It is the end of summer and college students prepare to leave to start their first year of college. It is the first time they are on their own and have a whole new schedule and life to juggle; with this often comes weight gain as well-often referred to as “The Freshman 15.”

They buy their own meals, they do their own laundry, they are introduced to beer and other alcoholic beverages, they stay up late partying, order in pizza at 2 AM, go to sleep really late and sleep in, often skip breakfast and stay up late studying and eating munchy snack foods. 

I did a little research to see why people though they gained weight in college. I also tried to find out more about where the number 15 came from when since most of my suvey respondants actually said they only gained about 10 pounds.  

So I decided to use my math skills to see where 15 might come from. On average most freshman probably drink about 3 nights a week (Thursday-Saturday). Let’s say you have 2-3 drinks which have an average of 100 calories, then you order pizza at the end of the night and have about 2 pieces at approximately 230 calories a slice (unless you order thin crust which is by far the better choice). Then you probably sleep in and grab a bagel or a muffin from Starbucks along the way which has about 430 calories. So now we are already up to an extra 1090 calories per day. So per week that is approxilmately 3300 calories extra that you most probably did not consume while you were in high school. It takes an extra 3500 calories to gain 1 pound.  So you can see how quickly this can all add up. This number is on top of the daily calories consumed. Many girls especially will often not eat very much during the day to save on calories. This actually usually backfires and in the long run causes more damage to your metabolism. I polled about 30 people-some currently in college and some years out of college. Interestingly, most polled actually said they gained about 10 pounds and the ones that did not gain weight in college played a club sport or even took a physical activity as a class they could get credit for! Below is some other helpful advice and input:

• Walk to class and anywhere else you can (on top of exercising)
• Find a workout buddy and make each other accountable for regular workouts
• Join at least 1 club sport 
• Sign up for a PE type class in the AM where you can credit and get a workout in

• Start lifting weights regularly (at least 2 times a week). It will change your metabolism so you burn more calories even when you are not moving
• Interval training will help you burn calories even when you are done with your workout
• Make sure to get at least 7-8 hours of sleep a night. Low levels of leptin (help signal hunger and satiety) have been shown to be linked to obesity
• Make sure you eat breakfast. Your metabolism is like an engine and it needs fuel to work. Breakfast gives it a jump start in the AM
• Eat 5-6 mini meals a day
• Make sure you are eating enough calories to sustain your healthy body weight. You will actually slow your metabolism down if you eat too few calories

With the Olympics having come and gone, there has been a lot of attention to gymnastics. Cheerleading is one of those sports that many gymnasts go on to do. Recent studies have found cheerleading to be one of the riskiest sports for girls!

To read more about this check out MSNBC Health for the full story.

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• Stand straight, feet parallel and hip width apart. Clasp your palms behind you, interlacing fingers.
• Bend forward from your hips; back straight, face forward

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• With hands still clasped, let your arms fall forward as far possible without straining.
• Hold the pose for 6 counts
• On an inhalation, rise slowly, letting your arms fall back gently; head up.
• Release your hands.

Benefits:

• loosens and stretches, arms and spine
• Stretches the back of the thighs
• Improves posture and back problems

As you all know, athletes have to be in tip-top shape all year round. They are constantly conditioning and molding their bodies to help them be better at their specific sport.

Most people get lazy in the summer, but the dedicated few make sure to keep a routine.

Justin Brezhnev, a student at Beverly High, participates in wrestling, Sambo (He’s an international champion), and  water polo. He says,”I just do four sports [to stay in shape and that gives me my cardio. Then I lift weights a little bit, but mostly [I do calisthenics.”

Jimmy Temple, a senior at Venice High, is the captain of the water polo team. He’s been staying in shape by going to team practices. He says, “We usually warm-up by swimming a 200m freestyle (heads up), 200m backstroke, then treading water with a 10 pound brick in the deep end. Then some ball handling skills (passing, shooting..etc), and we end in a scrimmage.”

Nick Blair, a 2008 graduate of Venice High, plays baseball. To stay in shape, he now has to keep an agenda of his own. “I usually run about 5 miles, do a short core workout, and sometimes I’ll lift weights, nothing too heavy though,” he says.

Hugh Zhao, a Venice High basketball player, hasn’t started conditioning with his team yet. To stay in shape, he planned his own summer workout. To keep his legs strong, he does a lot of running. “I usually play 2-3 hours of basketball a night, I run uphill and sometimes to Venice Beach and back.”

No matter what sport you play, staying in shape is very important. Make sure to motivate yourself to stay in shape for the remainder of the summer, even if you don’t play a sport.

