Let's Get Physical

The inspiration behind this post comes from my friend Ashley. Much like myself, in addition to being a student Ashley is extremely involved on campus. Earlier this year, Ashley snagged herself a prestigious position as an orientation leader. For those who don't go to the U of MN, orientation leaders lead students through orientation all summer long and then assist with our welcome week we have for incoming students. It's a HUGE time commitment and, from the sounds of it, you're basically the university's bitch for a couple months.

A few days ago, Ashley wrote a blog about her orientation leadering experience and quite honestly, I almost had an aneurysm from reading about how unhealthy her lifestyle has become. She's not eating right, not sleeping much, and not having time for exercise. As someone who makes his health a top priority, this greatly disturbs me. Because of this, I wanted to share a couple of health/fitness tips for busy people. I know that I sometimes have a hard time fitting in sleep or exercise but I've found that cutting them out only makes things so much worse. I generally feel like a fatass and have a tendency to spiral into a mental breakdown (see also: me during finals week).
Keep in mind that I'm not a doctor but I do have an extreme passion for fitness and health so I spend a lot of time reading up on them and I make sure that all of my sources are basing their claims on empirical evidence and not just pulling it out of their asses.

If you can't find time for a solid workout, break it into 10 minute chunks throughout the day. It's recommended that you get your heart rate up for thirty minutes a day most days a week. Sometimes you just don't have time to devote a solid thirty minutes to exercise. If this is the case, break it up into 10 minute chunks. The key there is make sure you're moving for at least 10 minutes because any less and exercise really isn't as effective as it could be. Of course, if you can squeeze in a full 30 minutes that's still preferable. Personally, I generally will do 40 minutes right when I wake up to get myself energized but sometimes I'll break it into a 10 minute and 20 minute chunk if I'm really busy.

Make sleeping a priority. Ashley describes in her blog that her mood has been affected by her spotty sleep patterns and I am not surprised at all. There are numerous studies showing that lack of sleep, for lack of a better term, fucks you up. You should ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS make sure you get enough sleep. Studies have shown, too, that college students who get more sleep actually perform better than those who don't. As a psychology major, this makes complete sense because it allows for your brain to recover and make more neural connections. From a weight loss/health perspective, sleep is extremely important in maintaining a healthy weight. When you sleep, you burn a TON of calories and all the hormones in your body get back in sync. Not getting enough sleep can, and probably, will lead to weight gain. Now what do you do if you have little time for sleep? Nap. Not a long one but take a 20 minute nap and you'll feel surprisingly refreshed. I suggest against taking a nap much longer because research tends to show that that can leave you feeling groggy or mess up your sleeping cycle.

Don't think you can escape getting the full amount of sleep you need each night. Everyone needs a different amount of sleep. Some people need significantly less and others may need up to 10 hours to wake feeling refreshed. However, for most adults, it averages around 8 hours (this number changes with age). If you don't get this amount, you'll be fine for a day or two but your body will develop a sleep debt and you'll have to get that sleep at another time or have it take a toll on your mental and physical functioning. Again, try taking naps. Otherwise, there are resources on the internet that can teach you how to alter your sleeping schedule so you need less sleep and the sleep you get is more effective. However, I am not sure what the scientific literature says about the safety or effectiveness of these drastic lifestyle changes (yes, they're drastic!) so I do not in anyway endorse them and urge you to use caution if you decide to test them out.

Incidental movements are your BFF. I'm sure you're like, "What the fuck is an incidental movement? Is it like a spasm?" No, it's not a spasm. It's a term for non-exercise movements that you happen to do throughout the day such as walking across the room, brushing your teeth, shaking your legs, or walking up and down stairs. While each individual action might not burn that many calories, they add up. That's why finding ways to add more movements, even if they're little, can greatly benefit you. That being said, don't expect to get ripped via this method. They'll help stave off fat and are a great addition to an exercise regime, but they're no replacement for actual exercise.

Combine activities. I used to do this when one of my psychology classes offered online lectures. I'd download the recordings and listen to them while I ran or did yoga. This way, I was both getting exercising and studying done at the same time. If there's any way you can do something while exercising, do it! Bring your reading with you to the gym and do it on the treadmill. Be creative!

Eat foods that are nutrient dense. Calories are not a bad thing. In fact, you need to get a certain amount of calories per day just to maintain basic functions  (For an estimate, multiply your body weight by 10. If you weigh 140, you need 1400 calories before your body starts using muscle tissue for energy). Of course, the more activity in your day the more calories you need. The key is to make sure that each calorie you intake is accompanied by as many nutrients as possible. Finding foods like this is actually a lot easier than it may seem. Look for (non-artificially colored) foods with bright colors. For example, spinach is more nutrient dense than iceberg lettuce so making a salad with spinach instead of lettuce is a great way to improve your diet. You'll feel better and by taking a few extra moments to think about your meal choices, you'll be healthier and feel better.

There's a lot more I could share but I think this is a good start for most of you. Start slow and stay committed! Your life will be so much better by just taking a little bit of time for yourself each day to remain healthy.

If you have any tips you'd like to share, feel free to post them in the comments! I'd love to hear what works for you!

Random Life Updates

Hello one and all!

I've just been on a blogging spree lately, haven't I? Maybe it's all the free time I have before summer class starts again. Can't fill it all with exercise, can I? ;)

I have a few short updates I wanted to share really quick that don't really fit in anywhere else but I felt deserved an appearance in here. I have a few blog ideas I'm going to be working on posting soon so look for those!

