It's Bittersweet Saying Goodbye

I couldn’t be more grateful for my experience as a telecommunications student at the University of Florida. Being apart of one of the best colleges of journalism and communications in the country is an honor and I’ve gained invaluable skills during my four years. With graduation in a week, I’m a mix of emotions – happy, sad, excited, anxious, and the list goes on. It’s bittersweet knowing what I’m leaving behind, but because of the education and experience I’ve had as a journalism student at UF, I feel confident in my skills as I head out into the real world. The Center for Media Innovation and Research is just one example of how wonderful UF is and how dedicated they are to facilitating their students in the best way possible. UF is clearly a leader when it comes to teaching this generation of students about journalism and communications.

We receive so much real world experience, especially with the new Integrated News Facility. You actually feel like you’re in a real newsroom and I mean, essentially you are. It’s a fast paced environment with the integration of TV, radio and web all in one, using each other as resources to stay up to date on the most breaking stories. Nothing could beat the time I spent in the INF, nor the feeling I get knowing that I had the best college learning experience. Anchoring the live newscast at five o’clock for WUFT-TV was one of the highlights of my time as a telecom student at UF and I will cherish that for a very long time.
The amazing education and opportunities I’ve had at UF are not lost on me and I can’t wait to come back and visit in a couple years and see how much more advanced they are and how much greater the learning experience has become. It doesn’t seem possible considering how fantastic it already is, but if there’s one thing I know about the University of Florida, it’s that anything is possible.

Will the Trend "Tip"?

The Tipping Point was an interesting and easy-to-read book. Malcolm Gladwell did a lot of research to come up with this analysis of how trends are sparked and how they do, or don’t, take hold. He explains how some trends receive wide-scale popularity and others fade away. I thought the three key factors he identified as playing a role in whether or not trends gain this popularity were really interesting and also spot-on. The Law of the Few contends that before widespread popularity can be attained, a few key types of people must champion an idea, concept, or product before it can reach the tipping point. He breaks this concept down further, describing the three types of influential people as Connectors, Mavens, and Salesman and describes the role of each of them and how they influence people to reach the tipping point of a product or concept. The Stickiness Factor is the quality that compels people to play close attention to that idea, concept, or product. The Power of Context is pretty broad but it helps determine whether a particular trend will tip into widespread popularity. Every little thing and every little second matters. The situation can change before, during or after the tipping point has been reached. Gladwell demonstrates his point by using the example of Hush Puppies, which I thought was funny but definitely gets the point across. Hush Puppies went from being an unfashionable look to a hugely popular one. Gaining exponential popularity, the company’s sales skyrocketed. All it took was a few people to start wearing the shoes and it slowly became a trend as other people started wearing them too. Once fashion designers gained interest and made a big fuss over them, they reached what Gladwell refers to as the “tipping point.” This is the point of the book exactly; sometimes all it takes is for a trend to reach a few of the “right” people for it to get to that tipping point.

While this probably isn’t a book I would have chose to just read on my own for fun, I did find it insightful especially as an individual wanting to pursue a career in the media. Trends begin and end with the media. Hey, you never know, my blog for this class could start trending. It would just need enough attention and someone to believe that it had a compelling idea or concept. Ideas and messages can spread just like viruses. Sounds weird buts it’s the truth isn’t it? In today’s society, where social media allows news, ideas, and trends to spread like wildfire, anything is possible. Twitter even has a “trending” section where you can see what people are talking about most on any given day. All of the information in this book is clear, concise and to the point so that you can understand the main idea. I would definitely recommend it to others. It opens up your mind to an idea that we all might have already known but never really thought about or explored as deeply as Gladwell.

