Lifestyle – Page 3 of 26

Sports Supplements: The Good, The Mediocre and The Completely Useless

12May

By Sam BennettNo Comments

Lifestyle

Sports Supplements: The Good, The Mediocre and The Completely Useless

Every January, floods of people pile into gyms to work out for both the first and last time that year. If you’re one of the few people who made it through January and are still working out, you might be looking at getting some supplements to help you on your fitness journey. The problem is, however, that the quality of these supplements is incredibly varied, with some working well and others working to eat away at your student loan. The list below should help guide you through the jungle of supplements, based on the experience of myself and friends, who have spent a lot of money on these plastic tubs of sports powder! The Good Creatine monohydrate is the best supplement you can buy. It’s cheap, well researched, and very effective at improving strength, stamina, recovery, and even se...

Class and Disability: Disconnected or Intertwined?

12May

By Beth McCowenNo Comments

Lifestyle

Class and Disability: Disconnected or Intertwined?

According to the Government’s 2020 Family Resources Survey, there are 14.1 million disabled people in the UK. It has recently become more apparent than ever that even in the 21st Century, social class is still a defining factor in people’s lives. But how these classes affect disabled people, and why they might be more vulnerable to falling victim to these systems and the prejudices surrounding them, are not often discussed. Scope’s Disability Perception Gap report found that 1 in 3 people see disabled people as being less productive. Attitudes such as these lead the disabled community to become isolated and often viewed as inferior citizens. There is a lot to unpack here, since unfortunately ableism is ingrained in so much of the way our world functions. Disability does not neces...

1942 Recipe: Eggless Sago Pudding – Vintage Cooking (The Student Version)

4Mar

By Leah EdwardsNo Comments

Lifestyle

1942 Recipe: Eggless Sago Pudding – Vintage Cooking (The Student Version)

Women’s magazines from the 1940s are riddled with wartime propaganda. Whilst their husbands, brothers and fathers were fighting overseas, women learnt to effectively hold down the household under wartime restrictions. This isn’t to say that women of the 1940s were exclusively homemakers; there are plenty of ads in the February 1942 issue of Woman that suggest otherwise. There’s even an old Tampax advert with the slogan “Women are winning the war of freedom”, with a picture of a woman in full uniform at work on an army tank. Some other ads shouted about the importance of friendly consumerism of household items. An advert for Parozone (a solution that sterilized clothes in cold water) has the bold slogan, “SAVE FUEL”, a subject Ruth Morgan talked about in her section, dubbed, ‘BARG...

Queer at Royal Holloway: Interviewing our LGBT+ Community

31Jan

By Bridget OSullivanNo Comments

Features, Lifestyle

Queer at Royal Holloway: Interviewing our LGBT+ Community

University is often considered a place to ‘find yourself’. Most students have come straight from A-Levels, from the cliquey savagery that defines one as ‘popular’, ‘unpopular’, ‘weird’, ‘edgy’. In my experience of a small-town, back-arse-of-nowhere all-girls’ school, these categories trumped any personal identity. University, on the other hand, is all about individuality. Sometimes it’s almost like a game of ‘who can be the MOST unique, quirky, fucked-up of them all?’ Those kids who ran the social hierarchy in school (you can detect them because they adamantly claim that ‘popularity wasn’t a thing in their school’) have to re-adjust to this new ecosystem, leaving many 18-year-olds to essentially start again. Of course, many have been grappling with their identity long before university, m...

Let’s Talk About Sex, Baby! Top tips for a comfortable uni experience

31Jan

By Jessica WattsNo Comments

Lifestyle

Let’s Talk About Sex, Baby! Top tips for a comfortable uni experience

For many, this article might seem like a toe-curling embarrassment to read. The title alone might have been enough to bring a flush to your cheeks or you might feel the need to slam this page closed to protect yourself from the prudish judgement of nosey passers-by. Whatever it got you thinking is absolutely fine, but sex is everywhere, whether you choose to partake or not. At uni, sex is such a hot topic, to the point where it may feel as though ‘everyone and their nan’ is ‘doing it’, but don’t forget that not everybody has sex, not everybody wants sex, and not everyone is ready for sex at the exact same time. We’re all humans, figuring it out as we go along. Virgin or sex-veteran, it doesn’t matter; what matters is how comfortable you feel in yourself and around other people. If you ...

