Health and Fitness Tips

It's GRRRRRRRRRREAT!!!!!!

2005-11-19T19:09:00.000-08:00

Breakfast, one of the most important meals of day, and yet so many people fail to incorporate into their day. As a college student I realize that many people don't want the hassle of waking up any earlier than they have to in order to go to class. In an attempt to lay in bed for those extra 5-10 minutes many college students just skip breakfast. Yes, I agree that those extra minutes in bed do feel really good, but fitting breakfast into your schedule is also very important.

One reason that breakfast is so important is because it gets your metabolism going. After you have been sleeping your body has began to slow down and so have many of its processes including your metabolism. By eating breakfast you get your metabolism started early in the morning and therefore it can work constantly throughout the day at a higher rate. So by skipping breakfast you are only reducing your metabolism's potential which can be detrimental to your body's weight loss processes.

Also if you eat breakfast in the morning you may be saving yourself from overeating at other meals throughout the day. I know that if I have breakfast in the morning than the amount that I eat for lunch is considerably lower. Many times you don't "feel" full until well after your body is "actually" full. So, if you eat breakfast and already have something settling your stomach than you can reduce the risk of overeating at other meals.

Many college students also feel like they just don't enough energy to get through the day. They wake up 20 minutes before their first morning class, get dressed, brush their teeth (hopefully), and then rush out the door without eating any breakfast. Then during that 15 minute window they have between classes they grab a quick lunch from the food court. Many times this quick lunch does not provide students with the proper energy that they will need to function efficiently throughout the day. However, if they would just wake up a little bit earlier and have a decent breakfast than they could provide their body with that necessary energy.

Remember that eating a healthy breakfast is also important. I have provided links which will provide you information on the best breakfast cereals, easy breakfast recipes, and breakfast ideas that can be made/prepared in less than 10 minutes.

Beat the Flu

2005-11-17T12:34:00.000-08:00

It's now that time of year where you are going to have to wear a coat everyday for the next couple months to stay warm. In my opinion the cold weather sucks and I could certainly do with out it. Another thing that comes along with this cold weather that I hate is the flu. I mean who wants to be stuck inside not only because of the frigid temperatures but also because of the fact that they have the flu. Well hopefully I can provide you with some tips to keep healthy through this winter session.

The most known about way to prevent the flu is by getting a flu shot. Flu shots can be administered by registered nurses at various locations. I recommend calling your primary doctor to find out whether they have the flu vaccine in their offices and if they do set up an appointment. If your primary doctor does not have the flu vaccine than you should check around at local walk-in clinics. Walk-in clinics are of course open to almost anyone and are another place to vaccinated. Some places you may be unaware of that give flu shots are stores such as CVS, Walgreens, Safeway, and even Wal-Mart. I actually went to a local Super Wal-Mart last weekend when I was home with the initial intention to buy my groceries before I came back to school. I was quite surprised to see a flu shot booth setup in Wal-Mart but I decided to get one and it was only $24. Here is an article talking about the flu vaccines offered at Wal-Mart.

Keeping your body clean is another strategy to staying healthy this winter. I hope that you normally keep your body clean to begin with but there are certain things that you can do to improve. First of all, try and make sure your hands are continually kept clean. One thing that you need to realize is that you are always touching things that have been touched, sneezed on, spit on, etc. by other people. Just imagine how many germs are on those UD buses and you have to hold on to those rails that have been touched by half the campus. So make sure to wash your hands after you touch things that have a high rate of usage by others. And if you don't feel like continually going to the bathroom I suggest carrying around some pocket sized hand sanitizer. Another thing to do in order to stay healthy is try and reduce the touching of your face. Germs are usually spread from touching something and then proceeding to touch either your eyes, nose or mouth. Also, and obviously, keep your distance from those people who you know are sick. You aren't doing yourself any good by coming within a close proximity of someone who is already sick.

Lastly, keep staying in good shape and get enough sleep. An already physically healthy body will fight off the flu much better than an out of shape and run down body.

The Center For Disease Control (CDC) also provides alot of good information about the flu. If you have any questions you should click on the link and I am sure your answer will be answered.

