Food, Fiber, and Fitness

March 20, 2019

Health Apps to the Rescue!

Hello Food, Fiber, and Fitness friends! Today’s blog will be loaded with information about health apps on smart phones and how they can be beneficial in starting and maintaining a healthy lifestyle! The three apps that I will be listing below are all located in the iOS platform. If your smart phone is not iOS, the same version of the apps are usually available on different platforms. And if it is not available in the same form, there are apps with very similar content available for download.

Strava-– Run and Cycling Tracking on the Social Media Network! This app allows athletes to keep track of mileage, pace, and location of each and every workout. I use this app every time I work out and I love it! It is very convenient (especially when taking into account the busy life of a college student!) Strava is a great way to stay motivated and log every workout for you and for your friends to see (this setting is optional) but it’s a fun way to keep yourself and your friends accountable for exercising in a fun and competitive way! This app is free for iOS download and all you need is to create an account through the app and an optional GPS watch that connects to your phone to automatically download your workout statistics as soon as you are finished. This app is currently rated 4.7 out of 5 stars with 39,000 ratings overall. When searching for this app in the App Store, look for the logo below!

Yes!Go– Yes!GO Fitness Music. This app is your go-to for all your workout playlist needs. This app has tons of aerobic music downloads that are upbeat to help you get the best workout experience! I personally use the Yes!Go app when I am working out to help keep me motivated. There tons of albums available for purchase or you can use the free listenings. This app is compatible with the iOS platform or just a regular laptop. All you need to do to is download the app and create an account. From there you can browse through different albums and choose what genre and tempo of music you prefer for purchase. I highly recommend this app if you are looking for ways to spice up your normal workout routine! This app is currently rated 3 out of 5 stars with 20 ratings overall. When downloading this app from the App Store, look for the logo listed below.

Here is a screenshot of what the app allows you do to. You can personalize the volume and tempo of the music to best fit your workout needs!

Apple iOS Reminders App— this is a native app that is already installed in every iOS device! The purpose of the Reminders app is to set alarms or notifications for tasks to complete or to set reminders for yourself throughout the day. You can set the notification as once or repeated, depending on what you prefer. This app is a great way to stay organized when balancing a busy college schedule and staying on top of eating well and exercising. I use this app every day to set reminders for myself about school assignments and when to work out. If you are looking to tips on how to stay more organized, I highly recommend this app! Since this is a native app, I could not find specifics ratings for the app, although the age rating for this app is 4+. The Reminders logo is added below for reference.

March 2, 2019

It’s time to debunk some myths about healthy eating & exercise!

Hello again! Today we will be talking about some common myths revolving around healthy lifestyle habits. First of all, there are many misconceptions about what it means to eat “healthy” or to how to exercise in a safe manner. By the end of this blog, my hope is that I have cleared up some of these myths to help individuals follow their healthy lifestyle in a manner that best fits their needs.

Myth #1: Un-cooked carrots have more nutritional value than cooked carrots… FALSE! According to Reader’s Digests article about myths of healthy foods, they state that by cooking the carrots, it actually increases the access of beta-carotene in the carrot.

Myth #2: Exercise converts fat into muscle. FALSE! Fat cells cannot be converted to muscle cells, but by increasing physical activity this causes you to increase muscle mass and burn off calories resulting in fat loss. An article from Seconds Count-Educated Patients Lead to Better Care, lists several common myths related to exercise. For more information, click on the link!

Myth #3: The best way to lose weight is by restricting calories. FALSE! This type of dieting does not work for everyone. Many individuals have found that restricting foods often decreases interest in dieting and has a high non-compliance rate. Eating foods in moderation allows you to still enjoy the certain foods you like, but focusing on moderation instead of restrictions. This often will allow people to be happy and consistent with their portions of each food item. The article by Seconds Count listed in the paragraph above, includes more information on this topic as well.

