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Life&Style

 

Fitness fever: how to ease back into the burn

 

By Stephanie Trembath

or maybe just the flu. After

spending the last two weeks
bingeing on sugar cookies, stuffing,
and red wine, I know my body
needs a boost and my brain needs
to return from the brief hiatus its
enjoyed from studying and essay
writing. The beginning of each year
traditionally brings about New
Year’s resolutions, which I have
avoided for the last three years
since I never adhere to them. I
typically choose the same three in
desperate hopes of keeping one for
the entire year.

1. Be nicer to Aly, (my sister
who is so much like me it’s nearly
impossible to maintain a civil
conversation).

2. Establish a rigo rous fitness
schedule (get “ripped” as I like to
say).

3. Save money (instead of
wasting my hard-earned funds on
clothes and coffee).

This year, rather than setting a
ridiculous goal for myself to begin
on January 1, I decided to devise a
plan to help me bring back the burn
and get back on track.

Regardless of the time of year, it
is important to know exactly what
you are trying to achieve, which
is why fitness experts recommend
SMART goal setting to ensure
success.

SMART stands for: Specific,
Measurable, Attainable, Realistic,
and Timely. This acronym is
typically used for goals pertaining
to health and wellness, but it can
be applied to any type of resolution
you wish to make and keep.

When developing your goal
you should make sure it is specific
so you fully understand why and
what you are trying to achieve.
Next, make sure it is measurable
and keeps you motivated.
Attainable and realistic are equally
important attributes, as the goal
needs to be something you are
able to accomplish given your
circumstances. Finally, your goal
will need to be timely—meaning
you should have some sort of start
and end date to your resolution.

Despite my disdain for New

[= dying to catch fitness fever,

Year’s resolutions, I do believe

in setting goals to track my
accomplishments and what I set out
to do. Since my goal is to get back
in shape and re-train my brain for

a final semester, I selected a few
simple, yet effective resolutions to
ease me into the New Year. A few
helpful tools I hope to employ this
semester include less studying and
more sleep. Yes, you heard me right.

I want to study less and sleep
more. My mantra last semester
was to stay up until every essay
was edited twice over and ready
to hand in, and until every page
of notes I copied were thoroughly
reviewed. However, pulling four
all-nighters in 10 days during the
last two weeks of fall semester
left me exhausted, sick, broke (as
a result of skipping work), and I
didn’t do nearly as well as I wanted
to on all my final term papers. This
spring semester, my goal is to get
enough sleep, regardless of where
my schoolwork is at. My mom
always says it’s not the end of the
world, and if I don’t place a period
after every sentence or memorize
the final page of notes, I doubt
my mark will be as dramatically
affected the same way my health
was last semester.

After I spend each morning
catching up on extra sleep, I have
resolved to make a hearty breakfast
that will keep me full and energized
for the day. No more cold bagels
and Tim Horton’s. The surest way
to make sure you stay alert and
have optimal energy to learn is
in a solid morning meal. Oatmeal
for breakfast is a protein-packed
carbohydrate that is cheap and
quick to make, which makes it a
great staple for students. Don’t
purchase the mini pre-packaged
sugary oatmeal packets; they are
expensive and full of processed
sugars. Raw oats are the best for
you and you can create your own
flavours by adding different spices
and fruits.

Oatmeal Florentine is good for
filling up to skip lunch, with a cup
of oatmeal, spinach, mozzarella
cheese, and a sunny-side up egg
stirred in. Yogurt Parfait is syrupy
sweet, with a cup of oatmeal, a
half cup of vanilla yogurt, half

 

of a banana, and a bit of honey.
Cinnamon Almond is my favourite,
with a cup of oatmeal, pinch of
cinnamon, almond milk, and a
couple of handfuls of nuts and
mixed berries. I tried out—and
perfected—these three recipes over
the holiday and each takes about
five minutes to prepare while the
water boils. They are much tastier

foods when my budget is stretched
past its limits and pasta is all I can
afford. Similarly, it is ridiculous to
say I will not consume any more
sugary goods or wine when I have
a cupboard full of leftover treats
Santa left me this year.

So, my final resolution is to set
time aside three or four days a week
and commit to a half hour workout,

“When developing your goal you should make sure it is specific so
you fully understand why and what you are trying to achieve.”

than toast and more filling than
cereal.

Finally, the last resolution I will
ease into my schedule is to set time
aside and commit to my goals. A
drastic mistake most individuals
make in goal-setting this time of
year is creating resolutions that
are unattainable and unreasonable
to maintain throughout the
semester. It is impossible to say
I will exercise every day during
midterm and exam periods, and it
is impossible to commit to eating
only healthy, nutrient-packed

whether it is running, swimming,
or even stretching. I am not alone in
the amount of time I waste texting,
Facebooking, or tweeting—so
using even some of that time for
exercise is reasonable. According
to the British Journal of Medicine, all
that it takes is 20 minutes of light
exercise to lessen your risk of heart
disease by 40 per cent. Whatever
you choose for your New Year’s
resolutions, make sure your goal
setting is SMART for success!
Good luck!

 

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