Work Your Core

Have you found that you’re not can’t find time to go to the gym, but still want to stay fit. It’s important to exercise consistently in order to stay healthy, and your core is important as it is used in many different exercises. Below are some reasons to exercise your core, as well as some easy exercises that you can do at home, when you don’t have time to go on a run, or just don’t want to because it’s raining.

Did you know?

            -Your core muscles are crucial for trunk and hip stabilization; having a weak core can result in back, hip, and knee injuries, poor posture, and damaged muscles

            -Core muscles improve both balance and stability in every movement that we make, as well as when we are staying still

            -As there is no single muscle that controls spine stabilization, it is important to focus on strengthening all of the contributing muscles in order to achieve balance and maintain stability across the entire range of functional daily movements

            -Training of core muscles allows for better maintenance of a neutral spine posture, which is the safest posture for lifting and other daily activities

Exercises to improve core stability and strength

Here are two exercises that are great for beginners as well as advanced athletes to work on development and maintenance of core strength and stability. Other exercises to try are Bridge, Oblique curls, Prone, Ball/BOSU crunches.

Crunch

Crunches are an excellent exercise to target the rectus abdominus muscle, but are often done incorrectly.

1. Lie face-up on an exercise mat with legs bent at 90 degrees, and hands at temples or behind head
2. Contract abdominals by coughing, thinking about tucking your ribs closer to your hips; contract pelvic floor by doing a Kegel. Curl up just enough so that your head, neck and backs of shoulders are off the floor – this is your “start position”
3. Without losing contraction, curl up a few inches by bringing your ribs closer to your hips, NOT by lifting directly off the floor
4. Hold at the top, then slowly lower back down to the start position (not all the way to the floor!)
5. Repeat 10 times, then rest.

Be careful not to curl up too high, as this will stop working your rectus abdominus and instead work your hip flexor muscles.

Plank

Plank is an excellent exercise for people of all fitness levels to work on stabilization. It can be modified for beginners by planking from the knees instead of the toes.

1. Lie facedown on an exercise mat with arms facing out front, elbows stacked directly beneath shoulders; tuck toes underneath feet
2. “Tuck your tail”
3. Lift body onto forearms and toes, maintaining a neutral spine and without sinking down into your shoulders
4. Maintain posture for 20-60 seconds, then lower

New Year’s Resolutions for the Whole Year

It’s that time of year again!  With the holiday season (and the gallons of eggnog, with cookies and pie) past us, it’s that time of year when millions of people vow to get healthier with their New Year’s resolutions.  With drinking less alcohol, eating healthier, getting fit, and losing weight all on the top ten list of resolutions, why is it that so many people fail to reach their goals?  Here are some tips to help you be successful in reaching your goals, no matter what they are.

Step 1: Find your Motivation

Have you ever been really excited to make a drastic change in your life, but before you know it you’ve completely lost your drive to succeed?  You were most likely inspired rather than motivated.  True motivation, from a behavioural change perspective, must be internal, whereas inspiration is the short-term external drive that often leads to plans fizzling out part way through. 

So what makes us lose motivation?  All humans are subject to socio-biological factors that affect behaviour, such as the pleasure principle, which leads us to seek things that please us now, instead of waiting for long-term gains.  To overcome these factors and build motivation, look for positive reinforcements instead of negative ones.  For instance, if you just booked your ticket to Cancun for reading break and the idea of donning a bathing suit along with your extra holiday weight makes your stomach twist with nervousness, think about how great you will feel once you’ve lost the weight, and focus on that positive image instead of the discomfort you would feel putting on the suit now.

Step 2: Determine your Readiness for Change

Many people who fail to succeed in their goals do so because they are not ready to make the change.  In order to determine your readiness for change, ask yourself the following four questions:

1. Is the behaviour (or lack of it) a problem for you?
2. Does the behaviour (or lack of it) cause you any distress?
3. Are you interested in changing your behaviour?
4. Are you ready to do something to change your behaviour now?

If you honestly answer yes to all of these questions, then you are likely ready to make the change.  If you still have some ambivalence however, think about why you wanted to make the change in the first place.  Do some soul-searching and see if you can find an internal motivation that will boost your desire to succeed.

Step 3: Make the Change

Once you’re ready to make the change, start small!  As tempting as it might be to jump in with two feet, it is likely not realistic.  Instead, create smaller goals that will provide you with short-term wins, allowing you to build your self-efficacy.  The more of these small goals that you accomplish, the more confidence you will have in yourself that you can reach your end goal.  For example, instead of concentrating on losing your holiday weight, try starting by reducing the amount of convenience food you eat, and exercising a couple of times per week. Once you’ve accomplished those goals, you can move onto bigger goals, such as increasing the frequency of your workouts and eating more healthy home-cooked meals.  Only build on goals once you are comfortable with your current ones, and keep the number of tasks at hand to a maximum of three. If you get stuck, don’t give up!  Instead assess the situation and work on ways to overcome your barriers.

