Your mother may have told you to eat your veggies when you were younger, but now she may be telling you to drink them instead. One of the major trends in health, juice diets, has been accredited for preventing illnesses like cancer, improving overall health and being an easy and fast method for weight loss.

With celebrities and health enthusiasts supporting the liquid concoctions, juicing has gained popularity and not only from the hippie yoga instructor. Despite the acclaimed benefits of either fasting or drinking a juice once a week, skeptics argue health concerns and the lack of scientific and beneficial evidence.

Pressing, shoving or squeezing vegetables and fruits into the juicer allow you to consume more of these foods. The quantity of fruits and vegetables are actually increased when juiced (10 cups of spinach will produce 1 cup of spinach juice).

However, some don’t believe these small portions are satisfying.

“It didn’t fill me up and that’s what made my roommate and I stop,” University of Oregon student Kelcie Goetsch said. “I remember going through the school day and having a headache and then we just went to Chipotle the same day we started it.”

For some juice dieters like Goetsch, the primary reason for juicing may be the desire to slim down.

“I did it to lose weight, and I also heard that it boosts your metabolism and cleanses your body,” Goetsch said.

The perception that weight loss leads to a slimmer body is a myth, according to nutrition counselor at PeaceHealth Medical Group Kathleen Brandt.

“Juice diets promote over-nutrition and today, people do not need over-nutrition,” Brandt said. “People need under-nutrition.”

In a study called “Examining College Students’ Daily Consumption of Fresh Fruits and Vegetables,” conducted by the Food Distribution Research Society, 25 percent of 17-to-24-year olds are overweight, and only 23.1 percent of the US population intakes five or more servings of fruits and vegetables daily.  

Just because juicing means eating a vast amount of “superfoods” doesn’t mean it’s always a healthy option. For example, when we juice, fibers are extracted from the fruits and vegetables. This absence of fiber causes your body to absorb more fructose sugar, which in turn, can result in higher levels of blood sugar.

An increased level of blood sugar is one example of the negative effects of juicing. For example, the Food and Drug Administration believes juicing can be susceptible to foodborne illnesses like vomiting and diarrhea due to pathogens in the vegetables and fruits. Thus, some dietitians suggest consuming the juice directly after it is made to avoid the possibility of unsanitary foods.

The Mayo Clinic believes that juicing is not healthier than eating the food itself but takes into consideration that people are eating less than the required amount of vegetables and fruits. If you don’t enjoy eating fresh fruits and vegetables, juicing may be a way to add them to your diet or try fruits and vegetables you normally wouldn’t eat.

Whether you create your own juice at home or buy the concoctions made ready, the trend of juicing has no scientific evidence of being healthier than eating solid fruits and vegetables. However, a juice every so often may help enhance your vegetable and fruit intake.

No matter what you’re doing, there is a beat for any workout activity. When you are lacking that extra push to crank out another rep or run longer, music gets you pumped up and motivates you to push harder. Let these 10 sweat-worthy workout songs move you.