Introducing A Few More of My Classmates

When I was looking through some more of my classmates websites I found a few that really stuck out to me. I really loved Kaitlyn McGrath's blog all about the University of Florida Dazzlers. I've always had a passion for dance and while I'm not on any of the dance teams at UF, I appreciate Kaitlyn's dedication to her team. I also love looking at all the pictures shes posted of the girls at different community and sporting events. Speaking of sporting events, I've discovered that Robert Lopez and I are both New York Yankee fans. His blog is totally sports related and its nice to have a classmate to keep me up-to-date on any sports news I might have missed out on. Finally, I really enjoyed reading through Lauren Lettelier's blog. She, like me, chose a fitness topic which is cool because its fun to see what tips other people have about exercising and keeping a healthy diet. I've actually learned a lot about crossfit lately and would love to try it out. She goes into great detail about the program and shes recently become a crossfit athlete which I think is awesome!

Meet My Classmates!

So enough about me, let me introduce you to some of my awesome and talented peers who are also blogging about really fun things. My blog is all about staying fit and these three girls happened to be blogging about great foods...I'd say those two things go hand in hand, right? ;)

Cassandra Liening has some delicious posts on her blog ranging from hearty meals to tantalizing desserts. What I love is that she includes some great recipes so if I want to try out any of her meal ideas I have easy access to just what I need. The banana bread muffins and brownies are definitely my favorite.

Katie Gillen also shares some awesome recipes on her blog. What's different about hers, and what I really love, is that she combines food and sports. Really, you can't have one without the other. She shares some great stories about where she's visited and the foods she has had in those cities which I think is a really neat way to incorporate the two together.

But if cooking isn't your thing, another classmate of mine, Juliana Valencia, has a blog dedicated to great dining options in Gainesville. In each blog post she talks about a different restaurant in Gainesville where you can get delicious food and/or desserts. She even gives some suggestions of yummy options/foods shes tried at each place.

I'm glad some of my classmates enjoy a good meal every once in a while just as much as I do. And I'm excited I now have some new recipes to try out!

A Little Bit About Me

I'm a 4th year telecommunications-news student at the University Florida. I will be graduating in May with a Bachelor of Science in telecommunications and an outside concentration in sports management. I am currently a news anchor for the evening news show, First at Five, for the North Central Florida PBS affiliate. I have a passion for media and entertainment and ideally would like to pursue a job in entertainment news. A full list of my professional experience and skills can be seen on my resume, which is also posted on my blog. I was born and raised in South Florida and would love to end up living back there at some point in my life. I have a very tight knit family. I'm extremely close with my parents and younger brother and of course, our loving Shih Tzu, Muffin. I love spending time with my friends and family, going to the beach, dancing and working out, which you can see from the topic of my blog, Commit to be Fit. I like to live each day to the fullest, with no regrets and believing that everything happens for a reason.

My Digital Resume

Samantha Kerrigan's resume.

Top 5 Foods That Don't Deserve Their Bad Raps

This top 5 list is awesome because it may give you a new found perspective on some foods you thought you shouldn't be eating. After reading this I kind of want to go and make my own healthy pizza.

1. Pizza. Pizza has a bad reputation because when you have it, you're usually eating the unhealthy kind made with white crust, a lot of cheese and and high fat meat toppings. If you make a pizza at home from scratch, you can use a whole wheat crust, fresh vegetable toppings and add as little or as much cheese as you want.

2. Peanut Butter. Peanut butter gets a bad rap because it is very high in fat. But it is high in healthy (unsaturated) fats. These fats have been shown to decrease your risk of heart disease. While you shouldn't be eating whole jars of this stuff, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich can be very healthy.

3. Eggs. Eggs get a bad reputation because they are high in cholesterol and have a bit of saturated (bad) fat. But if you do not have a cholesterol problem, eggs provide a high amount of good quality protein and are low in calories. Eggs may also be a healthy choice for food before or after a workout. If you're interested in finding out if eggs are in fact something good to eat before or after you exercise, check out a great video I posted onn my blog, Commit to be Fit, a couple weeks ago.

4. Beef. Since beef is high in saturated (bad) fat, many people stay away from it. Beef is also high in good quality protein and iron. You can buy lean ground beef that has as much fat as ground turkey. Lean ground beef is also usually less expensive and tastier than ground turkey. You can also try organic beef.

