Blog Archives
Workout
Dimension: Physical
Activity: Workout
Monday, February 18th
This activity was normally supposed to be completed on President’s Day, the day there was no class, but even if we would have had class it would have been cancelled. This was the day of one of the huge storms we have had in ND, but that wasn’t about to stop me from working out; however, the Wellness Center had to close. Since the Wellness Center was closed, I was able to complete this challenge the next day. I normally lift weights with a friend every morning at about 6:45am, but that day I told her that we were going to use the new Circuit Deck instead. Neither of us had used the Circuit Deck yet so we were really curious about it. Early in the morning is a great time to work out, I recommend it because no one is there. My friend and I had the Circuit deck completely to ourselves, so that was really nice. I have only done an ab circuit once before when I worked out with a friend at Planet Fitness, but I have never done a full body circuit like this one. I definitely liked it alot because it kept you moving. One of my biggest problems is that I take too long of a time resting between different exercises and then I end up spending too long of a time at the gym. Sometimes I have to skip some of the exercises I want to do just because I don’t have enough time. The new Circuit Deck gets rid of the problem with the timer it has. I also like this new Circuit Deck because it gives people a different place to do weights, but in a more secluded area.
Get IN, get OUT, & get on your way!
Its finally time! We are nearing completion of the new Wellness Center Circuit Deck and it is set to be open on Tuesday January 15th at 4:30 PM! Seeing the transition from the lounge space that it was to now a functional 30 minute strength training circuit workout has been amazing. The space features 10 new pieces of strength equipment, a red & green timing light, new flooring, walls, a few pieces of cardio equipment and eventually a video running showing how each machine works. It was created to give people a quick 30 minute workout with some privacy as well.
How the circuit will work is – you can join in at any time – when the light is red just grab an empty machine and adjust it to fit you. When the light turns green you will perform the exercise that the machine is designed for which will run for 1 minute. When the light turns red, you will have 30 seconds to move to the next machine in the rotation and repeat the process moving through each machine – using them each 2-3 times. Fitness staff will be available 3-8pm in the first few weeks to help those who might need a little guidance with how to operate the circuit. This will give you a quick, easy 30 minute workout – so you can get IN, get OUT, and get on your way!
Maintain, Don’t Gain this holiday season!
Maintain Don’t Gain this holiday season!
Healthy UND Challenge
Most Americans gain around a pound of weight every year during the holidays, which doesn’t seem like much, but studies show that the one pound gained during this time of year isn’t lost throughout the rest of the year. Overtime, the yearly one pound addition to body weight can have some serious effects on our health- hypertension, diabetes, etc. Maintain Don’t Gain is an awareness project, hopefully getting people to think about the decisions they make during this time of year, specifically about what they eat and their activity levels. It’s easier to prevent weight gain than it is to lose the pounds later.
No Wellness Center-No Problem
Exercise should still be considered a priority. Not only is it important to maintain activity levels but it can also help deal with any stress that goes along with the holidays. If you keep active over the break it will be easier to get back into your normal routine once you return.
Shoveling snow, outdoor winter activities, indoor body weight workouts
Winter Running/Walking Tips:
- Wear multiple layers, with the first layer being a synthetic material, such as polypropylene, which will helps wick away sweat/moisture. Stay away from cotton because it holds in moisture and will keep you wet.
- Protect your hands and feet with gloves and thick socks.
- Cover your head. About 40% of your body heat is lost from your head, and wearing a hat will help prevent heat loss so your circulatory system will have more heat to distribute to the rest of the body.
- Start your run into the wind, than it will be at your back at the end of the workout, when you’re sweaty.
- If the temperature is at or below zero, stick with an indoor activity.
Holiday Meal Time
Think small. Enjoy the food, but keep the portions under control.
Take breaks. Try not to rush through your whole plate of food, so you can better gauge when you’re full. It can take up to 20 minutes for your stomach to signal the brain that it’s full.
Be mindful of alcohol intake. Alcohol contains useless calories that change your blood sugar levels and, in the short term, can increase hunger levels and cause unnecessary snacking.
Why It’s Important to Track Your Activities
Keeps you honest.
You can see results and progress-good and bad.
Keep track of activities you enjoy or don’t enjoy.
To get registered for the challenge – head to the Healthy UND webpage , stop by the Fitness Desk at the Wellness Center or the Healthy & Wellness Hub in the Union! Stay on track this holiday season!
Keep your holidays healthy!
Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks, but also have a great meal with your family and friends. Even though you may be tempted by some delicious dishes, it’s still important to keep your health in mind. Try to use the “plate method” when dishing up your Thanksgiving meal. This means fill half of your plate with fruits and vegetables, one-fourth of your plate with lean protein, and the last fourth with whole grains.
