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By Stephanie Trembath,
Life & Style Editor

 
 

idterms occur at the perfect

time during fall semester;

around the same time that
bite-sized chocolate treats are sold en
masse in preparation for Halloween.
Increased levels of glucose in the
bloodstream make it easier to pull
all-nighters while studying or essay
writing, as the increase in sugar gives
the mind a short burst of energy.
Likewise, when consuming foods high
in glucose, serotonin (which acts as
the feel good hormone produced in
the body) is released. This dangerous
combo of energy and happiness is a
great study snack— but detrimental to
your body.

I am a victim of midterm munchies
each year; however, during springtime
studying I often snack on crackers
and hummus, while fall finds me knee
deep in an assortment of colourful
candy wrappers with sticky fingers
and a sugared tongue. A pack of fifty
chocolate bars lasted exactly three days
in my apartment last week. Reese’s
Pieces are my weakness, and after
artfully selecting my favourite bars
from best to last, I was horrified to
discover I had consumed the entire
box as my breakfast-lunch-dinner for
an entire weekend. My excuse: I have
no time to cook as I am prepping for
midterm exams and presentations. The
truth: I can’t keep chocolate in my
house unless my boyfriend hides it on
me, in which case I tear the place apart.

Rather than feel guilty about your
midterm madness munchies fix, it’s
better to succumb to these chocolate
dipped desires than fight them off as
it may cost you the difference in a

grade. To burn off those extra calories

you’re bound to consume over the next
couple of weeks while prepping for
exams (or merely indulging yourself
as you celebrate success on midterms),

The better way to burn -3
partone “

    

     

 

minute and walking for two minutes for
at least half an hour a couple of times a
week. As you improve your endurance,
you will slowly progress to “two on,
one off” and eventually stop walking

“Outside or inside, going for a run is the best cardio exercise you can
get. Research shows that a twenty-minute run three times a week is
all it takes to increase your metabolism, strengthen your heart and
improve your fitness level.”

running is the best way to improve your
fitness level and get a workout in. It
will also help to stretch and strengthen
your legs and back, which have
probably been bent and hunched over a
computer for the last few weeks.
Outside or inside, going for a run
is the best cardio exercise you can get.
Research shows that a twenty-minute
run three times a week is all it takes to
increase your metabolism, strengthen
your heart and improve your fitness
level. The climate in Vancouver is
perfect for running outdoors as it is
temperate and moist, and the Douglas
College New Westminster campus has a
gym with treadmills that you can adjust
to your own speed and incline. While
weight training exercises target specific
muscle areas that function mainly to
improve muscle tone and increase your
metabolism, running works to burn
glucose energy that is later stored as fat.
There are two ways to dig into
your fat stores while running; the first
way is to go for a long, slow run one
or two times a week and continuously
increase your endurance. The definition
of a long run will depend on your
physical ability and your overall goal;
my advice for someone who has never
tried to run for a longer period of time
before is the “one on, two off” rule.
This rule combines running for one

all together.

If you have back or neck pain, or
are unable to run for any reason, try this
same method on an elliptical machine.
Elliptical machines are easier on the
joints because your foot never leaves
the pedal. While running is the best
way to burn off extra calories and lose
weight, it is one of the hardest forms of
exercise on the body as the repetitive
impact of pavement slowly wears on
your knee joints and spine, which may
cause injury to your back, legs, and
bottoms of your feet. Wearing proper
footwear is one way to lessen the
impact on your frame, and stretching
before and afterward to decrease lactic
acid buildup will help to lessen wear
and tear on joints.

Going for a long run, whatever
your starting distance may be, helps
muscles develop the ability to store
glycogen, which aids in delaying the
onset of fatigue while you’re working
out. In short, glycogen gives you more
energy. It also enhances the muscles
ability to take oxygen from the blood
which will help to improve your daily
energy levels too. Really what I am
saying here: running will decrease your
energy levels temporarily, but works
to give you more energy over a longer
period of time as it improves your
cardiovascular system.

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Running for longer periods of time
also assists in weight loss— especially
once you begin increasing your speed
and/or distance levels. As long as
you stay within 70 per cent of your
maximum heart rate, your body will use
up its existing fat stores instead of the
glucose in your blood for its primary
energy source. To figure out what 70
per cent of your maximum heart rate is
use this simple formula: 70% of (220 -
your age). For example, if a person is
twenty years old, the equation will look
like this: 220 - 20 = 200, then 70% of
200 = 140. This final number represents
the total amount of heartbeats per
minute (bpm) that your body needs to
stay within your target burning zone.
If you are around that number, you are
burning your fat stores and working
to lose weight. If you are too much
over the target number, you are merely
burning off glucose stores in the blood.
The best time to check your heart
rate is in the middle of your run, so
make sure to pause and check your
pulse at the halfway point. If you don’t
want to stand for an entire minute (and
lose your momentum) take your pulse
for only 15 seconds and multiply your
final number by four. If you cannot do
quick math on the spot, simply stop and
check your pulse for 15 seconds and
remember that number for later. Then
when you get home, multiply your
number by four and see whether or not
you were in your target burning zone.
Check out the Life & Style section
for next week’s workout on how to
spice up your run with interval training,
and how to increase your resting
metabolism to get fit while sitting still
(and eating all those chocolate treats).
Happy Halloween!

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