That’s a great question, and Blake Mycoskie has an answer for you.  Never heard of him?  He’s the founder and Chief Shoegiver for TOMs Shoes.  Blake took a trip several years ago to Argentina, where he found hundreds of kids who had never owned a pair of shoes.  When he came back, he had an idea: what if every time you bought a pair of shoes, one of these children could have a pair of shoes?

Thus was born TOMs Shoes (the TOM stands for ‘Tomorrow’).  As of today they’ve given away almost 500,000 shoes and they’re still going strong.

In order to raise awareness of how many persons in the world lack such a basic necessity, TOMS started a Day Without Shoes.  Today, Thursday, April 8, is one of those days.  TOMs challenges us to spend one day barefoot so that we can remember and identify with all those who still don’t even have shoes.

Take 2 minutes out of your day to watch what buying a pair of TOMs can do, and then go here to get some!

Well now we’re going to show you.

Monday night, February 22, we’re going to hold a live cooking demo at the cafe.  You’ll get some amazing recipes, and get to taste everything we make.

Oh yeah, and we’re giving away brand new appliances so you can go back to your dorm and start creating your own culinary masterpieces!

See you Monday at 6:00 pm!

In fact, if you’re anything like me, there’s stuff in your closet you forgot even existed.  Bottom line? 

Most of us have more clothes than we know what to do with.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing, per say, but all those clothes you rarely (if ever) wear can be doing a lot more good if they’re not sitting in your closet.  How?

So glad you asked!

Seriously, why do you even have this shirt?!

We dare you… nay, double dog dare you to take the Wardrobe Challenge.  Here it is: get a large black plastic trash bag (or maybe three, depending on how big your wardrobe is) and select out about 1/4 of all the clothes you own, fold them neatly and put them all in the bag(s).  Then, put those bags away in a safe place for 1 month (oh, and if you buy more clothes in that month, put something else in the bag for every new thing you buy).

If, at the end of the month, you can remember everything you put in the bag, then put them back in your wardrobe.

But if you can’t remember what’s in there, consider a couple of options:

1. Host a clothing swap with some of your friends – have everyone bring their clothes together, lay them all out and open it up to your whole floor (heck, you could even schedule it at the Cafe!).

Lay out all of your clothes, sort ‘em and let everyone go through them.

You get new clothes, your friends get new clothes, and everyone goes home happy!

2. Donate what’s left over to Goodwill or Salvation Army so someone who really needs some sweet new duds can get them at an affordable price!

Of course, if you don’t want to go to the trouble of putting on a Swap, just donate your clothes.  You’ll free up some much needed closet space and help out other people who really need it.

It’s win, win!

HOPE for Haiti

First, if you haven’t heard, we raised over $400 at our Hope for Haiti concert!  If you missed the video interview with Clay Dudley of HOPE International, check it out.  He tells you exactly what the money is going to do!

Watch THIS!

What about the TIPS?

As you may already know, our tip jar supports the orphans of Arbre de Vie Orphanage in Benin (a country in West Africa).  We invited Ashley Barchus, who got us involved with Arbre de Vie.  In this video, she introduces us to three of the orphans, and tells us exactly what your tip money does:

So way to go, Bridge Cafe!  You’re saving the world, one dime at a time!  What else would you like to see us do here at the Cafe?

Why Exercising Won’t Work

For most students, the college is a time in our lives we slowly start to pack on a few extra pounds.  The reasons for this are many; for example:

1. College students typically don’t maintain a regular sleep and exercise schedule – we stay up until well into the night, roll out of bed for classes, and who doesn’t enjoy a good nap?  This has a negative effect on our metabolism – we burn fewer calories, and therefore pack on pounds.
2. We don’t eat very healthily – dining halls and fast food (and late night pizza or White Castle runs!) mean we’re eating a lot that we don’t work off.

More and more college students are hitting the gym to work off those extra pounds, but the problem is not exercise, at least not exactly.  Because the problem is this: Exercise doesn’t actually make you lose weight.

Our bodies use and store energy that is measured in calories.  We need a certain amount of calories to do everything from breathing to canoeing to kissing to… you get the idea.  But whatever calories we don’t use get stored as… you guessed it: fat.  And when we exercise, we do burn calories, but many college students take in far more than their daily allowance of calories, even counting their exercise.

So it’s entirely possible to be exercising regularly and not be able to lose any weight.  It’s actually possible (and it happens all the time) to exercise regularly and gain weight!

What Will Work

So what’s the secret to shedding those extra pounds?  Monitoring your caloric intake or, Counting Calories.

First, you need to calculate your daily recommended caloric intake, or how many calories you can take in and still maintain your current weight.  The formula below comes from this website:

Women:
655 + (4.3 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) – (4.7 x age in years)

Men:
66 + (6.3 x weight in pounds) + (12.9 x height in inches) – (6.8 x age in years)

Now, take that number and add to it your Activity Modifier:

20% if you’re sedentary (if the only walking you do is to class and back)
30% if you’re lightly active (maybe you work out once or twice a week)
40% if you’re moderately active (work out most days)
50% if you’re very active (exercise daily or for more than an hour several times a week, play intramurals, etc.)
60% if you’re extra active (athletic training or hard labor job like construction)

Tip: An easy way to figure out your final daily recommended caloric intake number is to take your base number and multiply it by 1.X, where X is your Activity Modifier.

