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Chapter 13: The Whole You

You Are What You Eat: Portion Distortion

So says the well-known old adage, and, as is the case with many an old adage, there's a lot of truth to be found there. What we put into our bodies has great bearing on what we can expect to get out of our bodies. If we strive for energy, stamina, and strength, we can't expect to get something out of nothing.

What is nothing? To start out with, it's junk food-pork rinds, potato chips, Cheez Doodles, Slim Jims, and all the rest of those salty, greasy, fat-laden, sugar-laden, highly-processed comestibles that fill us up with useless calories while they starve us of anything really useful.

American eating habits have become so wrongheaded that it's hard to know where to begin affixing the blame. The biggest problem may be that many Americans no longer recognize when they are hungry and when they are full. "Part of the way our brain gets the message we're full is satiety, but we're not getting it," says Dr. David Spiegel, associate chair of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University. We overeat, says Dr. Spiegel, because too much of the food we ingest is inexpensive, loaded with calories, and highly processed. The trouble is that it's not really satisfying, and so we eat more and more in order to try to feel full. This state of affairs has created a national trend toward what is known as portion distortion-essentially, not having any idea of the amount of food you're actually eating. Portion distortion began in earnest back in the 1970s, when McDonald's introduced its large portion of fries and food manufacturers realized that there was a windfall to be made selling jumbo portions. Since then, foods like hamburgers and bagels have increased in size 2 to 5 times. As a result, compared to eating habits of 20 years ago, women today are eating 300 more calories a day than they had been and men 168 more. Since it's a nutritional fact that 100 extra calories a day will lead to a net weight gain of 10 pounds within a year, you don't have to be a genius to do the math.

Hints on Healthy Eating

Almost every college out there has an all-you-can-eat food hall on campus. These places can turn into a nightmare if you are trying to stay in shape. But if you learn some self-control, they usually have some pretty decent food. This leads right into the first hint.

Hint 1
Don't eat all you can eat. We know you're trying to get your money's worth, but shoving 3,000 calories of glorified processed foods down your throat will work directly against your getting-into-shape goals.

Hint 2
Eat balanced. The only way to get the nutrients your body needs is to eat normal, healthy foods from all the food categories. You need carbs for energy. Low-fat diets are synonymous with low stamina. Do not skimp on the protein or fats, but don't go too crazy with them. Either of these options can do you a dietary disservice.

Hint 3
Watch what you drink. Drinking a bunch of juice, soda, and other sweetened drinks can easily add hundreds of needless calories every day. They are chock-full of sugar, with little or no nutritional value.

Hint 4
Earlier is better than later. Try not to eat much after 9 PM. Your metabolism starts to slow down late in the evening, which means there is a greater chance of calories being stored (as fat).

Hint 5
Try keeping track of what you eat. Sometimes just seeing what you have eaten during the day will show you some of your problem areas.

Healthy Eating Shopping List
To eat the right foods, you need them available. To keep on the right track for healthy eating, stock your pantry with some suggested foods.

Carbohydrates

brown rice
sweet potatoes
whole wheat pasta
whole grain breads, crackers, cereals
green vegetables
bagged salads
fruit

Proteins

fish
beans
chicken
lean beef
soy

Dairy

eggs
low-fat milk
low-fat cheese

Spices

oregano
basil
garlic salt
chili powder

Sauces and Soups

chicken noodle
tomato
chicken gumbo
spaghetti sauce

Other

olive oil
flax oil

Fitness Has Power

Fitness is an important but often overlooked part of college success. Because many students coming from high school are not overweight and do not have health problems, exercising just seems like one more chore. What these students do not realize is that exercise is an opportunity to change your life, not just your body.

The Benefits

Promotes self-confidence
Improves mood and focus
Is an outlet for tension
Increases energy
Helps develop a great work ethic
Lowers stress

Doesn't that sound well worth devoting half an hour or so to every day?

The Skinny on Working Out at College

The quickest way to get in shape is to make your workout long enough to use all three parts of the typical workout system: weights, cardio, and stretching. Whether you are male or female, in shape or out of shape, designing a program that hits on all three parts is the key to your overall development.

Weight Training
Actually called resistance training, weight training includes weights, Nautilus-type machines, and body-weight exercises-pull-ups, push-ups, sit-ups, and the like. The big-picture purpose is to stress your muscles enough to improve their coordination, strength, and appearance.

