Student News Story

How much is your health worth?

By Jemma Bourne   

Students are becoming fatter, unhealthier and less fit… some say is it too expensive to do something about it. Will the opening of ‘The Gym’ in central Southampton get students moving?   

When many young people become a student and take on university life their lifestyle changes dramatically. ‘Fresher’s fortnight’ means drinking alcohol nearly every day for some. Having the freedom to buy and cook their own meals means many students live off cheap instant meals or take outs and snack throughout the day and night.

Students in America actually have the term ‘freshman’s fifteen’, as many American students put on a massive fifteen pounds in their first year of study.

Josh Barrington, a second year Spanish student from Portsmouth, says: “I have definitely put on weight since being at uni but I can’t really do anything about it, I can’t afford a gym membership and healthy, fresh food is expensive.”

Other students such as Charlotte Webb, 20-years-old from Bournemouth, are doing something about their health. She explains: “Money is tight when you’re a student but after I realised I had started to put on weight I took out a gym membership.”

 Charlotte adds: “I know people that went off to university and came back three years later twice the size, I don’t want this to happen to me.”

Many students, although wanting to join a gym, dismiss the idea due to the price. They do not have enough money. However, many gyms recognise this and provide a discounted student membership, but how useful are these memberships to students?

Kinetika Gyms are run by DC Leisure and have over seventy centres up and down the country. They have two different memberships available for students, off peak at £24.50 which gives the customer access between 9am-4pm and peak at £32.00, allowing them to work out all day every day.  

Andrea Lee, sales manager at a site in the West Midlands, said: “Our off peak student membership is a brilliant price for students. All our memberships come with five one-on-one personal training sessions to get the clients on track to hit their goals.”

We ask students how useful these cheap off peak memberships are and if they are signing up for them?

Emily Mitchell, a full time marketing student from Manchester, explains: “I want to join a gym but I am absolutely broke so would probably only be able to afford twenty to twenty five pound a month max. I know there are student memberships at around that price out there but they are mostly off peak memberships.

“There is no point spending twenty pound a month on a off peak membership that allows you to use the gym between 9am and 4pm because that’s when most of us are in lectures, seminars or studying in the library.”

‘The Gym’ has fifteen gyms in total around England, one of which is planned to open in central Southampton on 29^th March 2011. Their website allows you to sign up from home for just £10.99 a month which may appeal to students living in the city. The gym does not tie you into any contract and is also open 24 hours a day.

Fitness instructor Jay Sztybel explains how you can keep fit and healthy without having to spend a penny.

·         Exercise regularly – this does not mean spending money on a gym membership. Go for a jog and do lunges and sit ups at home.

·         Eat a healthy balanced diet. Cut out fried, greasy take aways and processed foods. Anything that is in its original state, like chicken breast and other meats, vegetables and potatoes are good for you. Also eat wholemeal bread, pasta and rice.

·         Cut out any sugary fizzy drinks and replace with water. You should be drinking at least 1.5 litres of water every day. 

Links

http://www.dcleisurecentres.co.uk/kinetika+Gyms/Kinetika+Membership+Options

http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/News/NewsArchive/2010/StudentHealthAdvice

http://www.thegymgroup.com/

Contact information

Andrea Lee, Sales Manager. Stourport Sports Centre, Harold Davies Drive, Stourport, DY13 0AA.

Jay Sztybel, Fitness Instructor. Stourport Sports Centre, Harold Davies Drive, Stourport, DY13 0AA.

Fitness Instructor Jay Sztybel informs us how to keep fit and healthy without spending a penny.

Students take to the outdoors to get their health back on track.



'The Gym'advertises its opening in Southampton this month.



Happy Daddies, Miserable Bosses… Is shared parental leave fair?

A dad with his new born baby.

From April 3^rd this year men have legally been given the entitlement for an extended paternity leave. The normal two weeks a man can take off work has stretched to 26 weeks.

Lots of businesses, mainly small firms, see this new legislation as a burden to them. They say that not only will this be costly but they simply do not have the employees to deal with all the paperwork.

However the new law states that a father can only take his six months paternity leave once the child’s mother has returned to work after her first six months leave. Therefore employers are not really paying any more than they were before: parents are simply sharing what used to be a year of maternity leave.

This makes me question whether many employers, especially these vocal small businesses, had a bias against young woman of child bearing age before this new legislation came into action.

If they are now so worked up about their male staff potentially having six months off work after the birth of their child, does this mean that they would simply not have employed a woman in the past just in case she became pregnant?

Personally I think the new law will make employment fairer. If both women and men get the same amount of time off after the birth of a child then this should eliminate bias when women go for jobs.

Also, I think the bosses out there who are angry about this change should come and join the rest of us in the 21^st century. Traditionally men would be the earners of the family and put food on the table, but things have changed. These days there are many women who earn more than their husbands and therefore need to get back to work, leaving the man to care for the children.

As Brendan Barber, the TUC general secretary, said: “Good employers should have nothing to fear from these employment changes."     

The government also hopes to extend the measures by 2015 with a fully flexible system of shared parental leave.

So all those grumpy employers and big angry bosses better get used to it!

Links

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12981310

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Parents/Moneyandworkentitlements/WorkAndFamilies/index.htm

http://www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=1806

Health, Beauty, Confidence - Part 1. Sexy Skin

Whether it’s a day at the office, a night of clubbing or a lazy day shopping, we all want to be confident with the way that we look. Beauty is found on this inside… but I think everyone can agree that they are most confident when their beauty is shining on the outside too.

There is nothing more attractive than confidence, when you're confident the whole world will notice. It doesn’t matter what shape, size or colour you are; here are a few of my key beauty tips that will transform you into a beautiful, confident goddess!

The first thing to focus on is your skin. You should always exfoliate your skin when you shower which will remove any dead skin cells and leave your skin silky smooth. Exfoliating gloves can come as cheap as just one pound and you can find them at all your local stores, such as Bodycare, Superdrug and Boots.

When exfoliating you should always rub your hand towards your heart as this reduces the effects of cellulite. Using a good moisturiser that sinks into your skin and lasts 24 hours after each shower is a must; this is because most moisture is lost after showering. You don’t have to spend a fortune either; my favourite bargain moisturiser is Sainsbury’s own cocoa butter.

My Nan, who looks amazing for her age, has always told me that moisture is the key to young and healthy skin when I asked for her secret. I used to moisturise every now and then because I’m always in a rush- but now I do it every day without fail. It’s worth it, trust me!

As well as having super soft moist skin, a subtle glow also helps to boost your confidence and gives the illusion of a slimmer body. For an everyday glow that you can build up I recommend Dove’s tinted moisturiser that is made for lighter skin tones as well as darker skin tones.

For an instant tan, Rimmel Matte summer glow is brilliant when applied with a tanning mit. This method is fabulous for tanning your legs before a night out. Another method of tanning that we are all aware of is sunbeds. They are extremely dangerous and will damage your skin meaning that you will age very quickly. I used to use them myself so I am aware that they give good results and become addictive but I would seriously recommend any users to stop.

You may feel beautiful whilst you’re young and tanned but when you’re older you will look terrible for your age… I sure none of you want to look like Mage from Benidorm! So keep moisturising and using your fake tans. My best friend is a beautician who is trained in a variety of different methods of tanning. I have been the guinea pig for most of her training so I know that they are all very good. If you have a special occasion coming up why not pop into your nearest beauticians and check out what’s on offer. I especially like Fake Bake and St Tropez.

Follow these simple everyday steps to sexy skin and you will soon see the difference.