Student Fitness

By: Ryan Imbach

You’ve made it to college. Congratulations! The first year is exciting. You meet new friends, join campus groups, get involved in great activities, and party! And after all is said and done, freshman year is over, and you’re ten, fifteen, twenty pounds heavier; and it’s definitely not muscle. How did that happen? All that partying and studying and eating crappy foods from the local pizza place, that’s what! What can you do? How do the dorm-dwelling, penny-pinching students get by on a healthy nutrition plan so that this fat gain doesn’t occur? What I’m going to outline are some simple tips and guidelines for college students to get quality nutrition into their everyday lives. Then you can come out of freshman year looking even better than when you started.

First, one of the biggest obstacles facing students is the inability to cook food in the dorms. It’s all Hot Pockets all the time. That’s not going to happen, and here’s how:

· Protein: We need it to build muscle and lose fat. How do we get it? The classic protein source can always be canned tuna. It’s boring, but it works. You could also do precooked chicken and turkey breasts, in addition to sliced lunch-meats (try to get low-sodium, nitrate-free versions). A George Foreman grill is invaluable in college. If it’s allowed in your dorms, definitely pick one up, and you can cook any meat that you buy right in the dorm room. Cottage cheese is also a great protein to stock up on. When in the cafeteria, go for the eggs, chicken breasts, and fish (not slathered in oils or butter). Finally, you can always use a good quality protein powder to “top off” your protein requirements for the day.

· Carbohydrates: Okay, there are good, bad, and ugly. First, don’t even think about buying Twinkies, bagels, donuts, or cake. These are not conducive to looking good. You can have some quality whole grain bread on hand if you’d like. A brand without high fructose corn syrup, brown sugar, or artificial colorings are usually good bets. Another great carbohydrate is oatmeal. Either for breakfast or after a good training session, nothing beats a bowl of oatmeal for its mix of slow releasing carbs, fiber, and protein. Fruits and vegetables are of vast importance, especially in college. Buy fresh or frozen (if you have a freezer), and shoot for a high amount each day. They are low in calories, but deliver a large amount of nutrients and antioxidants in every serving. Raw fruit and veggies are also very portable, so eat up!

· Fats: Don’t be afraid of fat! It is not evil! They promote good brain function and keep natural hormone levels in check. These are probably the easiest, in my opinion, to fit into your dorm-room nutrition. Natural nut butters, whole nuts, olive oil, and fish oil are all healthy fats fats that will keep for a long time in your refrigerator or on your shelf. I will usually just take my fish oil capsules with meals and eat a few handfuls of nuts throughout the day, and my fat intake is covered.

That’s just a quick rundown on various foods for your dorm room. How are you going to drag all this food around? You have a crazy schedule. You now need to invest in a large lunchbox and plastic containers. Plastic containers will hold whatever food you need for the entire day if you wish. Then you can just carry them around in your lunchbox all day. You may feel stupid at first, but no one really cares how you look. You’ll have your healthy nutrition on hand whenever you need to eat.

In regards to a typical college lifestyle, your friends may want you to party and eat pizza late at night, every night. While you can do that every once in a while, don’t make a habit of it. Stick to your healthy nutrition plan. Always plan ahead. Plan to have food during classes and meetings. If you have a plan, you will succeed.

In conclusion, dorm-room nutrition can be tough to handle. With the influence from your friends, the all-you-can-eat cafeteria, and lack of funds, healthy eating might seems impossible. However, with good planning and shopping, even a college student can overcome the impossible.

By: Veljko Petranovic 

1. Cut the junk food altogether. Throw it out and don’t look back. If you don’t have it around, it will be less likely that you’ll get tempted and eat it. Fast food, pizzas, chocolate, candy, white bread, soft drinks and anything that contains refined carbohydrates is junk food. Just say “no”.

2. Aim for 4-6 meals a day, spaced evenly on every 2-3 hours. Invest in a protein powder, budget permitting, and make two of your six meals liquid, one in the morning before breakfast and one right after training.

3. The majority of your diet should consist of lean beef, tuna, veal, chicken, eggs, low fat milk or yoghurt, cottage cheese, wholegrain bread, fruits and vegetables.

