Okay. So I wanted to start a blog to help fellow friends who always have issues finding healthy and FILLING food at the school's dining commons. And then I thought it would be an even BETTER idea to include even more of my rants on healthy and clean living. So basically this blog is for anyone (college students at Umass Amherst) who wants to better themselves. Clean eating and healthy living is not just about losing weight and fitting into skinny jeans but also about taking care of the ONE body you have. Seriously. You have one body, and you NEED to take care of it. Some people, especially in college, put better things in their cars than their bodies. In this blog I'll include healthy and filling meals to find/make at the dining commons, quick and easy snack ideas, healthy dinner recipes for the dorms, exercise routines, meal plan ideas, weight (FAT) loss tips (if that's your goal), and basic health advice I've accumulated from reliable sources over the years (including my super health conscious mother, nutritionists Keoni and Jade Teta who started the entire Metabolic Effect workout and diet plan, and of course none other than my boyfriend Ethan who claims to know everything about everything (in most cases, though, he does know a lot!)).
So taking this step toward a healthier life involves dedication, time, a good mindset, and money. But honestly, think of what it takes to live an unhealthy live: lazy-ness, time, and money. You don't just gain 20 pounds in a day. It takes time to gain weight, just like it takes time to lose weight. So you have to ask yourselves if the extra dedication, time, and money is worth having a healthier body. And honestly, I don't understand anyone who would say no.
Yeah, preparing meals, shopping at organic food stores, and exercising all takes dedication. You REALLY have to care about your body enough to make the extra trip to Whole Foods or Trader Joes than the Franklin convenience store. You also need to be dedicated to working out at least six times a week (more on what makes a great workout later).
Yeah, preparing meals, shopping at organic food stores, and exercising all takes extra time. Taking an hour or two out of your day to work out might be hard for some people, but would you rather be active for an hour a day or sit in front of the TV with a bag of cheese fries? Although most of you might go with the latter, exercising leads to better sleep habits and more energy. TV leads to lathargic behavior, and cheese fries lead to artery clogs (FUN!).
Yeah, preparing meals, shopping at organic food stores, and exercising all cost money. $20 for a locker at the rec center. $70 or so a semester for yoga classes. And we all know Whole Foods mine as well be re-named Whole Funds. But I don't know, I'd rather spend the extra two dollars at Whole Foods buying an organic chicken breast than a cheaper chicken at Market Basket with preservatives, nitrates, and added hormones. When hormones are fed to chickens, and then you eat the chickens, where do you think the hormones go? If you want to be cheap about your meat, watch Food Inc. See what they feed the chickens at Perdue. Then ask yourselves if you would eat that yourself. If you wouldn't, spend the extra bucks for organic meat. You have to make the sacrifice to put your money toward your body in different ways than just clothing now.
So if you want to make this step toward a healthier life, this blog will definitely help you do so. Being at college makes this new lifestyle like 203021930183102 times harder, but it's definitely do-able WITHOUT starving. Yeah, if you're used to consuming about 3,000 calories a day and burning nothing then it might be difficult at first because in order to be healthy and lose fat, one must eat a healthy amount of calories a day. But also, I care more about what I eat and when I eat it than counting calories.
So it's the beginning of August, which means we have one month left before school starts. I'll start focusing on what to eat at dining commons a week or so before school starts, but as of now, I'll focus more on eating healthy and exercising at home. So if you're just making the transition, start lightly. Cut out all artificial sugars. Cut out all processed foods. CUT OUT ALCOHOL. Cut out anything that doesn't come from the earth or have eyes. You'll be shocked at how much fat you'll lose if you just start out this way. If you're not very active, walk an hour a day for a week. Also try some yoga, and if you don't know anything about yoga, stretch for 15 minutes every night. If you're experienced in exercise, you want to do a mix of cardio and weight lifting. Cardio to burn the fat, and weight lifting to add the muscle. Don't do more than 20 minutes of cardio a day because if you do more you'll deplete muscle. Take a cardio kick boxing class, do some sprint intervals, or a 20 minute jog. Swimming or bicycling is great cardio work too. Walking up hills for 20 minutes is also great cardio. If you don't belong to a gym, buy weights ranging from 8-15 pounds. Then, check out the Metabolic Effect website: http://www.metaboliceffect.com/. Their workout plan consists of a 20 minute, high-intesity, rest based plan. It's quick so it's appealing to a lot of people who don't have a ton of time available. Download some videos and get to work! You can also buy the book The New ME Diet, which is available at Borders.
Here is a two day plan of my diet and workout schedule for a start:
Monday
Wake up
Breakfast
-1/2 grapefruit
-1 cup blueberries
-2 organic, scrambled eggs
Lunch
-grilled or steamed vegetables (spinach, onions, peppers, broccoli)
-roast chicken breast
Snack
-handful of almonds
Workout
-20 minute weight lifting Metabolic Effect workout
-45 minute Cardio Boxing with ab circuit
Dinner
-grilled salmon with salt and pepper
-brown rice
Snack/Dessert
-small bowl of watermelon
Tuesday
Wake up
Breakfast
-1/2 grapefruit
-1 cup blueberries
-Elvis Shake: 1 banana, 1 scoop whey protein powder, 1 tbs unsweetened cocoa powder, unsweetened almond milk, 1 tbs all natural peanut butter. (makes enough for 2 shakes, I have one).
CIRCUIT: Ab or Butt
30 Minute Boot Camp/ME workout
5 100m Sprints
Lunch
-spinach salad with goat cheese, grilled chicken, red peppers, walnuts, gluten free balsamic vinagrette
-chick pea salad on side
Snack
-Think Think Protein Bar
-30-60 minute walk
Dinner
-2 egg omelette with spinach, peppers, onions
-side of steamed broccoli with garlic
Dessert
-small bowl of non buttered popcorn with added nutritional yeast
STAY TUNED!
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