Myth #4: Carbohydrates are bad and should be avoided at all costs… FALSE! In fact, carbs are a great source of energy. It is true that often, we get un-healthy carbohydrates from things like sugar or grains. Therefore, we should be focusing on getting our carbohydrates from things like fruit, beans, and vegetables. For more information on this topic visit Food Networks’s article about Healthy eating myths.

Myth #5: Frozen vegetables and fruits are not as healthy as fresh produce. FALSE. According to Joy Brauer, the nutritional expert for NBC’s Today Show, states that produce is flash-frozen once picked to preserve many of the nutrients. Her recommendation is to take advantage of fresh produce when possible, but if you’re a busy college student like myself, having quick access to frozen produce is a great substitute when you have tight schedule. To justify credibility for this article, I reviewed the authors and determined it was a credible source coming from a nutrition expert in the field.

Myth #6: Spot-Training will help you lose fat in certain body parts. FALSE! Spot-training does not work because fat cells exist throughout our entire body, and when we workout, many different parts of the body may be working in different ways to produce movement. The only way to lose fat in a specific place, is to lose overall body fat mass. For more info on this myth, check out this article published by Self Magazine.

Myth #7: Exercising 3 times a week for 15 minutes a day is sufficient to maintain good health. FALSE! As I have discussed in previous blog posts, the Physical Activity Guidelines of 2018 state that individuals should be getting at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week, or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise per week to maintain overall health. And to increase physical fitness, individuals need to exceed the 150 minute guideline. These guidelines and the website which includes more information, are credible and trustworthy sources of information to consider when you are looking to create a healthy lifestyle for yourself.

Myth #8: People who have diabetes are not allowed to eat sugar. FALSE! According to NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, A healthy diet for diabetics is a mixture of fruits & vegetables, sugar and grains in moderation, carbohydrates, and proteins. To check out more information relating to healthy eating and diabetes check out NHS on Twitter (@NHSGGC) or check out the Food, Fiber, and Fitness Twitter profile (@andFiber) where the specific article is retweeted.

In conclusion, I hope this blog post has cleared up some of the common misconceptions towards exercise and healthy eating. I have provided the links to all of the credible the sources in order for you all to go in depth about certain topics that may interest you. Happy eating and exercising!

February 27, 2019

Here’s a fun little video to get you thinking about simple & healthy lifestyle tips–Enjoy!

Check out this link to watch the video! It includes a few quick tips regarding healthy eating and exercise.

February 19, 2019

Food, Fiber, and… Twitter?

Hello again! Today we will be discussing the implications of social media and its effectiveness when promoting campaigns such as Food, Fiber, and Fitness!

Social media is a huge platform, where anything can be promoted. The positive aspects of this are that everyone’s voice is heard and the information posted on social media is diverse and can relate to many different populations. However, the negative aspects of social media involve issues with copyright, fair use, and how data is collected simply by posting something online.

The goal of “Food, Fiber, and Fitness” is to help college students create healthy diet and exercise habits to help combat the obesity epidemic that the United States is currently facing. This blog was created to give helpful tips on how to stay healthy when in a time-crunch or juggling a busy class schedule.

First of all, let’s talk about what happens when you post something online. Once an article is posted, it is basically “as permanent as a tattoo”. This means that these “electronic tattoos” provide data to researchers and are sometimes used to create advertisements related to the user. Especially when pictures are posted– names and locations can be collected and used by others. This is why it is so important to screen what you post online. This information is important when using information from Food, Fiber, and Fitness OR any other online platform. Getting permission and and avoiding copyright is vital when posting things online.

Copyright is another topic of issue when it comes to posting information online (that may or may not be your own). To avoid copyright issues, you must create unique posts that are strictly your own creation. If something is copyrighted/used without permission of the owner or creator, then often times social media platforms can detect this through a screening process and take down the information all together. So moral of the story, do not pass off another persons creation as your own.

When scrolling though websites, have you ever noticed ads appear that relate to your recent web searches and think… is someone spying on me? Well no… no one is spying on you, but your internet searches are used to collect data and display ads of interest to you. For me, when I’m researching healthy diet and exercise tips for this blog, I often have ads appear relating to fruits, vegetables, and exercise. This data collection tracks your search history overtime so… the more you research healthy habits like myself, the more health related information you’ll see. Happy searching!

