I didn't know how the tradition of Spring Break started so I looked it up.   Some friends and I went to Panama City a few weeks ago and had a great time.

From the end of World War II until the 1980s, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, was a notorious spring break destination in the United States. On March 19, 2006, the New York Times reported that Fort Lauderdale's reputation as a spring break destination for college students started when the Colgate University men's swimming team went to practice there over break in 1935.^[1] Fort Lauderdale became even more popular due to the 1960 film Where the Boys Are, in which college girls met boys while on spring break there.

 Common practices

Spring break's notorieties include increased drinking and sexuality. Residents of the Fort Lauderdale area became so upset at the damage done by vacationers, that the local government passed laws restricting parties in 1985. At the same time, the National Minimum Drinking Age Act was enacted in Florida (and most of the rest of the United States), raising the minimum drinking age to 21 and causing many underage college vacationers to travel outside the United States for spring break. By 1989, the number of college vacationers fell to 20,000, a far cry from the 350,000 who went to Fort Lauderdale four years prior.^[2]

Spring break party goers responded by moving to the more permissive community of Daytona Beach area (over 200,000 students traveled there each spring at its peak), but after Daytona's local government undertook similar measures, the crowds of the mid-1990s and early 2000s had fallen to a point where "a few students still come, but officials don't even estimate their numbers." Panama City Beach, Florida remains a popular spring break destination due to its relatively close proximity to many Southern colleges and driving distances. The locals in Panama City Beach welcome Spring Breakers every year, and is a major factor in the city's economy.

South Padre Island, Texas has since limited the Spring Break following suit with Fort Lauderdale and Daytona Beach.

Popular destinations outside the United States include Cancun, Cabo San Lucas, Acapulco, Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta, Jamaica, and the Bahamas. Tour agencies have not only cited the lower drinking ages in these places, but also the fact that the drinking ages are poorly enforced.

Best Way to a Killer Middle

Good news! You don't have to kill yourself with crunches to get a sleek stomach.

But it turns out that you do need to get your heart rate up. Aerobic exercise is key to banishing both the deep belly fat and the superficial doughy stuff that give you a pooch.

Going the Distance
How much aerobic exercise does it take to trim a tummy? In a recent study, overweight people who jogged, cycled, or hit the elliptical for about 3 hours a week had the best belly-busting outcome -- as long as they exercised at an up-tempo pace. Not ready to go that distance yet? Try walking briskly for just a couple of hours per week. That's enough to at least keep belly swelling in check.

It's All Good
It's almost a guarantee that people who do nothing as they age will be watching their waists grow along with their risks of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. So whether you do it a little or a lot, sweat is still a sweet way to manage your middle. In addition to up-tempo exercise, try these tips and tools for training your body and toning your stomach.