Posts Tagged With: Exercise

Health Beyond College

Posted on 04/29/2013 by Stacey Northup

A handful of you aren’t leaving campus this summer, but for those that are, your health kick doesn’t have to be on pause until August.  Even if you’re counties, states or countries away from the SRC or Rams Head Rec Center, you can still stay in shape.  Here are some tips to have your healthiest summer yet!

  1. Training Time: Have you ever been to Campus Rec’s YouTube page and seen the Training Time videos?  A few personal trainers have filmed 5-10 minute videos so that you have a well put together routine, no matter what your fitness abilities are.  Posted are lower body, upper body and total body workouts.  Additionally, there are videos completely devoted to foam rolling, abs, glutes and other fitness topics.
  2. Take Cardio Outside: Just because you don’t have an elliptical doesn’t mean you can’t get in some cardio.  Take your dog on a walk, go on a hike with a friend or listen to that new playlist while you run.  Sure, it’s hot, but as the saying goes, “Nobody ever drowned in sweat!”
  3. Strength Train Without Weights: Wait, what?  If you don’t have a set of dumbbells or any weight machines, how are you supposed to strength train?  It’s possible.  Just Google a few routines without weights and you’ll find so many moves.  Some classics – pushup, walking lunge, plank, mountain climber, squat jump, crunch – I could go on!  Trust me, it’s easy to get an entire body workout without any equipment.
  4. DVDs: I am one who has done it all!  P90X, TurboFire, Insanity, basic Pilates DVDs.  You can find some workout DVDs online (like from Amazon) for extremely cheap and, for others, you can pay a pretty penny.  But those 90-day workouts are really equivalent to the cost of a gym membership and are a lot more convenient (sorry to get all infomercial-ly on you).  Look at some descriptions and reviews and find a DVD that is right for you!
  5. Watch What You Eat: At school, you’re probably used to the cheap basic food staples.  Bananas, peanut butter, oatmeal, etc.  At home, your mom may be making you fried chicken a couple times a week and maybe you’ll meet high school friends out for dinner pretty frequently.  Just be careful of your eating habits at home and remember to keep it as healthy as you can.  Click here for some summer recipes you can make at home and here for Campus Rec’s Pinterest page (with lots more delicious recipes).

You will survive a few months without the gyms on campus, I promise!  And, of course, you could join a gym at home (warning – it won’t be as amazing as it is here!).  Have a healthy and safe summer and continue to check back here for the latest fitness info!

Categories: Health | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Fitness & Nutrition Roundup: A Nutritionist’s Favorite Foods, New Cardio Routines & More!

Posted on 04/25/2013 by Stacey Northup

13 Myths That May Be Messing with Your Workout – One day you read that you need to fuel your body before a workout and the next day you read that you burn the most fat on an empty stomach.  Well, which is it?  FitSugar breaks down fitness truths and lies so that you’ll be exercising efficiently and in a healthy way.

6 Foods This Nutritionist Eats Every Day – Want to know what registered dieticians are regularly eating?  Read this article from Health and you’ll learn what foods will give you the wide spectrum of nutrients your body needs.  Here’s a preview – dark chocolate!

5 Muscle-Building Exercises You’ve Never Tried – If you’ve been doing the same number of the same weight squats, bench presses and lunges for the past year, it’s probably time to switch up your routine.  Check out these great strength training moves from Men’s Health.  You’ll work every muscle in a new way.

5 New Ways to Do Cardio – Are you bored of the same old cardio routine?  If you’re one who counts down the minutes til you can hop off the treadmill, check out this article from Self.  Five new 30 minute cardio workouts are provided that’ll keep things exciting and keep you from getting bored.

Categories: News Roundup | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Fitness & Nutrition Roundup: Protein Powder Recipes, Jumpstart Your Interval Training & More!

Posted on 04/11/2013 by Stacey Northup

10 Things Trainers Wish You Knew About Your Workout: Real Simple interviewed some trainers and found out the most common exercise mistakes, but the article doesn’t leave you hanging there.  Find out what mistakes you might unknowingly be making and how to easily correct them in order to see better results in the gym!