4. Buy your food in bulk, it’s a lot cheaper that way. If you’re feeding at a student canteen, make sure you’re there among the first ones, and specifically ask for the best pieces of meat. Be direct and firm, yet polite. Don’t threaten to shank them in the shower or anything! Make friends with the kitchen staff and they’ll save the prime cuts for you.

5. Avoid fried foods and excessive fat, especially if it’s saturated.

6.  Try and ingest your carbs earlier during the day, and make your evening meals protein-dominant. That way, you’ll use up the carbs for energy and they will not get stored as fat.

7. Drink plenty of water, 2-3 gallons a day. Water makes up about 60 percent of your muscle tissue and helps flush out the toxins from your system.

8. Make sure you have a good multivitamin/mineral supplement at all times and take it every day. See the label and learn your daily recommended dose. You’re training hard, after all. Fortify yourself.

9. Avoid excessive drinking. It can really set you back in terms of both fat loss and muscle building. If you’re involved in a sport, forget the alcohol altogether if you want to excel. Also, smoking kills a healthy appetite and your lungs. Respect yourself.

10. Throw the junk food out. What, you think I didn’t see that bag of Oreos you stashed in the back of the cupboard? Don’t make me come over there! Next time, we’ll talk dieting for fat loss specifically.

By: Joe Norton

Can you imagine not carrying around 60 pounds of extra fat?

Based on my own experience with losing weight, I’ve compiled pages upon pages of notes and useful tips for anyone looking to shed those extra pounds in college. Gaining those dreaded ‘freshman 15′ doesn’t have to happen to you! I lost 55 pounds during my freshman year alone, and I’m going to tell you how you can achieve similar results!

This site came to be after more than a years journey. What most know as the freshman 15, for me was the freshman 20. It hit me especially hard because I was a former high school athlete, and little did I know I had to account for this shift in my activity levels. I didn’t realize all the things in college that would be pressuring me to gain weight. Until it was too late…

One day I realized the horrible truth, I was fat. I didn’t know how it happen, one too many cheeseburgers with cheese fries, one too many beers, one too many pizzas at midnight? It was all of them. It was my semester long abandoment of any kind of nutrition regiment.

For the next year, I dedicated my time to researching and putting into action everything I learned. I studied Health, nutrition, fitness, lifting techniques, bodybuilding, powerlifting, running, much more.. and still continue to educate myself.

I managed to lose all the weight I had gained, and then some. I didn’t stop losing till I hit my ideal weight. I went from 235 to 180 in 6 months and felt amazing.

It has become my goal to teach what I have learned to others. To help those who fall victim to the college weight trap and to educate those entering college and prepare them.

Feel free to email me anytime: Joe@StudentFitness.org

Good Luck & Stay Motivated

By: Veljko Petranovic

Hello! My name is Veljko and I’m a health enthusiast. Actually, a health nut would be a more appropriate label for someone like myself. It started innocently enough. I was 16, and wanted to put on some muscle to impress the girls in High school. I remember benching 60 pounds which felt heavy as all Hell at the time. I remember celebrating when I got strong enough to do three (gasp!) whole pull ups. After a year or so, I discovered proper nutrition and realized that it put a whole new level of difficulty on my hobby. I was growing, though, and it was good. Most importantly, I was reading up on training and eating, which I still do.

It’s at places like StudentFitness.org where you can learn your ABCs, and later your XYZs, about living the fitness life. I have worked at gyms as a personal trainer, which taught me a lot, and I have even entered a bodybuilding competition and won second place as a junior lightweight in 2002. Currently, I am enrolled in the Sports Academy in Belgrade, and the learning process continues. My goals? Being in shape, remaining healthy and helping other people do the same.

By: Veljko Petranovic

What if you didn’t have the time to visit a gym on a regular basis? What if you’re short on cash? What if you just don’t like the gym scene at all?

A good idea for someone who would like to be fit without equipment is to do bodyweight exercises. These can be done without ever leaving your dorm room. An understanding roommate is required for this to work. You also need a touch of creative thinking. Will and discipline would be nice, too. Once the proper ingredients are ready, you’re on your way and the sky is the limit.

