Don't ditch the dish at dinner time Students with too much on their plates may want to ensure time for all three meals of the day By SEYEDMOSTAFA RAZIEI tough to maintain regular eating habits may want to make time for three daily meals, or face health risks such as weight gain. Monica Molag, instructor in Langara College’s nutrition and food service management program said that while some think missing a meal may cause them to lose weight, it tends to affect the next meal they eat. “Studies show that usually when people miss a meal, they actually feel really hungry and then the next time they eat, they take in more calories and poorer choice foods,” Molag said. She noted that generally, the body needs food every four hours, mention- ing that missing meals or eating irreg- ularly could affect one’s blood sugar. “You do not get the vitamins and the minerals, and that can affect your health,” Molag said. “Everybody has a different schedule, however when you eat irregularly, your blood sugar B:: college students who find it will vary.” Anmol Dhak, health sciences student said eating on an irregular ba- sis can be tied to weariness caused ANMOL DHAK b : vy long class Health sciences hours. She also student mentioned that sometimes stu- dents might eat some of the cafeteria’s less healthy options, such as pizza, too frequently out of convenience. “When I eat at the cafeteria, I feel re- ally bad, because I know this food is not good for you and it is just junk food,” Dhak said. Molag said that students must have control] over what they are eating, as ready-made foods tend to have more salt, sugar and fat. “Nutrition is not something that you can just have without thinking, it takes planning and it takes thinking, it takes personal responsibility,” Molag said. y aot We / DUSTIN GODFREY photo Students who fidget may find themselves with a lessened risk posed by sedentary lifestyle, according to a recently published study. Fidget away, fight fat: study Study suggests fidgeting may prove healthy expenditure of energy By KEVIN UNDERHILL esearch has shown that stu- dents with a hard time breaking from sedentary school life may find health benefits in fidgeting. According to a study recently pub- lished in the American Journal of Pre- ventive Medicine, those who fidget more may have a better chance at dodging health risks posed by life in the classroom. UBC. kinesiology professor Guy Faulkner said new research is being done on how lighter activities that burn calories, referred to as non-exer- cise activity thermogenesis (NEAT), may play into health. “Even fidgeting incurs some energy expenditure; that is better than being completely sedentary,” Faulkner said. He said that this aspect of physical activity, which includes tapping one’s foot or walking between classes, is be- coming more accepted as a way of burning calories. “Tt is in line with probably a newer public health messaging that some- thing is better than nothing, and more is better,” he said. “We’re trying to en- courage any movement that moves be- yond just sitting.” While fidgeting may be beneficial for students who spend several hours a day in desks, it likely won’t help with the instructors’ tempers. Still, teachers might be doing themselves a favour by providing students with opportunities to expend energy pent up in class in other ways, such as allowing breaks. Daniel Nykon, department chair of psychology at Langara College said students should use their breaks to get out of their desks and move around. “Tt’s a purposeful shift from a seden- tary job to creating a situation where you are going to start doing things that are better for your health,” Nykon said. Faulkner also noted NEAT activities aren’t the end-all for exercise needs. “Clearly for the bigger bangs for your public health buck, so to speak, still, moderate to vigorous physical ac- tivity seems most important,” he said. 66 Fidget- ing incurs some ener- gy expen- diture; that is better than being completely sedentary. GUY FAULKNER UBC KINESIOLOGY Workshop to help students tackle procrastination ad ee ee — MARK STUART photo Students who are overwhelmed may procrastinate by finding other ways to fill their time. Counselling department to host workshop to help kick procrastination By MARK STUART ith the digital age bringing dis- WV cions right to our finger- tips, one Langara College workshop is looking to take a hack at student procrastination. Langara’s counselling department will be holding a workshop on Oct. 22 on overcoming procrastination. Tim Charters, the host of the workshop, will discuss some of the causes of procrasti- nation and delve into some of the strat- egies for overcoming it. Charters said he intends to have workshop attendees look at the various reasons people procrastinate, and pro- vide examples of ways individuals can ensure their course load doesn’t pile up. “We need to try to normalize why we do it,” Charters said, noting that almost everyone procrastinates to some ex- tent. “Is it because of excessively high standards? Perfectionism? A fear of failure? Or is it because the task is bor- ing, or overwhelming?” Second year kinesiology student Rabjot Kaur said that there are a few different activities that often distract her from her work. “T usually watch a TV series, and then just Facebook or hang out with b- friends,” Kaur said. RABJOTKAUR Second year psy- Second year kine- chology — student siology student Nick Chan said he uses past experiences of procrastina- tion as motivation not to procrastinate in the future. “T just think about the times where I received a really poor grade for pro- crastinating—so that’s kind of what the motivation is to start doing work,” Chan said. “More bad things than good things come from it.” The workshop will be in room L216 from 2:30-3:30 p.m.