UVU Online Curriculum

Becky — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 04:33:20 +0000

Welcome to the UVU Online Supplementary Curriculum!

In an effort to give you the best educational experience possible, I’ve collected a variety of articles, videos, and interactive tools to supplement your text, FITNESS, through Aerobics, Step Training, Walking / 4^th Edition by Karen S. Mazzeo. I hope you’ll find these posts helpful as we learn about health and wellness together this semester. See your syllabus for a breakdown of your reading schedule.

I encourage you to make comments, especially if you are interested in earning extra credit. You can earn one extra credit point for each post you comment on. Please remember the following guidelines as you make your comments:

A qualifying comment must be 1-2 paragraphs in length
A quality comment should include any or all of the following: a question about the post, any additional insight you have about the topic, a comment about why the information is helpful, a statement of how you have seen the information applied in your own life, a reference/link to another online location where you have found other helpful information about the topic, a response to another person’s comment.
You may make as many comments per post as you wish, but keep in mind that you will only receive one point per post.

The idea behind a blog is to start a conversation and create a community. Please feel free to respond to others’ comments in a respectful manner. Also feel free to comment on other posts and browse the entire site. It is full of information regarding health and wellness that may be interesting to you!

Real Perspective from a Real Mom

Becky — Tue, 18 May 2010 21:52:12 +0000

Hey all you Aerobic-moms!

It’s been awhile since I’ve blogged, and this was just the thing to inspire me to get back to my keyboard.

This video clip was sent to me from my sister and it came at the perfect time. Maybe you feel overwhelmed by the constant wear of caring for little ones who need you so intensely or the daily grind of washing, wiping, and scrubbing that seems to go unnoticed. Maybe you struggle with the underlying anxiety of being unhappy with your body or physical appearance. Maybe we all sometimes forget that motherhood truly is a privilege, and it doesn’t have anything to do with how clean our house is, how beautiful our body is, or how much recognition we get. May we all recognize the gifts that are so abundantly ours.

Get up, Get out, Get active!

Becky — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 21:08:49 +0000

Well, I don’t know about where you live, but here in the Rocky Mountains, spring has finally sprung! The past 2 weeks have flown past in a blur of bike rides, stroller walks, and trips to the park. Spring is finally here! And in between those pesky rain showers there are ample opportunities to get out and enjoy the sunshine. Here’s my top 7 list of things to do with your family to stay active, stay fit, and soak up those long-missed rays. Enjoy!

1. Go for a bike ride: Now that our 5 year old is cruising without training wheels he’s keeping up with us on up to 6 mile trips. And when you’re hitting hills while dragging a trailer of rugrats, you can count this as cardio & toning time. Skip the gym today! (In one hour, you’ll burn about 300 calories, not to mention building a beautiful bum).

2. Take a stroll: You’ll burn more than 200 calories an hour if you’re strolling around the block with your umbrella stroller. Make that double when tackling hills with a double stroller, not to mention sculpting those calves. Make sure to keep your pace up to the point where you can feel your heart pumping.

3. Dig in the Dirt: Take advantage of spring showers and get your garden planted. You can burn over 360 calories an hour by digging around in the dirt! And you know your kids will love getting muddy right next to you! Just make sure they don’t dig up the seeds you just planted!

4. Spring Cleaning! That’s right, you can even count spring cleaning towards your goals to live an active life. In one hour of vacuuming, dusting, scrubbing, & shining, you’ll likely burn more than 200 calories. Talk about multi-tasking!

5. Hiking: If you live in an area with safe kid-friendly trails this is a great way to get out and enjoy nature with your little ones. Strap the little one in a baby carrier and bring plenty of snacks for the ones old enough to complain. Pick a spot that has a destination they can get excited about. If you can keep them going for an hour, you’ll burn about 400 calories.

6. Mow Your Lawn: As kids get older, this is usually a task that is relegated to them, but if you enjoy getting some tanning time at the same time you’re checking off chores, then claim the lawn-mowing responsibility as your own. If you invest in a cost-effective push mower rather than a riding, you’ll burn about 300 calories in one hour. Plus, it’s a great excuse to get a break from the constant refrain of “Mom! Mom!” and plug into your ipod instead.