OK, maybe that’s an exaggeration. If you’re looking for huge, rippling muscles, the kind you see in contemporary bodybuilding publications, bodyweight work may not be enough. But if your goals are more about sleek lines, muscle tone and that fit, powerfull look, you’re in luck! Brad Pitt’s Fight Club physique is perfectly attainable through this type of exercise. Girls who worry about adding excessive muscular bulk can greatly benefit from this, too.

Let’s start with the pull-up. This is the single, most important exercise for your upper body. It works your lats, biceps, rear deltoids and forearms. The pull-up will give your torso that “V” shape that is much sought after. Be warned, though, that it is a difficult exercise. This is good, because it means that it works. You can pull up to a simple bar affixed in your doorframe, or find a substitute. This is where that touch of creativity comes in. Think parks and monkey bars. Think anything that is horizontal, sturdy and handy to grip onto. While we’re talking about grip, yours should be pronated (palms away from the body) and your hands should be apart just a bit more than your shoulders are wide. Aim to get your chin over the bar, then drop down to a dead hang, arms fully extended. It should take you a second to pull up, and two seconds to lower your body. A chin-up is done with a supinated (palms facing you) grip, arms shoulder-wide, and is a great biceps builder.

Next up, we have one-legged squats. These are for your quadriceps and hamstrings, though the abs and the lower back also recieve stimulation. One of your feet should be behind you, toes touching the seat of a chair, the other on the ground. Squat down with a full range of motion and extend your leg. After a set, you switch legs. It’s a good idea to aim for high reps with this one, as in 15 to 25.

Remember Phys Ed? Those God-awful Jumping Jacks? Well, turns out these are a great method for developing strong, shapely thighs. Your calves also get a workout of their own. Remember, it doesn’t really matter that you’ll look ridiculous in your room, as longs as your legs are looking impressive when you’re outside.

Pushups are great for your chest, triceps and front deltoids. Your hands should be placed about 10 inches wider than your shoulders. Keep your body straight at all times. Lower yourself until your chest touches the ground, then extend your arms. Repeat. If this get easy, consider putting your feet up on a chair and doing pushups from that position. This places more stress on your upper pectorals. A narrow hand stance stimulates your triceps even further.

Dips done between two chairs are the absolute best exercise for the tris, bar none.

Abdominal muscles can be worked in a wide variety of ways, here, I’ll explain my personal favorite. Lie on the floor, on your back. Hang onto something stable with your hands, like a leg of the bed. Lift your legs together until they form a 90 degree angle with your torso. From there, prop your butt in the air about 5 inches and hold for 3 seconds, lifting up your legs even further towards the ceiling. Reverse the motion, but don’t let your legs touch the ground. We are aiming to keep a constant tension in our abs. 10 reps of these are a good start.

The delts can be done in the old-fashioned, prison-cell-block-C way. First, we need some water bottles, one liter size. Fill ‘em up with water, or sand if you’re feeling frisky. Your strength determines how much of these should be put in two shopping bags. Stand relaxed, feet apart at about 10-15 inches, arms holding the weight and hanging by your sides. Next, do a flying motion, until your arms are parallel to the ground and hold for a second. Think eagle. Lower the weight, slowly.

These makeshift weights can also be used for curling. Not the traditional Canadian sport, dummy, I mean bicep curling.

Toe raises off a step of stairs, one leg at a time, work your calves very nicely. Just remember to lower to a full stretch, then lift up your body to a ballerina-like stance. We’re talking tip-toes. Calves do not grow with half-assed partial reps.

Let’s make a program out of all this.

Chins or pull-ups, 5 sets of maximum reps

Curls, 4 sets of 10-20 reps with each arm

One-legged squats, 4 sets of 25, 20, 15 and 10 reps

Jumping Jacks, 2 sets of 30

Pushups, 5 sets of 10-20 reps

Dips, 4 sets of max reps

Abs, 3 sets of max reps (do not exceed 50, though. Make the exercise harder by doing it slowly instead)

Delt flyes, 4 sets of 10-20 reps

Toe raises, 5 sets of maximum reps

Rest for 1 minute between sets.

