Maintaining An Active and Healthy Lifestyle

Even during a busy senior year I find that it is still important to stay in shape and maintain a healthy lifestyle. This past summer was filled with a lot of good times however exercising and staying healthy unfortunately took the backseat. The three main things that I have been doing to stay healthy are eating better, using my gym membership, and running as much as I can. I have also recently experimented with new sports.

            

For most of the summer my diet consisted of eating out and grabbing quick fast food in the midst of not so healthy beverages. This summer made up my last days as a tenant in the Fraternity house which is not the easiest place to store and cook meals and as a result I would always eat out except for the occasional snack. Since moving to an apartment in Portland I have almost completely cut out the fast food intake, which I believe has helped out a lot with my food baby and my wallet. I can now go to Hannaford and spend $60 to $70 on food that will easily last two weeks.

I pay $15 a month to Planet Fitness and only went about four times all summer long. I now am back to a schedule of at least three days a week where I mainly lift weights and sometimes tackle the Stairmaster (If you haven’t tried it, do it). I truly enjoy working out as it simply feels good both mentally and physically. It is also a great way to relieve stress after a long day of classes or studying.

            

One of my favorite ways to stay in shape is just going for a run. It really is a love/hate relationship. Running can leave you feeling great at times and can also make you want to collapse on the ground. For the most part I have had a very positive experience with running however and have come to really enjoy it. My iPod has made running much more enjoyable then listening to myself breath accompanied by the rhythmic beat of my feet hitting the pavement. It is sad to say but without it I probably wouldn’t run. A big part of the run for me is the ability to just tune out and get in a zone. The music pushes me and helps keep my mind off the pain my legs are going through. Running is also a time where I can enter my own little world and think clearly. I have found it to be quite therapeutic.

            Another motivating factor has been the Nike+ GPS application for the iPhone. Instead of using a sensor in the shoe, the app uses GPS to track your run. It gives real time information like distance, time elapsed and current pace. It also maps your route and pinpoints your fastest and slowest paces on the run. It is very useful to actually know this data as it gives you feedback on your run and motivation to improve your stats. Running this fall has inspired me to enter a road race (5k) of some sort in the near future as well. Andrea has become sort of a running role model due to her accomplishments and I she’ll tell you that I frequently send her info about my run when I am finished.

     

As a side note I have also tried some other sports that also improve the body and mind. This past Saturday I tried surfing for the first time with a friend and had a blast. We went to Higgins Beach and with an average of ten-foot waves it was quite intense. I never could stand up (maybe due to the small board) but I feel that I did learn a lot and would love to go again. I definitely recommend this sport to anyone who hasn’t tried it. We also went to the rock climbing gym on Marginal Way in Portland later on that day which is something I hadn’t done since the eighth grade. This was amazing as well but a lot harder then it looks.

      

            So for now this has been what I’ve been up to this fall to stay active and healthy in the middle of a busy semester. Until next post. Peace.

-Kyle