With a college lifestyle that can be stressful, scary, fun and exciting, it can be difficult to squeeze in time for exercise and sound eating habits.
Even when you have time, there are so many crazy fads, weird exercises and extreme diets to choose from. So what do you do?
As a personal trainer and a 24/7 health nut, I receive a lot of fitness questions. I've selected a few to answer for you.
Q: I do crunches every day, but I still don't have a six-pack! Why is that?
A: Ah, yes the desired six-pack. Crunches alone will not give you chiseled abs. Sadly, a six-pack takes a lot more.
Defined abdominals are like any other muscle and require low levels of body fat in order to be seen. Therefore, your diet plays a huge role in muscle definition.
Another factor that can limit you from getting a six-pack is genetics. Everyone stores fat in some areas more than others, so defined abs can be hard to obtain if your middle is your main problem area.
Exercises should be done to target each section of the abdominal muscles. If you always do regular floor crunches, your body has probably adapted, so try mixing it up. Do resisted crunches and leg raises, or use medicine balls to target your core.
Alternate between increasing reps on some days and increasing weight on others while maintaining proper form. This will help switch it up; variety is vital in gaining strength and muscle definition.
Q: What's the best thing to eat before working out or a game?
A: "You have to eat well to perform well." The biggest mistake that most athletes make is only eating well the day before and/or the day of a game if at all. While eating a Power Bar and chugging down a Gatorade two hours before a competition may give you energy for the time being, it's not beneficial in the long run if your overall nutrition suffers most of the time.
Think about that old saying "practice like you're competing and compete like you practice." Shouldn't you fuel your body properly to have better workouts, which leads to greater improvements and gains, which leads to better performance in the game?
The best thing to do is to get in the habit of eating a well-balanced diet all the time, which should consist of complex carbohydrates, lean protein, lots of vegetables and fruit and drinking plenty of water. You don't want to try anything new before you compete, because you don't want to have an upset stomach, so if you are planning on using muscle gels and nutrition bars during competition, practice using them in your workouts beforehand.
Everyone is different, some people can't eat three hours before a game, and others have to eat at least 60 minutes prior. Find what works for you. If you have an afternoon game, always start the day off with a good breakfast to kick your metabolism into gear. Try foods that are going to provide lasting energy so you don't suffer from insulin spikes and energy drops. Avoid sugary cereals, too much caffeine and simple carbohydrates like white bread that will burn up quickly and leave you feeling hungry soon after.
Drink water throughout the day. Before an intense exercise session or game drink at least 8 to 16 oz. of water and then sip water or an electrolyte-enhanced drink every 15 minutes.
Depending on your needs, try to eat something one to two hours before that will supply you with energy and can be digested quickly like a piece of fruit, dry cereal or a sports drink. Carbohydrates can give your body immediate energy, but your body can only digest about 40 to 60 grams of carbohydrates each hour. Be careful not to overdo it before a competition or you'll be looking for a bathroom!
Q: What's the proper way to do a push up?
A: The basic push up is a great exercise; all you need in order to work your chest, shoulders, core, and triceps is you! In order to complete a full push up find a stable surface. Lie chest down with your chin to the floor and in line with your spine, have the palms of your hands flat on floor at shoulder level slightly more than shoulder width apart. Keep your back straight as you push yourself off the floor with straight arms (don't lock out at the joints), bend your arms and lower yourself back to the floor while your body remains flat. Let your chest come an inch above the floor or touch the floor, pause for a second and repeat.
To modify a push up and make it easier, you can drop to your knees and perform the exercise. To make it more difficult, you can increase the time of a repetition by increasing the length of the pause at the positive and negative phase of the exercise and moving more slowly throughout the entire movement.
Q: I know breakfast is important, but I'm never hungry in the morning, what should I do?
A: They don't call breakfast the most important meal of the day for nothing. You are literally breaking the fast your body encountered while you were sleeping. Eating breakfast kickstarts your metabolism and can help control your appetite throughout the day. If you wait too long to have your first meal, your blood sugar levels will drop, causing you to crave higher-calorie and higher-sugar foods, and causing you to overeat when you finally do have a meal.
The truth is, our bodies like to do the same thing all the time; if you never eat breakfast in the morning your body will become accustomed to it. The best thing to do is to train your body to eat in the morning and eat small frequent meals throughout the day. This isn't always so easy. Try eating something small like a piece of fruit or yogurt. If you absolutely can't look at food in the morning, try to drink a glass of milk or juice. The calories in beverages will have the same effect on your metabolism as food.