7. Start a Soccer Game: Considering all you need for this sport is a ball and somewhere that you all agree on as a “GOAL!”, this is a great get-active activity for your family. Not only will your little ones love you for getting out and romping around with them, but you’ll burn close to 500 calories in a one hour game.

With so many fun ways to get out play with your fam, you might even find you can skip the gym most days. Incorporating activity into your everyday lifestyle is a great way to foster healthy habits for life and to be a shining example of an active, happy, Aerobicmom! In fact, The Cooper Institute recently performed a study that compared 2 groups: a structured exercise group and a lifestyle exercise group. The structured exercise group received a 6 month membership to a state-of-the-art fitness center as well as access to a personal trainer there. After the 6 months, they were asked to exercise on their own for another 18 months. The lifestyle exercise group met once a week to learn lifestyle management skills to help them begin and maintain a physically active life, and then implemented these ideas on their own. They focused on incorporating moderate-intensity activities into their lifestyles as best they could.

After 24 months, both groups had significantly increased their physical activity and fitness levels and improved numerous health parameters. The average results of the two groups did not differ from each other, and even showed that those who increased their use of the lifestyle skills were more likely to remain at a higher activity level years after the study. (Healthy Eating Every Day, The Cooper Institute, p.159)

So, here’s the deal. If you love to break a sweat at the gym, great! It’s one of the things that gets me through my week! But don’t despair if the gym doesn’t fit into your budget, your time, or your priorities. There are plenty of benefits to reap from getting up, getting out, and getting active…toddlers in tow! So however you want to do it, just get out and move, Aerobicmoms!

Eat This–Not That Book Review

Becky — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 05:18:35 +0000

Yes, it’s another book review! I guess you could say I’m on a roll, although this one hardly counts as heavy reading.

Eat This Not That! 2010: The No-Diet Weight Loss Solution by David Zinczenko is more accurately described as a well-illustrated reference guide to making healthy food choices, particularly when eating out.
So, is this one worth adding to your home library? I would say….NO…sorry, David. While I found this book interesting, to me it was nothing more than a glorified and well-publicized calorie counter. Here’s the breakdown of what I loved and what I didn’t:

Why I loved that this book:

Had great pictures of all that food
Compiled nutritional info from many of the popular restaurants that you probably frequent
Compared apples to apples…or burgers to burgers, rather. It was most helpful in this arena–when you feel like a greasy burger, now you know that a Big Mac will save you 200 calories over a Whopper. Who knew?
Gave some good nutritional reminders. It was good to refresh myself on all the tricks to keeping eating out from being a health hazard: omit the mayo, no cheese please, veggies on the side, watch what kind of bread you ask for, and for goodness sake, consider fries only on those special occasions when you can afford a huge empty calorie splurge.
Took into account total nutrient density rather than simple caloric intake. Zinczenko acknowledges the benefits of avocados and alike despite their high calorie counts.

Why I was ultimately disappointed:

The fact that I felt this book did not live up to its hype. For a clueless American eater, perhaps this was breakthrough content. But if you have basic knowledge about nutrition, this book seems rather, well…obvious. Choosing grilled fish with a side of veggies will save you calories over chicken smothered in cheese and sauce with tortilla strips on the side. No, really?
I didn’t feel he always had fair comparisons. He would recommend one sandwich with a side salad over another sandwich with a side of fries. Of course the salad combo gets much better numbers, but how much of it was the salad and how much was the sandwich?

What I took from this book: I have always been one who feels a bit of anxiety about eating out. All those…CALORIES! Well, reading this book and seeing all those numbers in front of me actually reiterated that eating out does not have to sabotage your waistline, if you do it in moderation. But I really think that your life will be much simpler and you will be slimmer if you just live by this one Aerobicmom cardinal rule: TAKE HOME HALF.

There you go! Now just print those three word out onto a piece of paper, tuck it into your wallet and you’re good to go. I don’t even care if you get the smothered burrito. Just TAKE HOME HALF. It’s a lot easier than carrying Eat This-Not That around with you on your lunch break.

