Be Broncho Fit!

Author: Buddy Broncho – Page 8

Change It Up, Keep It Fresh

One of the biggest issues noticed with people involved with exercise programs is getting bored and ultimately leading to not continuing on with exercise.  There are large numbers of people out there who know someone who this has happened to or it has personally happened to them.  With the epidemics of disease, cancer, and other sicknesses that currently plaguing the United States it is important that people are exercising on a consistent basis because this could play a huge role in these cases being limited.

One of the important ways to help keep individuals involved with exercise programs and exercising in general is changing up routines and finding ways to exercise that are enjoyable.  For example, some people do not enjoy running especially on a treadmill, for these individual they need to find alternatives that will help them achieve fitness needs.  Depending on the person, playing basketball, flag football, or playing soccer with friends or joining a local league can be a great way to have fun and get exercise at the same time.  Other great examples could be boxing, martial arts, yoga, along with many others ways to incorporate creative ways for a person to exercise.  For those individuals who enjoy strength training and cardio workouts need to make sure routines are switched up and staying fresh to avoid staleness and repetitive.  This will not only help with making the program more enjoyable, but more health benefits and improvements will be a product of doing so.  An example of this would be mixing up treadmill runs by doing flat and incline intervals weekly with some weeks focusing on shorter intervals at higher speeds and others having longer intervals at lesser speeds but just constantly changing things up.  With strength training, a person can change of variations of squats by doing back squats, front squats, jump squats, and mixing different intensities and loads weekly.  One week can focus on larger weight reps and then the next week can be a speed week, which focuses on lighter weight.

These are just a few ways to change things up and keep your own personal programs fresh.  Figure out what works best for you individually and get out there, get after it and have fun!

Posted on April 4, 2014 by Buddy Broncho

Just 5 More Minutes…

With Spring Break behind us, there is a crippling realization for a lot of college students: our sleep schedule is in shambles and we are barely making it to class on time, much less fully prepared. How do we get our sleep schedules back to perfection? It will take a little planning and dedication to get your body’s internal clock to reset. It sounds weird to have to plan for sleep doesn’t it? That’s because it’s something your body already does for you naturally with an internal clock set by light levels, when you eat, exercise, and most importantly when you start your day. Here are a few tips to help reset your body’s sleep clock and get back on track:

1. Use Bright Light in the Morning: The best way to jump start your morning and shake off the grogginess from leftover melatonin is to flood your room with light. When you wake up, turn on bright lights and throw open the curtains to bring in daylight. This will give the same effect as walking out of a dark movie theatre in the middle of a bright afternoon. 

2. Dim the Lights in the Evening: Too much light at night pushes your sleep time later. To cut down on light at night keep lights low near the end of the day. Dim lights or turn off overly bright overhead lights and use lamps instead. Try not to use laptops, tablets, cell phones, TVs, or other electronics too close to bed time. Our eyes are especially sensitive to the blueish light emitted by electronics, especially at night, and will keep the sleep inducing chemical melatonin at bay. 

3. Time Your Meals: At home, keep a regular routine for meals and exercise. This helps steady your internal clock with a comfortable routine. This one can be tricky for college students already balancing class, work, and studying but it will help greatly in getting your sleep back on track. 

4. Limit Your Time in Bed: If you lie awake when you’re in bed, try getting up and doing something mostly inactive, such as reading a book. Lying in bed awake only discourages the body from sleeping in bed in the future. Don’t nap during the day, either. A nap will make it almost impossible to fall asleep at a proper time later in the day and you will end up lying awake in bed.

 5. Limit Caffeine: You may be tempted to use caffeine to get over the afternoon hump for the first couple of days. This is the last thing you want to do, with caffeine taking roughly 8 hours to work its way out of your system. 

6. Most Importantly: Wake Up!: This sounds so simple and obvious, but it is the most neglected aspect of a healthy sleep schedule. By waking up as soon as your alarm goes off every morning, sorry snooze addicts, your body will naturally shift your sleep schedule to match. Even if you neglect all of the other aspects of a healthy sleep schedule, as long as you get up and get moving at the same time every day your body will adapt and restful sleep will soon return to your bedroom!

Source: http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/features/reset-sleep-cycle

By Taylor Lesser

Posted on March 27, 2014 by Buddy Broncho

Keep Calm & Snack On!

Everyone can say that they have had a craving for something between meals every now and then! It can be a sweet, savory, crunchy, or even something to drink that puts you in the mood to look into the cabinets and refrigerator for a between meal munch. It is easy to grab a donut or chips , but we all know those are not healthy and many of us regret eating them after the deed is done. There are healthy, tasty ways to get over these food cravings without feeling remorseful after their consumption! Here are few tips that may help.

*Look for nutrient dense snacks– These will help keep your energy levels up throughout the day. Plus you will not have consumed empty calories that can later put your mind and body in a “slump.”

*Be whole-grain and fiber friendly– Whole-grains and fiber will keep you feeling more satisfied until your next meal without consuming overbearing amounts. They allow you to snack then stop because a feeling of satisfaction comes along with these snacks, helping you from eating an entire package of cookies or chips.

