THROWBACK Health benefits of making out » Kiss your way to a better you Jessica Berget Staff Writer Originally Published January 18, 2017 H™ you ever been in the middle of a steamy make-out session and thought to yourself “I wonder how my health is benefiting from this?” I know I have, and since winter is the season for cuddles and smooches, there is no better time to learn how kissing your loved ones (or people you just met, you do you!) can positively affect your health. Kissing people makes you happier. Lip-locking releases a collection of feel-good hormones such as dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin, also known as the “love hormone.” These hormones make you feel happier and even better connected with your partners. Our lips are also covered with nerve endings and receptors sending signals to the brain that not only make us feel calmer but also improve our sense of well-being. It also reduces blood pressure. Kissing’s not only good for your emotional heart, it’s good for your physical heart too! During a passionate make-out session your heart rate goes up, which makes blood vessels dilate, providing clearer pathways for blood to get to other vital organs. It also relieves pain, since oxytocin is a pain reducing hormone that is especially great for headaches and cramps. It prevents cavities. Who knew sucking face could be good for oral hygiene? When you kiss, saliva production is increased, which helps wash any plaque on your teeth that could cause cavities. That being said, cavity causing bacteria can also be spread through kissing, especially if your partner has bad oral hygiene, so beware of bad breath! It boosts your immune system. Swapping spit with someone allows foreign germs and bacteria into your body, so your body then creates antibodies to fight against this new bacteria, making your immune system stronger. However, this could backfire and these germs can actually make you sick, so kiss with caution. It burns calories. It’s not an hour on a treadmill, but a passionate make out session can burn about 8-16 calories per kiss. Kissing also tones your facial muscles around the mouth and shapes your jaw and neckline, so you can work out while you make out. THROWBACK Photo via The Onion Making out provides a number of benefits both to one’s physical and emotional health. I probably don't have to tell you to go out and get necking, but it’s good for your health, so I’m going to do it anyway. Happy smooching! Jess’ Juices: Fruity, sweet and summery » The best cheap, alcoholic beverages Jessica Berget Staff Writer Originally Published on June 6, 2017 t's practically summer! Which means the days of beach trips, picnics and barbeques, are finally here. You know what goes great with summery activities? Alcohol. And if you have the taste buds of an eight-year-old child like me, the sweeter the better. With such a wide variety of sugary drinks available, it can be hard to know which ones are good and which ones are best left on the shelf. Alcohol can be expensive too, so how can you know which ones are worth buying? Don't worry, I got you. I've had my fair share of alcoholic beverages, and so to aid you in your drinking escapades, here are my takes on sweet alcoholic drinks. Note: It's important to drink lots of water as sweeter drinks will definitely give you an awful hangover (believe me) and drink responsibly! Woody's Pink Grapefruit: 3/5 Grapefruit flavoured anything is usually a go- to for my summer drinks, and this one really hit the spot. The crisp, light, refreshing taste of the citrus and the carbonation makes this drink taste more like a punch, which is great if you really can't stand that strong taste of alcohol. Perfect as a starter beverage for your day drinking activities. And at only $2.40 a can, it's definitely a summer favourite. Illustration by Janis McMath Breezers Rum with mango flavor: 3.5/5 The tropical taste of mango is perfect for those hot days on the beach, and the design of the can is so aesthetically pleasing. I'm not usually a rum person, but this drink is a new favourite of mine. The mango flavour overpowers it perfectly enough so that you still get a hint of the alcohol within. Snapple Spiked Tea Vodka: Peach 2/5, Strawberry 4/5 Thad to try both flavours of this one because I love Snapple. I was more excited for the peach one, but the strawberry proved to be more delicious. I would definitely buy the strawberry one over the peach next time— get it quick, though, as it's a limited edition. The peach tea had bit more of a vodka taste to it, as the peach tea flavour in Snapple is very subtle. The strawberry tea is deliciously fruity, and it tastes like those strawberry marshmallows you get in the five cent candy bins! This is what Sailor Moon would drink if she wanted to get smashed. Easily the best flavour out of all three teas, the third being pear for some strange reason. Jack Daniel’s Watermelon Punch: 5/5 This is the ultimate summer drink. Watermelon is the best flavour for anything summer related. The taste of the whisky and watermelon punch is a beautiful combination. The watermelon flavour is so artificially flavoured that it is so sweet it's like your drinking the watermelon flavoured syrup at the bottom of a freezie. I thought the whisky taste would be a bit overpowering but it's hardly noticeable, so you can keep slamming them back.