I should probably update more often..

So I've been the WORST blogger ever. Not a big deal right?

Ok moving on...

The new semester has officially started (like a week ago) and everyone is pretty much settled into their routines and everything is just dandy. Now that I have a set schedule for things in my life I'll try to update this more. Also, I'm going to look through my notes from my exercise and physical fitness class that I took last semester and share some of the more useful and interesting things that I learned. So look out for that!

As for right now, make your new years resolution/new semester resolution to eat healthier and/or get in shape last for more than just a month or so! Get motivated! Find a workout buddy or just someone to walk to the gym with you.

And I know it's early but I'm gonna say this now. If you're planning on going to the beach for spring break, hitting the gym for 2 weeks right before you leave will do NOTHING, I repeat, N-O-T-H-I-N-G to help you get in shape or improve the way you look. You'll just be sore during your vacation. No one wants that. So start going now, even it it's only for a half hour or so.

To quote the professor that taught my exercise and fitness class,

"Some is better than none, more is better than some, and too much is hard to get."

He said that during our "benefits of physical fitness" lecture and he's talking about healthy amounts of exercise. So there you have it!

That's all for now!

Stay healthy!

Don't have enough time to workout?

Ok so the biggest excuse for people not to exercise is that they don't have enough time.

I hate that excuse even though I am sometimes guilty of it myself.

Even if you don't have enough time to go to the gym and do a hardcore workout you can still do little things in your day to burn a few extra calories.

Since this blog is geared towards college students most of these tips are for people living on a college campus.

One of the things I do if I'm pressed for time to workout is take a longer route to get to class. Walking is great exercise and those extra steps really add up. Also, if you're going to take the long route, walk with purpose because walking at turtle pace is (1) annoying and (2) really doesn't do anything for you physically.

Something else you can do is take the stairs instead of an elevator, especially in the dorms.

Also, WATCH WHAT YOU EAT. Having an ice cream cone everyday after dinner really makes a difference. Don't eat a cheeseburger and french fries everyday for lunch, and you don't need to get something from every station at the dining hall.

If you live in a sorority for fraternity house and you get meals there, don't go back for seconds and watch your portions. If you have a salad bar available, take advantage of it!

Basically, read labels, don't be lazy, and watch your portions

And P.S.

Cool thing I learned this week in my intro to exercise and physical fitness class is that it's better to resistance train first and then do cardio, because if you do cardio first then you won't be able to lift as much, do as many reps, or train as intensely. But if you resistance train first you can still do your cardio workout at the same intensity.

Alrighty, thats all for now!

Stay healthy and make good choices!

Long time coming.

Sooo I haven't posted anything in a really long time. Sorry about that!

And apparently I'm technologically challenged and the post that was supposed to be my last post was a draft that I've had saved for a long time and it got posted according to the date I saw it. It's called "The Worst of the Worst" so go read it lol I think it's really interesting.

But anyway, I said I would write about how work week and recruitment went and even though it was forever ago I'll talk about it anyway. It was so busy and crazy those two weeks that I only got to workout like twice. Which drove me crazy. But I did do pretty well with eating healthy.

On to current issues....

Greek life is starting to prepare for homecoming at Mizzou and life as I know it is about to get VERY VERY stressful! So, because of this I'm going to post some articles about dealing with stress in a healthy way! Look out for those in the near future!!

Thats all for now.

Stay Healthy!

-Sarah

Summer is coming to an end...for me at least.

OKAY! So I have to go back to school in less than 2 weeks. August 7th to be exact.
I know what your thinking...why so early?
The reason I'm going back so early is because of sorority formal recruitment (a.k.a. rush). I'm a proud member of Phi Mu and cannot wait to experience rush from "the other side."
How does this relate at all in any way to nutrition and fitness?
Well, I am FREAKING out about being able to fit in a workout and about how healthy I'll be eating. The week I get back is work week, which I hear is crazy. And the next week is rush week. Which I KNOW is crazy. So for all you non math majors out there that is TWO WEEKS of craziness. And for those of you that don't know me, I'm a total creature of habit. So this is going to totally throw my routine out of wack. Great. One of my biggest downfalls is that once I break a fitness routine, it's very hard for me to get back into it. For example, I'll workout 5-6 days a week for like 3 months, then I go on vacation, or get sick for a few days and don't workout. What happens? I completely stop working out for like a month because I get lazy. Not okay.
If I have time, I'll post updates about how healthy I'm eating and how much I'm exercising during the 2 weeks of hectic, stressful, craziness that is work week and recruitment. If I end up not doing that well health-wise, hopefully looking back at this post will motivate me to not be lazy and get back to working out regularly.

OH and in the next few days look out for a new post. I've been working on it for awhile and it's going to be awesome! (At least that's what I think, haha.) But I'm not going to say anything else :)

Until Next time,
Stay Healthy!

Need something quick and healthy?

Hey there!

I found this awesome list a few days ago! It's the 125 best packaged foods. You can download and print it for free! It's perfect for all you college students who don't have time to cook your own meals or just need something quick to eat. And it's full of good foods you can keep in your dorm!!