How to Become a Morning Workout Person: I’ve gone to the gym at all sort of hours and I think it’s safe to say that it’s an extremely small minority that are morning workout folks.  If you skip hitting the snooze button and exercise in the morning, that leaves the rest of the day entirely free.  If you want to learn how to painlessly make it to the gym before your day gets busy, read this article from Women’s Health.

15 New Ways to Use Protein Powder: Tired of the ol’ fruit and protein powder smoothie?  Get your protein fix in from one of these Daily Spark recipes, including cake, cheesecake pancakes and more!  You can even whip up a recipe or two for your friends and they’ll have no idea they’re building muscles while they chew.

6 Ways to Jumpstart Your Interval Training Today: We’ve all been told that interval training is the most effective way to workout.  Still not doing it though?  Body Building will teach you how it works, how to incorporate it into your usual routine and how to put a plan into action.

Categories: News Roundup | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Spring into New Gear!

Posted on 04/04/2013 by Stacey Northup

After months of hibernation, it is finally warming up outside!  Spring is here, which means it is time to put away the heavy coats and dark colors.  Now you can sport some bright pastels.  I use spring as a time to go shopping for new exercise clothes.  A new outfit motivates me to get to the gym (and show off my purchases).

The closest place I can think of for shopping is South Point.  There are plenty of stores at the mall and close by where you can get cute workout clothes – and pay what you want.  There are the obviously more expensive yoga stores, like Lululemon, and then the bargain stores (my style of shopping) like Target.  Here are a few items I found that I know both girls and guys will love.  Head out to these stores when you get a chance or go online to their website to see what else is in stock this season!  Your outdated closet won’t be sorry!

Lululemon, although known for its women’s clothing, actually has stuff for the boys too!  And even if you’re not looking for clothes, you can find some nice yoga mats, gym bags, water bottles, headbands – you name it, they’ve got it! I’m a huge fan of this Carolina blue skirt you could sport at the tennis courts at the South Campus Recreation Complex.

Lulu

These days, the brighter the shoe, the greater its popularity.  At New Balance, you can find shoes for every activity – running, walking, hiking.  These neon shoes for men are light for running far distances.  Girls – they have a version for us too.  You wear these on the 3, 4 or 5 mile Campus Runs.

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Sorry guys – Athleta only carries women’s clothing.  But ladies, they have so many cute tops, light jackets and shorts all in bright spring colors.  Their clothes are stylish, like this tank with a cutout back.

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Target has everything when it comes to athletic clothing.  Is anyone surprised?  Guys, here are some basketball shorts that you can wear to pickup basketball at Woolen or RHRC.  My favorite thing about Target is the price of everything!  You can get an outfit from head to toe for less money than for one piece of clothing at another store.

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Feel free to list any other stores nearby that you purchase your athletic clothes from!  These stores are all at/near South Point.  If you go to each website and search for the “location,” you can find exactly where to drive.

So, all in all, what I’m trying to say is – go shopping!  We are looking forward to seeing you at the gym rockin’ your new gear!

Categories: Fitness | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Prep for your Workout

Posted on 03/21/2013 by Stacey Northup

Do you ever get to the gym and feel somewhat clueless?  Working out isn’t as simple as just showing up and getting into your routine.  Whether you are new to the gym or a veteran, follow this plan to prepare for a workout.  It’ll help you avoid injury, perform your best and see results.