My favorite tidbits from this book:

Chic-Fil-A is your best bet for fast food (even above Subway)–not a single sandwich breaks the 500-calorie barrier. Wow!
A single Cinnabon cinnamon roll clocks in at 813 calories. Split this occasional indulgence with a pal or bypass it altogether!
The worst food in America…Outback’s Aussie Cheese Fries…a gooey 2,900 calorie mess. When you consider the deep-fried starchy potatoes, gooey cheese and fatty bacon, can you really say you are surprised?
One of the best quick breakfasts around is the old standard Egg McMuffin, with around 300 calories and a good balance of protein, fats, and carbs to keep you fueled.
I was introduced to the In’N'Out Secret Lexicon: I’ve only tried this very trendy burger joint once and left wondering what all the fuss was about. I guess I’ll give it one more go and try my burger Animal & Protein Style. I’m new at this…is that legal?

Click Here to Buy on Amazon

Book Review: In Defense of Food

Becky — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 02:55:06 +0000

Hello Aerobicmom Readers!

Today I have a Book Review for you: In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto, by Michael Pollan.

Click Here to Buy on Amazon

I devoured this book, subtitled “An Eater’s Manifesto,” the week that the Health Care Bill passed. As the politics of Health Care Reform swirled around in my mind, this book made me accutely aware of the politics of our diet, how food is marketed to us, and how big money misleads us even down to the crackers we purchase. This book was thought-provoking, paradigm-breaking, uncomfortable and exasperating, and, in the end, left me more committed to being an informed consumer and a moderate and healthy eater.

The first line of this book sums up the point of all 201 pages: Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.

But don’t be fooled. It isn’t nearly that simple, and it takes all 201 pages to really understand what this simple statement means.

This book is broken up into 3 parts:

Part one, “The Age of Nutritionism”

Pollan reviews the history of “Nutritionism,” which, as Pollan explains, is the cultural phenomenon of seeing food as a sum of its parts (its nutritional content) rather than food as a whole. Pollan particularly points out the politics behind the way the science of nutritionism took over a more traditional way of eating, where cultural norms (ie MOM), decided what, when, and how much we should eat.

Part two, “The Western Diet and the Diseases of Civilization”

highlights the various health ramifications the entire world has seen as more and more developing countries have adopted the Western Diet. It also delineates what exactly it is about the Western Diet that is so harmful.

Part Three, Getting Over Nutritionism

Offers some fairly simple and liveable rules to help guide all of us eaters to what we actually should be eating, and how to be healthy in a world so entrenched in the tenets of Nutritionism that we don’t even know how to discuss food and diet without falling into its jargon.

What I liked:

I felt much more informed after reading this book. It is amazing how misleading advertising can be. I have always read nutrition labels carefully, but I will recommit to this practice after reading this book, particularly reading the list of ingredients, and I’ll be a little more skeptical of noisy health claims on boxes and labels.
Seeing the historical background that took us from traditional ethnic diets to a more processed Western diet. It’s interesting to see how and why we got where we are now.
The suggestions Pollen gives in Part 3 to eat healthfully. Particularly helpful were his suggestions to plant a garden, to eat meals (and avoid snacking) & eat sitting down, and to not eat anything that your great-grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food.

What I did not like:

In a sense, this book left me far more confused about how to eat healthfully than I was before I read it. On one hand Pollen bashes nutritionism, (seeing food too strictly in terms of its nutritional content), while on the other he bashes the Western diet with its highly processed, refined “food products.” Not even organic produce escapes his criticism for the long distances it travels to get from California’s organic farms. The book leaves you feeling like you just can’t win.
The fact that Pollen contradicts himself repeatedly, first criticizing nutritionism, then using nutrition science to support his own claims of what is optimally healthy. Although Pollen himself acknowledges this inconsistency, it adds to the overall feeling of the book that the only way to be truly healthy is to go back to the hunter & gatherer lifestyle of our ancestors. Not. Gonna. Happen.

What I took from this book:

Recommit to eating & serving my family 5 servings of fruits and vegetables daily.
Recommit to making whole wheat bread from scratch at home.
Commit to cutting down on “food products” that replace fat (an essential nutrient) with chemicals, texturizers and gums. *This is a tough one for me!
Continue in a moderate approach to healthy eating, using wisdom and moderation to eat what makes me and my family feel good and strong, realizing that there are as many fanatical opinions about what makes the optimal diet as there are nutrition scientists.

If you’re interested in reading this book for yourself, we’d love to hear a review from you on AerobicMom.com!

Buy the book at Amazon: In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto

Chapter 14 – Weight Management

Becky — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 03:13:21 +0000

Browse this website!

