The BLS Advocate

Does This Final Make Me Look Fat?: A Simple Guide to Avoiding Glut and Maintaining Gumption During Exam Period

Whether at the gym or watching an infomercial for Nutrisystem with Marie Osmond, we constantly hear from January to June: “Summer’s on its way, and that means bathing suit season!” While that mantra may be enough to keep some people health-conscious– eating well and working out– being a law student can certainly prevent us from prioritizing our health. We simply require a more sedentary life and have a whole set of exams to get through before hitting the beach.

Cartoon by Shaina Rubin

Additionally, the stress of being a full-time legal encyclopedia, not to mention searching for jobs, triggers our bodies to want to eat like we’re in famine mode, and that type of eating means storing sugar and fats. My friends have often heard me joke that when I have so much to do, “I just want to eat my feelings,” a la Cathy Comics, but the bitter truth is that we can address our need to snack while studying without worrying about having no time for that work-out at the gym.

Here are a few tips to prevent the “Finals 15”:

1) Don’t Eat Less; Eat Better. Our minds and bodies need a certain amount of calories to get us through the day. Sure, you could eat a burger and a concrete at the Shack to get you through 6 hours of studying, but you’re going to be just as hungry afterward as if you ate that same weight in leaner protein, fruits and vegetables.

Solution: Have your shake and eat it, too. Balance your meals with water-rich foods (apples, oranges, celery, zucchini, lettuces) to curb your hunger by making you feel full for a few hours and boost your energy with lots of vitamins. Then, reward yourself with what you really want. Remember, while you might want both the burger and the fries, or sweet and creamy dessert, your body will be just as satisfied with healthier sugars and proteins. Save the combo for after an incredible cardio/fat burn.

Tasty and Tasteful:

• Chocolate: dark chocolate is rich in flavanols that boost blood supply to the brain and help improve cognitive skills.
• Nuts: rich in Vitamins E and B6, folate, Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids, and antioxidants, these small food items boost your brain power and improve your mood. The whole nutty family of cashews, almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, peanuts, Brazil nuts and pecans brings some benefit to your brain.
• Quiet foods for the library: raisins, chocolate, cashews (softer, less crunchy), bananas (although one of the librarians is allergic, so please refrain from eating or throwing peels out within the library confines).
• Juices and smoothies (don’t slurp!) are great ways to pack in those vitamins, curb hunger, and get that boost to keep plugging away at the books and practice exams.
• And don’t forget to drink water! Much of the time we feel hunger pangs, we are actually just dehydrated. A bottle of water before and then during a meal will help increase your energy and reduce the ancillary calories we only think we need. Also, drinking water is good for the immune system, not to mention using it with soap on your hands (see Hygiene).

2) Exercise/Alternatives: You’re not going to the gym today because you got to the library at 8am to hold that room on 2M for your study group. Instead, use the stairs to get to your floor and to exit the school, and get some fresh air to the brain by taking a walk to grab your meal (don’t order delivery). Simply getting up and stretching is helpful too.

3) Rest. Period. Even though you’re just sitting while studying, your mind is getting a workout, and your adrenaline is pushing you into “fight or flight” mode (I certainly opt for flight). You need real rest to rejuvenate the memory and let everything else slow down to avoid too much stress and more eating. Studies show that people who sleep more eat less. This makes a lot of sense because when you’re awake you need energy to stay up (read: calories), but you won’t burn what you consume when you’re tired the same way you do when you first start the day. Sleep is the better energy solution to optimize both your hours at the library and the calories you consume when you are actually hungry.

From Glare to Glaze: What the HR people say is true: spend a solid 15 minutes away from your computer within every hour you’re on it. Your eyes will appreciate the break and keep up with the amount of information you need to cram.
(Did anyone think “donut” after glaze?)

4) Hygiene. Have the good kind. This goes beyond showering on a daily basis. I mean the regular routine of keeping everything clean: your apartment, your hands, your clothes, your produce, your conscience, etc. Letting hygiene go to the wayside exposes you and your library peers to getting sick and/or distracted (i.e.: What’s that smell? When was this last washed? Is that gum alive, and should I sit there?). Further, letting things get dirty only means using more time to clean and less time to study.

Ultimately, there is no one standard for everyone. However, it is important that you listen and react appropriately to what your body and mind need: if you’re exhausted, take that nap; if you’re still hungry, eat the other half of that sandwich. The point is, we need to take care of ourselves during the most important time of the semester–finals– and the reward may very well be feeling more relief and less lethargy as we make our way out of school and into our summer plans.

Meredith is a 3L and former co-chair of BLSPI. She hopes to use the above-mentioned tips as a way to secure passing her classes and getting the hell out of law school. She is not a medical professional or nutritionist, but is notoriously “mom-like” when it comes to law school physical and mental fitness.

