Thursday, April 05, 2012 By Mirna Gadalla [ArticleImageHyperLink] Advertising Students shed the pounds (April 5, 2012) -- As the temperature creeps higher and the layers of clothing are shed, many may wish to brush off weight as easily as they slip out of a hoodie. The sunny weather calls for more frequent trips to the beach, thus beginning the dreaded “summer bod” season that many had avoided stressing about over winter. Senior Michael Armaneous said he is part of the steady, growing number that starts hitting the gym as the weather grows warmer. “The more the need for shirts to be off, the more I work out,” Armaneous said. “I focus on my arms because they’re so skinny. Mostly my shoulders, biceps, triceps.” Armaneous begins routine visits to the gym about three times a week in the warmer seasons and continues on the other days with his personal home workout in order to get his desired summer look. Why are many less likely to work out hard during the winter? Some say it is the fact that they don’t have a need to show it off. Big, warm jackets and hoodies hide arms and stomachs, and indoor hang-out spots keep people warm, so motivation lacks in hitting the gym. Others, however, claim to have not acquired the need to work hard to prove anything for a season and are content eating and spending time as they like. The need to be “buff” over the summer seems to not be their only goal over vacation as it’s usually based upon showing off. Although many also claim to share the same workout habits as Armaneous, senior Elijah Lopez disapproves of their approach to a stern program once the warm weather hits. “Most people who barely start working out to get that ‘summer bod’ don’t see results,” Lopez said. “It takes time, proper diet and effort. Not just rushing towards the end of the due date.” Lopez keeps his workouts yearlong at the neighborhood YMCA so that he doesn’t have to work hard in the few weeks before summer, and for him, his steadfast routine has shown greater effects. A small number of girls admitted to regular visits to the closest 24 Hour Fitness, but a greater number shared their new, stern diets that helped them with slipping into their tiny  bikinis. As the temperature goes up, the number on the scale goes down. The guys tend focus on the arms, shoulders, and perfect six-pack, as the girls lose weight and tone their bodies for their bathing suits. Thus, once again beginning the summer-body frenzy. Sociology teacher Lauren Childs blames most of the drive to achieve a “perfect body” on the amount of television teenagers watch, along with how a dramatic change has erupted in what is constantly viewed as popular on “reality” television. “The change in what the shows are about are just dramatic,” said Childs. “The old shows would have people asking about each other while nowadays the first thing the characters want to know are more physically based.” The half-dressed skinny stars on TV are constantly “in your face” with the fact that you’ll be happy once you have the perfect look they sport on-screen. However, Childs says that you’ve got to let yourself be stronger and secure in your own body and be happy with the way you are. “That’s honestly the only way to actually be happy and healthy,” she said, instead of relying on the image-driven scheme that pop-culture seems to give off.

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