1. Wekeed – “Wild Child” Here’s a feel-good song perfect for any cardio exercise. With the catchy and techno tune, it is a guaranteed heart-rate raiser. The lyrics do not give the song any justice whatsoever, but the beat energizes and refreshes repetitive workouts.
2. ScHoolboy Q – “Hands on the Wheel (featuring A$AP Rocky)” Rap is best for any lifting exercise and most non-cardio activities. ScHoolboy Q and A$AP are perfect for intense, adrenaline-raising workouts.
3. M83 – “Midnight City (Eric Prydz Private Remix)” While Lupe Fiasco added his rap flare to the M83 song, Eric Prydz dominated it with upbeat and energetic techno that is the epitome of a raging club scene song. From running, to spin class, to virtually any cardio activity, Eric Prydz’s remix is a must-have on your workout playlist.
4. Parker Ighile – “So Beautiful (Candyland Remix)” Seemingly perfect for pre-gaming, this remix is another good-vibe song, providing endless motivation with its techno tunes and lyrics that literally tell you you’re beautiful. Inspiration much?
5. Theophilus London – “Big Spender (featuring A$AP Rocky)” This is an obvious song that will give you some extra swag during workouts. With the rap and hard beats, I have been caught with the head nod and shoulder bounce while doing my weight routine. Yes, A$AP made two appearances on this list.
6. Lykke Li – “Little Bit (AutoErotique Bootleg Remix)” This is a club remix made for the ultimate cardio workout that definitely energizes while getting you fired up. The remix is excellent for a spin on the stationary bike or mat workout with sit-ups and push-ups.
7. Santigold – “Fame” With a crazy and insane drop, Santigold knows how to inspire you during any workout exercise. It’s a universal song that can be transferred from cardio to lifting to pilates.
8. Killer Mike – “Don’t Die” This is an essential to get you pumped up and ready for your workout. With the intense rap, I listen to it on my walk over to the gym. The ruthless and explicit rap song will get you in the hardcore, dominating attitude.
9. Yuna – “Lullabies (Adventure Club Remix)” While doing yoga in a 110-degree room with my towel and mat drenched in sweat, promoting me to slip and slide with every move, I was not motivated to continue the session. When this beautiful and energizing remix came on, it empowered me to finish the class. This remix is the opposite of the scary, computer-sex techno song and instead embodies an uplifting feeling that is motivational for yoga or cardio.
10. Katy Perry – “Dark Horse (featuring Juicy J)” The odd yet extremely cohesive duo nailed “Dark Horse.” It is a necessity for a change in the fast and upbeat techno songs for working out. The seductive song promotes a conquering mood that seems to work best with mat exercises.

To some, they may seem closed off, intimidating, overly confident and unintelligent. However, the image of a typical ditzy cheerleader quickly disappears as the University of Oregon cheerleaders consistently prove these stereotypes wrong.

UO junior and cheerleader Molly Neumeister had just finished her burrito with her legs crossed comfortably beneath her when she started to describe her day: 6-8 a.m. cheer practice then two education classes followed by a biology class and then weights practice from 5:30-6:30 p.m. with the plan to finish the night by catching up on homework and studying for midterms.

With a 3.53 GPA, Neumeister is often doubted for her scholastic achievements. “There is the cheerleading, ditzy, dumb stereotype,” said Neumeister, “It’s frustrating because if you put in so much time of hard work in class and then people just assume you are dumb and are shocked with your grades, it gets frustrating.”

In addition to the stereotype of being unintelligent, Neumeister encounters other stereotypes such as the perception of being arrogant, excessively confident and intimidating.

UO cheerleaders have been included in numerous rankings for being some of the hottest college cheerleaders in the nation. Fans voted UO No.5 for hottest college cheerleaders on coed.com in 2012 and were also included in the top-25 hottest cheerleaders by the examiner.com among various others.

“Being cocky and into yourself is another stereotype and also being intimidating. If you know me, I am the least intimidating or cocky person!” Neumeister said as her roommate and UO cheer teammate Nicole Dellamaggiore laughed from the kitchen with approval.

The expectation of looking beautiful and fitting into the tight two-piece uniforms is not a major concern for both Neumeister and Dellamaggiore. With dance, weight and conditioning practices weekly, both girls believe their physical appearance is earned from their training and workouts.

“We don’t think about it as much as you think,” said Neumeister. “You are always working out so you don’t have to worry about it and to be honest, we don’t have time to think about it. You don’t care. Our coach is really big on not being too thin and more about looking and feeling healthy. You do your own thing.”

Dellamaggiore similarly added to Neumeister’s thoughts by stating that they are in better shape than 50 percent of the people in the stands due to constant and intense workouts.

“It’s because we do work out all the time. If someone is going to make a rude comment about our appearance, we just have to realize that we work really hard and at the end of the day we are just normal people like everyone else and we don’t need to add that extra pressure on ourselves,” said Dellamaggiore.

While walking in a line for sorority recruitment in the rain, Dellamaggiore overheard a remark from a girl behind her regarding the cheerleader’s physical appearance at a previous football game.

“One girl yelled out, ‘hey guys, at least we don’t look as bad as the cheerleaders did at the last football game!’ It wasn’t a big deal,” said Dellamaggiore. “Girls will say stuff like that but I don’t take it to heart. I take it more personally when people comment on our intelligence.”

