The Final Product

The goal of this project was to come up with a very concrete plan for myself to stay healthy, active, and well in college. After five weeks of intense new learning experiences, extensive research, and deep reflection, I feel more than prepared to present it to you now.

The Samantha Plan

Nutrition

Nutritionally, it is all about balance and being whole.
On my meal plan, I have about 12 meals per week. The rest are dollars that can be spent at the food stores around campus.

I plan to wake up with one of my special cups of coffee that I posted a recipe for a while back. Mind you, this is not Starbucks. There is no artificial flavors, added sugar, heavy cream, or syrups. This coffee has all natural ingredients with real health benefits. To that, I can also add stevia, an all natural sweetener made from the leaves of the stevia plant, if I find the coffee lacks a sweet taste. Just so I have it on file and readily available, the recipe is posted at the end of this entry.

Following the coffee, it is extremely important to eat breakfast every day. Protein is the most important thing in the morning, and because I have limited meals, I will need to purchase protein bars, peanut butter, fruit, and milk on a weekly basis to keep in a mini-fridge in my dorm room. Usually eating about 400-500 good, whole calories in the morning is what it takes to get me through to lunch time without any problems.

Also, the issue of consuming enough liquid will be ever important in my college life. I need to carry a large water bottle and have packets of Propel, Emergen-C, G-2, or Crystal Light readily available in my room, so that I can avoid urges to drink soda throughout the day.

For lunch and dinner, it is going to be very important that before I eat anything else, I make sure to get in two servings of fruit, two serving of vegetables, and two servings of whole protein. This would be like chicken breast, fish, beef, etc. As long as I meet those requirements first, having a little something like ice cream or a soft pretzel will be completely fine. By getting the "good food" in my system first, I will be much less likely to fill up on junk.

With that being said, part of living holistically is balance, and it will be important not to be too regimented with my eating routine. Going out to dinner or craving french fries every once in a while is totally normal, and I should never deprive myself. One thing that I have learned over the course of this project is deprivation comes back to bite me in the end.

I am not going to put a calorie count on what I should be consuming on a daily basis because that is not how it should work. What I eat every day should be based on how my body is feeling and what it is telling me. If I do a super ton of activity one day, my body will undoubtedly ask for more fuel than on a day where I lounge around and study. I need to be accepting of that and not fight it.

Finally, the issue of alcohol. First of all, alcohol throws everything off balance--it makes me feel sick, badly about my body, and lose control of my thoughts and actions. This is the opposite of living holistically, and therefore should not be involved in my college life at all. Beyond that, I made a promise to someone I care about very deeply that I wouldn't drink at all unless they were present. My consumption of alcohol would be a breach in trust in that relationship and it is not something I am willing to sacrifice. So when someone hands me a beer, I need to just think about those things and hand it right back.

Fitness

I plan to work out 5 times per week in college. I need to look and see if Cincinnati offers group fitness as an option for its students, because if so, I will surely sign up there. If they don't however, there are several Urban Active locations in the city of Cincinnati, and because of my membership in Cleveland, I am eligible to participate in the classes down there. I need to make sure to get in three sessions of cardio and three sessions of weight training per week. This means that on one day, I will do cardio and weight training together.

On days when I don't go to class, I will do yoga and ball work in the room, or in a quiet space where I can be alone. This will involve me going through my yoga DVDs as well as going through the ball and weight training routine that AnnMarie laid out for me. You will find that regimen posted again at the end of this entry.

Mind

I plan to practice 10 to 20 minutes of Mindfulness Meditation per day. I will focus on breathing, clearing my mind, and making sure the signals I emit are positive. This will be very important in making sure that i don't fall into depression or sadness from being far away from home and the people I love. Taking time to myself to remember what id important and elevate my mind and spirit will be key to my success at UC.

Listening to the Signals

Perhaps the most important thing for me to remember will be to listen to the signals from my body. My body talks to me constantly, and when I don't listen and am unaware and out of touch with my inner workings, I fall off the wagon. As long as I listen to what it tells me--from when I am hungry, to when I need a day off, to when I need time to myself, to when I am sad and need to take time to get my mind back on track, I will be happy and successful in college.

Thank you to everyone who has followed me on my journey to health and wellness. I couldn't have asked for a better project. I have learned so much, and I hope you have too.

Love,
Sam



Coffee Done Right
1. Add coconut oil

What it does: coconut oil contains polyphenols that improve insulin sensitivity, thyroid function, decreases belly fat and kill pathogens thusly aiding digestion and the immune system (Research).

