Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Eat your Fruits and Veggies

Ladies, I know you're away from home now and on your own (sort of), but mom did have some good advice.  Here's some advice mom may have provided you that you would be wise to follow; don't run with scissors in your hand, say please and thank you, and treat others the way you want to be treated.  Another good piece of advice is eat your fruits and veggies. 

I have talked to some fighting squirrels in my weight training class who can not remember the last time they ate a fruit or a vegetable. Fruits and vegetables are an important part of well balanced diet.  The new food pyramid recommends 2.5 cups of veggies and 2 cups pf fruit per day.  Now, I know most of  you don't carry a measuring cup with you on a regular basis.  So how do determine one cup?  According to www.mealsmatteer.org, a women's fist size is equal to a serving of fruit or vegetable.  See, you have it easy, look at your fist, look at the piece of fruit, if they are about the same size you have 1 serving.  Now open your fist, and make a cup out of your hand, if you fill your hand with blueberries that is about 1/2 of a cup.

Training and Conditioning Magazine May/June 2011 has some suggestions for choosing your fruits and vegetables.  For fruits, get fresh, frozen or canned berries, melons, bananas, apples and grapes.  Dried fruits are also an option, but beware of the calories in dried fruit.  Also, drink 100% fruit juices.  Check the label to be sure it is pure fruit juice and not loaded with high fructose corn syrup. Fruits provide potassium, magnesium, fiber, vitamins A and C and other vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.  Whole fruits also provide fiber and, if you are looking to lose weight, are low in fat and calories.

For vegetables, fresh, steamed, frozen, grilled or canned spinach, carrots, green beans, tomatoes, and corn are good choices.  You will get potassium, fiber, vitamins A and C along with other vitamins and minerals.  Spinach also provides iron which is an important mineral for women.

Fruits and vegetables are also great snack foods.  Pass up the Snickers bar, bring that to my office, and have some grapes.  To add a little protein to your snack, add a tsp of peanut butter to your celery sticks or apple slices.  You don't have to smack yourself in the head, but remember, "You could'a had a V-8."  How hard is it to throw an apple into your backpack.  With a little organization you can cut up some carrots the night before class and have a nice crunchy snack in a plastic bag.  Eat them between classes, the noise may satisfy your need for a crunchy snack, but your prof may get a bit annoyed. 

Salads are also a great way to get your veggies.  Make your salad as colorful as you can add bright green, orange and red vegetables.  Instead of croutons, add some sunflower seeds for a little crunch and lay off the salad dressing.  You may be surprised how good vegetables taste without being drowned in dressing.  If you must add dressing use a small amount or use a light dressing.  Many of you eat salads but add bacon, croutons, and drench it in dressing.  You have destroyed your healthy meal by adding tons of fat.

Eat smart.  I can hear mom now,  "Eat your fruits and veggies."  March on squirrels!

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Thirsty? Drink water.

Hello fighting squirrels.  I am happy to say I have seen many squirrels lifting weights and using the aerobic equipment.  I also see a lot of you drinking various sports drinks.  My recommendation to you is, STOP!!  Stop drinking the sports drinks, don't stop the exercise.  I am old enough to remember when lemon-lime Gatorade first came on the market.  At that time Gatorade was THE sports drink.  Today there are numerous sports drinks on every shelf of every store.  It is a multimillion dollar industry.  The companies producing these drinks have done a great job of marketing their product.  They have us believing we are healthier and stronger by ingesting their scientifically designed nectar of the gods. 

Sports drinks do serve a purpose -  for athletes, but (no offense) many of you are not athletes.  You are people trying to stay in shape or to get in shape.  Your use of sports drinks may actually be keeping you from reaching your goal.  Sports drinks are designed to rehydrate and replenish electrolytes and carbohydrates lost during STRENUOUS exercise.  According to Michelle Rockwell a sports dietitian in an article in Training & Conditioning, "sports drinks should be chosen over water for any exercise event lasting longer than one hour."  Her recommendation is to use, what she calls, the 3-H rule.  Use sports drinks when exercise is Hard, Hot and at least an Hour long.  Most of us do not work that hard or that long on a regular basis.  Even many athletes do not need sports drinks every day.  Our cross country team drinks water during most of their workouts.