5. Carbohydrates. Low carb diets label bread as unhealthy because of the high carbohydrate content. Carbs come in two categories: good and bad. Bread can be good or bad so lumping all bread into the bad category is like stereotyping. If it is made out of 100% whole wheat flour, it is good. The whole wheat flour is high in fiber and nutrients while white flour is not. This is true of all foods made from flour including snacks and pasta.

Top 5 Ways to Enjoy Alcohol in a Healthy Way

I think it is important to know how to maintain a healthy diet and that diet doesn't have to be blown when you go out for drinks with friends. As a college student, I like to meet friends out for drinks every once in a while but I don't like to feel bloated or like I'm wasting my calories on alcohol. I really liked figuring out some ways to enjoy alcohol in a healthier way so I hope you do too!

1. Diet Sodas. When you have a mixed drink, make it with diet soda. This can take off about 100 calories per drink which, depending on how much you drink, can add up to quite a bit by the end of the night.

2. Fruit and Vegetable Juices. You can also make mixed drinks with fruit and vegetable juices, like tomato juice. Even the small amount of vitamins and minerals will make your drinks healthier than if you had used soda. Vegetables can also be a great source of fat, which help keep a balanced diet. For more information on vegetables and good sources of fat you can check out another post on my blog Commit to be Fit.

3. Shots. Shots contain the same amount of alcohol as mixed drinks but they have far less calories because...they aren't mixed with anything. This can cause you to drink more though, which defeats the purpose of shots, so be mindful of how much you're taking in.

4. Light Beer. Light beer has less calories than the regular kind but can cause you to drink more because you don't feel as full. If you drink light beer to save on the calories, make sure to keep track of how much you're actually drinking because it can end up being a lot more than you think.

5. Wine. If you can afford it, drink wine instead of beer or liquor. It is very high in antioxidants which can help protect you from cancer. However, don't drink too much thinking its healthy. Studies show that benefits happen from drinking one to two glasses per day for men and one glass per day for women.

So no matter what your drink of choice may be, it is possible to make healthy mixed drinks and to make healthy choices in general when it comes to alcohol.  

Top 5 Quick and Easy Breakfast Ideas

We've all heard it before..."breakfast is the most important meal of the day." Well it's true and I'm one of the guilty people who skips breakfast quite often. I'm not always hungry in the morning or I just don't have a lot of time to make anything but I could make a healthier lifestyle for myself if I made it a point to even just eat something small. So in honor of March being National Nutrition Month, with the theme of "Eat Breakfast," I thought I would list some quick and easy breakfast ideas.

1. Breakfast Bars. There are so many different kinds of breakfast bars out there now and they're so easy to grab and take on the go. There's granola bars, oatmeal bars and even cereal bars so it shouldn't be hard to find a kind that your taste buds enjoy. Some of these do have a high amount of sugar but then again, so do a lot of breakfast foods. Try choosing one that is made from oats, has a high amount of fiber and a low amount of sugar. This will hep ensure that the energy you get will be released slowly and will not give you a sugar rush and eventually a crash.

2. Yogurt. It doesn't take but a few minutes to eat a cup of yogurt and it has plenty of vitamins and minerals. It has proteins, carbs and fat to give you energy throughout the morning and early afternoon. Plus there's a lot of great flavors to choose from.

3. Fruit. A piece of fruit can hold you over for a long time until you have time to get something more to eat. Its another easy grab and go option, whether it be a banana or apple or some grapes. With sugar and fiber it will give you slow energy release to keep you alert throughout the morning.

4. Chocolate Milk. Now this may seem like a weird and unhealthy option but it is actually very high in energy and protein. Like regular milk it is high in nutrients including calcium and vitamin D. It might be easier for your stomach to handle liquid in the morning then solid foods.

5. And the fifth idea may seem silly but honestly its better to eat ANYTHING then to not eat at all. Breakfast really is important so just have a little bit of something every morning even if its a little bit of your favorite snack, healthy or unhealthy. Studies show that people who don't eat breakfast end up eating more throughout the day.

