New Year's Resolutions

It’s amazing how time flies. We’re almost at a new year once again. You know what that means, time to make resolutions! Ah, the infamous resolutions that seem impossible to keep once January comes to an end.

Now don’t get me wrong, creating personal resolutions is great, but how effective are they really? We often create resolutions that sound great but are too daunting.

Here is how to achieve your goals and maintain them throughout the year!

Let’s use the classic example of losing weight.

"I want to lose 10lbs!"

Fabulous!

Now what?

Well, if I leave it at that, I will probably hit the gym for a couple of weeks or go on an unrealistic diet.  What is the likelihood that you will achieve your goals?  How many people do you know that lost weight and kept it off by eating meal replacement bars for the rest of their lives? Most likely, none!

With that said, I urge you to not create personal resolutions surrounding weight. Weight is just a number on the scale at the end of the day and may not be an accurate description of your health.

Let’s try another approach. A resolution that is more specific and doable. Start off by thinking about what affects how your body feels and looks.

This year, I suggest that you create a resolution around improving your physical activity or eating habits.

Physical Activity 

There may be many obstacles that prevent you from being physically active.  Here are a few tips to help you incorporate more physical activity into your daily life this coming year:

1      Barriers: Make a list of obstacles you face that prevented you from being physically active this year. 

     
     Opportunities: For each obstacle, think of what can be done to overcome this. 

    
     Resources: Consider how much money you are willing to spend to be physically active.  This can range from working out at home to working out with a personal trainer.

     Time: Think about how much time you can spend being physically active each day. Be realistic. Start with 10 minute bouts of exercise and work your way up from there.

     Daily life: Think about how you can be physically active without being at the gym. Taking the stairs and walking the dog are great examples of incorporating physical activity into you daily life. 

     Motivation: Make a list of types of physical activity you would like to engage in and find a friend with similar interests.

      These are a few things that I considered when I decided to become more physically active and it has definitely helped. 

Food

Food is a central part of our lives and carries several meanings for us all. Rather than restricting ourselves from eating, how about focusing on what we can eat! Here are some examples of making small changes to your diet without feeling like you have to eat flavourless food to be healthy.

1. Opt for skim milk and low fat cheese to cut down the fat and incorporate more dairy in your diet.

2. Aim to eat at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. By increasing your fruits and vegetables in your diet, you are automatically decreasing potentially high fat foods.

3. Make it whole grain! Switch your breads and pasta to whole grain. If you love your white bread, try "Smart" pastas and breads that are white but have added fibre.

4. Drink plenty of water throughout the day.

Try focusing on one of these tips and continue to add others to transform your diet. Who said resolutions can’t be made throughout the year?

Hopefully this helps you all in creating realistic, doable resolutions.

Happy New Year!

Nutrition: A "New" Year

Can you believe September's almost over? I've been meaning to post this article for the beginning of the month but I was swamped with adjusting to a new schedule.  For me, a new school year is just as important as a new year; it's a time for me to set goals and resolutions!

As a new school year begins, we all start to adjust to new schedules academically and socially. It takes a few weeks or even a month to get used to a certain routine. In that time, we sometimes neglect our eating habits. We suddenly have hectic schedules with no time to eat healthy. This year, I encourage all of you to incorporate healthy eating into your daily lives as you begin to adapt to a new schedule. Here are a few tips I plan to follow:


Eat breakfast. Breakfast is a very important meal as it is our “starting” fuel. Wake up 10-15 minutes earlier if you feel like you don’t have enough time in the morning. Try to eat a breakfast that consists of as many of the food groups as possible. (Reminder: the four food groups are vegetables and fruits, grain products, milk and alternatives, and meat and alternatives).

Plan your meals. Take the time out once a week to plan what you’re going to make for your meals. This way, you can do your grocery in advance and ensure that you are getting lots of variety. Hopefully this will also help you make healthier meals and make you more self conscious of what you’re eating on a day-to-day basis.

Pack a lunch. If you take the time out to pack your own lunch you’re more likely to eat healthy and save money at the same time! A lot of the time we try to find the best deal, which may not be the healthiest choice.

