With
the new year now under way and new resolutions determined, many people are
aiming to live a healthier lifestyle in 2013. New year’s resolutions are never
a bad thing, but it’s crucial to stay committed to such a lifestyle, or in our
culture’s vernacular, to “stick with it” every day. Even in the WC community,
the high school faculty is striving to live more healthfully through a special
“Employee Wellness Contest” via loseit.com in which individuals earn points for a healthy
diet, consistent exercise, and spiritual development. The individual who has
collected the most points at the end of nine weeks receives $200. A hefty
reward, to be sure, but the benefits of a healthy lifestyle far outweigh any
monetary prize.
Nearly everyone knows the components
of good health: a nutritional diet and regular exercise. This sounds simple
enough, but actually applying these concepts daily is more of a challenge.
According to Mrs. Smith, WCHS health teacher, the average high school student
should get at least 30 minutes of exercise each day for 5-6 days a week. This
may sound daunting, but she suggests fun ways to get active, such as group
fitness classes and pickup games at parks. “I’m not a morning person,” she
admits, but she stresses that consistency in your workouts is what counts. The
benefits to regularly exercising are abundant: “Exercise boosts your immune
system,” Mrs. Smith offers. She also adds that “it helps to decrease
depression” and that emotionally, exercise releases endorphins, which bring out
good feelings. Jessica Bush, a WC senior, calls her mom “inspiring” as she
“works out every day.” It is no wonder that her mom is her “healthy lifestyle”
role model. “She’s a good example of what I want to be like when I’m her age,”
Jessica explains.
Exercise, however, is only a part of
a healthy lifestyle; nutrition is equally important. Healthy eating doesn’t
have to be a drag: even simple additions and changes can improve your diet.
Mrs. Smith suggests consuming something every two hours or so “to keep
metabolism up.” Satisfying and nutritious snack choices abound: she offers
apples and almond butter, carrots and hummus, and celery and low-fat peanut
butter as healthy options. Even in a lunch, students can incorporate nutritious
food. Mrs. Cunningham, WCHS school nurse, suggests adding fruit, such as an
apple or orange, or vegetables such as bell peppers to your lunch to boost its
nutritional value in a simple way. In fact, she recommends healthily abundant
intakes of fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins to maximize a diet. Quinoa,
too, which she calls “the perfect protein in plant form” and “super
nutritious,” lives up to its hype and offers a beneficial addition to your
health. Despite the need for a healthy diet, sometimes high school students are
just that--high school students. Citing popcorn and tacos as some of her
favorite foods, Jessica admits that she “could make a lot wiser choices.”
However, she teaches us that the right balance of effort and enjoyment is
crucial. “I’m a teenager,” she laughs.
Lately, the flu and other colds have
affected countless numbers of people. Although people mistakenly think that
many germs are spread by mouth, Mrs. Cunningham corrects this misconception by
saying that germs are mostly spread by hands. The logical conclusion, then, is
to frequently wash your hands. “Some people just have stronger ones [immune
systems],” Mrs. Cunningham explains. This, however, does not nullify actions
that can improve your immune system. A “nutritious diet” as well as “good hand
washing and plenty of sleep” are simple lifestyle changes that people can
factor into their lives to be at their healthiest, as Mrs. Cunningham offers.
When people inevitably catch a cold or the flu, Mrs. Cunningham recommends that
people “increase sleep, increase fluids.” She also suggests eating foods that
are high in vitamin C, such as citrus fruits, and also even chicken noodle
soup, which has been proven to be effective in improving sicknesses. Although
for many cases, it is practical to let the illness “run its course,” these
simple methods can be of great help in quickening recovery.
With the new year come new goals,
and many people aim to pursue a healthier lifestyle. Jessica wants to train for
a half marathon, and pertaining to college, she expresses, “I want to make
wiser decisions, food-wise.” Whether WCHS chooses to exercise more often or
incorporate healthy food into its lunches, may 2013 be a year where students
and faculty alike seek to care for their bodies in the best possible way by making
healthy lifestyle changes. So what are we waiting for? Let’s get healthy, and
stay healthy!
By Joy Cho
Tyler and Josh are in L.A. right
now and they just completed an interview with Carson Daly, host of
The Voice. Just before heading off to
L.A. Twenty One Pilots held a signing event at Best Buy in Columbus where
thousands of people showed up to give support to their hometown band. Twenty One Pilots love their hometown and
hold nothing back when performing for their supporters.
The Worthington Christian boys varsity basketball season is
already more than halfway over. They are 10-4 thus far with just 6 games left.
The team has had a pretty good season so far, pulling out some tough wins along
the way including Mt. Gilead, Fairbanks, and Johnstown on the road. However,
the team has lost four games against Olentangy, Mifflin, Bishop Ready, and
North Union. 
Twelve Angry Jurors is a play by
Reginald Rose adapted from his 1954 teleplay that aired on CBS. Later, a feature film was made for it in
1957. The play's Broadway debut came 50 years later, and was extremely popular.
The drama is about a jury forced to consider a homicide trial. This dramatic
production gets interesting quick. The jurors
discriminate and fight, but one juror convinces the others that this case is a
little more challenging than they thought.
