Body by Nerf

Not really I just thought that was a clever title.

The purpose of this post is just a suggestion for over the break and onwards. Keep in mind I am obviously not a doctor or dietitian, just someone who is well versed in performance based fitness. If you're wondering what that is it's essentially practical fitness.... Changing a few things in your lifestyle to get the most out of what you have.

We all come from different backgrounds and have different fitness levels. I come from a background of cross country, track and field, dancing, and sport combat(fencing, akido and ju jitsu); all very active things and a big part of it is at the very least maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

"But Christos I HATE working out" I do too, I loathe it. My entire life people say "Eventually you like it" No eventually I still hate it. It's a chore and always has been for that reason whenever I'm not trying to train for something specific I just keep a relatively healthy base level. What I'm suggesting here is what I do and has worked for me. Your body is different and while this is something to go on, do what feels right for you.

A BIG boon and something that goes a LONG way on it's own is diet.
"OH NO! DIETS!"
No, I don't mean A diet I mean YOUR diet. What are you eating? What are you putting into your body?
This may not be the most practical thing for college students on a budget so do your best. Everyday try to consume fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Whole grains may be easier to do, just swap your regular enriched white...whatever for whole grain."Christos do french fries count as vegetables?" They do not, they count as stomach filling nothings. By vegetables I mean actual vegetables, plants that had leaves and what not. Tomatoes(for this purpose the are vegetables so hush), carrots, peas, beets, lentils, turnips, etc...Leafy greens such as lettuce, spinach, and turnip greens are also musts. Finding good fresh vegetables can be expensive so I recommend the steamers or frozen. Nutrient wise they are just a tad less but not much. They keep longer and are easier to get. Fruits....well fruit juice works well for that(not the cocktails, that's essentially sugarwater).

"Christos, I'm a manly man and/or womanly....woman I want so MEAT." Oh I do too, As far as more nutrient bang for your buck...fish is the way to go. While different fish are better than others, fish in general offer more nutrients per fat content than say...a steak. While I'm not saying cut out red meat I am saying try to limit red meat intake to 1-3 times a week. Chicken is a bit better but is still high in fat(fun fact there's enough fat in wings to fry themselves).

Now for the sad part. Everyone loves Sweets, Soda, Pasta, and BOOZE, but all things things have next to no nutritional value. Unless you get the special pasta with whole grains or vegetable blends, there's no nutritional value there at all so if you are eating pasta go with the whole grain or vegetable blends, but once again keep it at 1-3 days. Sweets in general are an obvious indulgence and are on level with alcohol. We're all in our early/mid 20's and alcohol is a big part of the social culture so I won't kid you as say I don't drink or that you won't, BUT I do limit myself. I drink 1 day a week and I don't drink in excess. I'll let you decide the day and by excess I mean if you can't drive home, you drank too much.
"That's ok I'll just drink soda." You may have heard it before, but even in the diet drinks there is so much crap. If you only do one thing in this do this, stop drinking soda and replace it with water. Believe me, it does wonders.

Like I said, I hate working out. I don't do it unless there's something I'm training for, BUT I do exercise on a regular basis. It's not much but it will help keep you in the form needed for HvZ and SNUG. Obviously this is not a guideline as everyone is different. I run everyday at least 2 miles, if I miss a day I run 3 the next. The only days I do not run are Wednesdays and Thursdays. I don't run so I can be fresh for SNUG. With most of you going home to cold areas it's more important than ever to STRETCH. It's always important to stretch, but even more so in the cold. In the cold it's also better to cover up. Long workout clothes are what I'm speaking of. This will help keep muscles warm and limber after stretching and during the run.

HvZ is several months away and if you read all of that then you are at least as into it as I am. These are my personal experiences and practices. You obviously don't have to follow any of it, but I promise you they will at the very least help you get on the right track.

-Christos Parrish aka Scar