Tag Archives: frosh fit

Guest Post: Get going! Physical activity ambassador finds ways to really move on campus

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Photo provided by the Facutly of Physical and Health Education

Soccer photo provided by the Faculty of Physical Education and Health

Hello lifeatuoft readers! I’m Kate, and I’m excited to be writing a post for lifeatuoft as a special guest blogger. As a Masters of Public Health student here at the University of Toronto and a part-time physical activity ambassador, it’s safe to say that a large portion of my day is filled with “health” talk.

Now, I love learning and talking about the importance and benefits of being physically active, but it’s easy to let life get in the way of actually being physically active. This year I’ve decided that I need to make more of an effort to practice what I preach, or, make that, study… Plus, I need to take advantage of the fact that I’m lucky enough to get the inside scoop on the options we’ve got at U of T.

September’s here in full swing and the wave of back-to-school craziness never ceases to amaze me. It’s such an exciting and overwhelming time. And I have experienced my fair share of back to school madness! I had a humbling moment last week, when I realized that this is the sixth September in a row that, as summer came to a close, my mind shifted from bikinis and BBQs to textbooks, new pens, and starting back at university!

It’s easy to be overwhelmed; we’re inundated with information about clubs to join, volunteer positions to take on, back-to-school parties and basically ways to get connected on campus, but in the end you need to find a way to wade through it all and find a few things that really appeal to you.

For me, back-to-school is the “new New Year’s” in terms of resolution-making. Every September, without fail, I print off the fitness classes, obnoxiously highlight classes which fit into my schedule and tell myself and anyone else who will listen, that I am going to go to the gym ALL THE TIME.

The truth is I go less than I would like to, but I feel like this is the experience of many women on campus (guys too I am sure, but let’s just say I have first-hand experience as a woman struggling to fit physical activity in with everything else).

Thanks to my role as physical activity ambassador, I’ve been able to sneak a peek at a bunch of opportunities on campus to help students get healthy and have some fun and find something that really suits them.

Some of the options that have got me excited? In no particular order, they involve food and fitness (the ying to yang let’s say). Okay, specifically I am super excited about the Farmer’s Market that is happening every Thursday from 2:00-5:00p.m. in the Wilcox Common (organic cheese please!) and the free, drop-in Frosh Fit classes at the Athletic Centre (take it from me, they are NOT only for frosh).

Finally, there’s this event called “She’s Got Game” that sounds pretty cool to me. It’s a women-only event (sorry guys…) to be held on September 16th from 3:30-6:00p.m. at Varsity Centre. It’s a chance to casually trying new things like Zumba, soccer, yoga and flag football. There will be plenty of info on intramural opportunities as well. Plus, did I mention the FREE food and great prizes?

If you are like me, the real battle is actually getting out there and trying something new for the first time. Once I actually try something, I realize that it is totally doable and usually really enjoyable. This Friday is a perfect chance to do just that. I hope you all get out there and find something on campus that excites you, because trust me, there is no time like the present to get involved in something that is fun and helps you feel great!

I like to move it, move it!

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Thanks to you readers, I let loose and "moved it"!

Thanks to you readers, I let loose and "moved it!"

I like to move it, move it. I like to move it, move it. I like to move it, move it. Ya like to move it!

For a quick distraction from exam studying, check out will.iam’s music video “I like to move it” from Madagascar II. For me, this song represents how I managed to get fitter this year and had fun while doing it!

Yes, this year, I moved my body in ways I didn’t think were possible. I shimmied and shook my hips in a spicy Latin salsa sequence at Zumba. I picked up complete strangers (who quickly became friends) and threw them in what felt like a back breaking catapult at Tae Kwon Do. I laced up my grandma’s old skates and tried out some of Toronto’s public skating rinks. I got some fitness and nutrition tips at Frosh Fit, and even dragged the UpbeaT bloggers back for a crash course on working out. It was fun, right guys? Hey Cynthia and Lori, have your legs recovered yet???

And it was all thanks to you readers. In September, before I started blogging for UpbeaT, I struggled to get into a healthy routine. I told myself the same excuses: too busy, don’t know how, have no one to go with, too tired, don’t have the “right gear.” But, then I made a resolution to try as many physical activities as possible on campus. At the time, I thought this commitment would turn out to be another dreamy ambition too lofty to reach. Like the year I tried to teach myself to play the guitar and turned into just another one hit wonder strumming a botched version of Pearl Jam’s “Last Kiss” over and over.