Love Handles: Not so Lovely

2005-11-10T13:26:00.000-08:00

So you have done all the crunches and sit ups that you can endure. You have a rather flat stomach but there is still one thing that doesn't look all that attractive. You still have those dreaded love handles. All that hard work to get a flat stomach but now you are still left with some excess fat on your sides. Well hopefully I can provide you some tips on how to get rid of these not so lovely features.

I'll first give you the health tips that should help you get rid of these suckers. The reason why love handles appear is because it is an area of excess fat for your body. So of course one way to help yourself out is to reduce your total fat intake. I used to make fun of people who looked at those nutritional labels on food but have since changed my ways. They can really tell you a lot about a product and how fattening it may be. By finding the labels that say low or reduced fat you may be reducing up to 40 grams of fat per meal. For example, sometimes I will eat tuna fish sandwiches and put mayonnaise in it. If I used regular mayonnaise I would have consumed 10 grams of fat per serving. However, by using fat free mayonnaise I have cut those grams of fat out. However, don't take this as saying eat as much fat free food as you want, those calories still add up. Something else that is hanging out in those love handles is excess salts a.k.a. sodium. Sodium is found in a lot of prepackaged foods because it is used to preserve foods for long periods of time. So to reduce this sodium you can either start eating less prepackaged foods or you can start drinking more water. By drinking more water your body will end up "flushing out" those excess salts.

Now to the fitness tips for getting rid of those babies. One good exercise for this area is alternating crunches. By doing alternating curls you are helping to work out your left and right side oblique. I find that by putting my feet up and above my chest as opposed to on the floor that it is better on my body. With simple crunches up to your knees you are not putting as much stress on your neck and back that you would be doing a full situp. There is also an exercise which is sort of like toe touches only you are going side to side. You put a weight in one hand, lower it down your side, and then pull up with your opposite side oblique. I will usually use about a 40lb-50lb free weight to do this exercise but even 10lb weights provide a good resistance to help tone the oblique muscles. The best fitness tip for getting rid of love handles is to keep up the cardio. By doing cardio exercises you are burning that excess fat which makes up your love handles.

So by watching what you eat and keeping up the physical activity you can reduce those love handles in no time.

Gym Etiquette 101

2005-11-02T21:14:00.000-08:00

This posting is in response to the lack of manners that I find when I go to the gym. The past few times I have went to the gym I have just observed behavior that needs to change so that everyone's workout experience is enjoyable. I mean most people are civilized to act properly during all other activities they do on campus but when it comes to the gym they just leave their manners at the doors.

The first thing that gets on my nerves is the fact that people find it necessary to use up to 4 sets of weights at the same time. Did you just grow 6 extra arms and now have the ability to lift 8 weights at one time? Unless you're a mutant I don't think so. Use one set of weights at a time and you will make less enemies. It's not like the other people at the gym may not want to use those weights too. You should be glad that you got one set of weights and if you want another weight, well you'll just have to wait. And if you do somehow still find it necessary to have possession of all these weights at one time, then let people work in during your breaks. If you share your weights between sets you will make more people happy and won't be labeled an ***hole for hogging all the weights.

Another thing that gets me work up is the fact that people don't wipe off machines/benches after using them. Do you think that the mystery green liquid and towels are there for decoration, NO!!! Use that green stuff to wipe down your machine after using it because you know that the person using the machine after you DOES NOT want your sweat all over them. Even as a guy I find it pretty repulsive how some people leave these machines looking like they just got a bucket of water dumped on them when in fact it is sweat. So please, take the 3 seconds necessary to clean the machine and quit being lazy.

Furthermore are the people who go to the gym and grunt. I know most of the readers of this blog are girls so you probably don't grunt while you work out, but in case you do, please try and stop. Although at first you have that look of WTF on your face when hearing someone constantly grunting while working out, it quits being funny after a while. If we wanted to hear strange noises we could go to the zoo or something. I do agree that some noises are acceptable as in breathing and such but these giving-birth-like noises aren't really necessary.

Lastly, put the weights back from where you got them. It used to be at the pencader gym the free weights were in two rows and increased in weight down the line. However, now it's like playing Perfection while trying to match weights up. Didn't your mother tell you to put things back where you got them from. Also, for the people who leave those big 45 lb. weights on the bars, WHY? I mean I can take them off myself but why should I be hassled with putting it away. If you were able to put the weights on initially than you can certainly put them back.

Thank you for listening to me vent this week. But hopefully you learned about things which can be found annoying in the gym and can spread the word on Gym Etiquette 101.