And, if you want to workout in the morning and feel like you shouldn't eat breakfast before you do so, think again! It's important to eat before any workout, you just have to make sure you're eating the right stuff. For suggestions on what to eat before or after a workout check out the video I included on my blog in one of my recent posts.

Top 3 Exercise Myths

I wanted to share this video with you all because I think it is very interesting. It talks about the top 3 exercise myths and it is a video from the same personal trainer that I used in my last post. The first one might actually really surprise you like it did me because I think its something that everyone believes they should do before working out. I don't want to spoil the video so I won't go into any more details about the myths but if you're looking to get fit and do it in the most efficient way, this video gives some good advice.

What to Eat Before and After a Workout

I think a lot of common misconceptions and confusion come into play as far as what we should be eating before and after a workout. I always feel as though I should go workout right when I wake up, before I eat, so that my body will burn off more fat and not burn off solely what I ate. But I don't know that that's the best thing to do or the healthiest. Then of course after my workout I'm usually always hungry but don't know what to eat or feel like I should wait so that I don't negate the whole workout I just did. I'm sure a lot of you feel the same way or have your own logic on what you think is best. I found this video which I really liked because it clears up some of the confusion about eating pre and post workout. The woman in the video is a personal trainer and has a lot of experience under her belt and I always like to hear tips from people who more than likely know what they're talking about. I also like that she doesn't just say that its okay to eat or doesn't just say what types of things to eat but rather gives examples of specific foods you can put together for the perfect before and after meal/snack. I hope you find the video helpful as well!

"Don't Make Me Think" Review

I liked "Don’t Make Me Think" and I thought it was a pretty interesting book. As an avid and frequent user of the Internet, a lot of this seemed like common sense to me. It’s true…when I’m looking at a webpage, I tend to click on the first thing that appears to be what I’m looking for and I always just scan over pages unless its information that I absolutely need. So if I was reading this book and trying to create a website I would want to make it user friendly and easily accessible. However, I say that, as I’m sure a lot of people do, but then when it comes time to create your website you get so caught up in trying to make it the best that you stop concerning yourself with the most important thing – the people who will be visiting your site. 

I really enjoyed his idea of satisficing. I hadn't thought about it before but after reading this I realized that that is actually a pretty accurate fact. We don't necessarily choose the best option but rather the first reasonable option. When you're looking for something on the Internet you don't always know what the best option is but you try to pick one that seems reasonable in scope. If we knew the best option to our answer we probably wouldn't need to be looking it up online in the first place. 

If I was creating my own website I would want to have clearly defined pages and "dummy-proof" tabs, if you will. That way people know exactly what to click on to find what they're looking for. Less is more. It's important not to clutter up your website with noise and busy-ness. A simple template that looks nice and clean is always easier for a visitor to navigate. The fancier you get, the more overwhelmed your visitor could get. I would make sure my homepage has all the important elements that Krug lists like the site identity and mission, site hierarchy, a search box, teases that entice people to continue looking, etc. I also like the idea of recruiting people to test out your website before you actually launch it. It's always nice to get feedback and a lot of times you don't always catch your own mistakes or wrong-doings so another set of eyes can be valuable. 

I am actually in the process of making a website for myself right now. As a telecommunications major, seeking job opportunities, I also want people to be able to seek me out. Having a website with my work can help get my name out there, its a great way for me to let people know how they can easily access my work and it allows employers to find me who I may never have even considered in my job search. Now that I know this book exists, I might find myself referencing it for good tips on how to make my website top-notch. Granted it won't be nearly as complex as most websites out there, like Amazon, but that doesn't mean it can't be appealing and easy to navigate, with a little bit of sizzle, of course. 

Top 5 Sources of Good Fats

Do you know the difference between good fats and bad fats? Well heres a list of the top 5 sources of good fats to help you out!

1. Vegetables. Vegetables that contain fats (with the exception of coconuts) are good sources of unsaturated fats. Avocados and olives are two good examples. Avocados also provide nearly 20 essential nutrients, including fiber, potassium, Vitamin E, B-Vitamins and folic acid.

