By Kaitlyn Johns

Sports have many benefits to athletes including: improvements in physical health, social connections, and improved self-esteem. Sports can also end up creating a negative body image for young athletes once they begin entering the competition world. Society has such a skewed image of thinness and the pressure of competition on athletes, leading athletes to move towards eating disorders. Most athletes with eating disorders tend to be female, but that does not mean males don’t suffer from this disease as well. Most male athletes suffering from an eating disorder are usually in a sport where there’s a heavy emphasis on diet and physical appearance.

There was a study done on Division I NCAA athletes and over ⅓ of female athletes developed attitudes and symptoms that put them at risk for anorexia nervosa. There are three risk factors that are the main contributors to female eating disorders. This includes: the social emphasis on being thin, performance anxiety and negative self appraisal. These disorders tend to be focused more on sports that are centered around individual performance. Gymnastics is a major sport that suffers from eating disorders. Being a retiree of the sport, I have witnessed first hand on how the pressures of “wanting to be the best” effects the mind and body of young girls. Individual based sports emphasize a single person’s performance rather than looking at the team as a whole. This puts more pressure on the athlete to perform and look their best.

While there is no definitive way to eliminate eating disorders from competitive sports, there are some ways to improve an athlete’s environment to steer them away from believing an eating disorder is their only choice. Ways to help include education from the coaches about positive, healthy lifestyles and communication improvements and focusing more on motivation and enthusiasm for the sport rather than on performance and body weight.

By Javier Ibanez

When it comes to hydration, many people don’t see how important and how beneficial it is. As many people have heard, the amount of water that is needed to be consumed by an individual is an average of 6-8 cups per day. This is a reasonable amount for people to aim for, but the amount of water needed changes from person to person. Yes, it is good to make sure to always have water around for when you are thirsty, but don’t rely on this too much because what many people don’t know is that thirst is not always the best indicator of hydration. Just because you aren’t thirsty doesn’t mean that your body isn’t in need of fluids.

When staying hydrated, water should always be your go-to choice of beverage. If water is too plain for you then a good solution for that would be to add some fruit, such as strawberries, or even a slice of lemon or lime. Sports drinks are also a good choice when taking part in physical activity because they are full of carbohydrates and electrolytes. Be aware of which sports drinks you reach for because some tend to be high in sugar and sodium.

Some key indications that let someone know if they are dehydrated include:

• Dry mouth
• Darker urine color than usual
• Sleepiness or fatigue
• Headache
• Dizziness or lightheadedness

So if you ever experience any of these symptoms, just make sure to drink a big cup of water and it may just have been because you were dehydrated.

By Darla Hyde

Lately our culture has been obsessed with protein. You see it advertised all over the place with protein powder, protein shakes, and protein bars etc. And rightfully so protein has many benefits such as its abilities to build and repair our muscles, maintain bone strength and it fills you up quicker resulting in helping to manage your weight, as well as many other benefits. But what many people do not know is how much protein one should be consuming and what happens when you consume too much protein. When you consume too much protein it can turn into fat because your body cannot store all of it. Consuming too much protein also has effects such as damaging kidneys, bad breath, being thirsty often and weight gain. On average men consume about 100 grams of protein a day while women consume about 70 grams a protein a day. This is 2 times more than the recommendation for men and about 1.5 times the recommendation for women, and that recommendation is that you should have about 0.8 grams of protein per healthy kilogram of body weight. A good average often used is 56 grams for men and 46 grams for women. But keep in mind these numbers are for people who are more sedentary. For those who workout and are athletes, the recommendation goes up to 1.2-1.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. For a reference, 6 ounces of chicken breast has about 50 grams of protein in it. Therefore, you might want to rethink those protein shakes and bars if you are already consuming plenty of meats, eggs, beans and other protein dense foods.

By Gaven Hohl

Whether you are at home, on the road, in the gym, or short on time, here is a 15 minute ABS workout. Perform each exercise for 30 seconds, going from one exercise to the next. Repeat the circuit for a total of 5 times.

