Winter Blues January 25, 2011

I never thought I would let the winter weather get to me, but it has these past couple weeks. Last minute cooking, crazy Christmas shopping, events all over the place…it’s hard to fit in a work-out during the cold winter months.

The Thanksgiving day run was my biggest challenge this season and I’m so happy I did it. The 10k run/walk took place in Downtown Cincinnati Thanksgiving day morning. It was quite a challenge, but it really got me motivated to work out in the cold, wet weather.

Once December hit, I began losing my momentum. I was preparing for a cruise to Cozumel, Mexico on December 13th while trying to stay in shape for my bathing suit. I didn’t work out as much as I wanted to, but I did as much as I could  during my spare time. During my vacation, I fit in a nice 20 min jog on the outdoor track overlooking the ocean – and that was it. Since then, I decided to take a break from working out but it hasn’t done me any good. I feel like I have less energy and my digestive track is off.

Taking one week off is one thing, but almost three? That is enough to weaken your muscles, but not enough to where you completely lose your strength. I realized that all it takes to get back in the swing of things is to find ways to motivate yourself and start out small. “Ok, 10 minutes and that’s it!” When you have this mentality, you are more than likely to work out longer than ten minutes because you realize how awesome you feel.

So don’t sweat it if you get a little behind on your work out routine. It’s  not worth  because stressing over – stress can cause  just as much wear and tear on your body than jogging can. So find your motivation and get going one step at a time.

What Breaks Your Healthy Eating Diet? July 23, 2010

Ok, so here are the results for the “What Breaks Your Healthy Eating Diet” poll:

43% Sweets

43% Friends

14% Fast Foods

0% Holiday Foods

0% Late Night Kitchen Splurges

So here is a fact: Friends can make you fat! It’s interesting how Friends tied up with Sweets isn’t it? Friends even beat Fast Food! How is that?? Sometimes when we go out with our friends, we tend to get more relaxed. Then when your buddy orders those delicious loaded french fries with bacon, extra cheese and ranch, heck yea you’re going take more than one bite! It’s very tempting.

For those of you that drink with your friends, it is easy to have a couple of drinks then get hungry for some greasy foods. The alcohol dehydrates you, which can cause your brain to cry out for satisfaction. I always know after I have a couple of drinks, cheesy nachos sound delicious so I try to pick a salad or some pita bread with hummus instead (if that’s offered – usually you can find Pita bread with hummus or spinach dip at most Irish/English pubs) Even though you may not always be the one ordering the junk food, you can still fall into the peer pressure when your friends order the goodies. It happens to the best of us.

Preventing the friend splurges is possible, so don’t give up! Before you go out with your friends, eat a nice big healthy salad with mixed greens and lots of veggies to stimulate your appetite. If you go out with a rumbling tummy, you are more likely to grab at the junk food as the night goes on. If you’re not into salad, just eat a healthy meal and a drink a few glasses of water before you head out the door. Problem solved!

Sleep: the essence of tomorrow March 15, 2010

Even animals need sleep (My boyfriend and I found our cat sleeping in the bed).

It’s final—we are not getting enough sleep. Between running to school, work, fitting in exercise, household chores, putting the kids to bed or walking the dog, sleep seems to be put on the back-burner. Not having the right amount of sleep not only wears you down, but it can affect your performance at work, relationship with friends and family, concentration and health.

After speaking to some college students at the University of Cincinnati, I found that a majority of those I interviewed only get on average, 4-6 hours of sleep a night…if they’re lucky that is.  Some people like UC student Laura Schiele have a rough time getting sleep in because of her busy life-style. “On average, I get about 5 hours of sleep a night,” she said, “I work and go to school full-time so that cuts sleep out a lot.” Other students like UC Student Desire Bennett say she gets “about 5-6 hours of sleep each night. Mostly because I am up late doing homework and I usually get up early to go to work,” she said.  This seems to be the case for many people, including myself.

Insomnia is another problem for many people. Some people just can’t sleep because they’re stressed, busy or they are not following good sleep guidelines. Sleep guidelines? Wait, what sleep guidelines? There are some factors that increase the risks of sleep insomnia: Starring at a computer late at night, watching TV, exercising and completing household chores one hour or less before bed are all some factors that can lead to insomnia. So the guidelines are…don’t do these things before sinking into your bed at night. UC student Sara Robinson usually gets 4-6 hours of sleep a week! “I’ve always been an insomniac and college doesn’t help,” Robinson said, “Usually I start homework after work/class (I get home pretty late) and by the time I’m done it’s like 2 am or 3 am. Then I get up around 8.” UC Student Anna Staursky also feels she may have a mild case of insomnia. She only gets about 3-5 hours of sleep a night, “or sometimes I don’t sleep at all” she said.

Lack of sleep can lead to weight gain. There are studies that have proved this statement. There was a recent study posted on sleepfoundation.org website just last week: Lack of sleep can increase belly fat. How? Staying up late and/or not having enough sleep each night releases an evil chemical in your body: the hormone that makes your body want food. While the hungry-hippo-hormone is released, the hormone that suppresses your hunger goes away. Inconvenient, isn’t it?  So sleep deprivation can easily lead to weight gain. I asked some UC students if they feel more or less hungry when they are hittin’ the books late at night. 8 out of 11 said they tend to snack more often at night and some of them say they more often choose to snack on comfort foods such as chocolate, chips and pretzels. “When I did not watch what I was eating,” said Schiele, “I would munch on chips, sunflower seeds, and finger foods. But now I know how to control that!” UC student Stephanie Fuhr said, “The later it gets, the more I find myself snacking. If I’m up late I usually want something crunchy like pop corn or pretzels.” Megan Groves, a soon-to-be UC graduate said, “I definitely tend to snack on junk food if I’m burning the midnight oil late into the morning,” she said, “Mostly my overeating/junk food habits seem to stem from my tendency to comfort eat when stressed, and the fact that I don’t have as much time to spend cooking healthy meals while in school.”

So, what can we do to prevent lack of sleep? It may be easier said than done, but it CAN be done. Not everyone is a college student with crazy school and work schedules, but you still have just as many challenges to overcome. So here’s how to get your recommended 7-8 hours of sleep a night: