Student Fitness

By: Joe Norton

Living on campus during the summer , but you’ve got no meal plan!?! Don’t worry, I’m facing the same situation.

Here I’ll share with you some of the ways I’ve dealt with this. It’s not easy going from a hefty meal plan to none at all. Especially when you’re pretty light on cash (aren’t we all).

• Go Grocery Shopping - Not the most convenient for most, but arguably the most affordable and definitely the easiest way to get a hold of healthy options. Going to the grocery store and making that once a week (or twice) stop allows you to save mucho dinero by buying in bulk (kind of) and gives you the freedom to choose what you will be eating the upcoming week. Chicken, veggies, and rice anyone?

• Get Hoagies… No, Not Cheesesteaks - So maybe not every city has this issue, but here in Philadelphia it’s difficult to step into most “cheap” restaurants without having a glistening pile of steak, cheese wiz and onions in a roll staring right back at you. My suggestion: Get the turkey with all the veggies and hot peppers on it. HOLD THE MAYO!!! Or get a grilled chicken sandwhich of some sort. Just try to dodge the fried foods and cheeses and most hoagies are semi-healthy.

• When you have a chance, eat whole wheat - Not every place gives you the option, but when they do. Take it. It’s proven to reduce bellyfat (so says Penn State)

• Mix It Up - Don’t eat at the same place everyday. It’s easy to get comfortable with your favorite sandwhich at your favorite pizza shop. Despite how much your stomach may like it; it’s not good. Eating the same thing all the time (even if it’s a nice turkey on whole wheat with LTO and mustard) is bad for your body. You need to have a well-rounded diet and this can only be done by changing up what you eat. So follow your palate and eat at multiple places around town so long as you can make healthy choices and not spend everything you’ve got.

• Pack A Lunch (or dinner) - When you are busy during the summer; either with school or work, it’s easy to forget about the food and your fridge and to rely on eating out all the time. Not only does this pack a serious punch on your wallet but it’s also not the best way to make sure you get all the nutrition you need. Try to pack your lunch or another meal on occasion. The only real way to decide 100% whats in the food you’re eating is to make it yourself.

By: Veljko Petranovic

I got an urge to write some text about dieting about 20 minutes ago, during my second meal of the day, at about noon. Can you guess what I was eating? Well, here’s a recipe for a diet-friendly, no-carb meal that I’m sure you’ll enjoy. Ingredients: One can of sardines in sesame oil. Open the can halfway and let all extra oil exit by applying manual pressure. Serve sardines on a plate, and consume with a fork. Drink water throughout the course. Appetizing, eh?

Not really. But on the other hand, I’m on a mission to drop about 10 pounds of body fat exclusively, which is an endeavor that entails eating lots off protein. Carbs are cycled in a fashion that I’ll get to a bit later. It’s simple, effective and lasts one whole month during which you don’t get hungry once. Here’s a sample of my menu on Monday, the 12^th of May.

• Meal one: 4 raw eggs, drank, about 20 grams of protein plus about the same amount of fat
• Meal two: one can of tuna in salted water, about 25 grams of protein
• Meal three: one can of tuna in salted water plus about 100 grams of radishes (whatever that vegetable is called, it has next to nothing carbs yet contains fiber)
• Meal four: whey protein shake, in water, 38 grams of protein, 3,2 grams of carbs, 2 grams of fat
• Meal five: post workout shake, same as meal 4.
• Meal six: maybe 50 grams of cottage cheese Major suckage, right? It is what it is, but I’m hell bent on doing it and the results will be posted in about one month. Photographic evidence, one might say.

The whole diet plan looks something like this: on Mondays and Thursdays, I severely cut out the carbs. On Tuesdays and Fridays, I eat a banana pre-workout. On Wednesdays and Saturdays, there’s a proper feast waiting – two bananas pre-workout. And on Sunday, I eat a lot of complex, fibrous carbs, in the area of 300-400 grams. That is also the only day when I don’t have to hoard up on protein. Bananas are just what I chose for my carbohydrate source, it can be anything up to 100 grams of that particular macronutrient. Believe it or not, that’s all there is to it! Nothing fancy, nothing extraordinary, no miracle fat burners or thermogenic foods. Just frequent, protein-rich meals, which, combined with cardio and weight training, comprises a fail-safe plan. It isn’t a whole lot of fun, but on this regimen, I can eat a pound of lean beef steak and not feel bad about it. It’s no fun, though, and this lack of fun is what keeps most people from coming even close to their fitness aspirations. It takes discipline, it takes being dumb as a mule and just forgetting about taste of proper food. All tasting variety is limited to cardboard and salty cardboard.

In a Muscle and Fitness article from recently, I’ve read about this study. Apparently, they gave one test group fresh popcorn and the other group got stale popcorn in a – get this - larger bag. Results show that people are likely to eat even more crap food if it’s provided in large containers. That’s right, more of the stale popcorn ended up being eaten! Holy cow! That’s just dumbfounding. The point of this digression is this: you, and you alone, decide what goes into your body.

If your goals include being in better shape and more aesthetically pleasing, by all means, keep your browser pointed to Student Fitness. My colleague, Joe Nort, writes up excellent articles that will get you on your way to Fitville in 1-2-3, as long as you actually listen to the advice. There is another way, a path of accepting yourself as you are physically and give up on such superficial actions as “dieting” and “training” for the sake of “looking good”. On the other hand, a lot of people I know feel depressed and shortchanged because of the way they look. Yet they still end up doing nothing about it! Don’t be like that. You can be whoever you want to and you possess the power to get in awesome shape if you wish. So read up. After that, it only comes down to putting in some hard work and eating a lot of bland, yet awesome food.

The final rewards include, but are not limited to, being healthy, buff, fast, strong, positively oriented, also there are six-pack abs, self-confidence, attractive looks, high energy levels and the comfort of knowing that, if you can diet properly for a solid month, you can do just about anything.

By: Joe Norton

Want washboard abs? Want bulging biceps or toned legs?

Well, I can’t give you any of those today.

What I can give you is 3 things you can begin implementing TODAY into your life to begin the process (journey… if you will) of losing weight and getting to whatever your ideal state is:
Be that super thin, super muscular, or something along that continuum.

These aren’t intended to be just huge “cut this out” blanket statements that are impossible for the common person to follow, these are intended to be mini ‘life hacks’ or positive habits that you can begin to build into who you are in order to make you a more healthy person.

1) When given a chance to be active, take it. Convenience is your enemy when you want to be more active.

Take the stairs, not elevator. Ride a bike, don’t take a taxi. Walk a few blocks as opposed to getting a friend to give you a ride. Don’t settle for the closest pizza shop, if you must eat pizza then burn some calories and walk to your favorite place. If you have downtime in between classes => walk to your dorm and do what you will, and then walk back across campus when your class comes around. This is as opposed to sitting around waiting, or sitting in the library (though useful for studying, I’d rather lose out on 20 minutes because I was getting some light exercise and just study in the comfort of my room).

2) When given a choice to between meats; go with Chicken, Turkey or Fish.

Lean Beef => 59% Fat, Reduced Fat Pork => 69% Fat, Skinless Chicken Breast => 26% Fat, White Fish => ~10%
These calculations are based off of nutrition facts of products offered in stores, based on the calculation of % calories from fat. For example: X Grams of Fat * 9 Calories = Net Fat Calories/Total Calories = % Calories from Fat.

3) Don’t Starve yourself. Always have something to Nibble on.

Ask ANY bodybuilder, athlete, or health enthusiast and they will always tell you this. You must eat every 3-4 hours to keep your metabolism going. If you go longer than that without eating then your body gets worried about your
food sources so it slows down your internal calorie furnaces and then starts converting calories into fat just in case you
have to go for a long time without eating. Let your body know you don’t have to be in starvation mode - by not starving it.

These are 3 keys to getting healthy, sure - they are common sense, but sometimes it’s the most common things that we
overlook. Now that you are armed with these 3 tools you will be much better equipped to get through college in healthy shape.

By: Veljko Petranovic

In my gym, everybody seems to be on something. I’ve recently talked to an Egyptian fellow, a mass monster by anyone’s standards, and he swears that his immense bulk is the result of heavy training and branch-chained amino acids. He’s an arm-wrestling competitor and looks like he could lift a house. This other guy, Mirko, my buddy from school, has a very lean physique and looks like one of those model types. He takes German creatine, whey protein, glutamine, aminos and ZMA. His home looks like a supplement warehouse. And then, there’s this dude we call “Cold”, who used to be really big and fat, but now sports a tiny, ripped waist and unhuman mounds of muscle everywhere you look.

Cold works as a bouncer, and I guess that’s a good career choice, since he has a very nasty disposition. A few days back, he took his shirt off, and you could really tell he was on something. Great muscle separation, paper thin skin, lumps and bulges up the yazoo. His traps have took the place of his neck, and he can bench 450 for reps. Despite all this, one couldn’t help but notice terrible acne which cover his entire back. For lack of a better word, it looks disgusting.

A lot of other people in my gym take steroids as well. The thing is, noone competes in powerlifting, or bodybuilding, or baseball or whatever. Guys buy a membership, and a few short months later, their arms swell up like balloons and their backs block out the sun. You see them some time later, and they are back to a more reasonable size, more human proportions. And, without fail, they all look terribly depressed. Once you were Superman, being Clark again really sucks.

My viewpoint on this is, unless you are making money from a sport that demands strength or size, you have absolutely no business taking anabolics, androgens or hormones. Due to a shift in our collective conciousness, women have gained more power and rights, and men, especially younger guys, seek to compensate. This „compensation“ can manifest itself in a variety of ways, but a very common one is the Adonis complex, bigorexia, muscular dysmorphia, whatever you want to call it. A lot of men feel inadequate, and resort to chemical enchancement.

The list of side effects of these drugs is as long as my arm. Hair loss, acne, testicular atrophy, damage to the liver, mood swings, high blood pressure, acromegaly, water retention, impotence, organ enlargement. Death is a big one, too. Need I go on? The thing one has to ask himself is, is this really worth it? Are you really going to put your health in danger for the sake of sheer looks? Isn’t it stupid? Is it not downright idiotic?

There is something to be said about moderation. It applies to some things. But, let’s take Heroin for example. There is no moderation with it. Either you’re addicted or you’re clean. In my opinion, the same goes for steroids. No one ever does „one cycle“. Taking „low doses“ actually means suffering less side effects, and there is no safety involved once you start tampering with your body’s natural hormonal balance. You can try, and get out of it relatively unharmed, but for what? Being huge? Bah.

Any recreational athlete can achieve his goals naturally, provided that his goals are realistic. You’re not going to look like Ronnie Coleman with weights and food alone. But just about anyone can take crappy genetics, apply hard work and dedication and produce a marvelous looking body. It’s a matter of consistency and figuring out what works for you. You can gain 20 pounds in a month and lose them in two months, or you can accept fitness as a lifestyle and keep looking great no matter what. Think of it as brushing your teeth. Think of it as an investment in your future, and the future of your kids. Think of it as playing smart.

By: Veljko Petranovic

1.Don’s start a bulking phase if your body fat level is above 10 percent. Fat begets fat, remember, and the more you have, the more additional adipose tissue you’ll gain along with the muscle. Ideally, you should start bulking up after you’ve dieted down for the summer/competition/photo shoot/girlfriend. That way, your muscle/fat gain ratio should be about 1:1. When you’re chubby to begin with, the ratio is more like 1:4 in favor of fat.

2. Eat a lot, but no junk food. You’re looking for quality sources of protein and complex carbohydrates. Despite the fact that ice cream is made of milk and therefore must contain protein, all that extra sugar will not do anything good for your appearance. Some fat is acceptable, heck, it’s unavoidable, but don’t let this be an excuse for regular gorge-fests. Eat up to six times a day.

3. Bump your calorie intake by a set number of calories per day. Space the extra calories over all your meals, don’t just eat double your normal breakfast. Do not exceed 1.000 calories over your normal diet per day, it’s overkill. Instead, gradually increase your food intake. If you need, say, 3.000 calories to maintain a 200 lbs of bodyweight, calculate the needed increase for 210 lbs and eat accordingly. Don’t eat like you should be weighing 250 lbs right off the bat, or the fat gain will be much larger.

4. You should never be hungry. Overfeeding takes a lot of effort, endless mastication and loads of food on the go. Don’t kid yourself by starving for the majority of the day, then pigging out for dinner. That approach is a sure way to fail.

5. Don’t forget the fiber. When it comes to eating a lot of food, all the excess must go somewhere, and a good digestion goes a long way. Well known side effects of bulking include, but are not limited to, gas, stomach cramps, hard stool and even more gas. Also, it would be a good idea to include fish oil capsules in your diet.

6. Train no more than three times a week. For the rest of your time, you should be eating and resting. Bulking phases are ideal when you’ve got a lot of study material to go over. Preparing for a big exam, or three, includes a lot of sitting on your ass, which goes hand in hand with gaining mass. Seize the opportunity.

7. Compound exercises should dominate your training program. Don’t miss out by not squatting, deadlifting, benching, stand-pressing and barbell rowing. Also, this is a great time to focus on a lagging muscle group. Specialize on your weakness and bring it up to par, lest it becomes even more apparent. Work that muscle group first in your training, and give it more volume.

8. Forget both cardio and a ripped six pack. For normal people, like you and me, it’s not natural to add pounds upon pounds of lean muscle. What’s required is singleness of purpose. It is during this time when you should care less about aesthetics. Think of it as an investment in your future self. Gaining muscle without some fat is nigh-impossible, unless you’re chemically assisted (which I don’t recommend) or genetically blessed.

9. Sleep for no less then 8 hours every single night. Ten hours would be even better, if you can manage. Your sleeping patterns should be just as important as your training, though a bit less so than your diet. If nutrition comprises 70 percent of your fitness goals, the rest is divided between lifting and sleeping.

10. Live a little. Once your fitness goals, regardless of what they are, become routine, you’ll view them as a chore and a burden. You don’t have to be miserable in order to get big. Socialize with your friends and family, and let them in on your current efforts. They are the best support group one could ever want. Go shopping for your new, bigger clothes. Go out and have some fun. Fitness is a great way to live, but it shouldn’t be life itself.

By: Joe Norton 

1. Don’t just hope to find time for going to the gym. Take the time to plan it. The college lifestyle can be hectic and plans/entire courses of the day can be changed with a decision. When you have plans in advance you can build your day around your fitness lifestyle.

2. If lines at machines at the college gym are annoying you then you might want to try going earlier in the morning or later at night. College gyms tend to have very light traffic till just before lunch, it will get more busy throughout the day usually peaking by 5-8 and die off the closer you get to closing time. With this in mind, you can have the whole gym to yourself if you go at one of the less busy time periods.

3. Don’t forget about all the old school bodyweight exercises you know of. You know exactly what I’m talking about: The Push-up, the sit-up, the pull-up (if you have a chin up bar to use). These are compound bodyweight exercises that are the basis for many fitness routines and it’s because they are some of the most effective excercises we know about. Pushups and situps can be done anywhere, any time. Why not do a quick set of each during commercials?

