college – Rowan Fit

May 9, 2019May 9, 2019 Allison Foley

Farewell Post

Hi everyone! I just want to let all of my followers know that I will be ending my blog as the semester has come to an end. Covering the topic of health and fitness at Rowan has not only taught me even more, but I hope was able to teach you all a thing or two as well. Going out to do interviews and talk with professionals in the field has made me fall even more in love with my passion for health and fitness. While having to cover something interesting did not come so easy to me, I learned that what you blog about should be something you really have an interest for.

My favorite part about doing this blog was putting together my final project. Interviewing other Rowan students to see their opinions about eating healthy on campus was eye opening. My least favorite part was the audio post because of how hard using the apps audacity and soundcloud was for me.

Maybe one day in the future when I have more time on my hands I will start blogging about health and fitness again, but as for now, this is the end.

Here is a link to my top 5 posts.

https://rowanfit.home.blog/2019/05/09/final-project/

https://rowanfit.home.blog/2019/04/01/profile-of-fitness-blogger-gabrielle-gluckman/

https://rowanfit.home.blog/2019/03/12/how-alcohol-puts-a-strain-on-your-fitness-goals/

https://rowanfit.home.blog/2019/03/05/qa-with-a-college-fitness-blogger/

https://rowanfit.home.blog/2019/02/19/moving-away-from-home-can-be-tough-but-staying-fit-doesnt-have-to-be/

May 9, 2019May 16, 2019 Allison Foley

Final Project

As it might have been easy to figure out through my previous posts, living and eating healthy in college is not so easy.

Recently, Rowan has been trying to broaden their dining options and building up more restaurants on Rowan Blvd.

For my final project I decided to go out and get students opinions on what it is like to eat healthy at Rowan.

What I concluded from these interviews is that considering the little options the university used to have, compared to what is available now has made eating healthy a little bit easier for students.

Rowan re-invented their dining hall by adding “Tapingo” which not only saves students on time, it gives healthier options and even allows students to see the amount of calories in the meal they are about to order.

Freshens is apart of the new dining all giving students smoothie, salad and wrap options. Their meals are all made with 100% clean ingredients. According to a Freshens employee, Rowan’s Freshens is #2 in the nation, just behind Virginia Tech.

Playa Bowls has recently made an appearance on campus as well, which might have been the best thing to happen to a healthy students life.

Besides having healthy meals to offer, Playa also sells, cleansing juices and health shots to keep you feeling your best.

In an Interview with Playa Bowls manger Madison Moores, she says “Rowan needs more than just Playa Bowls and Freshens for healthy options.”

I was lucky enough to get two seniors throughout my interviews who have seen rowans dining selection evolve into what it is today and compare it with how it used to be.

22 year-old Brianna Lecaros says, “Rowan is definitely building up to give students more options.”

Checkout this video to find out more of what students think about eating healthy at Rowan.

April 23, 2019April 23, 2019 Allison Foley

Let’s Talk Numbers

If you didn’t know already, the way you lose weight is by burning more calories than you consume in a day. Counting your daily intake of calories is an effective way to reach your goal.

To figure out how many calories you should be consuming in a day, you need to measure your BMI and combine that factor with how active you are. You can find this out on the livestrong website. When you figure out what your daily goal should be, you should record your meals into an app such as, myfitnesspal. This app tells you how many calories, fat, carbs and more about what you are eating. On top of all that, it’s free too.

Here at Rowan, students have an option to order food through the app Tapingo. Not only is this app convenient for saving time, but it lists how many calories are in the meal you are getting. This makes it easy for students to stay on track with accurate numbers.

Seeing how many calories are in a meal definitely helps me make my decision when it comes down to it. It is also good for when you are trying to plan your calories for the day ahead of time. Calculating what you expect to eat throughout the day will prevent over and under eating.

One of the healthier options at Rowan is Freshens. They have fresh food options from salads, wraps and even smoothies. A great option from here is the strawberry kale salad. According to the app, the salad only consists of 320 calories, which would fit perfect into an everyday diet.

April 10, 2019April 13, 2019 Allison Foley

A Day in the Life of a Healthy Rowan Student

Rowan senior, Claire Ciullo gives us an inside look of what an average day looks like for her here on campus. The 22-year-old is extremely health conscious and after being at Rowan for the past couple of years, she shares some tips that could be helpful to you.

Ciullo tells us what she recommends picking up for your lunch or dinner on campus.