*Split your favorite snacks into portions– If you like to snack with an item that can be considered a meal in itself such as popcorn, divide it into different small bags. This will help you from over consuming, as well as, give you a feeling of control that you have not consumed an entire bag. This works for all items that can be separated!

*Choose wisely-Focus on fruits, vegetables, and low fat dairy products. They are the best calories that you can consume with your whole-grain and fiber to make the snack last. They also are nutrient dense. Fill your counters and refrigerators with these to make the choice easy!

*Do NOT buy “junk food”– You cannot eat it if it is not available! Keep the junk out and replace it with you healthy snacks. Your healthy snacking will automatically replace your empty calorie snacking and you will feel better throughout your day!

Below are healthy choices of snacks that can help with satisfying your cravings!

Crunchy:

• Apples

• Carrot and celery sticks

• Green pepper sticks

• Zucchini cirdes

• Radishes

• Broccoli spears

• Cauliflower

• Unsalted rice cakes

 

Munchy:

• Unsalted sunflower seeds

• Whole-grain breads or toast

• Cherry or grape tomatoes

• Low-fat or fat-free cheese

• Plain low-fat or fat-free yogurt

• Unsalted almonds, walnuts and other nuts

 

Sweet:

• Unsweetened canned fruit

• Thin slice of angel food cake

• Baked apple

• Raisins

• Dried fruit gelatin gems

• Frozen bananas

• Frozen grapes

• Fresh fruit

• Low-fat or fat-free unsweetened fruit yogurt

 

Thirst Quenchers:

• Fat-free milk

• Unsweetened juices

• Low-sodium tomato or mixed vegetable juice

• Water

By Lakisha Laster

Posted on March 27, 2014 by Buddy Broncho

The Importance of a Post-Workout Meal

After a grueling workout, you might find yourself becoming one of two people. First, there are the people who want to go home and eat everything in sight. On the other hand, some people are too exhausted to even fathom the idea of putting any food in their stomachs. While you might falls into one of these categories, many people do not understand the importance of a post-workout meal. The popular post-workout meal includes a healthy dosage of protein, and with good reason; research shows protein within 30-60 minutes post-workout allows the muscles to recover. Without the proper amount of protein in a post-workout meal (and in your everyday diet), your muscles can go from needing 48 hours to properly recover from a workout to taking 72 hours or more before working the same muscle group without doing any damage. Secondly, don’t let the myth of the effectiveness of a low-carb diet prevent you from treating your body to some carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are a main energy source for your body, and taking in carbs 30-60 minutes after your workout can replenish your body’s energy and assist in getting rid of that post-workout exhaustion. Here is a website with a few ideas on post-workout meals that are mostly simple and not time consuming. Get the most out of your workout; don’t punish your body by not having that all important post-workout meal!
Cameron Pound

 

Posted on March 12, 2014 by Buddy Broncho

The Importance and Benefits of Sleep

College students have busy lives which revolve around school, relationships, jobs, and other responsibilities which can be time and energy consuming but staying healthy is crucial for everybody. In the process, it is important to try to keep up with overall health which includes many aspects such as; exercise, diet, stress levels, nutrition, etc. One area that is routinely overlooked and not payed attention to as much as other areas is the importance of sleep. There is an article on health.com titled, “11 Surprising Health Benefits of Sleep” which examines how critical sleep can be on an individual overall well-being. Some of the most important benefits that can be experienced are better memory, higher levels of creativity, improved grades, sharper attention, lower stress levels, ability to maintain healthier weight, and helps individuals avoid depression. There are also studies that suggest getting proper sleep can help with longevity and living a longer life. To experience these wonderful benefits try to get the recommended eight hours of sleep on average every night if at all possible. This can be challenging with busy schedules and long nights of studying late into the night preparing for a big test the next day or in the near future, but try to manage and prioritize to where everything can be balanced without depriving yourself of sleep. Keep in mind the great benefits that can be realized through consistently getting eight hours of sleep a night and make it a priority along with other healthy lifestyle choices.

Donny Hein

Posted on March 11, 2014 by Buddy Broncho

Five Top Ways to Exercise While in College

One question always asked is how college students can keep from gaining that “freshman 15”. There are many ways to bypass that but exercising to me is the best way to keep from gaining those extra pounds. Here are my top 5 ways to exercise during your college life.

  1. Walk or bike to class: this is an easy way to get your heart rate up and your blood flowing before you get to your class. Getting your blood pumping before class can help your mind retain information longer rather than getting to class when your brain is still tired.
  2. Join an intramural sport: not only is this a great way to keep off those extra pounds but this is also a great way to keep your body in shape.  It allows you to meet new people, make new friends, and keep your competitive side alive. Click here for more information on intramurals.
  3. Go for a walk with some friends: UCO has a beautiful campus. The landscape within the campus makes for a relaxing and therapeutic walk. There are three different trails that are mapped on the UCO website that will guide you through campus. Walking with friends outside is a great way to reflect on what you have done the past week and what you still have to do within the next week.
  4. Take a fitness class as a course: there are a few different exercise classes that you can take that will not only allow you to get credit hours but they also allow you to learn how to exercise from professionals while taking the classes.
  5. Go to your college gym: UCO offers a free gym at the Wellness Center for all students and faculty. Yes, the gym can get a little packed every now and then but when you are a college student and there is an opportunity to take advantage of a free gym, why not take it? This allows you to save money on the gas to and from another gym, that you have to pay a membership for. So, you are not only getting a good exercise in but you are saving money at the same time.