With their precision in dancing and stunting, UO cheerleaders make it look effortless, yet it only seems that way. Whether performing, practicing or working out, from the beginning of tryouts the cheerleaders are always expected to better themselves. For example, the cheerleaders were recently tested on their athleticism and endurance at the end of summer. Each cheer member had to complete a three mile run in under 27 minutes. Neumeister completed her run just below 22 minutes and was then expected to lower her time for the next fitness test in which she succeeded with a time of 21 minutes.

The cheerleaders use this stamina and strength to endure almost nine hours of constant movement during game-days, arriving five hours before they even start.

“You’re not going to stop doing something you love just because of the negative stereotypes,” said Neumeister, “We devote our time and commitment because we love performing and entertaining.”

Whether students decide to exercise in a gym by running on the treadmill or outdoors on the dirt path, there are limitations to each environment that the wise fitness devotee is encouraged to acknowledge and embrace.

Owner of Eugene Bootcamp, Guy Urioste believes the outdoors create an alternative playground for a unique fitness regime and utilizes all of nature’s characteristics where there are no boundaries.

“Some of the greatest gym equipment is just sitting out there waiting for us like mountains and trails,” Urioste said.

Additionally, Urioste believes exercising in the outdoors provides a positive attitude for individuals, a feeling that gyms rarely provide.

“If I’m sweating on my treadmill staring at four drab walls and the guy running next to me staring at the same walls, breathing in air conditioning or heating, how positive and motivating can that be?” Urioste said. “But when you climb a mountain and you get to the very top and you’re dripping in sweat and your partner is dripping in sweat but you’re looking at the horizon with the sun coming up, BAM. How positive and how limitless are you? If that’s not healthy for your soul, I don’t know what is.”

While outdoor fitness training enables one to enjoy nature with ever-changing sceneries, it still has its uncontrollable limitations, especially in Eugene. The unpredictable Oregon rain, in addition to heat, potholes, uneven pavements and ice, may alter the effectiveness of the workout experience, even to preferred outdoor athletes like Leslie Johnson.

University of Oregon student and high school varsity cross-country and track athlete, Johnson believes the Eugene weather plays a major role when she runs outdoors. When training for the Eugene half marathon last spring, Johnson encountered the inevitable restrictive weather.

“It was so cold out and half way through our seven mile run, hail the size of my thumb nail started pelting me and it hurt so bad,” Johnson said.

Unlike Johnson’s preference of steady weather conditions, Urioste believes that weather should not hold individuals back from working out in the outdoors and should push them even further.

“If it’s raining, take the time to go play. Go run in the rain like we did when we were kids,” Urioste said. “Once people learn to work out in the rain and enjoy it, it feels refreshing and it feels like you’ve really achieved something. They get that sense of accomplishment and we (Eugene Bootcamp) push that sense of accomplishment.”

Compared to these difficulties present in the outdoors, indoor facilities provide stable and reliable environments.

According to the FitDay article “Gym vs. Outdoor Fitness Training: The Pros and Cons,” “The benefits of many health clubs lie in the abundance of fitness classes and tailored training they offer, from yoga and pilates, to strength classes and myriad cardio dance combo sessions.”

With benefits and disadvantages available in outdoor and indoor fitness, preference and balance are vital to choosing which is suitable for individuals. Thirty-two-year-old Eugene Bootcamp member Dawn Fisher has found enjoyment in the outdoors but still reverts back to the gym on occasion.

“I like both and it depends on the situation. If I’m on my own, I think I prefer indoors. That way I can zone in on what I’m doing. However, doing stuff outdoors is awesome. I like the group workout and the various weather we have experienced,” Fisher said.

Students at the University of Oregon may not have the dominant say when it comes to how much stress they will encounter or when, but they do have the power to choose how they tackle it. Exercise is widely known for clearing your mind and leaving stressful thoughts behind, but energy-based methods are just as capable of reducing stress.

When the body is stressed, the adrenal glands above the kidney release two main stress hormones: adrenaline and cortisol. The frontal executive part of the brain that regulates judgment, reasoning, planning, etc., becomes disengaged when the two stress hormones enter the bloodstream.

One of the Health Center’s methods to reduce stress is acupuncture, a traditional ancient Chinese method that stimulates the area around the kidney to reduce the release of hormones into the bloodstream like cortisol — thus alleviating physical, mental and emotional pains related to stress.

UO student and current acupuncture patient Lily Wyss believes the method has played a major role in alleviating her stress.