Enjoy!

Until next time,

Stay Healthy!

The Worst of the Worst

Alright. I have scoured the internet and have brought many of the "worst" lists to one place.

So here we go!

Starting us off are some drinks you should definitely not have on a regular basis...

20 Worst Drinks in America

**click here to go to the website to see the nutritional facts and to see what to drink instead**

20. Worst Water- Snapple Agave Melon Antioxidant Water (1 bottle, 20 fl oz)

*sugar equivalent= 2 Good Humor Chocolate Eclair Bars

19. Worst bottled Tea- SoBe Green Tea (1 bottle, 20 fl oz)

*sugar equivalent= 4 slices of Sara Lee Cherry Pie

18. Worst Energy Drink- Rockstar Energy Drink (1 can, 16 fl oz)

*sugar equivalent= 6 Krispy Kreme Origional Glazed Doughnuts

17. Worst Bottled Coffee- Starbucks Vanilla Frappuccino (1 bottle, 13.7 fl oz.)

*sugar equivalent= 32 Nilla Wafers

16. Worst Soda- Sunkist (1 bottle, 20 fl oz)

*sugar equivalent- 6 Breyers Oreo Ice Cream Sandwiches

15. Worst Beer- Sierra Nevada Bigfoot (1 bottle, 12 fl oz)

*carbohydrate equivalent- 12-pack Michelob Ultra

14. Worst Kid's Drink- Tropicana Tropical Fruit Fury Twister (1 bottle, 20 fl oz)

*sugar equivalent= Two 7-oz canisters of Reddi-Wip

13. Worst Functional Beverage- Arizona Rx Energy (1 can, 23 fl oz)

*sugar equivalent= 6 Cinnamon Roll Pop-Tarts

12. Worst Juice Imposter- Arizona Kiwi Strawberry (1 can, 23 fl oz)

*sugar equivalent= 7 bowls of Fruit Loops

11. Worst Espresso Drink- Starbucks Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha with Whipped Cream (venti, 20 fl oz)

*sugar equivalent- 8 and 1/2 scoops of Edy's Slow Churned Rich and Creamy Coffee Ice Cream

10. Worst Lemonade- Auntie Anne's Wild Cherry Lemonade Mixer (32 fl oz)

*sugar equivalent= 11 bowls of Cookie Crisp Cereal)

9. Worst Hot Chocolate- Starbucks White Hot Chocolate with Whipped Cream (venti, 20 fl oz)

*sugar equivalent= 9 Strawberry Rice Krispie Treats

8. Worst Frozen Mocha- Cosi Double Oh! Arctic Mocha (gigante, 23 fl oz)

*sugar equivalent= 19 Oreo Cookies

7. Worst Frozen Coffee Drink- Dairy Queen Caramel MooLatte (24 fl oz)

*sugar equivalent= 12 Dunkin' Doughnuts Bavarian Kreme Doughnuts

6. Worst Margarita- Traditional Red Lobster Lobsterita (24 fl oz)

*carbohydrate equivalent= 7 Almond Joy candy bars

5. Worst Float- Baskin-Robbins Ice Cream Soda (vanilla ice cream and cola) (large, 28.6 fl oz)

*sugar equivalent= 9.7 Fudgesicle fudge bars

4. Worst Frozen Fruit Drink- Krispy Kreme Lemon Sherbet Chiller (20 fl oz)

*sugar equivalent= 16 medium-size chocolate ecliars

3. Worst Drive-Thru Shake- McDonald's Triple Thick Chocolate Shake (large, 32 fl oz)

*sugar equivalent= 13 McDonald's Baked Hot Apple Pies

2. Worst Smoothie- Smoothie King Peanut Power Plus Grape (large, 40 fl oz)

*sugar equivalent= 20 Reese's Peanut Butter Cups

1. Worst Beverage in America- Cold Stone PB&C (Gotta Have It, 24 fl oz)

*sugar equivalent= 30 Chewy Chips Ahoy Cookies.

Next up, we all know burgers aren't the best thing in the world to eat, but which one's are the worst of the worst?