Somehow, this commitment worked. Knowing that my devoted UpbeaT readers believed in me gave me that extra push to really put myself out outside my comfort zone and flail about awkwardly in activities like cross-country skiing and ashtanga yoga. Yes, readers, you were my cyber trainers who made me accountable for following through with my plan to get fit this year.

Here’s a few tips I learned along the way that helped me get fitter:

Schedule physical activity: You need to make physical activity a priority and schedule it into your life like you would an academic class. Write down a specific date, time, and location of activity and block it into your routine. Ex. Mondays: Women-only weight training at the Strength and Conditioning centre from 12-1 pm.

Find a work-out buddy: Meeting up with a friend makes it harder to back out on your work-outs. My friend, Ali and I did the Hart House Circuit every Tuesday morning at 7:30 am. I’m not a morning person, but just couldn’t let her down by not showing up!

Body power= brain power: No matter how stressed I got this year with the amount of reading or studying I had, I always felt better and worked more efficiently after a good workout.

Have fun! It is much easier to stick to activities that you enjoy. I have a hard time motivating myself to get to the gym if I know I’m just going to run on the treadmill or sit on an exercise bike. But, I actually look forward to things like going for a swim, or playing squash with a friend.

So readers, I’d like to thank you for motivating me and helping me to stick to my commitment to get healthy this year. I only hope that next year, when I’m no longer a student, I keep up with these healthy habits. But at least for now, I’ll bop along with the Madagascar characters that I’m:

“Physically fit, physically fit,
Physically, physically, physically fit
Woman! Physically fit, physically fit,
Physically, physically, physically fit.”

Thanks, readers! Please promise that you’ll motivate next year’s UpbeaT team to stay fit and healthy like you did for me!

-Shannon

Party with brain food

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Last week, in my St. Patrick’s Day green, I celebrated food. Usually, my food parties involve ice cream, sour ju jubes, and pizza. Readers, I’ll admit, I have the worst sweet tooth, especially during exams when my mouth is like a magnet for sugar and deep fried anything. Uh readers, have you tried deep fried cupcakes…? Never again! Too delicious and bad for my body!

Well, on Thursday, March 17th, my sweet tooth and I munched on carrots, yogurt and granola, and chatted with nutritionists at the nutrition fair at the Bahen Centre. Sweet potato soup? Vegetables? Cereal?! This was not the food party I was used to.

But I realized that there’s a lot about healthy eating that I didn’t know. Do you know how many servings of fruit and vegetables we should be having every day? At the nutrition fair, I guessed five, which is much more than I eat. I was wrong. Females 18-50, like me, should be eating 7-8 servings of fruits and vegetables every day! Males 18-50 need 8-10 servings!

A survey by the University of Toronto Health and Wellness Services revealed that 44% of U of T students reported only eating 1 to 2 servings of fruits and vegetables each day. Yikes! So, make sure to check out Canada’s Food Guide for more information on how to get the food servings you need from each of the four food groups: vegetables and fruit, grain products, milk and alternatives, and meat and alternatives.

With my sweet tooth and small budget, I find it hard to make healthy food choices as a student. Shirin Panahi, a PhD student in the Department of Nutritional Sciences, who leads the Frosh Fit nutrition sessions, told me that, “Staying up late to study (especially during exam time), stress, the availability of healthy options on campus, and eating full and complete meals are just some of the challenges university students face when it comes to making healthy food choices.” For me, it always seems so much easier to grab a muffin or a piece of pizza when I’m super busy than taking the time to go grocery shopping, cut up vegetables and pack my lunch.

But, Shirin stresses, “Eating a high-quality nutrient-dense diet is one of the most important steps to better physical, mental and emotional health.  This will help with performance in school and increase energy levels.” So, if I want to do the best that I can as a student, I really need to start making changes to my diet. Exams are just around the corner!

Shirin suggests that students on a budget buy affordable nutrient-dense foods such as high fibre cereals, milk, eggs, fruits and vegetables such as, oatmeal, whole wheat pasta, raw nuts and beans. Yes, this does mean spending more time grocery shopping and preparing food. But, if we want to do our best in school, it’s important to make the effort to eat healthy food. Things like cooking food (like a pot of chili or stew) in advance and freezing it in individual servings, and always having snacks like apples, cheese and crackers, or carrots and hummus with us, can actually save us time and money!