This can be done at Thanksgiving dinner! Luckily, many of the traditional Thanksgiving foods fit into these categories:
Fruits and vegetables (fill half of your plate):
-Sweet Potatoes
-Cranberries
-Green Bean casserole
-Side Salad
-Cooked vegetables
Lean Protein (limit to one-fourth of your plate):
-Turkey
-Ham
Grains (and starchy vegetables) (limit to one-fourth of your plate):
-Mashed potatoes
-Stuffing
-Whole wheat dinner roll
And Thanksgiving dinner isn’t Thanksgiving without some dessert right? It’s alright to indulge every once in a while, but do limit yourself to only one piece of pie, cookie or bar; and keep your portion size in check!
While you won’t be able to work off everything you ate, you can combat holiday weight gain by taking in a walk with your family before or after those big meals, playing a game of touch football, freeze tag, going ice skating, or building a snowman with your family.
Get as much of your family involved as you can to make it an enjoyable and healthy family get together.
Swimming
The activity was to go to lap swimming at the Hyslop between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. During my freshman year, I remember going to the Hyslop during open swim at nights as a way to stay in shape and for something to do. I thought this would be a good opportunity to get back into swimming. I had a break between 11 and noon so I thought this would be a great time to go. I started out strong, but soon remembered how hard/tiring swimming is. I swam for about 20 minutes and I was dead. The best part about being done after swimming was going into the sauna. It felt amazing after the swim. I think I will start to swim during open swim/lap swimming more now that I know it is available during the lunch hour and at night.
UND’s Health & Wellness 7 Dimensions of Wellness
Dimension: Physical
1/22
One of the challenges for today was to visit the UND Wellness Center and do 30 minutes of cardio activity such as: Walk the track, use the cardio equipment, or play pick-up ball with a friend. First of all I want to say that I LOVE WORKING OUT! Doing something for my physical wellness is not something new to me. I am from a small town in ND, but we do have a gym so over the summer I pay for the three months and workout about 5-6 times a week. Sometimes I switch it up and work out outside. Anyways, when I was at the Wellness Center I ran two miles on the treadmill and then went downstairs to lift weights, in which I worked on my legs and abs. At the end of my work out I felt great and rejuvenated. The next day I was definitely a little sore. I don’t know how some people can go their whole lives without doing some type of workout. It just makes you feel so much better.
makin’ a list
Do you make New Year’s Resolutions? It’s always “cute,” in theory:
You reflect over all of the things that you need to improve, change, or “fix” about yourself and contemplate solutions. When January 1 rolls around (or maybe 2), you hit the ground RUNNING.
Suddenly the gym becomes a priority,
you add a few more fruits and vegetables to your plate,
you hit the sheets an extra hour earlier,
you trade your cup of coffee for a glass of water,
you start wearing your seatbelt,
you find time to try a new hobby or sharpen your skills of a previous one,
you start cooking more meals…
and about a week later it all stops. Game over.
It takes, on average, about 3 weeks to either break a habit or form a new one. But most of us don’t have 3 weeks, we have RIGHT NOW.
Am I right?
For however many decades you’ve tried this hit-your-head-against-the-wall method, it hasn’t worked so well. Why not take a new approach?
This year, we’re not going to look at the big pictures.
We’re starting today. And we’re working on today.
That’s it.
Not next month, not 10 pounds, not 3 dress sizes.
Today.
Here’s what I suggest you try:
- Take a piece of paper. (Preferably something that’s pretty or eye-catching… but that’s just me.) And save room for “incentives.”
- On the top of the page, write down ONE goal, one thing that you are going to do today that positively aligns with a healthy eating choice you’d like to work on. (i.e. I will eat 1/2 cup vegetables with every meal or measure my food into correct serving sizes.)
- In the middle of the page, write why you are doing these “things.” And I don’t mean something ridiculous like, “To finally be a size 2.” Think of something like “To be an example for my family/friends.” “Because I care about my health.” “I want to feel better.”
- On the bottom of the page, write down ONE thing that you are going to do today/this week that positively aligns with some form of physical activity. (i.e. I will spend 30 minutes at the gym 3 times this week or I will lift weights one extra time this week or I will try a new exercise class this week.)
- Work on each of those “things” TODAY. Don’t think about tomorrow (unless you need to mindfully plan when you are going to hit your 3 gym sessions in advance).
- WHEN (notice, I did not say “if”) you reach your goal, give yourself a cool sticker. (No laughing; it works!)