Cardiovascular Training (Cardio)
Most people think of running or biking when they hear "cardio." These are definitely options, but don't fool yourself into thinking that the treadmill or recumbent bike is the only way to get a workout. Tons of fun stuff can fall under the term "cardio," and many colleges have options like the following:

Kickboxing
Basketball
Racquetball
Rock climbing
Group aerobics
Rowing

Stretching
Stretching helps prevent injuries, and gives you a nice warm-up. Plus, it is an easy way to get over the #1 exercise hurdle-getting started. Some people love stretching and others hate it. A few minutes of stretching before and after your workout will be a big plus. Stretching at the start of your workout is best preceded by about 5 minutes of warm-up. You can jump on the stationary bike or treadmill to get the blood flowing and your body warmed up before stretching.

Developing a Fitness Regimen

As you know, exercise is a great form of stress relief and has highly beneficial effects on your general body function. Many people, however, attempt to institute a fitness regimen but can't manage to stay with it. Here are some good ideas on how to make exercise fit into your life.

Take reasonable aim. You don't have to be Lance Armstrong, Marion Jones, or anything even close to an Olympic hopeful. All you need is to complete a set amount of exercise in a set number of times a week. Even if your regimen is not as challenging as the ones being followed by your friends, the fact that you maintain discipline will have an enormous impact on your attitude and possibly, over time, on your appearance.
Find an activity that you enjoy. Exercise doesn't have to be boring. In fact, it shouldn't be. It's all a matter of figuring out what you like to do. Some people are water babies; others like to bike; some like to dance. You choose. Just make sure that it's something that gives you enough basic pleasure to carry you through those periods when you really don't feel like doing it.
Remember that there are fitness opportunities everywhere. You don't have to drape yourself in Spandex and join an expensive health club to get into shape. As you start to get into a fitness frame of mind, you'll find that there are opportunities wherever you look. Taking stairs two at a time, for instance, is one way to turn a mundane moment into a fitness opportunity. When you go to the mall, instead of spending a half an hour looking for a parking spot closest to the stores, park as far away as you can and spend 20 minutes walking to and from your car.
Line up an exercise buddy. The support of another individual-someone who can encourage you, praise you, and nag you-is an excellent spur toward further fitness.
Stay on schedule. People who stay with fitness over the long haul have generally been able to do so because they exercise at certain times on certain days of the week. In other words, barring some emergency, they know that they'll be available at 4 o'clock on a Tuesday to go to the gym. If your fitness regimen is floating all over the place, you may have the tendency to shunt it off to second place when other matters come along.
Train-don't strain. There's no point in setting the bar so high that you become discouraged almost as soon as you begin. Proceed at a sensible rate, and, if exercise is new to you, have a check-up first.
Track your progress. You may want to keep a chart of your fitness activities from day-to-day, week-to-week, month-to-month. Your satisfaction in seeing your progress can overcome the feeling of burnout that often takes over.
Remember to breathe. Deeply, that is-several times a day. A lot of us are so busy running around they we never take a real inhalation. Deep breathing aerates your lungs and increases your workout capacity.
Hydrate. Once again, drink water-lots of it. As you exercise, you lose water and replenishing it is vital.

Fitness is a lifelong proposition. Just visit any gym and you'll see people in their late 60s or even 70s whose workouts can put a 20-something to shame. But don't be ashamed-be inspired! These folks serve as great role models.

Home Gym on the Cheap

If you don't enjoy the gym atmosphere, cannot make it to the facility, or find the monthly fees out of your budget range, consider a home gym setup. A door-frame pull-up bar, a set of dumbbells, and a stability ball will do it. This way, you can target all your major body parts in a quick workout at your own place. (Remember: As with any other exercise program, see a physician before starting a routine such as this.)

Chest-dumbbell bench press using the stability ball as a bench. With feet flat on the floor, lay on the ball with your upper back and neck being supported. With dumbbells in hand, press the dumbbells from your chest upward, then back down.
Back-pull-ups are perfect. Place hands shoulder-width apart and pull up your body weight.
Shoulders-military press using the dumbbells. Sitting upright on the ball, raise dumbbells from shoulder level to above the head and back down. Be sure to keep your back straight.
Arms-curls using dumbbells for biceps and triangle push-ups for triceps.