“I got in a zen mode and felt very relaxed,” Wyss said. “It doesn’t hurt at all. I felt somewhat of a release of pressure and also the release of bad energy. I felt an overwhelming sense of calm and at peace. And then the next few weeks I felt a high sense of productivity.”

According to the “Endocrinology Journal,” rats that received electric acupuncture treatment had lower levels of stress hormones. Perhaps with results such as these that support the credibility of acupuncture, students should not be fearful of the needle procedure.

“There is stress involved with ‘Oh, I have to go somewhere and have needles put in me,’” said Mary Ann Petersen, a registered acupuncturist at the Health Center. “I would like to clarify that people are in a wide spectrum of discomfort with needles but the needles are about the size of a cat whisker and much much smaller than getting blood drawn or a shot.”

Additionally, Petersen practices a form of acupuncture called “gua sha” for apprehensive patients who seek the benefits of acupuncture without the needles. Also ancient, this procedure releases tension in the muscles built up from excessive stress by rubbing the skin, sometimes causing light bruising.

If a stressed student does not wish to participate in the holistic methods of acupuncture or gua sha, there are other opportunities available for energy-based stress relief. Nestled in the UO Health Center is a glass-windowed cubicle called the Peer Health Office. There, Jude Kehoe, a licensed practical nurse, healing touch certified practitioner and meditation instructor, helps students incorporate noninvasive stress relief techniques such as energy healing and meditation into their lives.

“When I work on people doing energy healing, I have so many students say ‘Oh, I just feel so much more like myself,’” Kehoe said. “And that’s because the relaxation response has been induced.”

“Healing touch” is an energy healing method that restores the balance of the body’s energy system through the use of the practitioner’s hands facilitating the patient’s surrounding energy field. Therefore, the patient heals physically, mentally, spiritually and emotionally.

When it comes to choosing which stress relief method will work for you, Kehoe recommends using the method of trial and error.

“I think using it all: acupuncture, meditation, energy healing, massage, exercise is great. It’s about whatever you resonate with,” Kehoe said.

In 2007, at a small gym in Santa Cruz, Calif., dedicated health enthusiast Greg Glassman changed what it truly meant to sweat and cry at the same time through his invention of CrossFit.

It only took a video of this revolutionary workout for Jeremy Stecker, owner and coach at Eugene CrossFit, to decide on a CrossFit lifestyle for himself. On an online bodybuilding forum, someone had posted a video of a CrossFit workout. From thereon, Stecker was hooked.

Stecker began completing CrossFit workouts in his own garage and was soon joined by an intrigued neighbor. Eventually, 40 of Stecker’s friends and neighbors were doing CrossFit in his garage, enticing him to quit his job and open his own affiliated gym in 2007.

“Before that, I had all this time to train people for free, to test it out, to see what worked and what didn’t and by that time I already had a good following of 40 to 50 people,” Stecker said.

With more than 5,500 CrossFit gyms worldwide and 35,000 accredited level one trainers, CrossFit is an intensive program that targets major muscle groups with dynamic exercises.

According to the official CrossFit website, the exercise program is, quite simply, the “sport of fitness” — one that has learned that “harnessing the natural camaraderie, competition and fun of sport or game yields an intensity that cannot be matched by other means.”

“It’s a more intense environment than the other gyms I go to, whether it’s the other group members pushing me or the instructors,” said Eugene CrossFit member Olivia Colvin.

CrossFit programs are geared toward a full-body workout in that no one specific muscle is isolated. Instead, multiple muscles are used for short periods of time in high-interval exercises.

Each workout includes stretching prior to the individual exercises and, at the end of the class, individual exercises are combined for an intense circuit workout. For most, throwing a medicine ball 10 feet high, jumping onto a 4-foot-high box multiple times, climbing a rope to the top of the ceiling and rowing 250 meters on a machine is difficult to do once. But in CrossFit, it’s expected that one completes three repetitions of that same routine during a workout. Thus, what some might consider insanity is the stamina CrossFit requires.

More than 120,000 people compete worldwide in the CrossFit Workout Of the Day, which is posted online. There, people are able to submit their scores and times completed that day to compare how they rank with other “CrossFitters.” This inclusiveness perhaps enables people to push themselves harder than they would otherwise and additionally, is the reason why CrossFit lovers might find it to be effective.