At the nutrition fair, I picked up a great map produced by the University of Toronto Food Services that shows where students can buy affordable, delicious and nutritious foods on campus. Looking for vegan foods, halal options, microwaves? Find out where you get can them here.

Also, readers, if you’re looking for healthy meal ideas, EatRight Ontario’s website has great recipes, personalized menu plans, shopping lists, cooking tips, and nutritional information. You can also chat with a registered dietician online or by calling 1-877-510-510-2.

For recipes, news, events, and all food-related topics at U of T, check out the UeaT blog. Also, if you’re here in the spring/summer, make sure to stop by the U of T’s Farmer’s Market, which will be held at Willcocks Commons.

So, readers, after the nutrition fair I was a bit overwhelmed with how much effort I’m going to need to put into eating healthier. This time being overwhelmed=party time! Food party, that is. This weekend, I’ve invited a few friends over to take a road trip to the grocery store followed by cooking up some new healthy recipes! Readers, do you have any good recipes to suggest?

-Shannon

Gettin’ Frosh Fitter

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Here's an idea of what a Frosh Fit class looks like!

Here's an idea of what a Frosh Fit class looks like!

Thirty seconds of lunges. High-five Dara. Thirty seconds of bent-over band rows. High-five Dara. Repeat. Repeat. Jog to next station. Thirty seconds of mountain climbers. High-five Dara. Thirty seconds in plank position. High-five Dara. Repeat. Repeat. Jog to next station. Continue bootcamp-esque work-out for four more stations.

I survived Frosh Fit with the UpbeaT bloggers. Actually, we all survived. Dara, great teamwork! You really pushed it, which motivated me not to slack off. Lori, Cynthia, and Danielle, I was impressed with your positive attitude, especially since you hadn’t been to the Athletic Centre before. From reading all of your posts, I learned that your bodies were in quite a bit of pain on the weekend. I felt like that the first time I went to Frosh Fit, too. And Cynthia, I was sweating and working hard (although I appreciate that you described me as graceful).

Frosh Fit is a free drop-in work-out class for all students and members, which is structured as a circuit training program that combines resistance training, cardio intervals, and core strength exercises. It’s a forty-five minute workout offered three times a week: Mondays at 6:10 pm, Wednesdays at 4:10 pm, and Fridays at 2:10 pm. Participants even get a few educational visits from a nutritionist and a personal trainer.

For me, this recent Frosh Fit experience was quite different from my first session in September.  Back then, I was incredibly unfit from a summer of traveling through Europe. So, I struggled through the session:

Five pathetic attempts at push-ups (meant to be thirty seconds). Thirty seconds of sit-ups (where I barely lifted my shoulders off the floor). High-five’d partner (who was doing everything he could to motivate me). Repeat. Water break. Limped to next station. Water break.

While the program’s designed so that all fitness levels, from beginners to die-hards, can go at their own pace, I pushed myself way harder than my body wanted me to. In the end, I got a great work-out, learned some new exercises and was motivated to get into a regular work-out routine. But, my body was in soooo much pain the next day. Sore quads, abs, chest, back, hamstrings…actually, every muscle in my body ached.

After that first Frosh Fit session, when I tried to get into a regular routine, I found every excuse possible to avoid the gym. But, I persevered, and overtime, I started exercising more regularly. For me, the trick was finding a workout buddy to go with. Unfortunately, my class schedule prevented me from being able to squeeze Frosh Fit into my schedule on a regular basis. Too bad, because it would have been a lot easier for me to go to these classes three times a week, then plan the work-outs on my own. But, my work-out buddy and I have been doing yoga classes, and the Hart House circuit twice a week, and managed to find a routine that works for us.

Unlike the first Frosh Fit experience, from which I’d limped away as though I’d just been on the losing end of a boxing match, this time, I surprisingly didn’t feel that sore. I felt like I challenged myself physically, but recovered quickly from the work-out after we did some stretches.

Yes! Finally!! I thought. I’m getting fitter!

Then I thought, wait a minute…what does “being fit” actually mean? How do I know if I’m actually there?

Rosie Posca, strength and conditioning manager at the Athletic Center, tells me that you’ll know you’re getting fitter when you’re “climbing up stairs and it finally feels effortless.” I have noticed that hiking up stairs with my heavy backpack has gotten easier (but not exactly effortless). So, I’m getting there. And readers, if I can do it, so can you!