1. Bicycle Crunches – 30 seconds

• Lie flat on the floor or exercise mat with lower back pressed on the ground
• Place hands beside your head, avoid straining your neck when performing
• Lift knees perpendicular to the floor, have your lower legs parallel to the floor
• Simultaneously in a slow and controlled motion move your legs as if you were pedaling (pedal forward with left leg while bringing right knee in towards body, bring left elbow to right knee)
• Go back to beginning position and repeat movement while alternating sides

2. Russian Twist – 30 seconds

• Sit on ground while bending your knees and having your heels pressed on the ground
• Lean backwards slightly while keeping your spine straight
• Place your arms straight out in front of you, place on hand on top of the other
• Tighten your core, twist slowly to one side, then repeat to the other side

3. Side Plank – 30 seconds

• Lie on the side of your body
• Support your body by bracing with your forearm and side of your feet
• Raise hips off the floor, keep core tight
• Raise hips off the floor
• Keep body in a straight line
• Hold position for the amount of time

4. V-ups – 30 seconds

• Lie flat on your back
• While keeping your feet together and legs straight, flex your abdominals to pull yourself up so your body looks like the letter V
• Lower back down to starting position and repeat

By: Gaven Hohl

Are you struggling to achieve your goals? You keep working harder and harder but just cannot accomplish what you intended to do. Instead of continually working harder, not succeeding, getting frustrated and therefore giving up, perhaps you should start working SMARTR (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Timely, Reward). By using SMARTR as your format to help design your goals you will be setting yourself up for success. An example of this would be:

Specific = Lose 8lbs

Measurable = 8lbs from previous weight

Achievable = Yes (2lbs per a week)

Relevant = Yes

Timely = 4 weeks

Reward = Go to a movie with a friend

By using this format you are setting yourself up for success the moment you create the goal, as it is so important to have your goal specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, timely, and rewarding. You can use this format to create short term, middle, and long term goals. For additional success towards achieving your goals make sure you write down your SMARTR goal somewhere you will see it daily. Feel free to be creative and have some fun when you are creating these goals and rewards for yourself. Remember, when coming up with your rewards, try to keep them healthier rewards that will not set you back from what you just achieved. Now go be SMARTR!

By Chasady Minnifield

Physical activity can be beneficial in so many ways. Even if you feel like you are considered a couch potato. There are many exercises that you can do while watching the television or just sitting in a chair. For example, chair stands, bicep curls, tricep dips, etc.

Some common exercises that you can do at home on commercials:

1. Planks
2. Sit-ups
3. Squats

Or if you just wanted to go for a brisk walk around the neighborhood or park to clear your mind or head. Physical activity can reduce the risk of stress, depression, and anxiety. As college students, professors, or employees we all go through some type of stress every once in a while. Have you ever decided to work out around the times that you are feeling stressed? How did you feel afterwards? Did your body feel so relieved? There are many ways that physical activity can help relax the mind and body. Physical activity is known for improving mental health and mood. So whenever you’re feeling stressed about that upcoming exam, do some type of exercise that you enjoy. Find something relaxing to do like doing some simple workouts at home to help relax your mind, body, and soul. You just have to find something that you like and enjoy.

By: Chasady Minnifield

Our bodies are made to move. With that being said, there are several ways to get your heart pumping by cardio. Whether it’s by walking, running, riding a bike, swimming, rowing, or doing aerobic workouts. These are all different types of workouts that are used to raise your heart rate. Cardio is beneficial in so many ways. Some of the benefits are weight loss, increased bone density, reduce stress, reduce the risk of heart disease, reduce depression and anxiety, increases confidence, and improves sleep.

The American College of Sports Medicine recommends that cardio should be done at least 5 days a week for 30 minutes for moderate intensity or 3 days a week for 20 minutes for vigorous intensity.

There are many machines that are located in the Wellness Center that can help you see the benefits of cardio workouts. Whether it’s the treadmill, elliptical, or bike. But what if you don’t like using the machines? You could sprint or walk around our awesome track located on the second floor in the Wellness Center. Find a cardio workout that you like and stick to it. Plan the days of the week that you would like to incorporate your cardio workouts into your schedule.