Collected posts from Blogs at the University of Central Oklahoma
UCO
Jessica Joy
Jennifer Messick
Ed Cunliff
Amber Cannon
Peter Pollack
Jan Hardt
Megan Purdam Larson
Tami Jackson
Amy Johnson
Sherri Johnson
Scott Singleton
Dawn Kaiser
Morshed Khandaker
Tiffany Hendricks
Connie Harris
Benjamin Tayo
Linda Harris
Christian Quick
Melissa Paul
Randal Ice
Reith Eakins
Susan Woods
Suzanne Frank
Crystal Bailey
Charlotte . . .
Have you ever heard that you are what you eat or what you put into your body is fuel? If so, did you believe it? There are many people who do not think that and wonder why they are not seeing a difference after working out. I have always been told that being in the gym and exercising is only 20%, the other 80% comes from what you are eating. While this may or may not be true, many people are unaware of how much consuming your food as fuel can make a difference.
Your body responds better to everyday life when you and consume a healthy diet. The food you eat can provide enough energy and nutrients to meet the demands that exercise and training have (Sporting Performance and Food, 2020). The body cannot rely on fatty, high sodium, high sugar foods to fuel it through workouts and that is why we can feel sluggish when not eating properly.
There are certain things that can benefit your body when it comes to food being used as fuel. Carbohydrates are essential for your body. Carbohydrates give your body the energy it needs to push through exercises and can help your body recovery after working out. Protein is another very important asset for the body and performance. People who exercise often should be consuming at least 1.0 g of your body weight to get the accurate amount needed to fuel the body through workouts and post workout recovery (Sporting Performance and Food, 2020). Proteins are important because they build and restore muscle and bone.
Carbohydrates and proteins are two of the main things that can provide energy for the body and there are a variety of different foods to choose from that include them. Lean meats such as beef, lamb and pork are high in protein poultry such as, chicken, turkey, duck and goose. Fish and seafood and eggs, milk and cheese are also all high in protein (“Protein” Better Health Channel, 2020). Carbohydrates are a little different when it comes to choosing what to fuel your body with and what to avoid. Carbohydrates are in a lot of different things that are good for you such as, whole grains, vegetables, fruits, brown rice, wheat and oats.
It may seem like a lot to keep up with trying to make sure you get the proper amount of protein and carbohydrates, but by paying attention to what you put into your body, the outcome is worth it. Your body needs these things to fuel it and make you feel better in the long run and that is worth it! There are apps that can help you keep track of calories and protein and carbohydrate intake. MyFitnessPal, MyPlate Calorie Counter, and Protein Tracker are just a few options.
References:
Advocate, Consumer. “Food Fuels Your Body for Exercise!” Commissary Connection, Commissary Connection, 21 June 2018, commissaryconnection.dodlive.mil/2018/06/21/food-fuels-your-body-for-exercise/.
“Protein.” Better Health Channel, 2020, www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/HealthyLiving/protein.
“Sporting Performance and Food.” Better Health Channel, 2020, www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/sporting-performance-and-food.
“It has been one of those moments where you really think about your ethical standing – do I stay silent for the safety of my family and myself, or do I speak up for what is just, and I have decided to speak,” said Han Seth Lu as he spoke through emotions on the sudden situation he has found himself experiencing in the past several weeks. In the early hours of Monday, February 1, the early childhood education major from Myanmar received word a military coup had overthrown the government in his home country and had declared a state of emergency for the nation, shutting off access to the internet and capturing military leaders.
Since then, more than 100 citizen protestors have been killed with nearly 2,000 others having been detained. Han has spoken to his family only a handful of times and is now faced with an uncertain future upon his graduation in the fall, likely unable to return to his home country if the military remains in control. One certainty for him does still remain: his passion for education – a desire that has now led him to speak out and advocate internationally for the rights he feels people in his country deserve.
Myanmar, formally known has Burma, spent nearly a half century under strict control of the military junta, following two coups to overturn election results in 1962 and 1988. In 2011, the National League for Democracy (NLD) party obtained control of the country and restored democracy to the Burmese people, opening up opportunities such as access to the internet, renewed foreign relations, and study abroad initiatives for university students. It was under these lifted restrictions that Han was able to first pursue his passion for education by traveling to the United States in 2014 through the Burma Youth Leadership program, a four-week leadership and civic engagement program at Indiana University, where he shadowed teachers in public school classrooms as part of his education studies.
“Growing up during the military regime, there are no private institutions or private schools, the only schools are state schools. And, the only curriculum in schools is written by the government, so wherever you go in the country it’s the same thing,” said Han.
He remembers having assigned seats from the time he entered kindergarten through high school, and most learning only taking place by memorizing and reciting items from a book.
