In case you didn't get a chance to see it, check out my Avenue story about the different group fitness classes UF's Department of Recreational Sports offers like the Yoga class I talked about last week (watch the video here).
As someone who is graduating at the end of the month, my advice would be to definitely take advantage of those classes -- they're free, they're a great way to meet people and getting in shape by doing something you actually enjoy won't feel like a chore.
For my next two Avenue assignments, I will be further discussing how to take care of yourself during exams, especially what you put into your body.
This message brought to you by your local nutritionist
This week I got a chance to talk to Janis Mena, a registered dietitian and nutritionist for UF's Student Health Care Center.
My interview with her really wasn't what I expected it to be in talking to a nutritionist. Instead of telling me the dogmatic advice of "avoid x, y and z foods or you will die," Mena's advice was definitely more intuitive when it comes to eating healthy.
Basically her advice was, "Eat when you're hungry, stop when you're full and push the plate away from yourself when you're full."
Say you're at a barbecue place like Sonny's and you're starving. If you can get a plate of ribs worth 1,000 calories or a salad worth 800 calories, if you're hungry, go with the ribs, she told me.
Also, just because a meal may have some gross amount of calories doesn't mean that you will eat every single one of them, Mena told me. When you consider how enormous most restaurant portions are, you're paying for one meal, but actually getting three with the amount of leftovers you'll have, which can be a snack for the next day.
Nutrition labels: Are they worth it?
When I asked her about nutrition labels and the availability of nutrition facts from many on-campus restaurants and chains, Mena's answer surprised me again.
She said that she is very on the fence about whether or not restaurants should have food labels because looking at a label shouldn't determine for a person whether or not they should eat something.
For example, if you're anemic and need iron, that plate of ribs that is 1,000 calories sounds pretty good and will satisfy your iron deficiency.
Also, as I mentioned in my calories blog post a while back, your body believe it or not needs fat and if something says it has x grams of mono and polyunsaturated fat (the good kinds), you shouldn't avoid it if you are not taking in any fat at all.
All in all, it just comes down to listening to your body and giving it what it needs, Mena said.
People don't plan to fail, they fail to plan
Granted, there are some healthier food choices on some parts of campus than others. A crunchwrap supreme from Taco Bell instead of a veggie burrito from Moe's probably isn't the healthiest choice you can make for lunch.
But when it comes to saving money, and ultimately your time, plan ahead with your meals.
When you go to the grocery store, buy enough food for the next week or two and plan out how you'll eat.
For example, buy some whole wheat bread and make some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Put them in freezer bags and freeze them and you'll have mid-day snacks for rest of the week.
You can also buy frozen vegetables so that way you won't waste money on buying veggies that will sit in your fridge and then go bad.
As someone who is often in a hurry going from class to class and appointment to appointment, I can definitely vouch that having a pre-made meal of something healthy and delicious like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with a granola bar, a cup of yogurt and some fruit will save you plenty of time throughout your day.
Next week, I will talk about organic foods. Keep checking out this blog throughout this month for some more useful tips on how to stay fit and healthy as exams draw near.
Stay healthy, Gators!