Think about the exercises you are doing.  Remember an hour of exercise does not include the time you are talking to your friend ( in person or on the cell phone) or texting.  Walking 1 mile burns approximately 100 calories.  A 20 fluid ounce bottle of Gatorade contains 130 calories.  Do the math!  Here's another chance to use your math skills. Compare the price of that 20 oz bottle of sports drink and the cost of a sip of water from the water fountain.  Remember, most bottled water is tap water in a plastic bottle that was filled at the factory.  You can skip the middle man and get a drink from the fountain or fill your own bottle and save some money.   Maybe you can save enough money to pay off your college loans.  Well maybe not that much, but you will save.

Many people believe they are being more health conscious by choosing a sports drink over a soft drink, but be aware of the calories in both of these choices.  Calories in water, zero.  I am not advising you to never use a sports drink.  I am warning that most of us do not need them on a regular basis.  Use the 3-H rule and save yourself the expense and the calories of a sports drink by drinking water. 

March on squirrels!!

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Squirrels Must Fight the Freshman 15

Welcome back ladies.  As we start another new school year I am sure many of you, especially the first year students are wondering, what will college mean to me.  Unfortunately, many  students will find that college will mean weight gain.  Every year hundreds of college students throughout America will gain weight.  One thing we need to keep in mind is that the "Freshman 15" is a myth.  That's right.  According to Jay Zagorsky in a study of 7,418 young people from around the country, the average weight gain was 2.5 to 3.5 pounds.  The research was conducted by Ohio State's Center of Human Resource Research.  This is good news; however, remember this is an average which means some students may gain nothing and others may gain much more.

The study found that women gained an average of 2.4 pounds during their freshman year.  Only 10% of college freshman gained 15 pounds or more.  The study further shows that college students do gain weight over the course of their college careers.  The typical women will gain 12 to 13 pounds.  After college when students venture into the real world, the typical student continues to gain 1.5 pounds per year.  So we see there is some good news and some bad news.  There is no freshman 15.  However, there is a significant amount of weight gain during college and this gain continues after graduation.

Why the weight gain?  This is not rocket science.  Students tend to take in more calories than the expend.  Pizza, burgers and other fast foods tend to be high in calories.  A small snack seems innocent enough, but when  one constantly snacks the calories quickly add up.  If one consumes more calories than one uses, the calories will be stored as fat.  Students also tend to become less active.  Going to class and studying account for this lack of exercise.  I am sure most of the women at Mary Baldwin do not waste their time watching Jersey Shore or surfing the net.  At other schools, although not here, students often consume alcoholic beverages which are extremely high in calories.  If you want to calculate your caloric intake from alcohol go to www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov.  Drinking also tends to cause one to eat more.  Because the weight gain is usually gradual, a young freshman student will not realize she have gained weight until those favorite jeans seem to be (all of a sudden) a little snug.  Of course the reason for this snug fit is the washer and dryer in the dorms -- "They shrunk my jeans!"  Sorry, not so!

How can we avoid this unwanted gain in weight?  Again, not rocket science.  Don't overeat and get exercise.  It is amazing to me that many students will not walk across the campus to exercise at the PAC.  "It's too far to walk."  The walk to the PAC can be your warm-up, and the walk back to the dorm can be your cool-down.  Remember it is much easier to STAY in shape than to GET in shape; ask any one that has tried to diet.

The PAC hours are Monday to Thursday 6AM to 9PM.  Friday 6AM to 5PM and Saturday 12 to 5 PM.  We have a small, but well equipped weight room.  Free weights, machines, ellipticals, recumbent bikes and treadmills are all there for your use.  As many of you have discovered you can exercise by just walking around the campus and the local community.  Mighty Big Calves can be gained, and weight can be dropped by simply walking.
March on Squirrels.