“I vividly remember walking into that elementary classroom in Indiana and they were learning chemistry, they were learning about the environment and doing planters out of plastic bottles, and I had never learned chemistry until high school, that to me was so surprising,” he recalled.
“I finally made the connection that you can start learning any subject at any age. I still have the photo from that class and feeling that this was unreal how they were learning.”
The experience inspired him to return to Myanmar and begin a nonprofit education center in his home town, with the assistance of colleagues from the youth leadership program, to work with local students. It was through this that he realized he was not ready to follow his family’s dream of him entering medical school, an honor he would have achieved due to his high score on the university entrance exam. He wanted to become a teacher.
“I finally reached a deal with my parents that if I could find a college and get a scholarship within one year, I would be allowed to go and study education,” said Han.
The deal was achieved when he applied for and received a President’s Leadership Council scholarship through the University of Central Oklahoma. Since arriving at UCO in 2017, Han has remained active in many student organizations on campus, winning the title of Mr. UCO International in 2019 and serving as the President of UCO’s International Student Council.
Through his work, his dream always remained to return to Myanmar after graduating to help reform the education system there. His experiences in classes at UCO and lessons from faculty mentors in CEPS even encouraged him to use the newly found means of virtual communication brought by the COVID-19 pandemic to lead virtual education trainings every Saturday last summer and fall for Burmese teachers to learn new teaching strategies and curriculum ideas.
But, that goal of education reform in the country has now been put on hold indefinitely.
“Education is so traditional there, and teachers don’t even know things like students’ learning styles. So, last year I was really excited because the government announced that the curriculum had to be reformed, and I was actually able to present at some of the conferences they had for this,” said Han.
“They actually finished the new curriculum and were going to train the teachers on how to use it over Myanmar’s summer break, but then COVID-19 happened and they decided to postpone it for one year, and now it’s probably never going to happen.”
Not only is education reform now on hold, Han’s future now hangs in the balance as he has decided to publicly speak out against the military regime, an action that is not welcomed back home.
“At this point if we cannot restore the democracy back home, everything that I have worked for will be terminated,” he said.
“And I can’t even go back home because I have been speaking out, and I now have a foreign education.”
Prior to 2010, Han explained that several Burmese students who had left the country to receive an education were detained by the government at the airport to ensure they did not intend to speak against the government’s control. Han has decided to speak out publicly against the military coup, causing a concern for his and his family’s safety. Since Feb. 1, Han has been involved with numerous virtual panel discussions, podcast discussions and YouTube videos of Burmese citizens speaking out against the regime, and he recently led a rally at the Oklahoma State Capitol to bring local awareness to the situation.
“Because I have so much freedom here, and as much as I feel powerless to not be in the country with my people striking or protesting, at the same time I know there are a lot of liberties that I can do that people in Myanmar cannot right now. That is why I decided to take up this role.”
This decision did not come easily as he is now faced with having to cut ties with his parents for their safety, people he used to speak with over the phone almost every day. This has been the most difficult part of the situation for him.
“I told my family lately if they needed to cut off ties with me for their safety and concern, they could do that. It’s hard for me,” said Han.
“I am very close with my family, and I am the only child. Growing up, going to school every day, my parents were really the only friends that I had time to hang out with.”
But, in spite of these concerns and challenges, he says he is going to keep speaking out, because international attention may be the only way to restore democracy and eventual education reform to the country.
“Sometimes, you come to a point where you know you have so much more privilege than people of your own community, and words are just empty unless you act on it. I’ll keep speaking up.”
Working out is not always fun and sometimes people struggle with the motivation to even do it. There are so many reasons why people decide to make a change in their lives and start working out. Some are wanting to become healthier and more active, some are trying to lose weight and gain muscle and others want to because it is fun and something they enjoy doing. In each of these options there tend to be bad days where there is no motivation and working out seems to be more of a chore. Some people just cannot get in the right head space and may skip that day or perform poorly. Something that may help with this is music. It has been said so many times before, listening to music can improve your mood while exercising. Turning on a good playlist to listen to while working out can make people run faster with the beat or push harder when getting into an upbeat song. Studies have shown that listening to music actual does improve the quality of a workout!
“Can Running with Music Aid Performance? Pros & Cons (2020).”
origympersonaltrainercourses.co.uk/blog/running-with-music.