April 1, 2019April 1, 2019 Allison Foley

Profile of Fitness Blogger, Gabrielle Gluckman

Gabby Gluckman, from Basking Ridge, NJ, has a huge passion for fitness that she shares through her website. Growing up as a competitive cheerleader, Gluckman has always been in good shape. She decided to start her blog summer of 2018, following her college graduation.

In an interview with Gluckman, she shares why she wanted to start her blog.

“After graduation, I didn’t have direct face to face contact with as many people as I use to during college and wanted to still allow them to have my opinion on certain topics. I had friends messaging me about blogging about topics, and they told me I should start a blog about it since I get questions so much.”

While Gluckman loves sharing her knowledge, she goes on to say that while having a full-time job and a social life, blogging can be hard to keep up with. Despite the major time commitment, Gluckman shares her favorite part about being a fitness blogger.

“I think sharing information about a topic I love and receiving feedback is the best part. Additionally, I love receiving DM’s from people I have never met that have read a post, or saw a Instagram photo. I love when they relate to something I have spoken about.”

The 22 year-old is a Pure Barre instructor at her local studio.

Barre is a type of exercise using dance movements and positions combined with yoga and pilates exercises. Barre is performed in group classes using a ballet barre and other equipment such as free weights, yoga balls and resistance bands. Barre classes develop lean muscle tone such as a ballerina would have. This full body workout is for all types of people and is a fun way to burn hundreds of calories.

Gluckman shares a piece of advice for others thinking about starting their own blog.

“I think the best advice I have is to write about a topic you personally have a connection to. Additionally, do not force something that is not you into yourself. If you are into fitness and health …. don’t push fashion blogging on to yourself. It is going to come off as unnatural and readers/viewers will see that.”

Take a look at Gabby’s blog here.

March 12, 2019March 12, 2019 Allison Foley

How Alcohol Puts A Strain On Your Fitness Goals

Binge drinking and college students is something that we often hear paired together. Between Greek Life, Bars or even casual hangouts with your friends, alcohol is almost always involved. Increasing your alcohol consumption in college can easily lead to what we know as the “freshman 15.” The freedom you get when coming to college may seem exciting at first, getting carried away with all the late nights and parties can take a toll on your physical appearance.

Alcohol is filled with nothing but empty calories, carbs and sugars. Here is a simple break down of what the nutrition facts look like for different types of alcohol…

Photo Credit: Creative Commons

Drinking these extra calories late at night will do nothing but sit in your stomach as you fall asleep. Since you will not be active and burning them off, the stored calories, carbs and sugars will turn to fat.

When you are drinking hard liquor you need something to chase it down with. Soda, Lemonade and Fruit Punch are all go to’s for trying to mask that awful taste of whatever vodka you are drinking that night. Your chaser can easily add-on extra calories to your night of drinking, but it does not have to be that way. There are plenty of zero calorie, sugar-free chaser’s that taste just as good without adding more calories. My favorite is the Sparkling Ice Waters.

Besides drinking all these calories, these late night get together usually end with a fast food run. It is so easy to access to multiple fast food places, especially on Rowan’s campus. Dominos, Pizza Hut, Cookie Munchers and so many more places are located within walking distance from the campuses dorms. Because alcohol stimulates your appetite, you crave greasy, unhealthy foods. While you are under the influence you also have an impaired inhibitory control, which leads you to eat a greater amount of food than you do while sober.

A popular drunk food at Rowan is Domino’s stuffed cheesy bread. One piece of this bread has 120 calories. If you eat all 8 pieces, which apparently is common around here, that is 960 calories. Between all the food you consumed throughout the day, the calories from alcohol, your chaser and late night take-out, you are bound to exceed 3,500 calories which is equal to one pound of fat.

So you still want to be able to go out and have fun, but don’t want all these unneccessary calories racking up throughout the night right? Here are some tips you can use that won’t let all your time eating healthy and going to the gym become a waste.

First, find an alcohol that has the least carbs and sugars you can find. A good one I will recommend is Kettle One Botanical. This vodka has zero carbs, sugars and is low in calories! You can chase this with one of the sparkling ice waters that I mentioned earlier and you will have a more health conscious drink combo. Next, Eat a healthy meal before you go out so you are less tempted to eat after you have been drinking. Lastly, skip the late night fast food run. If you just go to sleep you will feel a lot better about yourself than if you were to wake up next to a pile of leftovers.

Photo Credit: Creative Commons

March 5, 2019March 5, 2019 Allison Foley

Q&A With A College Fitness Blogger

For this weeks post I was able to interview a local fitness blogger from Rowan University. Gianna Ciricillo, 21, is a student who is extremely passionate about living a healthy lifestyle. Gianna has competed in fitness competitions and has her own fitness instagram, to share tips and inspiration for other students looking to get fit. Here are some of the things I got to learn about from our interview…

Q: How do you balance a social life and staying fit?