Going Organic

2005-10-24T11:54:00.000-07:00

By now everyone has probably heard of the movement that people are making towards eating organic foods. If you are not exactly sure what being deemed as an organic food truly means, it is a food that is raised/harvested without the help of chemicals.

Organic foods are good for you in many ways. I mean consider this, wouldn't you want eat a food that hasn't been filled with pesticides and chemicals. The chemicals do help thwart off bugs that can be bad for crops but can they also be healthy for you, I'm not so sure. Also, from my personal experience in going to Costa Rica I realized how delicious organic foods actually are. In America we go to the grocery store and buy these foods that are mass produced and we pretty much settle with the taste that we get. However, when I was in Costa Rica I was able to enjoy some of their organic foods such as fruits and vegetables and it was amazing. They were able to produce food that made your mouth water and gave your taste buds something to be excited about.

Also, another reason I see organic foods for being a good crop are how they benefit the land. With all these chemicals we are putting into the ground today we are in essence destroying the land that we expect to continually feed us. Well the truth is if we keep taking all the nutrients out of the soil and putting chemicals in the ground, we're not going to have arable land in the future. What organic farming helps to do is keep the soil fit for growing for centuries to come. It does not deplete the land but helps to restore it to its natural form.

If you are interested in organic foods and the process of growing organic foods you should check out the movie "Beyond Organic: The Vision of Fairview Gardens". This movie tells about Fairview Gardens which is one of the oldest organic farms and is located in California. It really opens your eyes as to how beneficial organic farming is.

And just as a note, I am not strictly an organic foods eat but I try to eat organic foods when I can. So I'm not saying non-organic foods are the devil, but if you can try and fit organic foods into your regular eating habits you are not only getting better tasting food but your are also helping yourself stay healthier overall. Also, the reason I decided to write about organic foods is because of the recent discussions we have had in my class BUAD472: Marketing, Society, and the Environment. This is an eye opening class to how business is performed and it takes a look at some of the faults in our current business models. I would recommend this class to anyone who is a Business major.

Let me know if any of you eat organic or want more info and I'll be glad to respond.

Quit With the Excuses

2005-10-20T12:23:00.000-07:00

So you have come to college and gained the "Freshman 15" (or perhaps even more). Maybe this extra weight has even decided to stick around with you for the next 2 or 3 years you have been in college. Well quit thinking that the only way that you can lose this weight is by trudging to the gym. Although the gym is a great place to start, you can make decisions right now to lose those extra pounds that don't involving running or lifting weights at all.

First of all, most all University of Delaware students are within walking distance to their classes. I mean I live all the way at the north end of campus in the Towers and I find the energy to walk to my classes. Yes, the walk is around 15 minutes but it's really not that bad. So if I can take the 15 minute hike to campus I'm sure everyone else can put on their walking shoes instead of waiting for the UD bus services. And by the way, with the way the UD bus service is you may get to class on time more often if you decide to walk rather than gamble on the timeliness of the bus.

Another thing you can do is take the steps in your dorm or apartments. Now, I do admit that I live on the 12th floor of the towers so I never take the stairs up to my room. However, if I'm going up or down only a few floors than I'll take the steps. Not only is this good for you, but you also don't piss off other people by taking the elevator ONLY 1 FLOOR (and yes I have witnessed this on more than 1 occasion).

One last thing is too reduce how much you drink, and by drink I'm referring to alcohol. No college students wants to hear "Quit Drinking" and that's not what I'm saying. However, some people are under the impression that by drinking liquor they are consuming less calories than if they drink beer. Well yes this would be true if you are taking shots without a chaser, but many students do use a chaser which contains the same or even more calories than beer. So if you like beer, try to find one low in calories and if you like liquor use a low calorie chaser. But the main point is any form of alcohol is bad for you so just try and limit the amount of drinks you have if you want to stay in shape.

These are just a few suggestions for ways to stay in shape without always having to break a sweat, hope you enjoyed them.

Move Over Bobby Boucher

2005-10-16T17:59:00.000-07:00

For 40 years now, Gatorade has helped re-energize millions of athletes across the world. As I'm sure you already know, Gatorade is a sports drink that is used to help re-hydrate and give athletes the energy they need to do their best throughout a contest. The need for Gatorade came in 1965 when University of Florida football players, the "Gators", would come in the locker room at halftime of the football game and would be so dehydrated that they couldn't even use the bathroom.