How much: add 1-3 tablespoons to your cup of coffee

What type: organic is best

Where from: supermarkets health food sections

Tastes like: the same as a normal cup of coffee though can be slightly greasy

2. Add a cinnamon stick or two

What it does: cinnamon mimics insulin (the discovery was initially made by accident, by Richard Anderson at the US Department of Agriculture's Human Nutrition Research Center in Beltsville, Maryland) thusly decreasing the need for the beta cells of the pancreas to secrete insulin; in fact, Charles Poliquin, a world renowned strength coach, says addingcinnamon to your water is one of the best ways to sensitize your body to insulin. Other possible benefits include, decreased inflammatory markers, increased satiety, lowered tryglyrides, lowered total cholesterol, lowered LDL's (bad cholesterol) and increased HDL's (good cholesterol).

How much: 1-2 sticks

What kind: any, but organic is the best

Where from: health food section of a supermarket and Asian markets

How does it taste: a slight hint of cinnamon

3. Add cocoa

What it does: cocoa contains polyphenols, alkaloids and flavonoids that can increase insulin sensitivity, increase slightly nervous system activity, improve cognitive (brain) function and decrease markers for cardiovascular disease.

Cocoa flavonoids are thought to have a protective effect on cardiovascular health through their ability to alter a number of pathological processes involved in the development of Cardio Vascular Disease. These include:

* Inhibiting the oxidation of LDL-cholesterol ('bad' cholesterol) by free radicals, an important initial step in the formation of atherosclerotic plaque.

* Suppressing the tendency for small blood cells, called platelets, to clump together and form blood clots. This is often described as an 'aspirin-like' effect.

* Regulating inflammatory and immune responses in blood vessel walls, which may be abnormal in CVD.

* Regulating vascular tone, or degree of constriction of small blood vessels, which contributes to high blood pressure.

In producing these beneficial effects, cocoa flavonoids appear to act through a range of mechanisms, some of which are not thought to be linked to antioxidant activity.

* Ariefdjohan MW, Savaiano DA. (2005) Chocolate and cardiovascular health: is it too good to be true? Nutrition Reviews, Dec; 63(12Pt 1):427-30.

** Ding E.L., Hutfless S.M., Ding X., Girotra S. (2006) Chocolate and Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease: A Systematic Review. Nutrition Metabolism (Lond) 3;3:2.

How much: 1-3 tablespoons

What kind: organic with no added sugar or preservatives

Where from: supermarkets, health food stores and the internet

How does it taste: great, coffee with a slight hint of cocoa

4. Add Chicory coffee

What it does: chicory coffee exhibits a mild excitory action, is a chlorogenic herb just like coffee so can help with detoxification, contains inulin, a non digestible fibre that may slow absorption of glucose from the gut, decrease colon carcinogens, increase friendly bacteria and lower LDL's (bad cholesterol).

According to Chicory.co.za:

"LOWERS CHOLESTEROL:

A new study* reports that chicory reduces cholesterol levels and increases the ratio of HDL (the good one) to LDL (the bad one) in the blood of tested animals.

* Journal of Nutrition, vol. 128, pgs. 1731-a6, by Drs. Meehye Kim & hyun Kyong Shin, Korea Food & Drug Administration and the Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Hallym U., Chunchon, Korea.

LOWERS BLOOD SUGAR: Laboratory research undertaken in Europe shows chicory root extracts to be anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory and slightly sedative. It slows the pulse and lowers blood sugar.

THERAPEUTIC FOR DIABETES: A study** done in 1984 demonstrated that daily intake by diabetics of a large amount of the fructo-oligosaccharides and inulin contained in chicory: Reduces the glucose rate in blood.

Decreases serum LDL cholesterol levels.

Does not change the levels of triglycerides or HDL cholesterol.

This lessens the disturbances in carbohydrate and lipid metabolism found in diabetes.

** Effect of fructo oligosaccharides on blood glucose and serum lipids in diabetic subjects, Nutrition Research, 1984, vol. 4, pp. 961-66, , by Yamashita Y, Kawai K and Itakura M.

ASSISTS IN WEIGHT LOSS & STIMULATES THE IMMUNE SYSTEM: Chicory contains two ingredients that can contribute to a weight loss programme. A report in the July 1999 Journal of Nutrition*** reveals that these ingredients (inulin and oligofructose) are not digestible by our bodies, and thus have no calories. Nevertheless, the inulin and oligofructose in chicory are digested by beneficial microbes in the colon and aid "in the treatment of, prevention or alleviation of symptoms of intestinal diseases." These ingredients also participate in the feeding of beneficial bacteria (similar to yoghurt) and allow them to compete with and defeat harmful bacteria, stimulate our immune system and indirectly help promote our own production of B vitamins.