The challenge now, for me, is to keep up with the routine, so I’ll continue to improve my fitness and will have more energy to participate in the activities I enjoy, like playing sports with friends, or going on hikes in the summer.

It was also really fun to exercise with the UpbeaT bloggers. Being with friends definitely made the whole experience seem less like work, and more social. Hey, Cynthia, Lori, Dara and Danielle, what are your thoughts on having active meetings?

UpbeaT does Frosh Fit!

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On March 11th, the five bloggers of UpbeaT went to Frosh Fit together. This week, each blogger will be posting about their experience. Today is Cynthia‘s.

Last Friday, the five of us gals checked into the Athletic Centre for a session of Frosh Fit. If you’re looking for a way to be whipped into shape, look no further. My muscles hurt even on Sunday. I don’t plan on going again this academic semester, but I think it’s something I’d consider for the summer. Hear me out -

I abhor sweating on general principle. I mean, I understand the necessity of it, from a biological regulation standpoint, and understand that I will sweat, but I hate the cloying summer of humid countries because if I wanted to soak myself in water, I’d take a shower.

So I’m not a fan of exercising. I know, I know, I’m a blogger for U of T; I really shouldn’t be saying this. But it’s true. Like sweating, I understand the necessity of it, from a biological health standpoint, but really hate doing it.

I like sports fine, because I’m competitive by nature, but going to the gym and “working out” is not my cup of tea.

You know how when people tell you you need to “eat right and exercise” in order to be healthy? I do either or. I will either watch what I eat (ie., giving up delicious, calorie-laden food), or I exercise (making myself sweat), but I won’t do both. Why you ask? Simple theory of operant conditioning. Really, it’s already messed up. Giving up delicious food (ie., negative reinforcement) and exercising (ie., positive punishment) are both situations that make me not want to do either. I try to not double the effect.

So, I compromise. Being a commuter student, I don’t want to bring extra changes of clothing and shoes, and I don’t want to shower in between classes, so I don’t exercise. I watch what I eat (I’m carb-free 6 days a week, low sugar, low fat, etc. I have a cheat day, because you need to spike your insulin level from time to time, and I go kind of crazy. You should ask the bloggers. Shannon made these amazing cupcakes; I gobbled down two in two minutes.)

During breaks when I’m expected to enjoy food (hello Christmas, hello summer BBQs, hello Summerlicious) I work out like mad. Insane. Insanity. I did Insanity this summer after waking up every morning. It was my tithe to eating like a pig the rest of the day after sweating like one.

Last Friday. We went to Frosh Fit. To my surprise, it was really similar to Insanity in terms of format. Circuit-style, and essentially, with a drill sergeant.

His name is Teiko. Teddy bear Teiko, because of how nice he is. Nah. Grizzly bear Teiko, as I promised to call him. We don’t want our drill sergeant be associated with cuddly, no matter how alliterative.

I’m sure the other bloggers will tell you more about what we actually did. I know what the motions my body went through, but I really don’t remember what they’re called, so if I tried to describe the circuits, I’d say something like, “well, we did this thing with a large blue ball. It involved cradling it with your legs and arms while lying flat on your back, and pushing in.”

We were all paired off, and my exercise buddy was Lori! Shout out to Lori! One thing that I really really appreciated was having a workout buddy who’s just as likely to giggle as I am during a set.

The workout itself was just as painful as I remember Insanity being when I started. My form was still as bad as ever, and my biceps forgot the concept of push-ups. But having Lori next to me really made the entire work out more fun. We were laughing with each other, and not at. (At least, I think. Loooori, were you silently judging my inability to cradle a big blue ball properly?)

Oh yes, my hamstrings (now that I’m reminded where they are; I literally forgot) are coiling in spite, and my biceps are side-eying me for putting them through the burner. Thanks body, I love you too.

But I think a lot body parts would have been in pain if Shannon didn’t take the time to lead us through an extra stretch session afterwards. There was an aerobics class after us, so we didn’t get a chance to do a full cool-down. Shannon’s a champ; she was the epitome of form and grace, and at the end, it didn’t even look like she was winded. Hearts. <3

Dear readers, I’m looking forward to everybody else’s version of Friday’s event. Why don’t you tell me about your opinion of working out? After listening to my self-indulging logorrhea, I think I want to hear what you think.

While you do that, I’m going to curl up in bed with a tub of ice cream. My cheat day came early.

- Cynthia