Chapter 13 – Nutrition

Becky — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 03:28:26 +0000

The first thing you need to know about nutrition is that it doesn’t have to be intimidating.

On this page we will take you through some basic nutritional information and procedures on how to incorporate healthy eating into your life.

Don’t try and understand it all!

People may see all the new research about every single little nutrient and vitamin and miracle pill that comes along and wonder how they can ever understand it all. Don’t even try because you really don’t need to know it all.

Step 1 – Understand the basics of nutrition

There are three major nutrients that you eat every day. This table will show you what they are, how many calories are in one gram of each, what their primary function in the body is and what foods they are found in.

Nutrient	Cal/gram	Function	Foods Found In
Protein	4	It is the body’s main structural nutrient. All muscles and tissues are made from protein. The immune system uses protein.	Eggs, meats, fish, beans, dairy products, soy.
Carbohydrates	4	This is preferred energy source of the body. Carbs supply fast energy to the muscles for activity.	Grains, pastas, cereals, breads, vegetables, fruits, corn syrup, anything with sugar in it.
Fat	9	This is the energy storage nutrient in the body. Fats are also used as a source of energy for low-intensity activity.	All oils (e.g. olive, peanut, canola, vegetable), butter, margarine, meats, junk food.

Water:

Water is not often thought of as a nutrient but it is essential to all bodily functions and processes. Without water you would die. It is important to drink plenty of water throughout the day. The amount of water you need will depend on your body size, bodyfat percentage, activity level, climate and more.

Fiber:

Fiber is an essential part of your diet. It is an indigestible component of many natural-state carbohydrate foods such as grains. Fiber helps to move food through your digestive system as well as keeping you regular and helping you feel full after eating.

Step 2 – USE the basics of nutrition

Once you know what the basics are, it is up to you to use that knowledge in your everyday eating habits. Here are some pointers to help guide you.

1. Every meal divide your plate into thirds. Two of the thirds should be a carbohydrate source, e.g. rice or potatoes and one third should be a protein source, e.g. meat or fish. Don’t worry about getting enough fat. That is rarely a problem.

2. Eat foods that are unprocessed as much as possible. When foods are processed they lose nutritional value. Eating foods close to their natural state will give you the most benefits. Try to stay away from junk food. You know what constitutes junk food. Reducing the amount that you eat will have a huge impact on your health and well-being.

3. Limit your eating of refined foods that have fat, salt and sugar in them. You don’t have to give them up completely, just eat them in moderation.

4. Eat small, frequent meals throughout the day and drink plenty of water.

5. Breakfast should be your largest meal of the day. This gives your body the whole day to burn those calories. Dinner should be the smallest meal. Eating large amounts at night invariably leads to fat gain as your body doesn’t have time to burn the calories before shutting down for the night. Eating then going to sleep is how sumo wrestlers attain their great size!

6. Eat protein. This is not to recommend that you go and eat a steak everyday but be aware of your protein intake. Your muscles live on protein and muscles are where the majority of your calories are burned. Eating lean protein every day supports your muscle tissue, especially when exercising.

Conclusion:

Most people intuitively know what constitutes good nutrition, they just fail to practice it in their everyday lives. Making an effort and planning meals ahead of time will pay off with better health and longer life.

Source

Chapter 12 – Stress Management & Relaxation

Becky — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 02:51:21 +0000

Watch the Stress Management & Relaxation Video

The Content of the Relaxation Video

Need a few minutes to relax?

Get comfortable in your chair. Loosen any tight, uncomfortable clothing. Let your arms rest loosely at your side. Allow yourself a few moments to relax.

If your thoughts wander, just let them while gently moving your attention back to the relaxation. If you become anxious or uncomfortable, stop the relaxation by clicking on the pause button.

To begin, focus your eyes on the candle flame. Notice its simplicity and its beauty.

Take time to notice your breathing, gradually slowing down the rate of inhaling and exhaling as you become more comfortable.

Now relax and enjoy the feeling.

Close your mouth and relax your shoulders, releasing any tension that’s built up.

Inhale slowly and deeply through your nose. Let the air you breathe in push your stomach out.

Hold your breath in as you slowly count to four.

Breathe out slowly through your mouth as you continue counting up to six.

Breathe in (three, four, five, six).

Hold (two, three, four).