A: I balance these two by planning my times each day of when to train based on my social life schedule.

Q: What do you usually eat in a day?

A: Nutrient dense foods in moderation, good fats, proteins and carbs.

Q: How often do you workout?

A: 5 days a week. I lift 4 times a week and do cardio all 5.

Q: Do you count calories? If so, do you find it helpful in staying fit?

A: I count calories but I also count macros which is proteins, fats and carbs. I use the app myfitnesspal to keep track.

Q: What is it like to have a fitness account?

A: Having a fitness account gives you somewhere to be accountable for your progress and motivation.

Q: Any tips you have for students who want to stay fit in college?

A: To have a planner, stay prepared with healthy foods and plan your schedule around going to the gym.

Check out Gianna’s Instagram account, @gc_fitt here…

February 19, 2019March 5, 2019 Allison Foley

Moving Away From Home Can Be Tough, But Staying Fit Doesn’t Have To Be

Going away to college is a big change to experience. For most of us, It is our first time living on our own and having to make choices for ourselves. We don’t have our parents making us healthy home cooked meals or a set routine like we are used to from high school. Some may see this as “freedom” where they can finally eat and do whatever they want, but those unhealthy choices will definitely catch up to you and you may be left experiencing the freshman 15.

First let’s talk about the dining hall. With so many options from pizza to french fries to pasta, why would you even think to get anything else? These choices can be tempting, especially if all of your friends are getting them too, but your diet is one of the most important factors in staying fit in college. Here are some tips you should follow for eating healthy in the dining hall.

Photo credits: Ally Foley

Something that a lot of students also face is no longer participating in extra curricular activities such as sports, that have kept them in shape all of high school. It is important to make sure you are keeping active in order to stay fit. Here at Rowan, there are two fitness centers available to students for free with your student ID. Since it is free you have no excuses not to make use of it! Another great part about the gyms on campus is their long hours. Monday-Thursday the gym is open from 7am to 11pm, with slightly shorter hours on weekends. This makes it easy to fit a nice workout session into anyones schedule. Check here to see often you should work out each week to stay in shape.

So we know that working out and eating healthy is key to looking good, but the benefits are endless. Feeling stressed and overwhelmed with change or school work is common in a college students life. Believe it or not, but working out is one of the best ways to relieve stress and boost your happy chemicals known as endorphins. Trust me on this one, increase the amount you workout and you will overall be a happier person.

The last thing I will share to help avoid the dreaded “freshman 15” is to be more conscious of what you are doing in your daily routine. Walk to class instead of drive. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Drink water instead of calorie filled drinks. Get at least 6 to 8 hours of sleep. Lastly, listen to your body. It is okay to enjoy a burger or some ice cream here and there. It is even recommended by many nutritionists to allow your body a cheat meal. You don’t have to look at these changes as a diet, but as a healthy lifestyle that will overall make you feel and look your best.

February 19, 2019February 19, 2019 Allison Foley

Making The Best Of Dorm Life

I’m sure most of us can agree that living in a dorm is not the most ideal. Personally for my freshman year here at Rowan, I did not have access to a kitchen in my dorm. This was a struggle for me because I like to cook my meals myself to know exactly what I am putting into my body, but with no other option, I was forced to make the best out of the space around me.

Having a well-balanced diet is important when it comes to staying fit away from home. Living in a dorm it becomes easy to be lazy and just order in a pizza every night for dinner. Something that I highly recommend is investing in a mini fridge for your room. Having this will allow you to broaden your options of healthy foods. Instead of loading up on processed foods and snacks like microwaveable mac and cheese or chips, you can store things like grilled chicken, fruits, vegetables and yogurt. Keeping healthy options on hand in your dorm room will help prevent the likelihood of ordering take out or over snacking. Here is a list of snacking options that you can keep in your dorm without racking up crazy amounts of calories.

While your dorm space may feeling like you are living in a shoe box, there is actually enough space to get a workout in. There will be days where it is freezing cold or uncomfortably hot outside and will make you not want to make that walk to the gym. These were the days where I brainstormed what I could do in my room to burn off extra calories, so here is what I came up with. Keep a set of dumb bells and a yoga mat underneath your bed. Dumbbells are versatile enough to use for an arm, leg or ab workout. The yoga mat will add extra comfort between you and the hardwood floor. Click here for some of my favorite dorm room exercises.

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Photo credits: creative commons