Archive for March, 2008

The Runaround

March 26, 2008 at 9:05 pm · Filed under Fitness ·Tagged , , ,

The weather is warm, which means I am eschewing the confines of Ladies’ Fitness & Wellness in favor of long runs outside. For all you runners, I recommend MapMyRun, a Web site that lets users search its database of runs in their region or map their own run and see the distance, topography and a satellite view of their route.

I frequently use MapMyRun to create different runs. If you get bored easily with your runs and want to keep track of your mileage (accuracy to the hundredth of a mile), then MapMyRun is a great resource. Here is a 4.56 mile loop I created, which begins and ends at Mill Creek Condominiums.

4.5ish mile run around Mill Creek
Find more Runs in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Also, UNC Campus Recreation provides students with a few runs on and around campus.

The only thing missing? Some beats to keep you going when the first cramp hits. One of my guilty pleasures is current pop tunes, so here are some of the songs that I love to run to:

1. Shut up and Drive – Rihanna
2. Scream – Timbaland
3. Take You There – Sean Kingston
4. Let it Go – Keyshia Cole
5. Come to Me – Diddy
6. Kiss Kiss – Chris Brown and T-Pain

And some classics:
1. Baba O’Riley – The Who
2. Anyway You Want It – Journey
3. Even the Losers – Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
4. Start Me Up – The Rolling Stones

Basically, as long as there is a quick beat or catchy lyrics, I can run to it. If you have iTunes, you can search for podcasts that automatically download techno workout music at least once a week.

Please post any running routes or songs here, I would love to hear about it.

Leave a Comment

Carolina Dining Services’ “Nutritional” Information

March 20, 2008 at 9:55 am · Filed under Nutrition, food ·Tagged , , ,

Today I was meeting my friend for lunch at Lenoir Mainstreet, which is what Carolina Dining Services named the group of fast food places on the first floor of Lenoir. Because of my lunch date and boredom, I went to the CDS Web site, to see my lunch options for the day.

To my surprise, the Web site had been updated to include a sustainability pledge and nutritional information for the food served at Lenoir and Ram’s Head Dining Hall. Immediately, I navigated to the nutritional information page for the Top of Lenoir’s cafeteria food.

Confession: I like to look up the nutritional information for almost everything. Not in an obsessive, calorie-counting sort of way, but with all the hype about super-sized restaurant portions and trans fat, I like to see what and how much restaurants and fast food establishments are serving us.

Given the different meal options, Lenoir surprised me with some of the nutritional goodness the information revealed. Some of the top healthy choices at Lenoir:dscn3016.jpg

From the bistro section:
1. Vegetable blend
2. Sweet potatoes, roasted
3. Bok choy and baby corn
4. Asparagus, grilled

From the grill section:
1. Blackened chicken breast

From the pizza section:
1. Vegetable pizza
2. Mediterranean pizza

Lenoir offers other options too, such as vegetarian, soup, a salad bar and a world fares section that samples foods from across the globe. With the nutritional information available for students, it is easier to decide how to make a Lenoir meal healthy, and the transparency encourages Lenoir to continue serving healthy options. There also are kiosks in the dining hall for students to access nutritional information on the spot, which can encourage healthy choices to prevent the Freshman 15 (oh, it’s real).

There are some problems with the information on Lenoir’s nutrition information site. First, there is not nutritional information for every item on the menu. Also, the serving sizes are not realistic. When you are in line at the bistro, waiting to spoon some beef burgundy with noodles onto your plate (if that actually sounds appealing to you, get over to Lenoir on Wednesday, the day it is served) , it is hard to eyeball a serving size of six ounces. Also, the nutritional information for every food item lacks a list of ingredients. I want to know what is in my food, which is just as important as how many calories or grams of protein or fat are in it.

And, for the best part, the foods that made my eyes bug out in disbelief. To put the nutrition facts in perspective, most of the nutritional information on food packages is based on a 2,000 calorie per day diet. Individual calorie needs vary based on sex, height, weight and level of physical activity. You can calculate how many calories you need a day by using this calorie calculator.

1. BBQ bacon cheese burger combo – 1024 calories per combo, 52 grams of fat
2. Buffalo chicken wrap – 1157 calories per wrap, 68 grams of fat
3. Chicken Caesar wrap – 888 calories per wrap, 36 grams of fat

And for those of you who are trying to eat all your daily calories in one sitting, there is the seasoned wings bar, where one plate has 2399 calories and 159 grams of fat. I wonder how many wings are considered a serving? Checking the nutritional information can help you to make the right choices for your diet, whatever it might be. Plus, in a nation obsessed with both obesity and the “perfect” body, we should ask all food establishments to post both their nutritional information and list of ingredients, so we can decide for ourselves if we want to indulge or not.

Happy dining!

dscn3019.jpg

Leave a Comment

In Honor of Spring Break

March 6, 2008 at 12:19 am · Filed under Fitness, Nutrition, mental health ·Tagged , , , , ,

Because UNC’s spring break is a mere two days away, this post will be dedicated to alcohol – the good, the bad and the drunkenness that stems from it.

The good
Is beer the new Gatorade? One research study published in November said that a group of 25 college students exercised in 104-degree temperatures, split into two groups, and one of the groups drank water while the other drank beer. The health risks of exercising in 104-degree temperature (heat stroke, dehydration, etc.) aside, the researchers found that the hydration effect of beer was slightly better than the hydration effect of water. Not that you all should fill your Nalgene up with Miller High Life before going to the SRC, but maybe beer does not dehydrate people as much as believed.

The health benefits of wine have been hyped in the news – specifically the health benefits of red wine. But, as the saying goes, “A little goes a long way.” The recommended amount of wine is two glasses for men and one glass for women. And “glass” is not subjective – it is defined as five ounces of wine. By combining moderation and a nice Merlot, you are increasing your good cholesterol, thinning your blood, activating antioxidants to prevent cellular damage and possibly preventing blood clotting. Cheers.

The bad
There’s more to excessive drinking than the hangover, the vomit, the beer belly and the morning after mistakes.

For all you winos:
The same study cheering the benefits of wine also highlighted the downside of imbibing too much:

  • High triglycerides – leads to diabetes
  • Breast cancer risk – for women
  • Migraines
  • Weight gain -it still has calories, even though it’s a liquid

Also, study results revealed in a Reuters article says that even moderate amounts of drinking can lead to high blood pressure. And high blood pressure can lead to stroke, heart failure, heart attack and kidney failure. The results of this study go against all studies promoting the benefits of moderate drinking.

The drunk
Earlier this week, the New York Times published an article about binge drinking explaining the cultural and mental reasons that people might resort to binge drinking. Some researchers believe that binge drinking is a combination of personal preferences and cultural expression. There are some cultures that use binge drinking as a way to celebrate or to take a mental vacation. I’m sure the MTV culture fits in this category.

And the effects of binge drinking varied from studying different cultures. Whereas some cultures became more reserved after excessive drinking, others were more likely to sing or dance around.

It’s interesting to think that alcohol can affect people’s behaviors so radically, which is why researchers have conducted studies in which two groups of people were given drinks – one group received alcoholic drinks, and the other received nonalcoholic beverages. Regardless, both groups exhibited “drunk” behavior. Not only is that embarrassing for the non-drinking group, but it also creates an interesting conclusion: maybe when we drink, our actions reflect how we think drunk people should act. None of the cultures studied revealed cases of aggression or sexual assault. Just happy drunks.

Hope you all have a fun and safe spring break! If you are planning on drinking, be aware of your surroundings and drink lots of water beforehand. And stop drinking those vodka tonics as soon as they start tasting like water.

Leave a Comment