  1. Plan – What will you do at the gym?  Weights, cardio or a combination of both?  Come to your workout with a specific plan.  If you do, you’ll be less tempted to skip out the hard stuff.  If I wait to do my abs after my workout, sometimes I’ll just skip and go back to my dorm a tad early.  Know exactly what you will do and for how long at the gym.  If you’re like me, do your abs before your cardio.  Know which arm exercises and which leg exercises you’ll perform.  Know how many miles you will run on the treadmill or how long your set of sprints will be.  Be prepared!
  2. Fuel – As I’ve stated before, it is incredibly important to have a pre-workout meal.  Maybe “meal” isn’t the right word, but a snack with some carbohydrates is a great way to get your body ready for intense exercise.  Try some fruit, a granola bar or even some toast with peanut butter.  Carbs will fuel your body with the energy it needs to get through any sweat session.
  3. Warm Up – If you’re short on time, it can be tempting to skip the warm up.  Do not, I repeat, DO NOT skip this 5-10 minutes.  If you casually walk into the SRC and go straight into doing heavy squats or extreme sprinting, you can easily hurt yourself.  Skipping these few minutes could force you to skip the gym for months to recover from a major injury like a pulled hamstring or a torn ACL.  Seriously, it happens.  So just save yourself from injury and warm up your muscles prior to an intense workout.
  4. Stretch – You can either do dynamic stretches (like these from Runner’s World – which help warm up your muscles while stretching them) or stretch after warming up your muscles with an easy walk on the treadmill or any light cardio.  Skipping your stretch session could lead to injury.  And, believe it or not, simply holding a stretch for 30 seconds prior to warming up could also damage a muscle.  It is important to warm up while stretching, like through dynamic stretches, or warm up slowly and then stretch after.
  5. Get Rest – Sometimes the best way to prepare for a workout is to skip one.  If you’ve been doing intense workouts everyday for a week, you should take a day of rest.  Your body needs to recover and rebuild.  You’ll come back to your workout the next day feeling better than ever.
Categories: Fitness | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Prepare to Climb

Posted on 03/18/2013 by Stacey Northup

I became a cool Chaco-wearing, climbing guru with arms of steel when I got belayed certified through Campus Rec.  In just a couple hours, I went from having no idea what “belay” meant to climbing to the top of the wall like Spider-Man.   The small class of 10 students and I learned how to tie a knot properly, how to belay for someone and how to climb.

Climbing is a great activity to do by yourself or with friends.  You can continuously challenge yourself to get better and faster by using the self-belay device in Rams Head.  You can also skip the ice cream date and go climbing with your friends for fitness and fun.

Starting today, Monday, March 18, the Rams Head Climbing Wall will reopen!  If you want to harness up, tie-in and climb, you must be belay certified by the UNC Climbing Wall Staff.  Hours for the climbing wall are…

  • Monday-Thursday 4:00-8:00 p.m.
  • Friday: 1:00-6:00 p.m.

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Not certified yet? Don’t worry – we’ll still include you!  An Introduction to Climbing Class will take place Mondays and Wednesdays at 4:00 p.m.  All you have to do is register at the Campus Rec Main Office in the SRC (for free!) and you’ll be on your way to learning the basic safety skills needed to pass the Belay Certification Test required to climb at UNC.  The test will be administered at the conclusion of the course.

Already know it all?  If you do not feel the need to take the intro class (i.e. you are an experienced climber with basic climbing skills, knowledge of risk management and proper equipment usage and selection), you can simply take the test.  A brief orientation explaining the facility, policies and procedures will start the clinic, and then, you can take the test.  This takes places Tuesdays and Thursdays at 4:00 p.m., and again, you must register at the main office.

climbing1

Click here to learn more about Newbie Nights to test drive the climbing wall and click here to learn more about Campus Recreation Rock Climbing Expeditions where you can take your climbing skills outside to locations like Hanging Rock and Pilot Mountain.

For all other basic climbing information, click here.  If you still have questions, feel free to contact Chance Van Noppen, our Climbing Coordinator.

Categories: Climbing, Outdoor Recreation | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Upcoming Intramural Sports – Sign Up Now!

Posted on 02/21/2013 by Stacey Northup

Exercise doesn’t just have to be in a gym.  Sure, lifting weights, attending a cycling class and logging a few miles on the treadmill are all great.  Not to get cheesy or anything, but the best workouts are those that you don’t even realize you are doing!

Remember middle school P.E., throwing dodgeballs at all your best friends?  Well, you were getting your exercise probably didn’t think twice about it.  Working out can be fun when you are playing a game.  Form a team and get involved with an intramural sport.

