Healthy Living at OU, Not Impossible!

Before we came to college we all heard talk of the notorious "Freshman 15," and many of us thought that it couldn't happen to us. Freshman Brian Ross says, "I was really athletic in high school, I never imagined that I could gain weight just from coming to college, but it happens."

College is a complete change of lifestyle for most people, and with that change comes new challenges like deciding for ourselves what we are going to eat everyday, whether or not we want to exercise (or if we have time!), and whether or not we want to go out with our friends at night and have a few drinks.

All of these decisions have important effects on our health, so its important that we make smart choices. Many people find it hard to stay healthy while living on a college campus because instead of having parents to grocery shop and cook for us, we have to do it ourselves, and unless you are on a sports team here at Ohio University, no one is forcing you to get exercise. And then you add in the typical college night life and it can be a recipe for health disaster.

But it doesn't have to be! There are so many ways to stay in shape around campus, especially with such a great rec center like Ping. Janna Townsend, a junior Management Information Systems and Finance major, says "I try to go to Ping everyday. I usually run, but I have my days when I just don't feel like running so I hop on another machine like the elliptical or bike, there's tons of things you can do there." And its true, the Ping Center page on Ohio University's website boasts:

"The Ping Student Center is a recreational center that has a climbing wall, five gymnasiums for basketball and volleyball, two multipurpose gymnasiums for floor hockey, soccer, and other activities, eight courts for racquetball and walleyball, a four-lane walking and jogging track, cardiovascular workout equipment, cybex resistance equipment, aerobics, weight training and martial arts rooms, locker rooms and a television lounge."

Like I said in an earlier post, going to the gym isn't the only way to get exercise. OU has a bike path that runs along the river that is great for walking, jogging, biking and rollerblading so grab a friend a few times a week and hit the bike path. Getting your friends involved makes exercising a painless, and even fun, activity.

Intramural sports are offered every quarter and are a great way to get exercise as well. "Playing broomball fall quarter really helped to keep me in shape, and I played with all of my roommates so it was fun," junior Megan Parris says about her experience playing intramural sports. Even throwing around a football or taking a dance class can give you the exercise you need during the week. You can spread your workout throughout the day, as long as each increment of exercise is at least 10 minutes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Along with getting exercise, healthy eating is the key to a healthy lifestyle. You aren't going to be able to eliminate all of your bad eating habits overnight, doing this takes a little effort. As you begin to change the little things, like buying fresh produce instead of bagged or canned produce and drinking tea instead of soda, these changes will start to add up and you will feel healthier and happier in no time. The CDC says that by reflecting, replacing and reinforcing you will be able to permanently improve your eating habits. Reflecting on specific eating habits, replacing unhealthy eating habits with healthier ones, and reinforcing new, healthier habits will help you to eat healthier all the time.

Being healthy is all about feeling good and making the right decisions for yourself. At times, making health-conscious choices can be difficult on O.U. or any other university's campus but it is not at all impossible. There are many students who are living healthier despite the challenges of a college campus, and you can do it too. Making little changes in the way you eat and being active can help you maintain a healthy lifestyle wherever you are.

Nutrition Myths, Busted!

With all the fad diets coming in and going out of popularity, sometimes it is hard to know what to listen to and what to do to live healthier. Especially during this time of year, with summer and bathing suit season coming up, people come up with some crazy things to do to get in shape and these things just aren't necessary so I am going to debunk a few of the myths I have heard about nutrition and health. Here are some nutrition myths that I think everyone should know are false:

# 1. Eating at night will lead to weight gain

We often hear that eating after 7 or 8 p.m. will lead to weight gain because you are not as active at night as you are during the day, so when people are trying to lose weight they stop eating after a certain time everyday. This is NOT true. Studies have shown that it doesn't matter what time you eat, but it matters how much you eat when it comes to weight control and weight loss.

#2. You can boost your metabolism by eating small and frequent meals

Some people say that eating more frequent, small meals will speed up your metabolism, causing you to burn more calories than eating three larger meals everyday. The truth is, that weight control and weight loss is based on how many calories you take in every day versus how many you burn every day. So when you are trying to manage your weight, it really doesn't matter if you eat five small meals or three regular meals every day, just as long as you are burning more calories than you are taking in.

#3. Organic food is healthier than the rest

Many people think that because organic foods are natural and contain less chemicals and additives than regular foods that they are healthier and more nutritious for you. And as college students, that isn't exactly what we want to hear considering that organic foods are often more expensive than other foods and we have limited budgets. But good news: organic foods are NOT more nutritious than conventionally grown and raised foods. In an article on CNN.com, Alex Avery, the director of research at The Hudson Institute Center for Global Food Issues says, "Organic foods have never been shown to be healthier, more nutritious or more safe than conventional foods."