Listening to music while exercising has proved to increase stamina and put people in better moods(North and Hargreaves 2020). Music can lead to synchronized steps within the beat and movements while working out. Fast paced music tends to make people want to keep up with it and can lead to increasing pace or longer distances. There is actually a psychological effect connecting working out and listening to music and having a better mood. Hormone levels change within the body that gives someone a mood boost by releasing serotonin in the body. North and Hargreaves 2020, suggest that music distracts from pain that happens in exercises through competing emotions, because it is easier to forget about pain or fatigue when a song you enjoy is distracting you (North and Markell, J 2020). When working out and listening to something that makes you happy, it can change the entire mood for the workout.
The benefits of listening to music when working out can include pushing the feeling of pain and fatigue out of the mind and just focusing on the workout. Another benefit is increasing endurance due to the tempo of the music. A fast-paced song can have an effect on how fast someone completes a workout that includes steps or cycling. Another important benefit is increased mood. Some people cannot workout unless they have their music playing in their headphones or out loud and others need it to be quieter to focus. Either way is fine because working out is the main priority and whatever it takes to complete it is positive for health. Everyone wants a good experience with exercising and choosing things that are enjoyable and motivating can help with that!
There are a lot of valid reasons behind why someone should exercise. There are also a lot of reasons behind why each person decides to start their journey. For the most part, people don’t usually think about the internal benefits they get from exercising unless their doctor informs them of it, people usually think about the long run and how they want to end up looking. Wanting to look better is a valid reason behind why you are physically active, but internal motivators and effects are far more important. We never truly stop and question or think about what does happen to us on the inside during and after exercise, specifically to the brain. When exercising your heart rate and blood flow will both increase allowing your brain access to more oxygen, nutrients, and proteins. It is proven that exercise is linked to mood improvement. It is found that major depression can decrease by 26% by just walking for an hour a day or running for only 15 minutes. (Penttila, N. 2020)
Aerobic exercises and strength training are both linked to helping treat depression, but people who participate in “team” or group exercises have seen even better results. UCO does a great job at providing both things to all students. The Wellness Center provides multiple group classes throughout the week, in-person and online options are both available. Group fitness classes allow you to be social and interact with other people who have similar goals to you as well. There was a research study conducted by Bryne & Bryne (2006) that found the majority of studies support both the anti-depressive properties of exercise and the effect of exercising in combatting anxiety. Meaning exercise helps with not only depression but anxiety and many other normal disorders (Bryne and Bryne 2006)
When you exercise and your brain has access to all these extra things, it releases chemicals into our brain. The two major chemicals that get released are dopamine and endorphins, both of these things are proven to make you feel happy. While your own body is already releasing these feel-good chemicals, you are also doing yourself a favor and quite literally working off “some steam”. Your body not only creates and releases chemicals into your brain, but it also discards any “bad” chemicals. The bad chemicals in reference can be linked to causing added stress and anxiety. (Robinson) having these released will mean that you will finish your workout in a better mood and in a better headspace than where you started.
References
Byrne, A., & Byrne, D. (2002, May 28). The effect of exercise on depression, anxiety and other mood states: A review. Retrieved March 01, 2021, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/002239999390050P
Penttila, N. (2020, March 24).
. . .
by: Emily Lopez
Mental health has a lot to do with the way we think, feel, and act in our everyday lives. Because of this it is important to maintain a good state of mind so that it does not affect our well-being. Performing any type of physical activity is known to show improvements on mental health, whether that is through running, walking, going to the gym, biking, playing sports, gardening, etc. Many people like to stay active for many different reasons such as maintaining a healthy lifestyle, certain fitness goals they may have that they want to accomplish, or simply because they enjoy it and it makes them feel good, both physically and mentally.
Research shows that the reason why majority of people perform physical activity is either because they want to stay healthy or it makes them feel good about themselves. According to a study that was done, people who deal with depression are far more likely to be more physically inactive than the general population, placing them at higher risks of long-term poor physical health (Parker, 2019). Overtime those who participated in physical activity resulted in lower levels of anxiety and depression than those who were not active at all. Not only does physical activity benefit one’s health and increase mood, but it also increases self-esteem.
Source: https://images.app.goo.gl/wVMGTsM1c3NmMont5
Physical activity is important to incorporate into one’s lifestyle based on the many different benefits it provides for our health and well-being. If it something that allows us to be able to feel and look good about ourselves, then why not? You can do this by going out and enjoying something you love doing that involves being active, whether that is indoors/outdoors or through leisure or recreational activity, you decide.
