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Show UP FOR DUSCUSSION Column: Sterling Says Weight Watching WRITTEN Sterling Gray It had to happen at some point. I couldn't go on forever. I always knew that someday I had to worry about my weight. I know what you're thinking. "Sterling Gray? He's a man! A man's man! He's not some image-obsessed little girl!" First of all, thank you. I always appreciate my fans. But it's true. I'm worried. I became image conscious when I discovered the miracle that is a regular workout regimen. Muscles bulged in new places. Skin was tightening. So were my shirts. One day I saw an ex-girlfriend and just happened to be wearing one of my more flattering shirts. "Sterling, have you been working out a lot? Your arms are big!" "Too bad you passed on this!" my inflated ego said. All the work was immediately worth it. However, the deflation of that ego was bound to happen. I soon fell victim to the oh-socommon roller coaster ride of modern physical exercise. My muscle mass went up and down, up and down, but one thing always stayed the same: my weight. It didn't seem to matter what I was eating. I could have eaten raw bear meat and washed it down with a Rocky Balboa egg shake, but I wasn't going to gain any weight. For three years, I strayed no more than five pounds from my average 165. This summer, I've slowed down my pace a bit. Last semester's blistering pace (yoga, weight training, and basketball class) couldn't continue, so I naturally slumped back into no-workout mode. But something was different this time, something awful. I gained weight. My chest is returning to its natural, concave form. Shirts are looser and pants tighter. If I stand up and poke one side of my belly, the other side jiggles noticeably. I'm in trouble. I've tried a few new things. I've given up raw bear meat, obviously. I also ride my bike to school during the hottest part of the day. I eat smaller dinners. In short, I've joined that self-loathing host of people who are forced to care about their weight. It had to happen at some point. Sigh. Roads to nowhere WRITTEN Jared Roberts PHOTOGRAPHY Celeste Tholen Rosenlof As the Utah Valley roads have reminded us, the road to hell is surely adorned with orange construction cones. The state of Utah has famously set aside large amounts of money for road construction at the expense of other state programs. The legislature has made provision to eradicate the problem through a series of measures to reduce road construction costs in the future (Example: SB 229), but there is more that can be done to lower construction costs and thus reallocate the funds appropriated to UDOT out to other programs. 1. Better City planningAccording to research done by United Way of Utah County, Utah Valley will reach the 1 million people milestone by the year 2040. Surely more roads will need to be built by that time which means more spending for road construction. Utah Valley can avoid a lot of spending traps if it is smarter with its initial road building and future community planning. We need to create large enough roads that won't need to be widened later on. We also need to ensure better accommodation of the inherent usage and wear repairs that our roads will have to undergo in the future. One way may be to set up more back roads and additional large streets. 2. Replace more semi-trucks with rail. Utilizing the existent vast railway system for shipping means less road traffic and extraneous roads. With Pres. Obama making such a big push for more nationwide rail usage, the state should appeal for federal incentives to improve its rail system even more. We may be making room for progress and innovation, but if we employ too much of our resources into our roads, in the end all we'll have to show is a vast expanse of roads that lead to empty schools and vacant office buildings. LETTER TO THE EDITOR REQUIREMENTS 8 I theVmagazine vmagazine.editor@gmail.com Letters must be 150 words or less —anything longer will be shortened. All letters become property of UVU Review upon submission. We make no guarantee to print letters. |