Dr. Robert Cade, the inventor of Gatorade, found that this new sports drink would provide athletes with something water didn't, electrolite and carbohydrate energy. Electrolites and carbohydrates are needed in order to refuel tired muscles in the body and can keep you energized longer. Another reason that Gatorade is better than water is because it actually has a taste. Many athletes become dehydrated because they don't drink enough water mainly due to its lack of taste. Gatorade on the other hand comes in several different flavors including Fruit Punch, Lemon Lime, Riptide Rush, and many more. With such savoring tastes, athletes are more inclined to drink greater amounts of Gatorade than water and in turn stay hydrated longer.

Some people do not realize how dehydrated they become during sporting events until it is to late. You should start drinking fluids before participating in a physical activity rather than when you start to feel thirsty. By the time you start feeling thirsty your body is already at a low level of hydration. Gatorade has devoted so much research into the area of maximizing sports performance that they have the Gatorade Sports Science Institute (GSSI). One of the areas that Gatorade heavily focuses is on is keeping athletes hydrated and from their research they developed a Fluids Calculator. You can click on the link at the bottom of the page for the Calculator to pop up. This will enable you to find out how much you should be drinking before, during, and even after exercising.

All Cardio is Not Created Equal

2005-10-06T16:46:00.000-07:00

Although you can do cardio for 30 minutes, there can be big differences in how effective you make that 30 minute cardio session. Once again this brings up the idea of "quality is better than quantity".

Machines or exercises are different in how much energy they require or how many calories they burn. For example, 30 minutes of running on a treadmill will burn alot more calories than walking at a normal speed for the same amount of time. Also, the level to which you do you exercise can have a great impact on the results. The difference between doing the elliptical machine at a level 1 compared to a level 10 can make a difference of 100's of calories depending on how long your workout is. Also, the individual's weight will make a difference in how many calories a particular exercise will burn. As a person's weight increases so do the amount of calories they burn while exercising. Many machines today have been programmed to make an estimate on how many calories have been burned during an exercise using factors such as intensity level, weight, and time.

I have found two websites which can help you estimate calories burned during different exercises or activitivites. While they do account for time and weight they fail to factor in the intensity level which can make a significant difference. This website has over 100 different activites which you can input your weight and time of exercise and it will calculate an estimate of how many calories are burned. WebMD also provides a calorie counter which is also useful.

8 Minutes & 6 Packs

2005-10-01T15:30:00.000-07:00

If you ask almost anyone which physical attribute they would love to have, a majority would say that they'd like a 6 pack. Everyone wants to have those chiseled abs and washboard stomach that you only see in Hollywood movies. Sometimes it is easy to fall into the misconception that quantity is better than quality. With this misconception, many people think that doing hundreds of crunches everyday will lead to the best results. However, there are different ways to maximize your abdominal workouts.

The quality of your abdominal workout is vital in achieving that body you have always dreamed of. Since there are different areas of your abdominals all should be properly worked. A simple crunch is not going to target all of your abdominals and will not reap the maximum results. One of the best things I have found for a full abdominal workout is "8 Minute Abs". Not only does this little video provide you with some great abdominal exercises, but its ONLY 8 minutes long which is great for those who hate to workout. This workout includes exercises such as the basic crunch, right and left side oblique crunch, toe touches, reverse crunch, right and left side crunch, push throughs, leg pushes, alternating curls, and curls. With each exercise being only 45 seconds long it doesn't get boring and the 8 minutes passes pretty quickly. I have done 8 minute abs for a while now and can definitely see a difference. However, you must remember that just doing this will not give you those perfect abs but it is certainly a great starting point.

I have also found that using an exercise ball is a good piece of equipment for ab exercises. I used to just lie on the floor and do crunches but after a while the hard floor would start to hurt my back. So I have began to incorporate the exercise ball into my workout because it contours to your body and doesn't hurt like a hard floor.

So if you want to start working towards that 6 pack you have always wanted I suggest either buying, renting, or downloading “8 Minute Abs” and also try using an exercise ball to reduce back pain during abdominal workouts.

Cardio: Before or After?