Inter Alia: This Week in Legal News

In this new feature, 1L Erin Erturk summarizes major legal developments from the past week.

New York

• 2nd Circuit overruled removal of Bank of New York Mellon v. Walnut Place, LLC to federal court, applying the Class Action Fairness Act of 2005. {NY Law Journal}

• 2nd Circuit heard oral arguments in Lynne Stewart’s appeal of her lengthened jail sentence—a result of her “standing on my head” comment– invoking her right to free speech. {NY Times} {WSJ}

• Brooklyn federal judge steps in for state legislature over congressional redistricting. {WSJ}

• Brodie, first Afro-Caribbean born judge to sit in U.S. district court, confirmed to EDNY. {Reuters}

Nation

• Supreme Court granted cert to hear game-changing affirmative action case in Fisher v. University of Texas. {DB}

• Judge Martin’s “Zombie Mohammed” decision on violation of an atheist’s First Amendment rights questioned. {CNN}

• D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals decides graphic warning labels on tobacco products violate free-speech rights. {Reuters}

Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

• The Senate defeated the Blunt amendment, which would allow employers to opt of provisions in the health care law providing free birth control. [Politico] President Obama calls Georgetown student, Fluke, speaking out on reproductive rights, called “slut” by Limbaugh. {Politico} {Reuters} {Fluke’s testimony} [pdf]

• 63% of voters favor the free birth control policy. {Reuters}

• 72% say Individual Mandate is unconstitutional. {Gallup Poll}

Immigration

• District Judge blocks Arizona Immigration Law [pdf] “Day Labor” rule; prohibits police from enforcement, stating law violates constitutional rights rather than achieves purported purpose of increasing traffic safety. {MSNBC}

• Arizona v. United States, Arizona’s challenge to 9th Circuit ruling in U.S. v. Arizona that S.B. 1070 is unconstitutional [pdf], will be before the Supreme Court in April. {SC.gov} [pdf]

• 11th Circuit Court of Appeals set to hear Alabama and Georgia immigration enforcement laws. {Atlanta Journal-Constitution}

International

• Armenian Genocide law struck down by French Constitutional Council. {BBC}

• Supreme Court addresses whether or not corporations are liable for human rights violations in Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum and Mohamad v. Palestinian Authority, drawing comparisons to the Citizens United ‘personhood’ debate. {NY Times} {Guardian} {HuffPo}

• Google Privacy Plan in violation of European laws? {NY Times}

• UN not convinced by Syrian referendum approving a new constitution. {NP}

Film Review: Contagion

BLS’s Health Law and Policy Association (HLPA) took a trip to the movies on Monday, September 19th to see the new box office hit, Contagion. The group’s Executive Board thought it would be a good kick-off activity after the first General Body Meeting earlier that day and from the members that attended, the consensus is that it certainly was.

The cast alone could gather a packed crowd, but after watching just minutes of the film you instantly think about where your hands have just been and who is breathing too close to you.

Network courtesy of

The film follows one American woman’s return from Hong Kong and the rapid spread of a highly contagious and fatal disease across the United States and the globe. As the disease spreads, it mutates and the search for a vaccine becomes crucial. From conspiracy theories about pharmaceutical companies’ stake in the spread of the disease to the logistics of discovering, manufacturing, and distributing a vaccine worldwide, the film’s plot does not come across as far fetched in our own global economy. Where travelers can jump continents in hours and grocery stores stock food from faraway countries, the idea that such a devastating disease could hit all corners of the world and quickly seems quite plausible. Perhaps most fear inducing is the speed and access to the Internet where rumors spread quickly and do more potential harm than the actual disease.

The film hits on a number of legal issues for debate including the federal government’s role and its interaction with state health departments during a national healthcare emergency. Additionally, the intersection of domestic and global efforts to combat the spread of the disease is apparent with the relationship between the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization. There is even a good First Amendment issue as the government tries to reign in a blogger that looks to be blurring free speech lines.

Overall, the movie gets a “thumbs up” from HLPA. Just after the showing, we had a quick discussion about our thoughts: mainly kudos for the plot and questions posed about whether the government can force you to take a vaccine, refuse to give you one if already sick, etc. There were also a few comments about the length of the film, suggesting it could have ended about thirty minutes sooner. It’s tough to tell if that is a fair criticism or if it is just the inevitable feeling of law students out on a school night. It should be shared nonetheless!

The event was a successful one and we hope this is just the first of many successful events this year. We are excited by the turnout of new and old members and looking forward to more Brooklyn HLPA events to come!

For inquiries about HLPA, please contact HLPA Secretary Nicole Fitzpatrick at nicole.fitzpatrick@brooklaw.edu

Student Leaders Sound Off: Just Say “Cage-Free, Please”