Curls: Stand (no ball) holding dumbbells, flex arms up from your sides and back down.

Triangle push-ups: Assume normal push-up position, and make a triangle meeting your thumbs and index fingers. Do push-ups!

Legs-squats. Place the stability ball between your back and the wall and then squat.
Abs-sit-ups. Support you back and neck on the ball, feet flat on the floor and do crunches.

Sticking to an Exercise Program

Many people start an exercise program with the best intentions, and within several months they quit. To avoid this fate and to make physical activity part of your routine, follow these guidelines:

Choose a friend or relative and make an agreement with them to exercise. Be sure to write it down.
Be specific. Write down the days you will exercise, what you will do, and the number of months you will do it.
Include rewards and punishments. Specify what you'll do to earn a reward and what will result in punishment-doing an unpleasant chore, for example.
Get the person with whom you made the agreement to support you. This will make it harder to skip sessions or quit.

From Reaching Your Potential: Personal and Professional Development, 3rd edition by Robert K. Throop and Marion B. Castellucci. Copyright © 2004 Thomson Delmar Learning, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. All rights reserved.

And Then There's Sleep…

Scientists don't really understand why human beings need to sleep; they just know that they do. Research has shown that after as few as 6 days of reduced sleep (4 hours or less a night), the body's ability to metabolize carbohydrates is diminished. In other research experiments, it has been shown that laboratory rats deprived of sleep will die in 2 to 4 weeks. While the need for sleep is programmed into all humans, different people have different sleep patterns. Some of us need a good 10 hours of sleep to feel rested the next day; others do fine with just 5 or 6. Whatever your needs, your sleep habits can benefit by avoiding the "don'ts" below and following the "dos".

Sleeping Don'ts
Observe the following guidelines if you're looking for a restful sleep:

Be sensitive to your caffeine intake. That means chocolate, caffeinated sodas and teas, as well as coffee. If sleep is your goal, eliminate all caffeine intake after 4 in the afternoon, and, if your sleep has been fitful lately, eliminate caffeine altogether-at least for a while.
Avoid alcohol late in the day. To which, obviously, you are replying, "So when should I be drinking alcohol?" We're just giving you the facts, friends. The decision is yours.
Be careful about what you eat at night. A bucket of greasy chicken wings or some hot and spicy tacos can rob you of a night's sleep. Are they worth it?
Establish an exercise routine that is consistent with your sleep needs. Although exercising late at night might fit most easily into your work and school schedule, the overstimulation can wreak havoc on your sleep schedule. Late afternoon or early morning would make better exercise times.
If sleep problems persist, seek medical advice. You don't want to fall too deeply down the hole of sleep deprivation. Visit your physician or health facility to see what they advise.

Sleep Do's
If you're looking to establish better sleep habits, try these suggestions:

Stay on schedule. This is probably the most important rule if you want to better your sleep. Wild variances in sleeping habits-staying up until 4 in the morning 2 nights a week, let's say-will pitch you headlong into a game of catch-up that you might not win.
Be careful about napping. While a short nap of even 15 minutes can be restorative, you should try to schedule them for the same time every day, if you're planning to incorporate them into your daily routine. Otherwise, you can interrupt your sleep cycle and wind up more tired than before.
Consciously relax before going to bed. This may seem obvious, but a lot of people don't factor in any cool-down time before they retire to bed. Watching a raucous television show and then turning off the lights to go to sleep is a lot less effective than reading a book, listening to Celtic lullabies, or doing other quiet, contemplative activities that set you up for the quietest activity of them all-sleep!
Make sure your environment is conducive to sleeping. If you're having sleep problems, perhaps your room is too warm or too cold. Or maybe you're sensitive to some detergent that you've been using to launder your sheets. Do your best to discover what's been keeping you up at night.
Don't panic. If you do have bouts of insomnia, take a deep breath…literally. Conscious breathing may lead you back to sleep. Whatever you do, try not to get up and start watching TV or playing solitaire or some other activity you perceive as mindless. You'll want to stay with your normal light/dark schedule as much as possible, so getting up will just confuse your body further. Try to stay in bed to ease yourself back into sleep.

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