“Anybody can do it, but the people that maybe aren’t good for CrossFit are people that don’t want to work hard,” Stecker said.

Eugene CrossFit (Ryan Kang/Emerald)

Over the years, CrossFit has seen a lot of exposure. Since 2007, the CrossFit Games have aired on ESPN. Additionally, numerous CrossFit websites exist to provide videos of workouts, demos, FAQs, upcoming events, message boards, training courses, CrossFit affiliate locators and more.

A CrossFitter since 2010, Jenni McCrane became interested in the gym when her friend consistently talked about it. CrossFit’s work ethic and values have made an impact on how McCrane faces everyday obstacles.

“CrossFit has taught me to embrace challenges and keep working until I’ve finished,” McCrane said. “This mindset has helped me to work harder, no matter what I’m doing — whether that’s homework, at my job or at the gym.”

However, not everyone is enthused about CrossFit. The high-intensity program has elicited concern from skeptics highlighting injuries related to CrossFit’s design of pushing yourself to the extreme. In particular, skeptics have focused in on the disease “rhabdomyolysis” or “rhabdo.”

Rhabdo results in kidney failure due to the release of muscle damaged proteins into the blood stream. This is caused by excessive exercise. Muscle cells that are forced under heightened levels of pressure and stress ultimately explode, leaving the kidney with the job of flushing out these toxic proteins and eventually harming the critical organ.

Eric Robertson, author of the article “CrossFit’s Dirty Little Secret,” writes that exercise is pretty much the best thing you can do for your body, but in the case of CrossFit, we’re left to wonder if the workout is with the risk.

In a 2006 CrossFit journal article, Glassman defended cases of rhabdo saying that his website regularly warned of CrossFit’s potency wherever he had the opportunity, and added a humorous warning to newcomers, “Countless bad-asses from sporting and special operations communities, long regarded as bulletproof, have been burned at the stake of ego and intensity.”

Skeptics like UO junior Gianna Graziano felt intimidated by CrossFit due to the continuous and extreme workouts.

“I don’t fully understand CrossFit. But from what I do understand it doesn’t sound particularly enjoyable and I have heard rumors that there are some unhealthy aspects of it,” Graziano said.

Other CrossFitters like McCrane and UO junior Spencer McGuinn, who is a trainer at CrossFit Kids and Teen, see no physical harm with CrossFit.

“I think people are going to get hurt doing just about anything,” McCrane said. “Honestly, it comes down to the individual. I think everyone is responsible for their own actions. If it doesn’t feel right, don’t do it.”

McGuinn believes the media inaccurately targets CrossFit for rhabdo. In his four-year career at CrossFit, McGuinn has never sustained any injuries and believes that’s a result of exceptional coaches and instructors who conduct workouts professionally and safely.

“I don’t think it’s (CrossFit) being blamed. I think it’s mainstream media trying to grab a hold of something. It’s just a headline,” McGuinn said. “We have hundreds of members at the gym, and I have not heard of one person getting rhabdo at Eugene CrossFit.”

At Eugene CrossFit, Stecker also pays full attention to trainees’ physical concerns. For instance, if a trainee comes in with a bad shoulder and the workout for that day includes push ups, Eugene CrossFit will accommodate their needs and have them do squats instead.

“If something new starts bothering you, we want to know about it right away, we want to work on that thing, we want to dial it in, we want to mobilize it, and we want to see if we can fix it,” Stecker said. “If not, we want to send you to a physical therapist and get it ironed out right away.”

While most people do not encounter rhabdo, CrossFit seems to stand the test of time with its ability to attract all age groups and professionals. Not only has it seemingly made an immense impact on the way we define “working out,” Stecker also believes CrossFit can be a transformable program to participants’ self-esteem as well.

“What we are working on is what you suck at because all these workouts simulate real life,” he said. “And in real life, your weakest link is what holds you back the most.”

So will CrossFit hang around for a while, or will it go just as quickly as it came? Stecker isn’t sure.

“If somebody can show me a different way to improve on rope climbing, dead lifting, plus running, plus hand stand walks; then heck, man, I’ll switch over and do that. But until then, CrossFit is what we are doing here,” Stecker said.

At the fingertips of University of Oregon students lies an abundance of resources. From the university writing center to one-on-one counseling, students have a variety of opportunities to improve their academic performance and their lives.