A bit on maximum reps. In layman’s terms, this means as much as you can perform. You should stop just before the pain becomes unbearable. This isn’t an S&M session, it’s a workout, and you’re not out to hurt yourself. However, don’t take this as an excuse to cop out early in your set. Muscles need adequate stimulation in order to get stronger, harder and more shapely.

Do the workout 3 times a week, and in your rest days, run, run like the wind for 20 minutes at a time. As you get more fit, increase the running time to 30, then 45 minutes. When you can run for 45 minutes with ease, increase the intensity, IE run faster.

This, combined with a proper, healthy diet should produce a body that will turn heads wherever you go. The diet is paramount, though. It will make up 70 percent of your results. That’s why we’ll talk about it in my next post. In the meantime, here’s a hint: put the ice cream back in the freezer.

By: Veljko Petranovic

Compromises, compromises…
What is college good for? Some young guys and gals think it’s a terrific way to get a solid education and to get prepared for holding a responsible, well-paid job.
Suckers, right?

You came here to party. To get drunk off your butt every weekend and sometimes in between weekends. You came here to smoke the herb and chase after the willing members of the opposite sex like a frisky hound dog. You came here for the fraternity toga parties which, as you were maybe told, often evolve into full-on Roman style orgies (they rarely do, though). You came here to live out the rest of your youth, because we all know that you’ll be chained to a desk in no time, burried under a heap of papers and harassed by an unforgiving boss. This is your last chance to get buck wild and intoxicated like there’s no tomorrow.

Trouble is, you also want to look good while doin’ it.
Somehow, the fitness lifestyle and the party lifestyle just clash. Absurd, yes? But it’s true.
So what do we do? We compromise.

Let’s say you are a proud member of the local gym. Whether you go there to hit the weights or to partake in an aerobics class, or both, you are supposed to maintain a semblance of a healthy living. If you expect results, that is. Training with a hangover is no fun. You probably won’t exercise with 50 percent of your usual intensity. Your output will suck. And so will your appearance.

Let’s take beer for example. Beer is cool, right?. Beer is fun. Even Arnold, the Governator, liked to have a roasted chicken plus beer after a hard workout session in his day. The thing is, it was one beer and not five, once a week and not all the time. Alcohol is just empty calories. And a soon-to-be fit body needs a solid nutrient uptake if it is expected to put on the muscle and shed the fat. Did I mention the beer-belly thing? No? Shucks.

It doesn’t matter so much that alcohol isn’t very healthy and promotes liver cirrhosis. Right? Oh, yeah, it does matter. What’s also bad about it is the fact that, when you’re drinking, you’re not eating. Which means that you’ve somewhat successfully stimulated your muscles earlier in the week, but now, those same muscles aren’t given even a slim chance to recuperate and grow. You’re putting on fat and burning your hard work. Put down the shot glass, man. Stop tapping the keg. Go home and get some sleep. It’s during sleep when the growth occurs. This has to do with the fact that the majority of your natural Growth Hormone is released during sleep.

That’s cool, you say, but I can still toke mad weed and get away with it, right? Well, yes and no. While it’s true that tetrahydrocanabiol won’t interfere with the muscle building and fat burning process in your body, it is also true that it lowers your testosterone levels with habitual use. This is bad news for both males and females, since both sexes need that hormone to function normally. Also, smoking marijuana is notorious for diminishing your motivation to train, making you a lazy, out of shape… Well, stoner. Let’s call things their respective names. And the munchies you get afterwards will make sure you eat enough junk food to feed an Ethiopian family for a week. Not exactly the FDA’s recommendation. Not exactly healthy and fitness-y.

The other drugs… Well, I am putting hope in the assumption that you wouldn’t be reading this if you even remotely did not care about your life. Leave the hard drugs to hard druggies. You know better. Take pride in that fact.

Here’s where we make that compromise. You can live clean and expect results for six days a week. No less, remember. Looking good takes sacrifice.

Pick a non-training day, like Saturday, to indulge in your “extracurricular” activities. Go all the way. Par-tay. Reserve a keg just for yourself. Puke all over your shoes. Wake up in Mexico. Just remember to be back, by Monday, 9 AM sharp. That’s when you train legs.

