spring Break are not. Neither are accidents. Use common sense and follow these simple safety tips:

•Always stay in the proximity of at least one friend, and preferably two or three. Adhere strictly to this "buddy system" and do not leave with someone other than your buddies. Be sure to choose buddies you can trust.

•Do not leave with strangers, even if it seems like a good idea at the time. Always err on the side of caution and trust your instincts.

•Watch your drink very carefully! Be aware of "date rape" drugs that people may try to sneak into your drink. Never accept a drink from a stranger or let someone else hold your drink.

•Never go to an isolated place with a stranger or someone you do not fully trust.

•Carry a cell phone with you in case of an emergency.

•Carry your identification and important medical information on your person in case of an emergency.

Alcohol Safety
If you're going to drink alcohol during Spring Break, it's very important that you take precautions. Drunk college students can be seen as a target for both theft and sexual assault, so do not underestimate the way to take these reasonable precautions:

•Binge drinking is a big part of the Spring Break experience for many students-- and it's what gets students into trouble the most. The safest approach is to not binge drink and to know your limit with alcohol. If you do drink excessively, always use the buddy system and lots of common sense.

•Make sure you know the signs and symptoms of alcohol poisoning.

•Do not drink and drive, ever. You know better.

•Be aware of all local laws and regulations involving alcohol, especially if you are travelling abroad. A night in a foreign jail was probably not on your itinerary.

•If you drink, always rely on the buddy system and be very careful. As stated above, always keep an eye on your drink.

Additional Precautions

•Use common sense when it comes to sun exposure. Always use sunscreen with at least an SPF of 15 (higher if you have fair skin), and be sure to wear sunscreen even if it's cloudy. Wear hats and good sunglasses.

•Use common sense when it comes to swimming and water safety. Never swim alone, and avoid swimming when no lifeguard is present. Do not drink alcohol when swimming or operating a boat.

•Drink lots of water! Don't rely on alcoholic or carbonated beverages to quench your thirst, as these drinks can actually make you more dehydrated. If the local drinking water is questionable, make sure you have an abundant supply of bottled water.

Information adapted from:  http://www.suite101.com/content/spring-break-safety-tips-a38130

A Time Out With Tiger

Our series of learning from our wise Wampus Cat Mascots continues!  For this post, we are spending some time with Tiger. 

Now, Tiger loves to eat!  However, he won't eat just anything.  You remember how he found goats to be unappetizing.       

He does have some favorites foods though.


Tiger intrigued by some soy beef wraps I was making.  Jared's helping him take a closer look.

 

Tiger loves cat food!  Don't worry, we don't normally let him have free reign on his cat food like this.



As much as we'd love to give Tiger whatever he wants to eat in whatever quantities he'd like to consume, we have to be careful to give him a healthy diet, so that he can remain a healthy Wampus Cat.

What about you, Wampus Cats?  Do you or your residents ever struggle with eating healthy on campus?  Eating healthy on campus is possible, but comes with challenges. 

Here are a few tips for eating healthy on campus:

Be sure to eat breakfast. Skipping it could leave you famished and cause you to snack on whatever's around later in the day. When it comes to A.M. options at the cafeteria, go for fresh fruit (cut up or whole), light yogurt, oatmeal, English muffins (with jam), high-fiber cereal (with fat-free milk), and omelets made with Egg Beaters. Avoid pastries, giant bagels with butter or cream cheese, and greasy breakfast meats.

Stay hydrated.  Drink plenty of H2O throughout the day.  Have a glass of water before you make the rounds of the dining hall to select your food.  This can help you feel more full and make healthier dining choices.

For lunch and dinner, try sandwiches and salads.  Make yourself a salad or sandwich of lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, lean deli meat (like turkey breast), and other no-guilt salad and sandwich toppers.  Try out the low-fat sub options available at Subway!

When it comes to hot items, go for grilled chicken, veggie burgers (in lettuce buns!), and baked or grilled fish. Stay away from mayo-packed deli salads (like tuna salad), creamy or cheesy pasta dishes, and oversized subs.

For snacking, your best bet is to keep guilt-free emergency snacks with you at ALL times. One reason college students may put on weight while at school is that they're SO busy and find themselves unprepared when hunger hits; so they grab whatever food they can, whenever they can. Bad idea! Keep your residence hall room stocked with great stuff you can eat in the room AND grab and take with you. Try whole fruit (like oranges and apples), high-fiber snack bars with 200 or fewer calories, jerky, and 100-calorie packs of almonds. Keep your micro fridge stocked with light string cheese, fat-free yogurt, and baby carrots or other veggies.

Be aware of any alcohol consumption.  If you or your residents choose to drink alcohol (off campus of course), be aware of the calories in the alcohol you are consuming.  Click here for an extensive list of the calories present in different forms of alcohol.  If you or your residents do choose to drink, be sure to do so in moderation, to stay safe and healthy.

An important part of being a happy and healthy Wampus Cat also includes engaging in regular exercise. 

Here are a few tips on fitting exercise into your busy schedules:

Walk to class instead of taking the bus. 

Take the stairs instead of the elevators.

Check out the workout options available through UT Rec Sports.

Attend a TRECS workout class with your residents. 

Invest in a few workout DVDs so that you can exercise any time you like.  Crunch Fitness offers some great DVDs catering towards a wide variety of fitness interests and levels.  Try one out in one of your common areas as exercise program with your residents.

Start an intramural team with your residents.  For information on UT Intramurals, click here. 

Find physical activities that you enjoy and focus on how they make you feel.  If you tune into the relaxing, stress relieving consequences of exercise, this can motivate you to stick with your exercise routine in the long run.


Here are the sources used for this post.  Feel free to visit these sites for additional resources and tips: 

http://hungry-girl.com/askhg/askhgdetails.php?isid=2183
http://caloriecount.about.com/calories-alcoholic-drinks-ic1401
http://www.collagevideo.com/exercise-videos/crunch-exercise-videos-21&page=1&pp=40
http://recsports.utk.edu/Programs/Fitness/Class%20Schedules/
http://www.weightwatchers.com/util/art/index_art.aspx?tabnum=1&art_id=53101&sc=3030#Story
http://lowfatsubs.com/lowfat/index.htm
http://recsports.utk.edu/Programs/Intramurals/index.php