Now through next Tuesday, Feb. 26, you can sign up for Tennis and 4v4 Flag Football.  For Tennis, the divisions are: Men’s Singles and Doubles, Women’s Singles and Doubles, and Mixed Doubles.  For more information on the rules of tennis and how to register, click here.  4v4 Flag Football plays games on Tuesdays and Thursdays and is open to Co-Rec teams, Men’s teams and Women’s teams.  The Co-Rec teams require two males and two females.  The rules are pretty much like you remember from your elementary school days, but for more information, click here.

Hockey

Starting Monday, Feb. 25 through March 5, you can sign up for Primetime Basketball and Street Hockey.  Primetime Basketball has both a men’s and women’s league and requires five people to start and finish the game.  Click here for the rules and here for further information.  Street Hockey is no stranger to Tar Heel Tone Up.  Last year, we featured Eli McCrain, a player and referee for IM Street Hockey.  And once again, the rules are just like they were when you played in your street with your neighborhood friends.

Whether you want to play competitively or just for fun, sign up before the deadline!  You can register here in just a few short minutes.  Good luck and we hope you win that champion t-shirt!

Categories: Intramurals | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Best Fitness Magazines You Should Be Reading!

Posted on 02/14/2013 by Stacey Northup

Sure, Tar Heel Tone Up is a great way to get health and fitness information, but you may be searching for further resources.  Maybe you’re looking to learn more about weight lifting, you need an easy meal plan to follow or you need something good to read to keep your attention for an hour on the elliptical.  I’ve put a list of the greatest health and fitness magazines.  Overall, they’re fairly cheap but have great information!  For most (if not all), you can subscribe to the old-fashioned, paper version, an iPad version or you can simply peruse around the website.

To my knowledge, there aren’t too many health and fitness magazines for both guys and gals.  So I’ve divided it up into two categories!  Feel free to comment with other magazines you may read!

Women’s Magazines – These magazines are great. Most of them are completely focused on health and fitness, while some, like Women’s Health and Shape also include articles on beauty products, etc. Open any of these and you’ll almost always find some sort of meal plan that’ll help you out if you’re trying to figure out easy, healthy meals to cook up. Also, there is usually a strength training routine. The routines change month to month, keeping your muscles guessing, allowing for continuous results. If you’re unsure on how to put together a fitness routine or a meal plan, be sure to search around on these websites/subscribe to a couple!

Men’s Magazines – While I’ve never flipped through an entire fitness magazine written for men, I do search around some on the websites while finding articles for News Roundups. These are similar to the women’s magazines, where both strength training tips and meal plans are provided. They provide a lot of great information on all health and fitness related topics, referring to the latest scientific research. Searching around on these websites or reading through one of the magazines will help you stay focused on your health goals by providing nutrition advice and recommendations for your fitness routine.

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Carolina Tae Kwon Do

Posted on 01/28/2013 by Stacey Northup

Casey Miller, President of Carolina Tae Kwon Do, filled me in on what it’s like to be a part of the club that practices WTF (World Taekwondo Federation) style Tae Kwon Do, including Olympic style sparring and the Tae Guek forms.  This is her second year with Carolina TKD and she has over three years of experience with World Champion Tae Kwon Do in Wake Forest, N.C.  Her belt level is 1st Dan Black and her style is WTF.  Additionally, she has a Brown Belt in Goju Ryu.  Keep reading for the scoop on Casey and her team!

TaeKwonDoLogo

1. What made you decide to do Carolina TKD?

I transferred to UNC last year as a sophomore from American University in D.C.  I was looking to find my place at the university and had participated in both Tae Kwon Do and Goju-Ryu Karate in the past.  I wanted to find an activity that I would enjoy and that would help me meet new people at the university.

2. What is your favorite thing about this sport?

I really like how well-rounded the sport is.  We focus on sparring, perfecting techniques and learning new techniques, so no matter the person’s skill level, there’s always something that he or she can learn or work on.