Student Fitness has grown since it’s inception a few months ago and, realistically, it should no longer be a one man show. There is more demand for the niche content we offer here at Student Fitness than I am able to supply. I have been busy, I’m not going to lie, I have alot of other things going on at the moment. I do WANT to give readers a new post daily, however I don’t have the time.

Solution: Bring on some writers…

Subject/Topics:

That’s right, you heard it. Student Fitness is in the market for
College (preferably, but not nescessarily)
Health and fitness enthusiast. Since I want to make sure we maintain our focus on the college environment I need to make sure that additional writers (additional, because I do intend to continue to write) have the same expertise in the college environment and are able to give advice to college students which takes their unique lifestyle into account.

You hear that? If you want to write about common health topics you need not apply.

If you want to explore the vast topic of Health and Fitness for the college setting then this is the place for you. I have a ton of topics in mind for upcoming articles, and eventual products. Writers coming on-board can write about their own ideas having to do with Student Fitness or if they need alittle help getting the creative juices flowing I can suggest a variety of subjects.

Compensation:

Sadly, at this point in time I am unable to pay. This website is
covering it’s expenses but that’s about it.

It is NOT turning a profit - yet. Perhaps in the near future when the
site generates more than subsistence
level revenue we can compensate our contributors in money, and
I am open to that - in the future. But we do get a fair bit of traffic. We have a steady stream of regulars and we get many new readers from our dear friends at google everyday.

Hence, this would be a great position for bloggers/writers who have their own website and would like to expand their realm of
influence by contributing to Student Fitness as well.

I have no problem giving links to our writers personal websites,
as long as it’s in our readers best interest
(i.e. no spam, no pushy salesmen)

Contact Me: 

If you are interested in writing for Student Fitness please email me
at: Joe@StudentFitness.org
and please put: ”Help Wanted” or “Writer Wanted” in the subject line as this will make sure I get to your email ASAP.

By: Joe Norton 

We’re in college… we’re dirt poor…
and we have tons of stuff we want to do.
How can we possibly juggle our classes and all tasks associated
with those, clubs or teams we’re on, trips,
and the other million activities we want to do.
It’s simple: Time Management.
Scroll down and take a peek at the most informative, best quality, and most importantly,
FREE lessons on Time Management.

Oh what a broad topic you say? Yes, It definitely is.
But once you understand how essential time management
is you will be able to increase your productivity many times over. Below are some of my favorite videos available for free online. They are all longer than an hour, I don’t go for “clips” - I want feature length lectures. Sure, their are a million Guru’s on the topic - but I have yet to find any of them giving up their “precious secrets” for free. Yet, I find that members of the academic community are not only willing to - but they LOVE giving these tips to students. Take advantage of their intelligence, don’t pay Tony Robbins when his speeches are only long upsells for more expensive seminars.

Videos you can watch ONLINE for FREE

Randy Pausch on “Time Management” - This is the best speech I’ve ever heard on the topic. The things he discusses are concrete “life hacks” and not just theory. This guy, Randy Pausch, has the most ridiculous backstory - I’m not even going to get into it, just believe me and watch this must see video. This guy is the epitome of someone who wants to do as much as possible in as little time as possible.

Randy Pausch’s “Last Lecture” - About life and achieving your dreams. The same guy from the above video. This speech is equally informative and way more heart wrenching. Also, a must see video.

“Time Management” by College Law professors and Deans -
This is also another Time Management video I recently saw, it’s good, not nearly as good as Randy Pausch but still it’s worth watching. The people in it have some serious credentials and definitely know what they are talking about.

Each speech is more than an hour, but I think it’s worth it. When nothing is on t.v. I throw one of these on and listen to it in the background of whatever I’m working on. It’s amazing material.

Learning is a lifelong skill. From birth and throughout life, a person goes on a journey of acquiring knowledge. How this knowledge is gained varies from one individual to another because each one is created unique.