Among these resources is a hidden gem — an opportunity for students to benefit their health and wellness through various fitness programs provided by the Student Recreation Center. Available at the SRC are UO students and graduates certified as personal trainers by various accredited programs.

“You go through a lot of training through the Rec but you are also required to get a national personal training certification,” said Joe Reiss, a senior at the UO and personal trainer at the SRC. “I am currently working toward my NCSF certification.”

Although every personal trainer is already certified, they are constantly learning. The personal trainers still have frequent evaluations to help each other with fitness workouts and form corrections. Being adequately taught and skilled at the professional level makes them that much more desirable for students of all experience levels. UO student Kate Woginrich was not new to fitness and health, but wanted to increase her efficiency in the gym.

“I was specifically interested in having a trainer to guide me through the weight room,” Woginrich said. “For years I had been a cardio junkie and neglected any type of strength training.”

Most everyone knows that fitness trainers have to be educated and know what they’re doing when they put weights in your hands and start instructing you to jump, skip, bend and lift. But what sets the SRC personal trainers apart from most is their accessibility, affordability and well executed game plans.

All new clients that are interested in signing up for personal training will receive the initial training package costing $45, which includes two 60-minute sessions. The first session is targeted towards an orientation of the client.

“The personal trainer should sit down with the client and discuss their goals, short and long-term, to ensure that they are reasonable and that they can be obtained,” said senior Caitie Gibson, a personal trainer at the SRC.

Along with setting goals, the personal trainers review the client’s health history and chart a beginning fitness assessment.

The second session is when the sweat begins. Clients will be instructed on how to use equipment with proper techniques and create a personalized workout program tailored to their specific goals, health issues, concerns and limitations. With all the features that the personal training services provides, many students remain unaware of these SRC fitness programs — something the personal trainers seek to improve.

“I think that the personal training program would benefit from the personal trainers going out into the amphitheater or quad area around the main part of campus and start doing workouts and having people join in on them,” Gibson said.

Even though there may be a lack of knowledge about the personal training services around the UO campus, this definitely does not affect client’s feedback.

“Joe Reiss was my personal trainer,” Woginrich said. “I would recommend him to anyone and I only have positive things to say about my personal training experience. It was definitely worth the hard work.”

The chaos of moving in is winding down and the goodbyes and farewells have been said. For first-year students, a new environment can be intimidating and exciting at the same time. There are plenty of activities for the first day and night on campus to mingle with new people and discover what the University of Oregon has to offer, such as the DuckN2TheRec event tonight.

From 9:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m., students can visit the Student Recreation Center on East 15th Avenue for an experience that will kick off their college years the right way. There will be free Nike gear, food, prizes and music.

“The purpose behind this event is introducing our facility and everything we offer at the Rec Center to the incoming students. Our main audience is freshmen, but the event is open to everyone,” Clare Chisholm, the student event coordinator at the Rec Center, said. The event is even open to the family and friends of first-year students.

“I will definitely bring my friends,” first-year student Maddie Hackett said.

The Rec Center wanted to go above and beyond the typical event with games and prizes and through donations was able to get a mechanical bull.

“What would be more ridiculous and fun than a mechanical bull?” Chisholm said.

Students are able to participate in a blow-up challenge course along with a fitness challenge to experience Intramural sports such as dodge ball and basketball. There is also a fitness circle that will teach students how to use the new equipment at the Rec Center: a giant twister and a gyro ball without gravity in which people are strapped into and spun around.

For just participating in these events and challenges, students will be entered to win the grand prizes of two Nike Fuel Bands and a Nike GPS Watch.

To cap off the event with something big and exciting, students are instructed to leave the Rec Center at 11:45 p.m. and head toward Gerlinger Lawn where the midnight glow party will take place with glow body paint and strobe lights. With the Rec Center staff filling over 3,000 water balloons, the midnight glow party will be anything but a boring first night on campus.

DuckN2TheRec is a great way for first year students to find what the Rec can offer them while meeting new people and learning about various programs in a fun and interactive environment.

First-year student Jules Lieb agrees. “I’ll at least go to it and see everything and get some more information on stuff I otherwise wouldn’t be able to,” she said. “I think it’s good to meet other people and get involved.”