Challenges of Dieting in College

Recently, I have tried a program called Whole30.  The point of this diet is to completely cleanse your body of the bad foods that you have been eating, to then get back to your roots by just eating meat, fish, chicken, vegetables, fruits, and nuts.  There can be no complex carbs or sugars.  This means that almost everything has to be fresh and almost to the point of organic.  The point of this post is to agree with the rest of the college students out there by saying that THIS IS HARD TO DO! Eating healthy costs a lot of money for college students(which is complete madness to me), but also its hard to eat at the dinning center, and other places on campus while trying to do this diet.  I wanted to try Whole 30 for only seven days just to experiment with it.  As I said above, it has been extremely difficult and expensive. However, the upside has been great! I have felt a lot better lately, had a lot more energy, and just feel like a different person because my eating habits have changed.  There have been a lot of posts lately, but my key point that I always want to get through is that changing your habits through eating or workout can change your life for the better.

Get fit with adventure connection

     

Are you bored of sitting in the dorm rooms, and reading textbooks? Well now is your time to get out and get physically active while exploring Illinois! Illinois State Universities Adventure connection is a great place to meet people, and strengthen your physical abilities. Adventure connection takes students out on day, or weekend trips to many great places such as Evergreen Lake, Turkey run state park, and even Matthiessen State park. At any of these locations you can expect to stand up paddle, kayak, rock climb, hike, or even explore the worlds largest known cave system. All of these activities are catered towards Illinois State University students, and it a great way to get active! Check out the Adventure Connection trips HERE!

Long Distance vs. Short Distance

Running is something that people get really scared of when they talk about working out, but it does have a lot of health benefits.  It relieves a good amount of stress, and can be a great cardio workout.  When people talk about running, they usually think about losing weight, which is something that is on college students minds a ton.  College students want to be able to lose body fat fast, otherwise they can get completely discouraged. However, there are two different kinds of ways to run, long distance and short distance.  Here is a link on a longer list of advantages and disadvantages of both. Shorter distance seems to be the best type of run for students who are looking to lose body fat.  It is really hard work, and isn't as relaxing as long distance, but you will see results.  Shorter distance is done really well by using places such as the rec or an outside track near by.  Tracking your time is also extremely helpful to keep on creating goals for yourself. Looking to lose some extra weight before the holidays, go and start a short distance running workout!

Rock climbing as a workout?

How many of you think of working out, and you think about running laps around the rec? Well the Illinois State University rec center offers a 47 foot climbing wall, as well as a bouldering cave to test your climbing skills. Rock climbing is an excellent full body strength workout, that also pushes your heart rate for a challenging cardio workout. Rock climbing is a great way to challenge yourself, get in shape, and most importantly HAVE FUN! More information about Illinois State Universities climbing wall can be found here. Also check out this article that brings you 11 awesome benefits of rock climbing!

How to use the Rec to your Advantage?

There are so many students that I hear complain about how they do not like going to rec because they don't lift at all.  That is a really bad excuse because there are so many fun and exciting classes, activities, and rooms that people can use besides just lifting weights.  So, yes there are the weights that are at the rec, but also there are a ton of machines that are there that can be used for just about any kind of workout someone is doing.  There is the track upstairs to use for any kind of speed/endurance cardio workout.  Also, upstairs is the new HIIT section that allows students to have a really intense workout that only has to last for a short amount of time. There is a swimming pool that can be used.  For people who are looking for something challenging, but fun is the rock climbing wall.  There are tons of classes that are offered for students, and even intramural that can be signed up for too.  Come check out their website and find out more!

Time to HIIT the rec center

Are you trying to keep your heart rate up and burn fat in less time? Well head on over to the Rec center, and start your High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) workout! HIIT involves switching between intense exercise and low intensity workouts. One example of HIIT is sprinting 100% for 30 seconds, then walking for 60 seconds. This type of training can be a great way to burn more fat in much less time then other workouts. Illinois State University's Rec center just opened up a "HIIT ZONE". There are specialty classes you can sign up for to take full advantage of what the rec center has to offer for high intensity workouts.  

How to Prepare Yourself?

It is hard to get motivated to be active every day.  Everyone has so many excuses, especially in college.  Students always give the response of "I'm to busy, I have to much homework, and to much to do".  Another response that students give is that they always say that they just don't have the materials to go running, work out, or just be active.  There are so many places that can help students in this department.  Starting off for just sports clothes in general or overall materials, Dick's Sporting Goods(address click here) is a great place to start off.  They have anything that you can think of, and have many people there to assist those in need.  However, if students are looking for more of just stuff towards running and biking, Vitesse Cycle Shop in Normal(address click here), is a local sport that specializes in biking and running products.  Then, students looking to use supplements/vitamins for the gym, GNC(address click here) can help students with that, and usually offers deals for consumers.