Hamburgers, Hotdogs and Chips!

The BBQ's of summer are back on! Since the weather has HOPEFULLY settled on this hot hot heat, barbecues are starting. People will be outside under the sun eating unhealthy foods. In order to enjoy your summer, and be healthy at the same time, I have compiled a few fun healthy facts.

1. Always apply sunscreen, of at least 15spf or higher, when standing in direct sunlight. It is also a good reminder to apply sunscreen a half hour before entering direct sunlight, and an hour before going in the water.

2. When drinking beer at a BBQ remember to pause and have some water every now and then. Even when you aren't drinking alcohol it is important to drink 8 cups of water a day, and more in the summer with the hot sun. So when you are drinking beer in the sun it is even more important to keep water near by. The sun has the tendency to make dehydration a higher possibility. So don't forget the H2O!

3. The sun has many harmful rays. Aside from wearing sunscreen it is really important to protect your eyes with Sunglasses. Polarized sunglasses are best because the protect your eyes from the harmful rays of the sun as well as reduce sun glare, which helps prevent your eyes from squinting. If you do not have polarized sunglasses, then look for sunglasses that protect against UVA and UVB rays.

4. When having a BBQ, it is important to make sure you get the freshest meat. In addition when cooking up greasy food on the grill, try to add some fresh produce to the picnic table. Some great ideas are corn on the cob, baked or mashed potatoes, green beans, asparagus, salads, fruit salad, and for an appetizer carrots, broccoli, cherry tomatoes, and snap peas with a light veggie dip. This is extremely important because if you are going to have a bunch of greasy food you need to also eat some healthy food. It's also polite to offer different options for those who don't eat meat or greasy food, so a veggie patty would also be nice to invest in. The Market at Ghent has the freshest Produce, to find it click HERE.

5. Last but not least, if you are going to be running outside in the sun (don't forget sunscreen and water), but also don't forget to stretch before running (indoors and out). Also stretching after is good too. When drinking water, have a cup of water about 15-30mins before running. To make sure that it settles a little bit and wont cause a cramp. Make sure to stay hydrated when staying out in the sun!

Summertime and the living's easy...

As summer slowly approaches, the gyms quickly fill up. ODU's gym has grown so much since its opening. The rush hours of the gym are weekday afternoons and the slow times are most mornings. People are using everything from the rock wall, racket ball courts, basketball courts, the soccer/dodgeball/roller hockey court, to the cardio machines and weight machines. Classes fill up really quickly. People are taking advantage of the gym because as summer starts people want their bikini bods back for the beach.
Exercise is really important, or rather steady exercise. Those who are seasonal exercisers aren't really receiving the full benefit of their work out. So my message to the readers is to continue your work outs on a regular bases. Starting and stopping only can hurt your body not improve it. It will make your weight fluctuate instead of remaining at a constant healthy weight. Start an exercise regimen that you can stick to and really help your body.

Golds gym!

Yes! The ODU gym is finally open! It is a great place for students, faculty and alumni to go if they want a nice free gym. For those of you who do not attend ODU you may want to try Golds Gym. It's in a newly renovated building on Monticello.

Complete with a Cardio cinema, weight rooms, fitness rooms, spa, tanning, smoothie bar, basketball court, saunas and showers. It also has trainers. When you first sign up for Golds you get 3 free training sessions. One you can use when you first arrive, two for anytime after that. If a summer vacation is coming up use your training session then. Want to look good for the holidays, time to use a trainer! Golds gym is ready and equipped to meet any of your needs.

My favorite part of Golds Gyms, aside from the smoothie bar, is the cardio cinema. Its basically a theater with cardio machines set up like bikes, ellipticals, and treadmills. They place a movie in front of you that you can see from every machine, and its loud enough that you can have all the treadmills being used by serious runners and still hear what is going on in the movie. They always play pretty popular and new movies. I love it so much because you can be running on the treadmill and half the movie goes by and you've run 3-4 miles without even knowing it! What a great way to trick your mind into a healthy body!