Tag Archives: working out

Pre-Workout Snacks

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Going to the gym and working out consistently can be very beneficial to our health, but many people struggle with motivation. Everybody who works out has their own reason for doing so, and have their own fitness goals. Whether your goal is to lose weight or gain muscle, diet is an essential part of any workout routine. Eating certain types of foods before a workout will help you get the most out of your body and maximize results to help you achieve your goals sooner. Here are some snack ideas and general tips to help fuel your workout.

 

1. Peanut Butter Sandwich

Many people tend to stay away from peanut butter as much as they can because it is dense in calories and carbs. Although this is true, carbs are actually good, making a peanut butter sandwich on wholegrain bread a great go-to snack before a workout. Before any type of moderate to intense training, carbs are essential. When eaten, carbs are quickly broken down into glucose, which gives us energy and allows our bodies to function at full potential. A lack of carbs during your workout can cause you to feel weak, tired, and jittery. The carbs found in the bread and peanut butter are a strong source of energy to help you through a run or lift. If you are not into peanut butter, fruit, oatmeal, and toast are wholesome alternatives.

 

 

 

2. Greek Yogurt

Greek yogurt is filled with protein, which is essential before and after exercise. If you are into weight training, in particular, this is great before a lift. When we lift weights, small tears are being created in our muscle fibers. A substantial source of protein before a lift helps the muscles heal and grow back stronger. When choosing your Greek yogurt, plain is best because it has significantly less sugar than most brands of flavored Greek yogurt. To help cover up the awful taste of plain yogurt, strawberries, blueberries, or any other fruit is great on top. Some other easy sources of protein before a workout are nuts, eggs, and milk.

 

 

 

3. Water/Gatorade

It is extremely important to make sure you are hydrated before physical activity. Drinking as much water as possible throughout the day will help improve performance. According to Active.com, the average person loses about 37 ounces of water through sweat throughout an hour of moderate exercise. Dehydration leads to weakness, headaches, and muscle pain. Sometimes I like to mix in a Gatorade right before I workout for some added electrolytes and energy. Electrolytes are important for regulating heartbeat and allowing muscles to move properly.

 

 

 

Much like eating breakfast before school, eating the right types of foods before a workout can be extremely beneficial. Everybody is different and has different goals that they are trying to achieve. These guidelines and suggestions are general, and can be tweaked to personal preferences. Pre-workout nutrition is all about finding what your body responds to best. If you feel that something gives you more energy and helps you perform better, go for it! Everyone’s body is different and responds differently to various foods.

The “Freshman 15”

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Every year, freshman have entered a world full of unlimited meal plans, no obligation to work out, and a lack of parents nagging them to eat their vegetables.  Because of these issues and several others, students entering college tend to gain a few accidental pounds.  Here are some ways for you to stay healthy in the some of the best, and toughest, years of your life:

1) Don’t forget breakfast. Being a college student, I know how hard it may be for someone to wake up any more that fifteen minutes before that 8 am class.  But, with enough motivation to be a healthy individual, you can avoid stuffing your face at lunch by just grabbing a bagel on the way out the door.

 

2) Workout. I know, just as well as any other high school student athlete, that regularly working out in college seems very troubling to get used to.  With all of the distractions in college (both academic and social), fitting a daily workout into your routine proves to be not easy to do. Even though this is true, there are ways to avoid this speed bump.  Try joining a sports club or even an intramural team to keep you on your feet throughout the week.  If you’re too busy for this, you can try to go to the gym at the same time, each day, to turn working out into just another part of your daily agenda.

3) Drink some water. Staying hydrated throughout the day always proves to be a challenge for the average college student. Coffee and other mystery dehydrating liquids seem to always be a part of a student’s daily struggle to make it through the week.  Carrying a reusable water bottle with you at all times is one way to keep your H2O levels consistent. Click on the water bottle image to find some cheap and effective reusable bottles from Target.

 

4) Manage your stress.  Every student knows that stress, no matter what you do, will be a part of your life.  Whether it’s caused by moving away from your home town or the four tests you have this week, stress is going to be present.  One way to relieve some of this stress is to take breaks in your long hours of school work.  Fitting an episode or two of Family Guy in the middle of studying is never a bad thing, every now and then. Working out is another way of reducing stress.