2005-09-21T15:56:00.000-07:00

If you didn't already know, one of the keys to getting that perfect body you are searching for is to incorporate cardio into your exercise routine. Lifting may help burn alot of that fat you have stored in your body and also lead to muscle growth. Nevertheless, you cannot completely get rid of excess fat without cardio. Some choose a routine where they have a day of lifting followed by a day of cardio and so on. I like this method because it allows you to escape the confinement of the gym every other day to do some outside cardio activities. However, there are some people who lift and do cardio during the same session, and they have the question of when cardio workouts should be done.

Well I have found that there is a general consensus for maximum results and that would be to do your cardio session after lifting. If you think about it the answer is quite obvious. I mean why would you want to deplete your body of all its energy by doing cardio before lifting. If you do cardio beforehand you will not be able to lift to your maximum potential and improvement will be slowed. When you lift you want your body to start out at 100% If your body is not at 100% than muscle development will not be able to progress in a way that will lead to greatest benefits. You can however do a light cardio warmup before a workout session. A 5-10 minute cardio warmup such as running or biking before working out will get your muscles and blood going and can prove beneficial.

So from all this you should come away with the knowledge that if you are going to do cardio and lifting on the same day than cardio should come last. This allows you to lift at full potential and then burn the excess fat and energy left in your body.

H 2 the izzO

2005-09-15T14:03:00.000-07:00

Yea the title is a little corny but it is in reference to the one thing that many people fail to incorporate in their daily lives, water. Water is the most abundant resource on earth yet many people fail to get enough of it. The general rule that everyone has heard growing up is to drink 8 glasses of water a day. Now many say that they just don't have the time to drink that much water or they can't do it. If you can manage to drink a glass at each meal sitting than that accounts for 3 glasses of water. Also, as college students you have access to water fountains all throughout the campus so carry a small water bottle with you throughout the day and fill up between classes. Drinking this water during class can and up to another 3-4 glasses leaving only 1 glass to be drank sometime during the day. Also, many people fail to realize that water is found in common products such as soup, milk, and many juices. So if you make small changes in your daily habits it will not be as hard as it seems to fit in those 8 glasses of water a day.

Why is it so important to drink all this water is a question you may be asking. Well first of all, the diet of a college student is usually never healthy. A prime example of a bad food choice that college students love to eat is Ramen noodles. Yes, they may be good for a quick snack/meal but they are loaded with sodium. Many of these unneeded salts can end up staying in the body and lead to serious health problems such as high blood pressure, heart and kidney disease, or stroke. However, drinking plenty of water each day can clear your system of this potential danger.

Water is also a key factor in losing weight. Many times we feel hungry throughout the day so we feel that we must eat a snack or meal. Yet, by simply drinking a glass of water you can fulfill what you thought was your craving for food. Water also helps the body metabolize fat cells in the body. Without enough water in your body these fat cells remain and it is harder to lose weight. However, if you drink plenty of water, your body will metabolize better leading to quicker weight loss.

So from this posting I hope you can make some changes in your daily routine and start leading a healthier lifestyle.

Why is Excercise & Health so important?

2005-09-08T12:52:00.000-07:00

Almost every college student has the mentality of being invincible to the outside world. We can party every night, break the law, act like total idiots with our friends and in the end we will be fine. However, the unhealthy life styles that many college students lead today, may be detrimental to their future. With this blog I hope to inform my fellow college peers about the positive changes they can make in their every day eating and recreational activities. I hope to provide advice that will improve their lives today and decades from now.
One of the first things a person must do is determine just how healthy their body is. First, I am going to discuss is a persons Body Mass Index (BMI). Although a person's BMI is not a perfect tool to determine just how healthy a person is, it does provide a general idea. From a BMI calculation one can see an estimation of just how much of their body weight is body fat. A normal human has from 18-25% body fat, overweight is from 25%-30%, and anything over 30% is considered obese. There are however drawbacks to the BMI calculation. Calculations may be overestimated in athletes and people who weight train. In all, having a normal BMI will prevent many problems such as high blood pressure, cancer, and stroke. If you want to find out your own BMI just click on this link and input your information. If your BMI is not healthy than I hope to provide tips in the weeks to come that will help to improve your BMI.

2005-09-08T11:47:00.000-07:00

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2005-09-08T11:00:00.000-07:00

Ryan Beebe's Blog Posting September 8, 2005