31Jan

By Beth McCleanNo Comments

Lifestyle

Asexuality: A does not stand for Ally

The LGBTQIA+ community is one that covers a range of labels. The accepted acronym is Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer (it can also stand for Questioning), and Intersex. The A, however, is often debated, and is widely believed to stand for Ally. This isn’t the case, (although allies to the LGBT+ community are always welcomed), the A refers to Asexual, and can also refer to other ‘A’ terms, including Aromantic and Agender. For many, the term asexual will be first heard in a science class, and can provide more questions than answers. If you are struggling to see how asexuality fits into the LGBT+ community, here are a few things to note... Firstly, it is crucial to know what asexuality means. Asexuality is defined by a lack of sexual orientation. Someone who identifies as ...

‘Secure’ the bag- tips for safe sex and healthy relationships

31Jan

By Jessica WattsNo Comments

Lifestyle

‘Secure’ the bag- tips for safe sex and healthy relationships

Safety during sex is paramount for physical and mental health; in the words of Lil Wayne, “Safe sex is great sex, better wear a latex, cause you don’t want that late text, that ‘I think I’m late’ text”. When it comes to sex, university is a battlefield of chlamydia and misinformation, and it can be scary. So, here are some starter tips that might come in handy when approaching sex as a student: Test the waters This is meant literally; test yourself. STI tests are free from the NHS and can be the quickest and most stress-free way of determining your sexual health. For ‘same-day’ accessibility, Superdrug sells a variety of test kits from £20. Not only can testing be crucial in catching an STI before it progresses further, but regular check-ups are also essential in keeping sexually he...

31Jan

By Jessica WoodNo Comments

Lifestyle

Stop the Sex Stigma

Sex is not an entry requirement for uni; there is no ‘please achieve ABB in your subjects… plus you must’ve lost your virginity’, so why are people made to feel like they are failing if they have not experienced it? They are made to feel abnormal if they are not prepared to hook up with someone in the first week, or opposing that, made to feel shameful if they’ve slept with too many people. There is no ‘correct’ or ‘appropriate’ “body count” for young people and it is damaging, physically and mentally, to enforce such opinions. Sound familiar? Didn’t think so… so why does it feel that way? Contrary to popular belief, there’s nothing abnormal about keeping it in your pants during welcome week, and on the flip side, you should never feel shame about having had multiple sexual partn...

VINTAGE COOKING SERIES – 1907 Recipe for Rice with Maple Syrup (The Student Version)

7Dec

By Leah EdwardsNo Comments

Features, Lifestyle

VINTAGE COOKING SERIES – 1907 Recipe for Rice with Maple Syrup (The Student Version)

There are many things one can learn from the March 1907 issue of Good Housekeeping. Such as, “A luncheon for one’s women friends is a most popular form of entertainment.” Or you can learn how to boil rice in milk, only to fail. Yes, I learnt that boiling pudding rice in milk is not a good idea lest you want your housemates to accuse you of feeding them uncooked rice. Admittedly, it may have been a known fact to add water as well as milk, so the author may have assumed one was smart enough to know that and didn’t bother adding that detail. Just for reference, the type of rice is never specified but as this is essentially rice pudding, I chose to use pudding rice. Due to the source material being over 114 years old, which is older than the Titanic, we’ll never know what type of ric...

5 Christmas destinations for a get-out-of-Egham-free-card

21Nov

By Elena-Teodora ChiujdeaNo Comments

Lifestyle, News

5 Christmas destinations for a get-out-of-Egham-free-card

With the holidays knocking on our door, students are looking forward to having a month of well-deserved time off – sort of. Yes, there are the notorious essays and extra reading pilling up, but who wouldn’t jump faster than you can say “Merry Christmas” at these five destinations, fitting for a student budget? After two years of hibernating at home, the COVID restrictions finally eased, so let’s enjoy the freedom. Budapest, Hungary First stop, the Vorosmarty Square Christmas Market, sprinkled with Christmas lights from window to window, streetlamp to streetlamp. To get there, embark on one of Budapest’s famous trams, decked in gleaming fairy lights, and you will live out your childhood Polar Express dream. Whilst walking under a star-like blanket of ornaments and indulgi...