Now, for the next month you are ONLY held accountable for these two things. When the new month hits, put up 2 new “things” you’re going to add/switch in your lifestyle.
It’s a little less stressful and unapproachable when you think in baby steps instead of leaps.
It took me 2 years total to lose over 100 pounds, and over 10 years later, I’m still trying to figure things out. We are all a work in progress.
Just keep moving forward.
And if you have an “off” day, forgive yourself immediately and be ready to get right back at it the next day. You’re worth every effort.
Just keep moving forward.
Two little things at a time.
Don’t forget your skis and skates!
The annual Ski UND/Late Night Skate event is approaching fast, beginning in the New Year
Every year the University of North Dakota holds the Ski UND/Late Night Skate program for students, faculty, and staff throughout the campus. The two events are approaching fast, beginning mid-January.
Ski UND kicks off with the “Ski with the Kelley’s” event on January 14 and will go every weekend until March 9 or when the snow melts. Late Night Skate will start January 13 and will go every weekend until the ice melts. There will also be an outdoor hockey tournament taking place on January 20-21. Anyone can sign up for the tournament, but there will be a maximum of 16 teams, each competing 4 v 4 on the ice.
Most importantly, don’t forget your gear! This is a good time to remind everyone going home for the holidays to bring their skis and skates back to UND before the spring semester begins again in early January.
Ski UND and Late Night Skate are sponsored by UND Student Government, Wellness Center, UND Alumni Association, SWAC, Ski & Bike Shop, UND Facilities, Night Life @ UND, Grand Forks Park District, and Hockey World.
Be REAL.
To weigh or not to weigh… that is the question.
Studies show that weighing yourself will likely produce better results in not only losing weight, but keeping it off; in my opinion experience, it’s a fine line.
The more I write these blogs, the more I want to divulge every in and out of my weight loss journey. There are so many layers. And I want to share each one. Sometimes for the simple fact that I feel it may help you. Sometimes because I sincerely hope you never make the same mistakes that I have.
This is one of those “honest-to-goodness” blogs that make me own up to one of my many stumbles.
As my weight loss progressed, people said things like: “I can’t even imagine you being that big.” or “You are such an inspiration.” or “I want to be just like you.”
Zoiks. That’s A LOT of pressure, people!
I guess it’s also good accountability, though.
Anyway, I’ve written a bit about how we measure “success.” It’s important that you don’t get SO wrapped up and reliant on the scale and the numbers pop up after those few seconds that take forever. Yes, it is important that you aim for a certain weight (aka your BMI), but it’s also important that you are building/maintaining muscle, drinking enough fluids, and not becoming so driven by the numbers that you become irrational (aka stop taking care of yourself).
In college, I bought a scale to “keep me in check.” It kept me a lot more than just “in check;” because of that dang scale, I was a slave to time, clothing, eating, and working out.
Please, dear friend:
Do your best to be at peace with the scale.
First things first. Remember that it took you some time to get to your current weight. And getting angry and depressed will not make change the number. Use it as motivation- healthy motivation- to keep trying rather than a torture device.
At one point in college… (gulp, here comes the raw honesty)… I was weighing myself 3 times a day at least, wearing the exact same outfit (I had to change a lot), having eaten the same thing, after exercising nearly the same amount.
I was a robot. I was trapped. It was awful.
Sometimes I would beat myself up for fluctuating- even 0.2 pounds. Let’s put this into perspective using a fewinteresting points: If you drank one liter of pop it would add about 0.10 pound if you didn’t burn it off. It would add over 2 pounds with just the “liquid weight.” After using a bathroom, you might to down 1-1.5 pounds.
So let’s be real here. Big picture.
Concentrate on eating right and exercising, and staying within your healthy caloric range. If weighing yourself is a “must” to keep you on track, do it only one time a day, in the morning after using the bathroom and without clothes on. Remember that slight fluctuations are no need for panic. Just so the numbers keep generally and gradually heading a downward direction. I guarantee that freaking out isn’t going to change the scale.
And we all know that it’s important to include weight resistance in your workout routine, right? So important that you implement it, yes? True, building muscle may slow/halt the scale temporarily, but in the long run you are better off, as your body will burn more calories and operate more efficiently. (And your new found strength will make you feel more like a rockstar/superhero.)
No matter where you are in your weight loss/healthy living journey, consider each day a gift. You have the chance to start over or begin again today. You have the chance to overcome the negativity in your life that brings you down. Not only chances, but strength.
Believe in yourself and make it happen… one healthy step at a time.
And know that I’m with you… every step of the way!