4. Hoof it a bit. Walking is a great form of exercise. Try to plan your day to allow for a few strolls. Even though they require little physical effort they cause serious health benefits. Take every chance you can to get out of the cramped dorm room and take a look around on a walk. Why take the shuttle to save 10 minutes when you could have just added in 10 minutes of light exercise…

5. Moderate your alcohol consumption. Alcohol is not going to help any of your goals – unless your goal is to pass out. Alcohol causes a decrease in testosterone and will negatively impact your ability to grow muscle. Alcohol is also full of empty calories and simple carbs, plus – a lot of people eat seriously unhealthy food once they have had too much alcohol (this is where most of the fat for the beer belly comes form). Read more about “Alcohol In College”

6. Get enough sleep. Atleast 6 for most people, 8 is recommended. Lack of sleep can cause many things, the worst of which is psychosis (that’s right, a psycho), including decreased cognitive ability. It will also completely screw over any kind of lifting / fitness plan. Your body needs time to rest and repair, if you never give it time it can’t ever rest & repair. Read more about sleeping…

7. Avoid the buffet. It is scientifically proven now that when you go to a buffet you definitely eat more. We all knew it, no one doubted it, yet for some reason people still go to buffets which tend to have the worse food on campus. Bleh, boo this buffet! Read more about buffets…

8. Put some Pilates into your fitness plan! Pilates are those core based bodyweight exercises that seems kinda somewhat similar to yoga but its not. Yeah those, they are amazing for abs and can be done anywhere. I suggest the floor because it has no give and works good as support. However, you can even do them in bed. Things like “the hundred”, leg raises, the saw, v situps, are all Pilates moves and there are many more – check’em out.

9. Stay busy. Join an organization or professional development club and participate often. Not only will this help out your resume and your skills in the given area, but also it means you are busy more and less time to sit around. Stay moving, stay burning calories.

10. Join a team or club, or atleast start a recurring physical activity (like Sunday basketball games, Saturday morning football games, whatever). Add something to your life that is going to continually cause you to do activities that benefit your goal. Deciding to run a 5k or hell, even a marathon – is a gigantic example of starting a recurring activity that will actually guide you to your goal.

Keep these tips in mind this upcoming semester.

By: Joe Norton 

There are many ways you can increase your metabolism, the best ways of which are to be active and to eat often. However, there are smaller, simpler things you can do to increase your metabolism a little. Every little bit helps.

Load up on hot sauce - capsaicin, the active ingredient in hot peppers, causes an increase in metabolism. Studies have found that capsaicin works in two ways to reduce cholesterol levels: it decreases cholesterol absorption by the body so that more is excreted in the feces; and it increases the enzymes responsible for fat metabolism in the liver, so that more triglycerides, the hard insoluble fat, are secreted by the liver rather than accumulated in the body.

Drink coffee -Anyone who’s had a few too many coffees and sufferred the shakes can tell you that caffeine is a serious stimulant that dosen’t get much negative press due to our cultures love of coffee. Just make sure to drink plenty of water (I drink a glass of water for every cup of coffee, in addition to my daily 64 daily ounces) to counteract the dehydrating effect of the caffeine.

Eat Some Ruffage – Celery is so fibrous that your stomach burns more calories digesting it than you gained by eating it. So what happens is a net change that is negative. You burn calories by eating stringy veggies like celery.

Lose weight and still eat all day? Yup, but you have to do it right.
You should eat smaller meals, more frequently if you want to maximize your metabolism and weight loss potential. What this does, is it keeps your blood sugar steady which your body loves.

It keeps your metabolism high, this way your body is working all day at a higher level of metabolism and is burning more calories. It also keeps you feeling full and satisfied which prevents having to snack or eat when you don’t have control over the food preparation.
What is ideal is to eat between 5-7 mini-meals spaced equally throughout your day
The math works like this. Say you are the average 180 pound man consuming 2,000 calories daily to maintain weight. Well, rather than eating two 1,000 calorie meals like I use to and not giving my body time to digest before bedtime – what you should do instead is:

Divide your total daily amount of calories by the number of meals you can consistently fit into your schedule, let’s say 5.
2,000 divided by 5 is 400. This means you eat 5 mini meals of 400 calories.
You will notice consistent energy all day. None of that drag you use to feel between lunch and dinner. You’ll also notice you sleep better. Eating heavily anytime near bedtime can severely affect your ability to get comfortable and fall asleep.