Check out my previous posts on this blog for info on the need for a healthy diet and exercise, and tips for resource credibility. https://foodfiberand.fitness.blog/2019/01/24/a-college-students-guide-to-balancing-a-healthy-diet-exercise-routine/ .

For more tips on healthy eating on a social media platform, follow the Food, Fiber, and Fitness page on Twitter (@andFiber) and Vimeo. And remember– internet safety is just as important as following healthy lifestyle habits!

February 7, 2019

Healthy Eating For All! Your Go-To For Resource Credibility:

Are you ready for a healthy lifestyle but you’re stuck on where to get reliable information? Well look no longer! Today I am going to be giving you some tips on how to find credible sources of information about healthy dieting and exercise!

First off, you can find just about anything on the internet, but it can be increasingly difficult to find information that is reliable. When researching topics related to health and fitness, it is important to note that not all the sources you find may be credible. Some sources need to be met with caution because dieting and exercise can actually be detrimental to health if not done in a safe manner. Dieting and exercise is all about balance (especially with busy college schedules) so it is important to approach a healthy lifestyle with knowledge about how to determine if a source is credible or not. Here are some tips about researching health!

Scientific articles and literature reviews are a great source when you are looking for facts and real studies conducted about health and fitness. For example: Google scholar is a credible resource that contains many studies involving healthy diet and exercise regimens in college students. For example, a study by Lowry (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0749379799001075 ), shows the prevalence of obesity in college students and the importance of implementing programs to increase student awareness.

Another great source… blogs! (obviously). Blogs are great way to get information about any topic of your choice in a personalized and casual approach. There are thousands of blogs created from professionals in the health industry and novices who are just passionate about living a healthy lifestyle. If you’re needing some more inspirational blogs besides this one, you can click here to visit the list of Top 20 Health and Fitness blogs. The key to finding relevant information and determining if it is accurate or inaccurate, is to see if the blog is related to or published by the population of interest (aka college students)!

Social Media: This can be a fantastic way to find information about health and fitness! There are tons of health and exercise influencers who are certified and active on social media. For example, Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest are all social media platforms that are used by passionate health advocates to promote healthy living!

Have you ever heard of ChooseMyPlate.gov ? The United States Department of Agriculture created this organization that promotes healthy-eating lifestyles. This source is incredibly reliable and it is implemented all around the U.S.

Determining credibility: With so many resources available online, it is wise to consider the credibility of the sources you find online. A good way to determine if a resource is reliable is by checking the author(s). This will give you an idea of the context this research is coming from and if it can be trusted. Also, scientific studies and research journals are very credible because they provide specific data and research related to the topic of your choice.

Thank you, and I hope you all find these tips to be helpful!

January 24, 2019

A College Student’s Guide to Balancing a Healthy Diet & Exercise Routine

What is Food, Fiber, and Fitness?: Hi all! This blog is your go-to guide for healthy eating and exercise habits geared towards busy college students like YOU!

Problem: These days, it can be extremely difficult to manage classes AND stay on top of your own health. Studies show that college obesity rates are increasing which can be attributed to abnormal eating behaviors and physical activity rates. This is a common occurrence especially when students are rushing off to class, not eating a full lunch, or studying instead of the taking time to go work out.

The goal: Research shows that most college students are not meeting the recommended physical activity guidelines. The 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines state that adults should aim to get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise a week along with muscle strengthening activities.

Tips:

-Opt out on driving– Walk or bike instead! this is an easy way to incorporate exercise as you are commuting to and from class.

-Pack a lunch– This will make you less likely to buy unhealthy options that are commonly found on campuses.

-Take advantage of on campus gyms/recreational centers before or after class to de-stress. Exercise is proven to decrease stress levels and improve your mood!

-Use a schedule or day-planner– Calendars are a great way to keep yourself organized and accountable for completing homework assignments, eating right, AND going to the gym!