3. What does a typical practice look like for your team?

We have a couple of different types of practices.  Both Monday and Wednesday practices are generally broken down between beginner/intermediate and advanced skill levels.  The first 50 minutes are allocated for beginner/intermediate students, the middle 20 minutes is set aside as the cardio section of class for all students, and the last 50 minutes of class are geared toward advanced students.  We practice sparring on Monday and technique on Wednesday.  We also have demo team practice on Fridays where the members learn new techniques as well as create and practice choreographed demonstrations for events on campus.

TaeKwonDoGrou
4. Tell us about some of your team’s accomplishments.

We had a sparring scrimmage with Duke in October of last year where we defeated the 2-1.  We also have two demonstrations coming up in mid-February.  Our demo team will be performing at Dance Marathon and at Koreanite.  We have been practicing and rehearsing this for months and are really looking forward to showing our demo to the public.

5. What kind of teams do you play?

We typically organize events with Tae Kwon Do clubs from local universities.

6. What is your most memorable moment on Carolina TKD?

I’d have to say that my most memorable club moment was sitting on the couches outside the Great Hall right after we performed at Koreanite last year, watching the recording of our demo that we’d just preformed 20 minutes earlier on stage.  I’d injured my foot the night before at practice and, while it hurt after performing, the sense of accomplishment overpowered whatever pain I felt.

7. What’s your favorite thing about playing on this team?

Most of my best friends here at school are part of the club, so I really enjoy being able to practice a sport that I love with some of my friends.

tkd_group2

8. What else are you involved in on campus?

I’m a Multimedia Journalism major and am working as part of a team this semester to update and reorganize the Living Galapagos website hosted by the Journalism School.

Carolina TKD definitely has a lot of things to be proud of!  This team has many great accomplishments and Casey proves her commitment and hard work!  Thanks, Casey, on filling us in on you and your team!

For more information on Carolina TKD, visit carolinataekwondo.wordpress.com.  And if you are interested in joining the club or would like more information, feel free to contact Casey at caseymm@gmail.com or Vice President Jenny Lindh at lindh@live.unc.edu.

Categories: Sport Clubs | Tags: , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Pilates Class Review

Posted on 10/25/2012 by Stacey Northup

So after writing about the benefit of Pilates in July, I finally decided to fit a class into my schedule.  Because I had done an hour-long spin class the day before and planned on doing a long run the day after, it was the perfect low-impact workout.

I got there about 15 minutes early, grabbed a thick blue mat right outside the room and found my spot (in the back corner of course).  Then, I followed all the flexible looking people to two bins in the opposite corner of the room to grab a longer, thinner black yoga mat.  As I followed each move they made, I realized the black mat goes on top of the blue mat – the blue is for padding.  After setting up my space, I looked around and noticed I was the only one still wearing my shoes and socks.  With a little hesitation, I freed my feet and waited patiently for class to get started.

It seemed that over 50 people were there.  Like most classes I’ve attended, there was a mix of experts and newbies.  Amy, the instructor, came in, plugged in her iPod and got class started.  Here it goes.  Forty-five minutes of intense stretching and core work.

We started with some extreme ab exercises, and within minutes, I was feeling it.  Amy spent a few seconds telling us how to do the move then we would get to work.  So that I could completely focus on my breathing and the move, Amy would count down the reps for the class.  The moves varied in time, however most moves were about a minute or less.  This helped me push through the workout – if I could feel my muscles burning from one move, I only had to get through it for a short bit!

We were taught how to breathe in Pilates.  You simply breathe in through the nose, out through the mouth.  It’s a little difficult to explain how to breathe out, but if I could put it in words, I would say it’s like saying “shhh.”  At the beginning of each class, this will be explained (much better than I can explain it).

Overall, the class was refreshing.  Although I looked like I was struggling on a few moves, I’m excited to go back at least once a week so I can get more and more flexible.  Stretching and core work is so important – it gives you good posture, helps prevent injuries and makes you look long and lean.  Read more of its benefits here.

To see when Pilates and other group fitness classes are going on, click here.

Categories: Fitness, Group Fitness Class Reviews | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

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