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NOVEMBER 2016

THE COMMUTER EXPRESS

IN TODAY'S ISSUE:

Apply to be a Commuter Center Assistant
Stress Less Day
4 Ways to Make the Most of Your Commute
5 Tips for Staying Healthy
Commuter Spotlight: Matt Thorpe

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Applications Now Available

Apply online through HireTouch by Tuesday, November 22, 2016. Interviews will take place the week of November 28 / December 5.

4 Ways to Make the Most of Your Commute

One of the most frustrating things about commuting might be the feeling of just wasting your very valuable time. Here are some ways to be more entertained and/or more productive on your commute.

1. Podcasts

We’re in the golden age of podcasts as there is literally something to meet just about every interest out there. But we’ve found that not everyone knows how it works. Here’s your step-by-step guide, along with a few recommendations.

Download a podcasting app. You can use the standard Apple app (comes preloaded) or download a fancier one (Try “Overcast” or “Stitcher”). On the Android, my favorite is “Podcast Addict.”
Find a few shows - download an episode to your phone so that you can listen when it’s convenient, without using data. Some recommendations:

Serial - this is THE gateway podcast, about a 1999 murder of a high school student in Baltimore. Start with Season 1, episode 1, and then I dare you to put it down.

Radiolab - a hodgepodge of topics wherein you will probably learn something without realizing you’re learning something!

WTF with Marc Maron - Smart humor. A comic who interviews famous comedians.

Gimlet’s Startup Podcast - Again, start with Season 1, Episode 1 and follow a guy who’s starting up his own business (a podcasting company).

3. Subscribe to your favorites so you don’t miss any new episodes!

2. NPR

One way to make your commute useful and productive is to learn-while-driving. One way that you can do this is by listening to informative radio stations. One of the best is National Public Radio. This station is a balanced, informative news station that will keep you up to date on all national and global news and keep you informed about relevant issues. In our area, you can tune to 88.5 (AM not FM) to listen!

3. Read and Write Gold

https://miamioh.edu/student-life/sds/resources/read-and-write-gold/index.html

Do you have so much reading for classes that you feel like you don’t have enough time to read it all?

The Read & Write Gold tool is a literacy software that provides reading, writing, research, and study support skills. It can especially benefit any student struggling to keep up with the class reading requirements. It can read web content from any browser and Word or PDF documents OUT LOUD, so you can get some article readings done on your commute! It can also convert pages to MP3/WAV format. Click here to find download instructions for Windows and Mac. Once you get the software, watch the Speech Video Tour to get a good understanding of the tool.

4. Practice Presentations

If you have presentations for classes, you can practice your speech for them in the car! Another tip is to record yourself practicing your presentation and then listen to yourself in the car to help you memorize it as well as notice what part of the presentation might need improvement.

Tips for Staying Healthy

#1: SLEEP! Sleep is extremely important for staying healthy according to sleepfoundation.org. Our advice?

Stick to a sleep schedule (e.g. go to bed and wake up around the same time every day, including weekends!)
Practice a relaxing bedtime ritual (maybe a warm shower or bath, yoga before bed, reading a book, etc.)
Avoid naps
Exercise.

#2: EXERCISE! Exercise keeps you healthy by improving your body and mind! It releases natural endorphins to keep you feeling happy. It also aids in sleep and also helps to keep your weight maintained. You should be aiming for about 30 minutes of physical exercise per day to maintain good health, according to mayoclinic.org.

You should try to get at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity, such as brisk walking or swimming, or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity, such as running or dancing, per week and strength training at least twice a week. There are many different forms of exercise that you can utilize to best fit your schedule, abilities, and goals. There are hundreds of videos on youtube that can help you workout at home for free and you can find very specific workouts targeted at whichever part of the body you want to improve.

#3: DRINK WATER! Some of the benefits of drinking water include relieving fatigue, improving mood, treats headaches and migraines, helps digestions and constipation, aids in weight loss and flushes out toxins in your body. You should drink about eight 8-ounce glasses of fluid a day.

#4: WASH HANDS! Washing hands is obviously very important to remove germs and prevent sickness. It’s most important to wash your hands before eating and after using the restroom.

#5: BETTER NUTRITION. The first step to eating healthy is figuring out the right amount of calories for you (Try a calorie calculator). Next, choose nutrient dense foods, such as fruits and vegetables, over unhealthy calorie dense foods like high-fat and high-sugar junk foods. Snacks like celery sticks with peanut butter and raisins, trail mix, nuts, vegetable sticks with hummus, berries, apples, and bananas are all great options to replace things like chips, candy, or desserts.

This month we're highlighting Matt Thorpe, a Senior commuter from Monroe, OH.

Matt Thorpe

I am from Monroe, Ohio and went to Monroe High School and graduated in 2013. I played baseball for most of my life until I started college, and had to give it up due to time constraints from school taking up so much time. I am a Senior Chemical Engineer with a Paper Science minor, and chose my major basically based on my love of math and I heard that ChemE’s made the most money out of college. Out of high school, I went to the University of Cincinnati for a year before transferring to Miami. I almost went to Wright State instead, but they didn’t offer Chemical Engineering, so Miami it was!

One challenge that I face being a commuter is spending time on homework. A lot of times when I go home, I end up getting distracted due to chores or TV, so studying or doing homework is sometimes hard. Also, I like to be involved and make friends. I'm very extroverted. So sometimes it's harder to get as involved on campus than it would be if I lived on campus.

Something that I am doing to contribute to my commuter experience would be that I am involved in CRU, and I come to the commuter center when I can. I think that making friends on campus is a huge help for getting through college and my faith and religion definitely keep me sane in the midst of all of the hard classes that I have to take. CRU is a campus ministry that focuses on teaching students about having a personal relationship with God. I have made a lot of friends through the group and go to a lot of CRU events on the weekends and am even a leader for a lot of their events. Also, coming to the commuter center is an easy way to make friends due to the fact that I already have something in common with everyone in the center: we all drive to school.

My biggest piece of advice is to MAKE FRIENDS! BE SOCIAL! This is college. If you’re buried in your textbooks all the time, or spending time with your parents 24/7, then you’re probably missing out on a ton of fun with people who may be just like you. When you’re going through a hard time in school, your college friends can probably help you through it better than anyone because they’re going through the same stuff. (Family helps a ton too.) Get involved in a club or group, but DONT OVERDO YOURSELF. School always comes first. There is a happy medium between having a social life and working on your school work. Find that happy medium and I promise, your commuter/school life will be much easier and enjoyable.

Questions?
Please don't hestitate to email or call with your questions.

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