-Rahel Abebe

Snacking the smart way!

Eating throughout the day is important-whether you call it a meal or a snack its best not go to too many hours without eating. I notice with myself, but when I don’t eat normally I get moody and nobody likes that. This is my blood sugar dropping. It is best to try to keep things level by eating more often.

Now it’s back to school time and when you arrive home from school the first place a lot of us go is the fridge or cupboard in search of something tasty to satisfy our hunger. It’s important to have the right food on hand to make a healthy and delicious snack.

We have come up with a list of great snack ideas that are tasty and filling.

One thing to keep in mind is to make sure you include protein in your snack, and always read labels to watch the portion size.

• Apples and low fat string cheese
• Low fat graham crackers and crumbled in non fat cottage cheese
• Yogurt dip with fruit slices
• String cheese with whole grain crackers
• Salsa with baked chips
• Whole grain low sugar cereal and milk
• Raw –food fruit and nut bars
• Whole grain pretzels and almond butter
• Low fat cinnamon graham crackers and peanut or cashew butter
• Guacamole or hummus with jicama sticks
• Smoothies with yogurt, milk frozen berries and bananas
• Organic dried veggies

Other things to remember:

Read the labels: natural doesn’t always mean the best choice, watch for fat, sugar and fiber. Go easy on the juice: though a good source of vitamins it’s full of concentrated calories.  Try dipping it: veggies dipped in hummus or Greek yogurt based dip are better than chips.  Accessible and quick: food that is already put together-string cheese; yogurt and nuts are all great choices. Choose a satisfying combo: combine protein and a whole grain carbohydrate source, if you crave sweets add cinnamon or a small amount of honey.

Let us know what some of your favorite snacks are.

fig.1

• Stand with your back one foot from the wall; feet are hip distance apart.
• Let your buttocks touch the wall.  Bend forward, hinging at the hips. Bend knees slightly.

fig. 2

• Bend your arms at the elbows; take a hold of each elbow with the opposite hand. Hang.
• With each exhalation, allow your spine to lengthen and release more

Benefits:

• Lengthens the spine
• Reduces lower back pain
• Increases circulation and lessens fatigue
• Alleviate tight hamstrings
• Stretches the back of the legs

• Stand erect, eyes focus on a single point.
• Shift your weight to one leg. Raise your other leg and place the sole of your food on your standing thigh.  If you leg slips, hold your ankle with one hand.
• Once balanced. hold your arms either above your head, straight out to the side, or with hands clasped in prayer position at the center of your chest.
• Slowly breath in and out 5 breathes.

Benefits:

• Improves the posture and elongates the spine
• Strengthens the knees and ankles
• Opens the groin
• Helps with balance and centering

(if keeping your balance is difficult, try tree pose lying down)

• Stand with feet under hips, arms held straight ahead.
• Exhale and slowly lower your body into a squat position as though sitting on a chair.
• Keep feet flat  on the floor, hip-width apart, knees over ankles.
• Gaze beyond your arms.  Hold for a slow count of 10.

Benfits:

• Energizes the entire body
• stetches the back of the legs and calves
• Strengthens  the Anchilles tendons, ankles and thigh muscles

in action

Originally uploaded by O2 MAX

Saturday morning the gym was busy. Step-Up women’s network brought their girls to O2 MAX for a workout. We started off with a couple laps around the building to warm up, a little stretching-then the workout.

When the girls first arrived we start out with an introduction, each of the girls and volunteers introduced them self-their favorite thing to do and then they asked a question they have always had in a gym.

We did circuit training at various station set up throughout the gym. Then learned a bit about cardio intervals. The girls on the spin bikes got a real workout. One of the questions that came up was-”whats up with the spin class?”, The girls got to feel what what a spin class feels like. When they got off the bike they were tired and had worked up quite a sweat. After the workout the girls got to explore the gym-some did a little more working out, others played on the computer and a little Wii action.

How to:

Fig 1: Bend right Knee, forming a right angle with your calf and thigh; right thigh parallel to the floor.  Turn head and gaze over your right hand.

Fig 2: Bend at the waist and bring the fingertips of your right hand to the floor, outside your right foot.  Extend your left arm above your head, creating a straight line between left hand and left foot.  Hold for several breaths. 

Release your hands, straighten your upper body, then your right leg.  Repeat on the left side.

Benefits:

• Improves flexibility of the torso
• Strengthens the feet, ankles, knees and legs
• Elongates the spine
• Opens the hip area
• Increases endurance and stamina