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Spelman Spotlight
February 18, 1983
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Guide To ABetter You
Loving Thyself
and often neglected love will be
by Sharon Y. Jones
February. What thoughts run
through your mind when you
think of this, the second month
of the new year? When I reflect
upon this month, I think of cold,
dreary days, Black H istory
Month, and more prominently
— LOVE.
One can probably not help but
reflect upon LOVE, when think
ing about February. The display
counters of almost every store
you enter are filled with heart
shaped boxes containing candy,
perfume, and stationery. In the
card department, birthday and
sympathy cards are overshadow-
by Sharon Y. Jones
If the body you have now, is
not the one you want for spring
and summer, NOW is the time to
rectify the situation. These three
rules tell you how.
All of us have had at least one
course in biology, and know that
our bodies require energy to
function. This energy we operate
on, comes from the foods we eat.
It is measured in calories, just as
we measure weight in pounds
and height in inches. Some
energy is readily used while
some is stored away. When we
eat foods that give more calories
than our body uses for energy,
the excess will be stored as extra
fat — usually where we want it
least and where it shows the
most. When we supply fewer
calories from food than our body
uses for energy, the stored fat
will be used to make up the
difference.
So, Rule #1: Count Your
Calories. Flow many calories
does you body need? Multiply
your weight by 16. Let’s say you
weigh 130 lbs. Multiply by 16and
you get 2,080 calories. To main
tain your present weight, eat the
amount of calories needed to
maintain your present weight. To
lose weight, eat fewer calories
than you required (but no less
than 1000 calories), and if you are
trying to gain weight, eat more
calories than you need.
To determine the caloric value
of the foods you eat, invest in a
pocket-sized calorie counter,
and refer to it before you put
anything in your mouth. Do this
every night before you go to bed
and be honest! Cheating will
eventually show. Another must
when reshaping your figure is a
scale. Buy a scale and weigh
yourself once a week. Knowing
how much you weigh will help
you keep your weight in contol.
ed by the pink and red heart-
shaped Valentine’s Day cards
professing LOVE. Even record
stores are spinning into the act.
Eor $2.50, you can buy brightly
colored heart-shaped cards con
taining romantic recordings by
some of your favorite artist!
Every women’s magazine you
flip through this month, contains
articles about romance, “Making
Your Love Work,’’ and how to
become a better lover. You can
not escape it! LOVE is in the air.
This month’s “Guide To A
Better You” reflects upon LOVE
too. Instead of preaching about
how to improve your Ivoe
relationship, a more important
Rule #2: Eat Sensibly. To eat
sensibly, choose foods from the
four basic food groups: meat/
fish, vegetables/ fruit, cereal/
bread, and milk. It is
recommended that you eat two
servings daily of meat or fish.
Meats, which include beef, pork,
lamb, veal, or poultry, provide
protein, iron and B vitamins.
They may be substituted with
cheese, cooked dry beans and
peas, nuts or seeds, and peanut
butter.
Vegetables/fruits provide our
bodies with vitamins C and A,
plus minerals. Since heat can
destroy and water can leach out
nutrients, eat your fruits raw (i.e.
a fresh apple instead of cooked
apples), and your vegetables raw
or steamed. 4 servings daily of
vegetables/ fruits are suggested.
The bread/cereal group
supplies the body with car
bohydrates for energy, some
protein and vitamin B. One
should try to eat 4 servings daily
from this group, which includes
bread, cereal and pasta (spaghet
ti noodles, etc.) Most of us
probably do not drink four cups
of milk a day (the amount
recommended), however,
yogurt, cheese and ice cream
may be substituted. Another
essential for a healthy body is
water. Drink lots of it!
Sweets (peach cobbler, cake,
and candy bars) and sugardo not
fall into the four basic foods
categories. Thus, stay away from
them! Steer clear of friend,
greasy foods, and foods drench
ed in gravies.
If you must snack, stay away
from the vending machines! The
candy man is gettin’ richer and
our hips are spreadin’ wider!
Instead of candy, stock up on
carrots, celery, fresh fruit, and
nuts. Remember, the trick to
whatever you eat is — modera-
discussed — LOVING THYSELF!
Why is it so important to LOVE
YOURSELF? Well, without self
love, you cannot love others.