Snack throughout the day. If you’re like me, you’re at school from 9am-6pm which means one lunch isn’t enough! Pack healthy snacks such as nuts, fruits, vegetables, or low fat yogurt. This will keep you energized throughout the day.

Bring your water bottle to school. Even if you are buying lunch, try drinking water instead of juice or pop. You will definitely cut down on the sugar and stay hydrated. (Tip for students at Ryerson: there’s a station to fill your water bottles in the Student Campus Centre courtesy of the RSU!)
I hope we all try to incorporate at least one of these tips into our daily routines and aim to live a healthier life in these next eight months!

Nutrition: Would You Eat 16 Packs of Sugar?

As the warmer weather approaches, we're going to be looking for ways to quench our thirst.  Let's be sensible and choose a low calorie, low sugar, low fat option such as water or milk!

I found this on youtube and it really made me think: how often do we chug down a can of pop without realizing what we're actually putting in our bodies?

Physical Activity: No More Excuses!

Along with a healthy diet, it is essential to incorporate physical activity into our daily lives. However, it is definitely easier said than done!


Health Canada’s recommendations for adults are to “be active at least 2.5 hours a week to achieve health benefits.”

I usually start an exercise routine but don’t stick with it for long; the main reason being, “I don’t have enough time”. After searching and asking around, I have finally found a solution to a lack of time (and money!): The 10 Minute Trainer by Tony Horton. The name might sound familiar; it’s by the same trainer that created P90X. I first heard about it through a friend and seen it on TV several times before I finally gave it a try. I’ve been doing it for a few months now and it is amazing!

The 10 minute trainer comes with five different workouts: cardio, yoga, lower body, total body, and abs. Each workout consist of 10 moves in 10 minutes; each one of them being extremely effective. I’ve tried out a lot of workout DVDs but have had difficulty sticking with them because I get bored and they are too long. The 5 different workouts allow me to change up my routine and so far I haven’t gotten bored of it. The best part is that after only 10 minutes I’m sweating and sore the next day!

One of the down sides of this set of workouts would be the difficulty level. However, Tony Horton does show modifications for beginners. The high intensity in 10 minutes makes it doable because you know it’ll be over real soon!

If any of you are wondering, I’m not getting paid to say any of this! I just wanted to share a great way to incorporate physical activity into your daily lives without spending a lot of time or money.

Now, if you don’t want to give this a try, I recommend that you find some sort of activity that will appeal to you. The key is to start small (10 minutes a day) and work up to it.

Happy Exercising :)

Recipe: Super-Easy-Anyone-Can-Make-It-Vegetarian Chilli!

One of my summer goals was to give cooking a shot and try a couple of new recipes. I decided to try vegetarian chili since it is so simple!

Vegetarian chili is absolutely fool proof and a great dish for students who are on a budget. Kidney beans are a great source of fibre and you can fit in a couple servings of vegetables too!



Vegetarian Chili

• 1 can of diced tomatoes (28oz)
• 1 can of beans (I chose kidney beans)
• One bag of mixed frozen vegetables (any variety you like)
• One small onion
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• Salt to taste
• Black pepper to taste
• Crushed chilli flakes to taste
• Red chilli powder to taste
• Turmeric powder to taste (optional)

1. Cut the onion and garlic finely (and try not to cry!)
2. Heat the olive oil in a deep pot over medium-high heat.
3. Add the onion and garlic and allow it to lightly brown by stirring every so often.
4. Add the can of tomatoes and stir.
5. Add in the spices to your liking, I like my chilli spicy so I added about a teaspoon of each and 2 teaspoons of crushed chilli flakes. Be sure to taste as you go along!
6. Drain the kidney beans and rinse with water to get rid of the extra sodium (canned beans usually have added sodium) and add to the pot.
7. Add the frozen vegetables and stir.
8. On medium heat, cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
9. Add half cup water and cook for another 10 minutes.
10. Remove from stove, garnish with cilantro, and enjoy!