2. Vegetable Spreads. Vegetable spreads can be used as substitutes for butter and margarine. They're made from vegetables oils which have some positive health effects,

3. Oils. Olive and canola oils are rich in unsaturated fats. They are great substitutes to use for butter while cooking and add their own unique flavor to foods.

4. Nuts. Nuts contain high amounts of monounsaturated fats which have been shown to protect against cardiovascular disease. Nuts are a great source of food for snacking which will help you make it in between meals without indulging in junk food. Peanut butter also contains healthy fats.

5. Fish. Fish are rich in unsaturated fats. They also contain omega 3 fatty acids which are heart healthy.

Top 5 Ways to Exercise

It's important to find an activity that you enjoy doing when it comes to exercising. If you like what you're doing then you will work out for a longer period of time and probably with a higher intensity. I used to dance 6 days a week for hours at a time and I was in the best shape of my life but I never felt like I was working out, I was just having fun doing what I loved. But there's a variety of ways to get in a good work out. Here are the top 5 ways to exercise:

1. Cardiovascular Exercise. Cardio is any type of exercise that gets your heart beating fast for an extended period of time. It's great for burning a large amount of calories which is helpful if you're trying to lose weight. Cardio should be done 3-5 times per week and last 30-60 minutes per workout. Cardiovascular exercise can include anything from running to biking to swimming.

2. Strength Training. Strength training uses resistance to place a load on the muscle. This causes it to grow in size and strength over time. Resistance comes in many forms including free weights, bands, machines or even body weight. You should do this about 2-4 times a week. Gaining muscle will help you burn more calories throughout your day so its important for everyone to engage in strength training not just men or body builders.

3. Group Fitness. Group exercise classes are a great way to work out. It breaks up the mundane routine of going to the gym everyday and doing the same workout. It helps motivate you and pushes you harder than you might push yourself since someone is directing you. It's also a great way to be social because taking group classes with friends can be a lot of fun. Most gyms offer a wide variety of classes including yoga, circuit training, cycling and zumba.

4. Sports. Participating in sports is a great way to exercise. It gets you out of the gym and has the potential to get you in shape quickly. Tennis, basketball, and soccer are all great for you.

5. Physical Work. Working out doesn't always have to come in the form of exercise. You could actually be working out more than you know. Labor intensive tasks such as washing your car, doing housework or gardening can also count as physical activity.

     

HOMEmade workout

Don't have a gym membership? Or just not enough time to make it to the gym? Don't let that discourage you from getting in a great workout. Getting to the gym on a college campus is no easy task with the parking restrictions and even once you're there, there's no guarantee you'll get a machine you want. So take it from me, with your body and about 20 feet of space, you've got everything you need to get fit at home. The key though, is to single task. Multitasking results in us doing neither task as well as we should, according to research published in the journal NeuroImage. So if you're going to work out at home you have to commit your full attention to it, you can't watch TV or start your dinner cooking in the over at the same time. Listening to music however is a great motivator and it distracts you from the discomfort of physical exertion. You'll work out harder, faster and better. Also, you don't have to keep yourself confined to the inside of your house or apartment just because your working out "at home." Change things up and change up the scenery by going for a run or a walk outside. I find that running outside puts me in a good mood and then when I get back to my apartment I'm pumped up and ready to continue my workout with some crunches and weight training.

The newest addition to my home training facility, also known as my living room. 

Welcome to my blog!

In creating this blog my goal is to provide my followers with useful exercise and diet tips to help them live a healthier lifestyle. I myself have always tried to live a healthy life, actively participating in sports and activities all through my years of school and dancing for 12 years. But once I got to college it became a little harder to stay fit since I was constantly busy with school and had to learn to create my own workout regimen. As I get older, my health and fitness becomes more and more important to me and I find that I respect myself more and feel better about myself in everything I do when I feel good. So all these tips that I'll be posting in my blog are tips that I use in my own life. I wouldn't ask other people to listen to my advice if I wasn't listening to it myself. I hope you enjoy all my posts and commit to be fit!