Lastly, involve your friends and family in your change.  Because eating is such a social activity, those around you can have a huge influence on how you fuel your body.  Surround yourself with people and places that will reduce temptations and you’ll be on your way to a healthier you—even after everyone else has given up on their resolutions!

For more information on healthy eating, and weight management check out the Your Health tab on the website www.dietitians.ca

Amanda Coulter

Year 3 Dietetics, UBC

As I sit here, drinking my hot pomegranate and trying my best to focus on my studying, I can’t help be excited (and distracted) by the holiday season quickly approaching.  This reminds me of a show I used to watch as a kid: The Weekenders.  The Weekenders was a cartoon about 4 friends, Tino, Lor, Carver, and Tish, and their weekend adventures together.  There was this episode that showed each character celebrating the holiday season in their respective ways:  Tish celebrated Hanukkah, Carver celebrated Kwanzaa, Lor celebrated Christmas, and Tino celebrated Winter Solstice.  I remember learning a bit about all these different celebrations and realizing how much more there was involved in this time of the year than I knew.  Here’s a brief summary of each celebration…

Hanukkah: Also known as the festival of lights, this 8-day celebration consists of a candle being lit each evening on a Menorah.  This holiday commemorates re-dedication of the holy Temple in Jerusalem. 

Kwanzaa: A week-long celebration (Dec 26-Jan 1) that honors African heritage, through a feast and gift-giving.It consists of seven core principles called the Nguzo Saba: Unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith.

Christmas: Perhaps the most celebrated across the globe, this holiday commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ for Christians.  It is also a holiday linked to Santa Clause, stockings, gift-giving, and candy canes.

Winter Solstice:  This is when the Sun is appearing at noon at its lowest altitude above the horizon.  Across the globe, there are many interpretations of the event, varying from culture to culture, but most Northern Hemisphere cultures hold a recognition of rebirth, involving festivals, gatherings, rituals or other celebrations around that time.

Whatever you are celebrating this season, whether it be one of these festivities described above or just being with loved ones, I wish you a happy, restful, and enjoyable holiday break. 

Happy Holiday,

Sef.

Sleep Time

By: Caitlin Funk, Senior Advisor in Fairview Crescent

Mental wellness starts with you – your decisions, your promises. A good place to start improving your mental wellness is to make sure you get a good night sleep. You might think that there just aren’t enough hours in the day for that to happen. Without a good night’s rest, you run the risk of performing poorly on exams, feeling anxious or sad or worried, and lowering your immune response which leaves you prone to illness. On the other hand, getting enough quality sleep will improve your ability to remember and retain new information. Sleeping the whole night improves your ability to learn; reason enough for students to prioritize quality sleep! Nearly 30% of UBC undergraduates have reported that sleep difficulties interfered with their academic performance in a previous year. Its time to change that statistic: getting enough sleep is good for your brain! If you are having trouble sleeping because you can’t fit everything in, try checking how you manage your time.

You might want to:

• track (and re-evaluate) how you are actually spending your time
• look carefully at your term and weekly schedules, to see where there are lulls and crunches
• start studying strategically. (For help, check out the online resources from UBC Learning Commons.)

If you’re having trouble getting to sleep, reflect, and see what you can do, such as:

•  avoid caffeine, alcohol, and smoking
• do not exercise within two hours of bedtime
• stick to the same bedtime routine every night.

      Final exams are at our door steps, and the number one thing on many residents’ minds is “Where can I find a good location to study?” The libraries are packed with people. There’s constant chatter in the residential commons areas. Distractions are constantly by your side. In this article, I am going to present a few lesser known areas that I’ve found to be really great for focusing on studies during the exam period. They are close to the residence, but far enough so that you don’t run into too many distractions.

      My personal favorite is SWING. Located just up the hill from Marine Drive, it offers multiple levels of free, open classrooms where you can study individually or with a group of friends. There are lots of spaces. The area is well maintained, well lit, well equipped with study tools such as white boards and presentation screens. The best part is that it is open 24hours a day, and 7 days a week. You don’t want to miss out on this building.

       Closer to home would be the Forestry Sciences Centre. While the computer labs are restricted, the commons area offers a quiet, elegant study space. There is a Tim Horton’s right in the building if you need a quick cup of coffee. In addition, there are also classroom spaces right on the first floor if the commons area is filled (it is a fairly busy place). Interesting, not many people use the classrooms. There are chalk boards in the rooms for drawing diagrams. As expected of an environmentally friendly faculty, the lights in the classrooms are automatic. Lights switch off after 15 minutes if no motions are detected. The only down side is that this building only opens during week days until about 7pm, not weekends.

      MacMillan Building sports a more down to earth feel. It is the Land and Foods Systems building, and it is located right across from Forestry. There are many classrooms available for use on the second floor, and the third floor has a large study centre space. There are tutors available for 1^st and 2^nd year science courses in the area on weekdays. MacMillan opens 24hours on week days. It is not very well known, but it certainly is a great space to get work done.

      These are just a few examples of alternative spaces which can be utilized for study purposes when classes are not in session. Next time you walk around buildings related to your faculty, take note of what resources are available and what spaces are free to use. You will find your very own top study spots.