First of all, I want to start by sending my condolences to anyone who has been affected by these crazy ass tornadoes the past few days. It hit here in Minneapolis not too far from where I live and thankfully, we didn't get hit as bad as other places like Joplin, Missouri. I would like to bring up an interesting thinking/discussion point: The weather lately has been erratic and highly out of the ordinary. Am I the only one who sees this as a product of climate change? I hope people wake up and start listening to the scientists who've been warning that yes, it really is happening!

I'm also really upset that this anti-marriage amendment is going to be up for a vote in Minnesota. I'll probably post a blog about it down the line but just know that angry Joey is ANGRY!!!! >:(

I finally ordered my ticket for Lollapalooza! I'm so excited to FINALLY be going this year! There's a great line up including Girl Talk, the Naked and Famous, Muse, Cold War Kids, Flogging Molly, Cee-Lo, and so many others! It'll be my second music festival this year, too! (I went to SXSW over spring break) And, best of all, I'll be 21! Lolla is a week after my 21st so I'll still be in legal boozing heaven haha. I'm not entirely sure who I'm going with yet but hopefully this won't be a solo trip.

In other exciting news, I have less than two weeks until Chelsea Handler! So excited to see her again! I'm reading her new book and it's HILARIOUS as always.

I've been doing a lot of StumbleUpon lately and, as a result, have come across many different recipes that I want to try. As I try them, I might share a few on here. Get ready for lots of delicious vegetarian cuisine!

That about wraps up that my random blog. Like I said, stay tuned because I have some great posts in store!




Oh, one more thing: No, I did not get raptured on Saturday. I guess Jesus doesn't like agnostics. =)

Summer Reading List

As I mentioned in my last blog, it's summer! Woo hoo!! Now that I have a ton of free time and don't have to be constantly reading for school, that means I have free time to read stuff I actually want to! Woo hoo! With that in mind, I thought I'd share my summer reading list. Will I finish it? Fuck no. Most of these are spill overs from winter break reading, last summer, and even high school. If any of you have read any of these, please feel free to share your thoughts!

Lies That Chelsea Handler Told Me by Chelsea Handler and Friends

I love Chelsea Handler, hence why I shelled out $90 for fourth row tickets when she's here in June. I've read all three of her other books and almost stopped breathing from laughing so hard each time so obviously I was very excited for this one to come out even if most of it was written by other people. This is actually the book I'm reading right now and so far so good!

Hyperspace and Physics of the Future by Michio Kaku

As I'm sure you're all aware, I am a nerd. One of my favorite nerdy pastimes is anything and everything science and that's why not one but TWO books by Michio Kaku, rock start theoretical physicist, have found their way onto my summer reading list. This man is a GENIUS. He has this fantastic ability to be able to explain advanced physics concepts in terms that even someone who has little background in science can understand AND, best of all, he uses minimal math. I tried reading Hyperspace over winter break but ended up not finishing it so I'm going to start from the beginning and give it a good read this time. Physics of the Future just came out in April and I have not had a chance to pick it up yet but if it's anything like Physics of the Impossible, it's going to be a nerdy good time.

Game Change by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin

Ahhhh, politics... How I love thee. This one's about the 2008 presidential election which holds a very special place in my heart because I spent so much time interning for a political campaign that year. I'm looking forward to seeing what went on behind the scenes and how Obama was able to take down McCain and his Alaskan Barbie of a running mate.

The Center of Winter by Marya Hornbacher

Marya Hornbacher is a Minneapolis author best known for her memoir Wasted in which she dives into the depths and presents the horrifying reality of eating disorders by sharing her personal struggle. I thoroughly enjoyed this book in high school and have since read her other memoir, Madness, which focuses more on her struggle with bipolar disorder (This lady has had some fucked up shit happen to her and one can't help but feel sorry for her and want to help). Despite having picked up a copy a while back, I have yet to read her fiction novel, The Center of Winter. Based on the first few pages, title, and reviews I have read, it's a pretty big downer but an excellent read.

Secret Carnival Workers by Paul Haines

Secret Carnival Workers is a collection of music journalism, poems, and other writing by Canadian poet Paul Haines. Another one I've had for a while but have not gotten around to reading. An interesting tidbit about Paul: His sperm produced one of the greatest musical geniuses, best looking, and downright awesome women of our time, the lovely Emily Haines. Anyone who shares 50% of their genes in common with that woman MUST be really, really awesome.

That's my reading list. Of course, there's always room for more so if you have a suggestion, feel free to let me know!

Summer in the city means cleavage, cleavage, cleavage.

Obligatory comment about how I suck at blogging and fully intend to start writing on here more often (though I will more than likely not follow through with that to be honest.)

Good, now that that's out of the way we can move on to more pressing matters. For those of you who are unaware, this is my first week of summer. I'm... actually not that excited. I'm taking O Chem II (assuming I passed O Chem I... which I'm still unsure of) so that will take up most of my time. During my free time, I will be doing... nothing. Everyone is so busy lately and it seems like no one can ever, or wants to, spare some time for me.

But whatever. There are some things I am looking forward to! I'm turning 21 at the end of July so that should be fun. And if it's not, I'll be drunk so I won't care! I'm hoping to maybe go to Lollapalooza in August and maybe Summerfest, assuming I can find someone to go with.

Of course, there is also going to be plenty of time for me to exercise so I have lots of new fitness goals! I'm doing (well, attempting to do) Insanity. I just did the fitness today and it was TOUGH. I couldn't even finish it! Tomorrow, I'll be starting the first real workout.

Well. This is my attempt at at blogging. Anyone else have fun summer plans?