There are some people who make little or no effort to learn and yet they do well in school. Others spend endless hours over their books but do not excel at all. Genes may have something to do with this, but more than the hereditary factor, it is the attitude towards learning that increases one’s ability to perform well. How one efficiently studies makes a capable learner. Here are a few tips to make the most out of learning:

1. Take care of your health

People, like machines, also need downtimes. Stress and fatigue due to studying for long periods of time render the brain less effective to absorb data. Hence, adequate rest should be taken. A healthy mind needs a healthy body - see to it that proper nutrition and regular exercise is always maintained.

2. Develop a passion for learning

One should have a thirst for knowledge in order for learning to take place. Attending classes every day, reading and studying for hours, and accomplishing assignments do not guarantee positive results if you do not have that craving or focus to learn. Self-esteem somehow triggers this passion. The higher your self-confidence is, the more challenged you will become to learn faster.

3. Find a study environment that is conducive

Elements in the environment play an important role in one’s quest for learning. A specific study area with ample lighting, privacy, and complete supplies and reference materials are but some essentials for a smooth and stress-free study time. A set routine should also be imposed. Assign a specific time during the day for study. Don’t just “fit it in” your schedule or else you’ll have no time at all.

4. Set goals and targets

In order for each learning experience to be realistic, it is wise to set goals for yourself - goals that are measurable, achievable, time-bound, and flexible. Prepare weekly schedules, taking note of deadlines. For example, to get high grades, extra effort must be taken in studying and preparing for exams.

5. Take breaks in between study sessions

The brain needs to be recharged once in a while as this is when it absorbs all data obtained from studying. Overexertion causes it to repel information and makes studying futile. Do not go on a study marathon. Instead, study in short but frequent sessions and take breathers in between.

6. Engage in study groups

Two heads are better than one – so goes the cliché. Learning with a group is synergetic. You get to share your opinions, ideas, and views, and at the same time it is a venue for clarifying mind-boggling matters. It is also more interesting and challenging because you gain different perspectives or outlooks.

7. Understand concepts instead of memorizing details

Most of the time, students pass exams and quizzes with flying colors. But after a while, their knowledge of the subject matter would already slip their minds. This is mainly due to a wrong approach to learning – that of memorization. Memorization is only short-term “disguised learning”. If one develops the habit of understanding concepts rather than focusing on details, the learning process will flow smoothly and will have a long-term impact.

8. Use shortcuts

Applying shortcuts to your study habits maximize your learning skills. You accomplish more when you abbreviate in note-taking, when you focus your notes around ideas instead of taking them down verbatim, and when you put everything straight into your computer. In this day and age, we need to pack a lot of information into a very limited timeframe.

9. Manage your time wisely

Learning is an ongoing skill. Hand in hand with your goal-setting is allotting and managing your time for things to be done – projects to work on, homework to finish, and term papers and theses to submit. Time properly managed is time well spent. Even your time for socializing should be taken into consideration. Remember – all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy!

10. Reward yourself

It is important to make the learning experience enjoyable whenever possible. Try out things that may spark that craving within you to learn – listening to music, perhaps, or engaging in a delightful snack – whatever may inspire you. Continuous hours of studying will not only make you weary but also make you lose interest.

The above tips show that devoting long hours to study does not necessarily yield productive results. Studying efficiently and effectively are the key factors to learning better.

This is an excerpt from Mark Patterson’s award-winning book “Secrets of LazySmart Students” - every student’s guide to getting better marks by working smarter instead of harder. Mark’s book will give you incredible tips for time management, self-motivation, will teach you how to kick the procrastination habit and doing great in any exam or written assignment. For more detailed information on what you have read, check out his book now at: “Secrets of LazySmart Students”

Just read about an interesting conclusion that some scientists have come to after analyzing 300,000 cancer cases.

Basically, they are now able to conclusively say that Obesity is a serious cause of cancer. After analysis, they can say that obesity is the cause of 20% of cancer. Which means obesity is beginning to seriously compete with tobacco  
(cause of 30% of cancer) for the title of top cause
of cancer.

In fact, ”at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, nutrition expert Walter Willett of the Harvard School of Public Health predicted that obesity will soon replace smoking as the leading cause of cancer in the developed world. He was referring to multiple studies — some on animals and some ongoing, involving hundreds of thousands of humans — that leave little doubt to the obesity-cancer connection.”

LiveScience Article - Scientists Agree: Obesity Causes Cancer