The 15 Worst Burgers

**click here to see the website for more info and to see what to eat instead**

15. Worst Burger Kid's Meal- Burger King Cheeseburger and French Fries (small)

*calories= 680

14. Worst Cheeseburger With Everything- Wendy's Double With Everything and Cheese

*calories= 700

13. Worst Hamburger and French Fries- In-N-Out Burger and French Fries

*calories= 790

12. Worst Plain Cheeseburger- Five Guys Cheeseburger (plain)

*calories= 840

11. Worst Double Meat Burger- Whataburger Double Meat Whataburger

*calories= 870

10. Worst Burger Breed- Carl Jr. 6 Dollar Burger

*calories= 890

9. Worst Thickburger- Hardee's Origional Thickburger (1/3 pound)

*calories= 910

8. Worst Chicken Burger- Red Robin California Chicken Burger

*calories= 946

7. Worst Turkey Minis- Ruby Tuesday Turkey Minis (4)

*calories= 1,058

6. Trans-Fattiest Burger Combo Meal- Jack in the Box Bonus Jack with Small Fries and Small Coke

*calories=1,061

5. Worst BBQ Burger- Red Robin Whiskey River BBQ Burger

*calories= 1, 114

4. Worst "Healthy" Burger- Ruby Tuesday Avocado Turkey Burger

*calories= 1,130

3. Worst Fast Food Cheeseburger- Burger King Triple Whopper Sandwich with Cheese and Mayo

*calories= 1,250

2. Worst Mini Burgers- Chili's Big Mouth Burger Bites (4)

*calories= 1,580

1. Worst Burger in America- Chili's Smokehouse Bacon Triple Cheese Big Mouth Burger with Jalapeno Ranch Dressing

*calories= 1,901

Many people just assume salads are healthy, but that is not always the case. Take a look at the 6 unhealthiest salads in America...

The 6 Unhealthiest Salads in America

**Click here to go to the website for more info and for healthier alternatives**

6. Quizno's Honey Mustard Chicken Regular Chopped Salad

*calories= 920

5. Romano's Macaroni Grill Parmesan-Crusted Chicken Salad

*calories= 960

4. Chili's Quesadilla Explosion Salad

*calories= 1, 400

3. Applebee's Oriental Chicken Salad with Oriental Vinaigrette

*calories= 1,430

2. Cheesecake Factory Caesar Salad with Chicken

*calories=1,513

1. California Pizza Kitchen Waldorf Chicken Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing (full)

*calories= 1,570

We all know desserts aren't known for being healthy, but we like them anyway. Here are some you should take extra care to avoid...

15 Worst Desserts

**click here to see more nutritional info about each item and to see what to eat instead!**

15. Worst "Healthy" Packaged Dessert: Tofutti Vanilla (1/2 cup)

* 210 calories, 15 g. sugars

14. Worst Supermarket Ice Cream: Häagen-Dazs Chocolate Peanut Butter (1/2 cup)

*360 calories, 24 g. sugars

13. Worst Dessert for Your Cholesterol: Bob Evans NSA Apple Pie

*491 calories, 19 g. sugars

12. Worst Frozen Treat: Toll House Ice Cream Chocolate Chip Cookie Sandwich

*520 calories, 44 g. sugars

11. Worst Pastry: Hostess Chocolate Pudding Pie

*520 calories, 45 g. sugars

10. Worst Hot Chocolate: Starbucks Venti 2% Salted Caramel Signature Hot Chocolate (20 ounces)

* 760 calories, 85 g. sugar

9. Worst Kids' Dessert: Uno Chicago Grill Kids' Sundae

*860 calories, 94 g. sugars

8. Worst Mall Dessert: Cinnabon Regular Caramel Pecanbun

*1,110 calories, 47 g. sugars

7. Worst Drive-Thru Dessert: Dairy Queen Raspberry Truffle Blizzard (large)

*1,140 calories, 141 g. sugars

6. Worst Shake: Jamba Juice Peanut Butter Moo'd (Power)

*1,170 calories, 169 g. sugars

5. Worst Pie: Red Robin Mountain High Mudd Pie

*1,390 calories, 205 g. carbohydrates

4. Worst Cake: Red Lobster Chocolate Wave

*1,490 calories, 172 g. carbohydrates

3. Worst Chocolate Dessert: Chilli's Chocolate Chip Paradise Pie

*1,590 calories, 220 g. carbohydrates

2. Worst Sundae: Baskin-Robbins York Peppermint Patty Brownie Sundae

*1,610 calories, 222 g. carbohydrates

1. Worst Dessert In America: Ramano's Macaroni Grill New York Cheesecake with Caramel Fudge Sauce

*1,660 calories, 165 g. carbohydrates

I'll probably make another post like this soon with other meals and foods because I thought this was very helpful/ interesting so yeah, enjoy!

Until next time,

Stay Healthy!

Need to lose a few pounds before heading back to school?

If you're looking to lose a few pounds before you head back to campus this fall here are a few tips from some of the experts.

According to Jorge Cruise (author of "The Belly Fat Cure" and several other books) sugars are the main reason for belly fat. So if you want to lose belly fat, cut sugar from your diet. You don't need to cut sugar completely, just limit it. Jorge recommends no more than 15 grams of sugar a day

Jillian Michaels (you might recognize her from "The Biggest Loser" and her own show, "Losing it With Jillian") has a awesome website www.jilllianmichaels.com where you can customize your own weight loss plan for free!

The wonderful Dr. Oz also has 100 Weight Loss Tips. Some of them include:

-Planning meals ahead of time, so you don't make a last minute unhealthy choice

-Don't confuse thirst with hunger! Drink a glass of water when you feel hungry to see if that is what you're really craving

-Try not to eat too fast

- Stop drinking soda and switch to water

- Chewing sugar free gum can help suppress your appetite.

And some of my own advice...

Read food labels!! You will be amazed at how much sugar/carbs/calories are in things you might think are "healthy". And try to eat the actual recommended serving sizes, people tend to eat way more than one serving size in one sitting.

Until next time,

Stay Healthy!

-Sarah