#4. Fasting will help you lose weight

People think that by fasting or skipping meals, they can quickly and effectively lose weight. False. It may help you lose weight in the short-term, but once your time of fasting is over (because you can't fast forever) your metabolic rate will have slowed, which could actually cause you to gain weight. This is because while fasting or skipping meals you are not only losing fat, you are also losing lean muscle and tissue (causing the decrease in weight). The loss of this muscle and tissue can actually cause your metabolism to slow, having the opposite effect and causing you to gain weight after you begin eating regularly again.

#5. You need to drink 8 glasses of water a day

Its true, we need our hydration, but we don't have to get it by just drinking mass amounts of water everyday. Other things like juice and milk can give us the hydration we need. So if you are thirsty, have something to drink, but don't worry yourself over drinking 8 glasses of water each and every day.

Fast Food Happens

So we all don't have the time to cook every meal for ourselves every day. Fast food and eating out are sometimes the easiest thing to do on our busy college-student schedules. Instead of running through a drive-thru for a burger and fries, try the healthier items that the following restaurants offer for a fast, guilt-free meal. These restaurants also offer their food to-go for a quick and easy meal.

Jimmy John's offers a Low Carb Lettuce Wrap called the "JJ Unwich." You can get all of the same ingredients that you would put on a regular sandwich wrapped in lettuce for a low-carbohydrate alternative.

Brenen's has a Low Calorie "Resolution" Menu with a variety of sandwiches that are under 500 calories when served on sourdough, wheat, rye or pumpernickel breads. One of the sandwiches on this menu is the Lo-Cal Italian which has sliced chicken, ham, lettuce, tomato and onion with a fat free Italian dressing. They also offer low-fat strawberry and plain yogurts as a side to any deli sandwich.

Pita Pit, who's slogan is "Fresh thinking, healthy eating," offers a Resolution Solution menu with six pitas under 470 calories. The Fresh Garden pita is only 290 calories and has romaine lettuce, tomatoes, onions, green peppers, cucumbers, black olives, and mushrooms with tzatziki sauce. This is a healthy and fast meal and great for vegetarians!

Subway has eight six-inch subs that have six grams of fat or less. These include the Ham, Oven Roasted Chicken, Roast Beef, Subway Club, Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki, Turkey Breast, Turkey Breast & Ham and the Veggie Delite. You can also get any of the subs as a salad.

Buffalo Wild Wings has great salads. My favorite is the Chicken Tender Salad, which has chicken tenders tossed in your favorite Buffalo Wild Wings sauce on top of lettuce, tomato, onions, croutons and cheese and your choice of dressing. You can get any of the salads with or without chicken as a healthy alternative to a burger and fries.

Applebee's offers an Under 550 Calories menu with about 5 different entrees under 550 calories. This weekend I tried the Grilled Shrimp & Island Rice, which is seasoned, grilled shrimp on top of citrus rice with vegetable. It was delicious!

Ruby Tuesday highlights Smart Eating Choices on it's menu, including steak and a grilled chicken wrap with lettuce, cheese and light ranch dressing. Ruby Tuesday also has a salad bar where you can build your own salad with whatever you want on it.

Bob Evans features a new Fit From the Farm menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The items on the Fit From the Farm menu are versions of their regular items on the menu, but modified so that they are lower in calories and fat.

Quiznos has over 20 items on the menu under 500 calories. These items include both classic and signature subs, soups and salads. The Turkey Ranch & Swiss is a classic sub under 500 calories and has turkey, Swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato, red onions and ranch dressing.

You can find all of these places quickly on the map below for those days when you just don't have the time or energy to cook a healthy meal.


View Fast Food & Restaurants with Healthy Alternatives in a larger map

Stretch, stretch, stretch

Stretching is an important part of healthy living, whether you exercise daily or not. It can help you increase your flexibility, improves your muscles' range of motion, improve circulation and even relieve stress. Stretching before a workout will help to prevent injury and soreness and it will also improve the quality of your workout. Also, stretching daily even when you do not exercise will make you feel healthier because you will have better circulation and motion range of your muscles.

In the following pictures, my roommate Brooke is demonstrating basic stretches that you should do before every workout, as well as a few times per week. These stretches will stretch the main muscles your body uses when you exercise: the calves, hamstrings, quadriceps ("quads"), adductors, lower back, and arms. Each stretch should be held for at least 30 seconds for it to be effective, and should be repeated on each side of the body (i.e. left leg and right leg, left arm and right arm). You should stretch only until you feel a light pull of the muscle and it should not be painful, if pain occurs, you should stop the stretch and talk to your doctor about it.

In the pictures: Brooke Carpenter, 21, Ohio University.