 

5) Be mindful of what you are consuming in the dining hall.  Just because you have an unlimited supply of food suddenly placed at your feet does not mean you should over-eat at lunch or dinner.  When choosing what to eat, try to work healthy foods into the equation.  Always look for vegetables and whole grain breads and pasta.  Another way to reduce the amount of food you consume is to drink a full glass of water prior to filling up your plate at the buffet.  Drinking a glass of water before you eat aids your metabolism and helps prevent you from over eating.

 

As you can see, the mighty freshman 15 can be dodged, but it may take some extra grit.  Try to persuade your friends to follow in your footsteps by taking these precautions along with you. A group effort always seems to trump an individual’s in situations like this.  Good luck in your pursuit of a healthy college lifestyle! Below is a recipe of a healthy smoothie that tastes good and is easy to make:

 

Fruit and yogurt smoothie

 

Ingredients

  • 1 banana
  • frozen berries
  • ½ cup of yogurt
  • 1 splash of pineapple juice
  • 1 cup strawberries
  • A bit of orange juice

 

Directions

Blend the ingredients above in a blender until it is fully mixed.  The measurements do not need to be exact and you can add and subtract what you think makes the smoothie taste the best!

Taking On The Freshman 15

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Let’s face it: no one wants to gain the Freshman 15, but we’re all told about it coming into college. My family said it would come from all the junk food; my friends said it would come from an excessive amount of alcohol. While students often put on weight now that we’re away from home, we can definitely maintain our current weight if not lose weight if we stay on track.

I can already hear all the excuses.

“I don’t have the time to work out enough”

“I don’t have the money to follow a strict diet”

“Drinking is fun. I don’t want to stop drinking”

While these are all somewhat legitimate excuses, making progress really doesn’t take all that much change. What it will take is moderation. Yes, you’re going to have to work out some. Yes, you’re going to have to cut out the alcohol and junk food sometimes. But, the good news is that you’re not going to have to cut them out completely. You just need to follow some common-sense tips that I’ll talk about below, then you’ll be able to enjoy your college experience and stay in shape (get in shape for some people).

 

Exercise

The first step to not putting on weight as a freshman is some type of working out. I take advantage of lifting and running. But, if lifting heavy weights isn’t for you, it could be yoga class, riding bikes, hiking, etc. If you want a pleasant place to run, try running along the river. Here at the slice of heaven we call the University of Alabama, the choices for working out are limitless. There are even classes at the Rec Center that take the guess work out of it.  The most important part of working out isn’t necessarily the type, but the act of actually DOING IT. Find something that makes working out at least a little enjoyable and stick with it. Obviously, the more you work out, the better. But, aim for workouts that are around an hour at least 3-4 times a week to see a noticeable impact. Working out on its own will help tremendously, but like the famous quote goes, “Abs are made in the kitchen.”

 

Caloric Intake

The biggest part of not gaining the Freshman 15 is your diet. If you’re slamming beers and eating Domino’s all the time, working out is not going to have near as big of an impact. I’m not telling you to not enjoy life, but you need to exercise moderation. Enjoy all the great food Tuscaloosa offers, but limit your indulgence to one or two cheat meals a week. I like to have mine on the weekends so I can reward myself for a week of hard work. For options during the week, believe it or not our thousand-dollar meal can go a long way. The dining halls have a salad bar, vegan and vegetarian options, lean meats like chicken and turkey some days and if you’re feeling young again you can even get a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. The dining halls can work for our goals if we stick to the healthy options and control our portions.

Try to limit your drinking to once or twice a week as well. Alcohol is empty calories and can completely ruin the effects of eating well. Alcohol also amplifies the effects of junk food. When you have alcohol in your system, instead of metabolizing food and burning off the calories, it’s more focused on burning off the alcohol. Because of this change of focus, more of the large pizza you just ate will be absorbed by your body.

Final Thoughts

The Freshman 15 might sound daunting. But, if you exercise moderation and follow the tips listed above, the Freshman 15 will be reduced to an afterthought. The most important part of watching caloric intake is staying healthy. This can mean different things for different people, so make sure to listen to your own body. Whatever your goals are, with a little tweaking, these tips are sure to bring results. I have even lost almost 20 pounds since school started while maintaining most of my strength from these tips; I know they can work wonders for anyone else willing to give them a try as well!