Source: https://images.app.goo.gl/xAZdf929v6Hed4uv7
Infographic on Mental Health and Exercise: mental health and ex
References
Hamer, M., Stamatakis, E., & Steptoe, A. (2009). Dose-response relationship between physical activity and mental health: The scottish health survey. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 43(14), 1111. https://dx.doi.org.vortex3.uco.edu/10.1136/bjsm.2008.046243
White, R.L., Babic, M.J., Parker, P.D., Lubans, D.R., Astell-Burt, T., & Lonsdale, C. (2017). Domain-specific physical activity and mental health: A meta-analysis. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 52(5), 653–666. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2016.12.008
Static stretches prior to a workout are good for performance. To stretch before exercise actually loosens muscles that are being engaged and promotes faster muscle response during a workout. Stretching before exercising may reduce the risk of injury. These are all examples of exercise myths that have been thrown around the internet as one of the millions of ways to help improve physical activity results and performance. The particular myth of stretching prior to exercise being beneficial seems logical when you think about it. The goals of stretching to keep the muscles flexible, strong and healthy as well maintaining and improving your range of motion are all true statements. However, it has been proven that stretching prior to an exercise can actually be detrimental to your body instead of a benefit. In this discussion I will go into more detail as to how the myth of stretching before exercise to help improve results has in fact been proven to be incorrect. I
At one point in time, stretching was to exercise as being engaged is to getting married. Stretching was a necessary obligation that should be completed prior to any physical activity or exercise. Athletes used to be warned to stretch their muscles before performing physical activity to avoid or reduce the risk of injury. It has been proven though that static stretching, in particular, actually impedes progression and performance. Runners run slower, jumpers don’t jump as high, weight lifters aren’t as strong when stretching prior to exercise. If only I had known this in high school, I may have been to jump higher, and I would not have missed that fast break dunk attempt I had in that game against Putnam City.
Stretching prior to exercise to relax muscles and promote faster response makes perfect sense, but studies have shown and concluded that stretching is ineffective in the reduction of injuries and improving performance. Yes, stretching does lengthen the muscle engaged, but stretching before a workout can actually weaken the muscles. According to Nelson, (2005) “pre-event stretching has demonstrated an inhibitory effect on maximal force or torque production, vertical jump performance, and running speed “(Nelson, 338). The only thing I would want to inhibit muscle strength before, during or after exercise would be the use of resistance bands which actually achieves the goals of increasing performance rather than decreasing it if they are used properly.
Bangladeshi Cricket team about to lose stretching prior to exercise??
ROB ELLIOTT/AFP via Getty Images
Stretching prior to exercise to prevent injury is another aspect of this myth that has been proven to be untrue with research. Static stretching could actually open you up to injury due to the lengthening of the muscle fibers, and then applying force and torque on those muscles during the main event of your workout or activity. A very long time ago I used to instruct my boys to stretch before games to prevent injury, and it was during that period in which I dealt with more injuries than usual for kids at that age. Fortunately for me, I have learned from my past mistakes and am better for them. Unfortunate for the kids that were on my team at the time that I that I was training them incorrectly, and glad that no one of the kids had an serious injuries from it.
Stretching PRIOR to exercise. Stretching as a whole is beneficial if done the right way and at the right times. Dynamic stretching as opposed to static stretching is recommended prior to a workout or game. Dynamic stretches such as leg kicks, arm circles and squats accomplish the goals of warming up the muscles, getting them prepared for performance, and are great pre-workout. Static stretches are great post-exercise or post-workout. Once your muscles are warmed up, and you are relaxing the muscles instead of engaging the muscles is when static stretching is best. So please do not take parts of this entry, and quote me without the full text. Again, stretching is good for the muscles as long as it is done correctly and at the right times.
References
Guest Speaker: Dene Roseburr-Olotu, Director of Diversity & Inclusion
Date: March 18, 2021 | Time: 2-3 p.m.
Zoom ID: 985 5957 2092 | Passcode: 013615
Zoom Link: https://uco.zoom.us/j/98559572092?pwd=UC9lVGlQYmdzMTdnU1pkYkxkRFdqZz09
Please register in the Learning Center and complete a critical reflection within a week following the event if you wish to receive credit for the Continuous Cultural Competence initiative.
According to the Tulsa Historical Society and Museum, after World War I, Tulsa, Oklahoma – more specifically Greenwood, Tulsa – became nationally recognized for its thriving and affluent African American community (Greenwood). This prosperous community, including extremely successful business districts and residential areas, were known as Black Wall Street. However, on May 31, 1921 everything changed. The University of Central Oklahoma will commemorate the 100th year anniversary of what has become known as the Tulsa Race Massacre Monday, March 29th – Friday, April 2nd. In this session, as a lead up to the university’s commemoration week, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion will explore the historical context of this event in greater detail.
Oklahoma Research Day (ORD) is an annual event showcasing cutting-edge student and faculty research conducted at the state’s colleges and universities. This year’s event is online and will run from March 5 until March 19. I invite you to check it out!
Below is helpful information to get started and to navigate the virtual ORD.
. . .
Tech . . .