Zhihao (James) Xu

It is that time of the year again: it is the time of spending 24 hours a day studying for your back-to-back exams. You’ve made it so far and it’s just the last little effort before you can be set free for the winter break. Focusing so much on studying, we tend to let good nutrition slide down our priority list. So here are some tips for nourishing your body and boosting your energy to make it through the exams.

Choose brain enhancing over brain blocking foods!

Protein-rich foods lead to longer energy and mental awareness. These foods will keep your energy up during your long exams! Some examples include eggs, fish and nuts.

Stay away from foods that are high in refined sugar or white flour, such as chocolate, candies, white bread and pasta, cookies, and muffins. Instead choose mostly whole grain-based carbohydrates, as the high fibre content in these carbohydrates help keep you full longer. Some whole grains include whole wheat, brown rice and quinoa.

Prepare these quick snacks/meals to pack with you:

• Fruits and vegetables: apples, bananas, oranges are easy to grab and go. They’re rich in vitamin C, potassium, fiber and B vitamins.
• Enjoy your vegetables with your favorite dip or, even better, have them with hummus for added protein. You can also have apples with peanut butter; it tastes great and gives you energy to carry on studying.
• Head to the grocery store in the bulk section and select your favorite nuts like almonds, walnuts, and cashews. Add some dried fruits like cranberries, raisins and apricots. They’re great to munch on while studying.
• Grab some granola and add them to your yogurt. They have lots of protein and are energy boosting.

Boost your brain with water and reduce caffeine consumption:

Drink enough water before and during your exam. Your body consists of 60% water, so by drinking water, you will replenish your body fluids, which will give you more energy. Add lime, lemon or cucumber wedges to your water for some enhanced flavor.

So what about coffee? After studying all day, it’s easy to over-consume caffeine to keep yourself awake! The effect of caffeine varies from person to person. Caffeine could have positive effects, such as increased concentration and alertness. However, in some individuals caffeine can cause disturbance of sleep, headaches, and nervousness. High caffeine intake has been shown to be associated with slight decline in calcium balance.

Finally, get enough sleep! It’s easy to get into the habit of studying late and cramming all night. Having a good sleep the night before the exam gives you enough energy to carry on with your exam. To be functional during exams, you need both healthy nutrition and adequate sleep!

Take those tips with you and start packing your day-long snacks and meals and start studying to ace those exams!

Ghazal Haghnegahdar

3^rd Year Dietetics

We all have those teachers that we just can’t stand to listen to and those classes we dread sitting in for hours… The ones that make us want to skip class, change our major, or even give up on school altogether. Well have no fear; there is an education revolution coming! My discovery this past week was a wonderful thing that I am sure will change the world: online teaching from some of the top schools and professors in the world. There are a couple of sites that I have discovered that are offering lectures and practice to students all around the world in a variety of subjects, and the best part… it’s completely FREE!

The first site, and my personal favourite, is Coursera. This site offers classes taught by professors from schools all over North America (including our very own UBC!) and has lectures in a wide variety of subjects, from computer science to sustainability.  You can sign up for a course which takes place over a few months. You will be able to learn at your own pace from some of the greatest professors in the world, test your knowledge, and reinforce what you have learned through interactive activities.  I highly recommend checking out this site if you are looking to expand your knowledge or improve your skills in a class you may currently be taking. The website for Coursea is: https://www.coursera.org/

The second site is Khan Academy. This site is not as interactive as Coursera, but still offers online lectures in a variety of subjects. I recommend this site if you are looking for help in a subject you are already taking as I found it more useful for explaining a topic I had already heard about rather than teaching me something completely new.  You listen to a professor and see drawings and diagrams on the screen as he/she is talking. The website for Khan Academy is: http://www.khanacademy.org/

I highly recommend browsing through these sites and trying them out! These sites are fantastic resources to enhance your learning, and remember… knowledge is power!

Are you an international student interested in living and working in Canada permanently after graduation? Government officers from the BC Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) and Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) will give a presentation about how to apply for Canadian permanent residency through BC PNP, Canadian Experience Class (CEC) and new PhD stream. They will speak and answer questions about most updated government regulations and application procedures. It is recommended that you should get basic information about BC PNP (http://www.welcomebc.ca/wbc/immigration/come/work/about/index.page), CEC and PhD Steam (http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/index.asp) before attending the info session.

This session will provide you with the information required in planning and building your career in Canada, and will prepare you for Launch Your Career in Canada, an event held in early 2013 that provides an opportunity to connect with employers and UBC international alumni, learn more about the Canadian job market, and get tips on finding a great job in Canada.

Date and Time:  Tuesday, November 13^th from 2:00 to 4:00 pm.

Location: Woodward (Instructional Resources Centre-IRC),Room 2, 2194 Health Sciences Mall, http://www.maps.ubc.ca/PROD/index_detail.php?show=y,n,n,n,n,y&bldg2Search=n&locat1=475

Online Registration at https://secure.students.ubc.ca/workshops/international.cfm#2344