Susan L. Taylor, the Editor-in-
Chief of Essence, emphasizes this
point when she says, “The key to
having healthy love relationships
is personal preparation — having
a positive relationship with
ourselves. When we’re tuned in
to our own center we begin to
understand what love is truly
about (Essence, February 1983).”
The woman who loves herself
is the one we aspire to be like.
She is someone who is attractive
to look at and attractive to know.
tion. A cup or two of popcorn
makes for a low calorie snack,
but not a whole popper full!
‘Nuff said!
Rule #3: Exercise. The key to
developing a firm body is exer
cise. When combined with the
previously mentioned eating
tips, exercise can help to keep
your muscles well toned and
firmed, and helps you look and
feel better. Suggestions for exer
cising your body include:
♦Jogging with friends - burns
up to 600 calories an hour
♦Swim - take advantage of the
free swim in Read Hall, and leave
400-500 calories in the pool
♦Play tennis - there are enough
pretty days for you and a partner
to head for the new courts
She is the woman who takes
pride in doing her best with her
looks, her clothes, her manners,
and her grooming. The woman
who loves herself stands straight
with smooth, firm muscles and
carries a weight becoming to her
height and build. Rhythm and
grace characterize her moves.
The woman who loves herself
radiates enthusiasm and health,
and looks happy and interested
in the world around her. There
are several such women gracing
Spelman’s campus. We can all
spot them. Several is not enough
though, all of us should LOVE
OURSELVES!
Beginning this month vow to
become in tuned with yourself.
The following articles offer
suggestions about how you can
take the traits Nature gave you,
and develop them into the BEST
possible YOU.
located behind Read Hall. Play
an hour of tennis and you can
lose upwards of 400 calories.
♦Dance your hips off and lose
600-800 calories
♦Walk. Instead of looking for a
ride to West End Mall, get a
friend and walk! You can lose 300
calories if you walk briskly for an
hour.
♦Join one of the many nightly
exercise classes held in many of
the dormitories. It's a great way
to exercise and socialize at the
same time.
If you are not interested in any
of the methods of exercise just
mentioned, find something you
do like. Then throw yourself into
it!
Working
T ogether
by Sharon Y. Jones
It is 11 p.m., and the basement
lounge of Manley Dormitory has
come to life. The bright ceiling
lights beam down on the thirty
young women who are twisting,
stretching and flexing to the
soulful beats of Chaka Khan,
Luther Vandross and Grover
Washington, Jr, These women
are “working together” to get
physically fit, and Kim Bailey is
showing them how to do just
that.
For Kim Bailey, class coor
dinator and group leader of
“Working Together,” exercise
has always been an important
part of her daily routine. Having
studied modern and jazz dance
for many years, Kim had once
planned to concentrate her
studies in these areas at Califor
nia School of the Arts. Dad
however, felt that she should get
a college education first. And,
Spelman readily accepted this
English/ Mass communications
major, who hails from the
energetic city of Las Vegas,
Nevada. Kim, who is a junior,
aspires to become a screen
playwriter, producer and direc
tor of her own films someday.
“Working Together” is a com
bination of not only Kim’s exer
cise routines, but also those she
picked up while attending “Jane
Fonda’s Workout,” in Los
Angelos. Kim visited the class
while vacationing in California
this past Christmas, and says,
“The class is truly a workout!” As
an avid participant at "Working
Together," I can say from per
sonal experience that Kim’s
session is a WORKOUT too!
Kim’s class is a workout and
stretch session that includes
aerobic and cardiovascular exer
cises. Emphasis is placed on
toning the stomach, hips and
thighs — all problem spots for
Black women. If the exercise
program is combined with a
balanced diet, weight loss is sure
to follow!
Kim appropriately titled her
class "Working Together”
because we are each working
together to develop the best
possible us, and simultaneously
encouraging our fellow
classmates to stretch just a little
further to develop the best
possible them. In “Working
Together,” we are Spelman
sisters united for a good cause —
ourselves!
NOTE: Due to limited practice
space, class enrollment is CLOS
ED!
The Spotlight welcomes all
new tips to include in our
Guide to A Better You.
Photo by Melvin Jones
Body Shaping