***(supplement) Journal of Nutrition, July 1999, by Dr. Marcel B. Roberfroid and associates, Catholic U. of Lovain, Dept. of Pharmaceutical Science, Brussels, Belgium.."

How much: 2 -3 teaspoons

What kind: organic preferably

Where from: health food sections of supermarkets and health food shops

How does it taste: like cheap coffee by itself and undetectable with coffee

Fitness Plan A La AnnMarie

First, she gave me a list of basic equipment that I should keep in my dorm room for time like these. Hopefully my roommate won't try to kill me for taking up valuable space with my equipment...

1) "Magic Ball"- 65 centimeters worked best for me
2) Tube- medium heavy (basically a giant rubber band rolled up like a rigatoni noodle with handles on both ends)
3) Band- heavy (a basic strip of thin rubber with a high resistance)
4) Weights- 8,10,12, potentially 15 (lighter weights are easier to transport and best for performing exercises on the ball. one thing this project has taught me is weights that are too heavy are unnecessary and they only existed in my life to prove a point.)
5) Yoga DVDs- from www.viniyoga.com- this is the kind of yoga that I practiced with AnnMarie and I responded really well to it. at least three times per week I will try to pop it into my computer and take a half hour to relax and do the workout.

AnnMarie went on to present me with a detailed exercise routine that could be performed right in my dorm room using only the equipment listed above, along with other things, like my bed, or simply the floor.

Chest- to be performed with mid to upper back on the ball
1) Chest Press (weights)
2) Fly (weights)
3) Close grip fly (weights)

Triceps- mid to upper back on the ball
1) Headbanger- 2 arms, 1 arms, 2 arms 1 weight (weights)
2) Overhead (weights)

Triceps- sitting on ball, leaning forward to 45 degrees
1) Kickbacks (weights or band)

Biceps- standing or sitting on ball with back straight
1) Straight Curls (weights or band)
2) Hammer Curls (weights or band)
3) Rotation Curls- start in hammer end in straight, start in straight end in hammer (weights or band)
4) 7's- straight curls- start down end halfway for 7, start halfway end up for 7, full straight curls for 7

Shoulders- standing or sitting on ball with back straight
1) Lateral Raise- start in "sphinx", end with arms flat in line with shoulders at a 90 degree angle to body (weights)
2) Military Press- start in "field goal post" position, end with arms fully extended above head (weights)
3) Reverse Fly (weights or band)
4) Goal Raise- start with arms flat in line with shoulders at a 90 degree angle to body, end in "field goal post" position (weights)
5) Rear Delt- lying on side, weight starts on floor with arm at full extension, end with weight directly above head with arm at full extension (very light weights- 3 pounds)
6) Modified Rear Delt- lying on side, arm bent, elbow rests on hip, weight at floor, end elbow on hip, arm bent, weight directly over hip (light weights- 5 pounds)

Legs- standing
1) Plie Squat- legs beyond shoulder width apart, toes angled outward, push through heels making sure that knees do not cross over toes when bending
2) Straight Squat- legs shoulder width apart or a bit less, push through heels, knees don't extend over toes
**With my particular body, because I am both tall and extremely flexible, I feel squat more when I don't go down as far. It is more effective for me to pulse in a medium squat than it is for me to repeat deep squats.

Legs- back on floor, lower calves and heels on ball
1) Pevlic Lifts (key move in pilates)- breathe in on the lift, breathe out on the release- raise and lower slowly, hold the lift

Legs- Side Leg- lying on side, body straight and long like a pencil
1) Top Leg Lift- raise and lower slowly, hold the lift
2) Meet- raise top leg, hold, raise bottom leg to meet top leg, hold, lower bottom leg, hold, lower top leg
3) Double- both legs at same time

Legs/Glutes- draped over ball
1) Super Girl- lift right leg and left hand/squeeze glutes, lift left leg and right hand/squeeze glutes, lift both legs, squeeze glutes

Legs/Glutes- kneeling, tube wrapped around bedpost, with other handle on ball of foot
1) Push Back- extend attached leg directly backwards, make sure the resistance is heavy enough
2) Lift- lift extended leg to hip level and squeeze

Push Ups- drape over ball, and roll forward until in plank. roll as far forward as is manageable.

Abs- mid to lower back on ball
*Must go slowly
1) Basic Crunch
2) Twist- lift center, side, center, back
3) Dive- basic crunch with arms fully extended above head in "dive position"

Abs- back on floor, legs bent
*Must go slowly, can be modified by holding a weight in your hands, or by using straight legs versus bent
1) Jack Hammer- crunch, lift legs to meet head (or a s close as you can get), lower legs, lower head