The best thing about all of these is that they are all easily accessible. One of the biggest complaints coming from college students is having time and having money to go to a gym to work out. So skip going to the gym, save time, save money, and use these top five ideas to exercise.

Jared Hardcastle

Posted on March 11, 2014 by Buddy Broncho

Lose Stress, Get Fit

Stress and anxiety levels are commonly high amongst college students, increasing throughout the semester with tests and deadlines slowly creeping up. The physical benefits of exercise, such as weight loss, decrease in blood pressure, and general heart health, have been discussed for many years with plenty of research to back them . But recently there has been a lot of research involving the mental benefits of exercise. Most of the mental benefits come from the release of endorphins and improvements in sleep which cause a decrease in levels of stress and anxiety. While college students may have a full load of classes, with jobs to top it off, they are also the most time-flexible population with the least amount of obstacles to exercise. So why don’t stressed college students just go to the wellness center for some well-deserved stress relief? The problem is that a lot of them don’t know where to begin! The following are simple exercise guidelines that can help reduce stress and anxiety levels for beginners:

  • 5 X 30: Jog, walk, bike, or dance three to five times a week for 30 minutes.
  • Set small daily goals and aim for daily consistency rather than perfect workouts. It’s better to walk every day for 15-20 minutes than to wait until the weekend for a three-hour fitness marathon. Lots of scientific data suggests that frequency is most important.
  • Find forms of exercise that are fun or enjoyable. Extroverted people often like classes and group activities. People who are more introverted often prefer solo pursuits.
  • Distract yourself with an iPod or other portable media player to download audiobooks, podcasts, or music. Many people find it’s more fun to exercise while listening to something they enjoy.
  • Recruit an “exercise buddy.” It’s often easier to stick to your exercise routine when you have to stay committed to a friend, partner, or classmate.
  • Be patient when you start a new exercise program. Most people starting an exercise program take about four to eight weeks for the exercise to start to feel easier.

Use these guidelines to get started with your stress relief and keep finding new exercises that you enjoy!

-Taylor Lesser

Resource: http://www.adaa.org/living-with-anxiety/managing-anxiety/exercise-stress-and-anxiety

Posted on March 4, 2014 by Buddy Broncho

Smart Shopping!

Many people believe that it is too expensive to eat healthy. Fast food prices make meals they serve seem appealing, but there is hardly any nutritional value in the food being consumed. Prices of fresh and healthy food items seem to steer people away when they see the prices of the cheaper processed food. Fear not! Eating healthy does not have to put a hole in your wallet. Following a few easy tips can help you eat healthier without spending extreme amounts of money.

  • Plan meals– Planning meals can help you stay on track of what needs to be purchased while grocery shopping. This can help avoid unnecessary spending on “random pickups” in the grocery aisles.
  • Keep it basic– Purchase fresh fruits and vegetables that are in season. You do not need to eat exotic fruits and vegetables to be healthy. You can take it a step further by purchasing fruits and vegetables from farmers markets that are usually close by.
  • Only essentials– You may love soda, juices, and sugary snacks, but they are not necessary. Water is the healthiest option with a well planned diet. There are now many different flavor packets that can be added to water for taste that in the long run will be cheaper than buying multiple sodas or juices. Replace sugary snacks with fresh fruits, vegetables, and nuts. These are better choices for your body and help you maintain throughout the day more efficiently.
  • Save leftovers– Be sure to save the leftovers from your healthy meals. Leftovers can be used as snacks the next day, or be additions to a new meal without being wasteful.
  • Buy in bulk– Only buy in bulk items that you and your family consume a lot of. This will help you save by not having to buy it every trip you make to the grocery store.
  • Be Aware– Be aware that coupons help you save. Do not let the judgment you feel you might receive stop you from using them. Also, buy store brand products. These products are usually cheaper than their name brand counterparts.
  • Pack Lunch– Packing lunches will help you from spending money during the day at fast food restaurants or other eateries. Packing a full lunch with snacks included can save trips to the vending machine for unhealthy “pick me ups.”

The goal of healthy eating on a budget is being conscious of your purchases. You will end up purchasing more foods of substance that will last you until your next meal or healthy snack, without having to eat more…It might even help you eat less if you are consuming the proper amounts of each food group. Be aware of money saving items that can keep your body and wallet happy.

-Lekisha Laster

P.S. Eat before going grocery shopping! Shopping on an empty stomach can lead to impulse buys that you would not have otherwise made.

Posted on February 26, 2014 by Buddy Broncho
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