Examples:
Bobby is a 19-year old freshman.  He’s 6’1 (73 inches), weighs 215 lbs and exercises a couple times per week.  His formula looks like this:

66+(6.3x215)+(12.9x73)-(6.8x19)=1652.5 calories (Bobby’s base number)
1652.5x1.3=2148.25 (Bobby’s daily recommended caloric intake)

Bobby can consume 2,150 calories per day and will maintain his current weight.

Susie is an 18-year old freshman.  She’s 5’6 (66 inches), weighs 150 lbs and works out 5 times per week.  Her formula looks like this:

655 + (4.3 x 150) + (4.7 x 66) – (4.7 x 18)=1525.6 (Susie’s base number)
1525.6x1.4=2136 (Susie’s daily recommended caloric intake)

Susie can consume 2,136 calories per day and will maintain her current weight.

If Bobby and Susie consume their DRCI each day, they will neither gain or lose weight.  If they exceed their number, they’ll gain.  And if they stay below, they’ll lose.  It’s that simple.

This is why you can exercise for an hour every day, but if you’re eating McDonald’s and Chipotle every day for every meal (delicious though they are), you’re going to gain weight.

How to Track Calories

Tons of websites exist that help you track calories, and you can find the calories in most foods either on their nutrition labels (if it’s stuff you’ve purchased) or using Google for restaurant foods (for instance, if you have a Big Mac meal, just google “calories in Big Mac value meal” and find out that it has 1,170 calories).

The Daily Plate is a great site where you can track calories, add in daily exercises and even get friends to hold you accountable (and if you’re no good at math, they’ll even figure your calories for you!).

Tracking your caloric intake requires a bit of discipline, but it’s the best way to lose weight and stay healthy.  In fact, studies show that persons who keep track of their calories are many times more likely to lose weight and keep it off than those who don’t.  It works better than fad diets, too!

So there you have it: why exercise doesn’t work, and what does!

The internet is full of pictures and stories, but it’s often easy to get lost in the hugeness of the devastation.

We want to help, and we believe you do too.  That’s why we’re partnering with HOPE International, a micro-finance organization who was already working in Haiti before the earthquake and is there now using their grassroots network to spread relief supplies not only in Port-au-Prince (the capitol of Haiti located near the epicenter of the quake), but also to the surrounding communities that other relief organizations are overlooking.

In one week, on Thursday, January 28, Bridge Cafe is hosting a benefit concert featuring some of WSU’s finest musical talents, including 3rd Pine, Tony Powers, Alyssa Evans and Royal T.  Admission is free, so bring some cash to donate.

100% of what you give goes directly to HOPE’s efforts in Haiti.

Here’s the full line-up.  Show starts at 7:00 pm!

3rd Pine (acoustic rock)
Alyssa Evans (folk)
Anthony Mako (acoustic rock)
da M.A.C. (hip hop)
Olivia O’Sullivan (Irish dance)
Tony Powers (acoustic-alternative folk rock)
Royal T (hip hop)

So glad you asked!  For a lot of students, the dining halls can be a hassle.  They’re too far away, too expensive or the foods just not… very good.  If you live off campus, or in an apartment with a kitchen unit, this isn’t a huge problem, but if you live in the dorms, you may think your options are limited.

NOT TRUE!  In addition to all of the delicious treats we offer at the Cafe, here are some great, simple and affordable ways to transform your dorm room into a three, four or even FIVE STAR gourmet restaurant!

For the aspiring chefs among you, we present some great options for cooking in your dorms!

Approved devices:

While WSU does not allow open flame/heated coil devices, they do let you have a ton of appliances that help you prepare great meals.  Here are some of our favorites (with links to websites that offer comparatively cheap options):

1. Microwave
2. Electric Griddle
3. George Foreman Grill
4. Crock Pot/Slow Cookers

Keep in mind that you might be able to swipe some of these from your parents’ house next time you’re home for a visit!

What to make:

Here are some links to some great recipes, and they’re pretty affordable, too!

Dorm Room Recipes (PDF)
Chow.com’s Dorm Room Cooks
From RecipeZaar, here are Dorm Room Cookbooks from Laura and Tori

Of course, don’t hesitate to Google your favorite recipe!  You’ll be amazed at what you can cook!

And if you have leftovers, feel free to bring them down to your Bridge Staff who loves you so much

Bon Appetit!

5. What’s new: Brand New (and Updated!) Entertainment Spaces
    Why it’s better for you:

We have an all-new gaming station going in where the gelato machine was, so you can relax and play some great video games.

The TV will hang where those chairs are… heck yes!

We have also installed a microphone that we can use to call out orders that are ready to be picked up and tweaked our entire sound set-up, so that everything from listening to music to watching movies on the projector will be a more quality experience.

Get ready for Trilogy Saturdays, fantastic live music and MORE!  All this quarter at your very own Bridge Cafe!

Come See Us Soon!

What’s new: We’re open in the morning!
Why it’s better for you:

There’s no better pick-me-up when you’re on your way to class than a strong coffee or espresso drink (and if you don’t like the taste, you can always add it to one of our mind-blowing milkshakes!).  And now we’re going to be open every weekday morning (that’s Monday through Friday) from 8-11.  Our commitment is to get you in and out as quickly as possible, so you have plenty of time to make it to class.

The best part?  We’re serving breakfast!  In addition to our normal delicious selection of pasteries (including our famous, homemade cinnamon rolls), we are proud and excited to announce that we are partnering with none other than Chick-Fil-A to serve you their delicious Chicken Biscuits and Chicken Minis.

No one likes to get up for an early class.  But now we’re doing everything we can to make it worth your while!

See you in the morning!

Coming tomorrow: Entertaining Innovations