A Seventeen year olds Perspective on Nutrition

Today I asked my 401/801 students to create their own blog.  This was a response from Zack Gould.

“As a seventeen year old I don’t think I know one other person my age that eats or at least tries to eat healthy.  It’s sad really how much people don’t know or just don’t care about there diets.  It’s like they don’t understand that they are pretty much killing themselves the way they feed their bodies.  I know people who eat complete junk on a day to day basis, like for breakfast (if they have any) they eat sugary cereal or muffins or even cookies. They don’t take in the fact that they are starting off the day with this meal and it is probably the most important one throughout the run of their day.” 

"During the run of a school day I can’t help but notice how my peers are eating, from what they eat at lunch to what they snack on at break.  It’s the normal thing for people during first break, which is still morning at around 10-oclock to go to the cafeteria and chow down on some cookies or some candy and chug back a sugary beverage.  And then at lunch you see the majority that are eating, eating “greasy” foods like garlic fingers, fries or even a bacon cheese burger.  It’s sad really how much they take there “diets” for granted and how important it actually is, “You are what you eat” as some would say.  I think it’s a major problem us as a whole world face and its over looked every day because it’s the normal thing to eat “junk”. When I’m eating something healthy, I feel like the odd one out because when I do so I never see someone else with anything even half healthy or beneficial to their body.  Eating shouldn’t be just for your “entertainment” it is for your health and well being as well!”

My response to Zack

This is great stuff !!! I am very impressed with your blog, and like your perspective.  It makes me wonder if there are any other students in the school who feel this way?  It's almost like we are statistical rarities if we choose to eat healthy.  It can be difficult going against the grain, but these are healthy habits that will pay dividends in the long run.  In the short term, we can enjoy our high energy levels that come from eating nutritious foods.  Thanks for the blog, and keep eating healthy!

Politics in Sport? A Blog from one of my students

"I recently got cut from the Pownal Red Devils in the Junior C league here on P.E.I. Now, in the 2 pre-season games I played I got 2 assists and my +/- was a solid +2, not to mention last season I played for the King County Kings in the Midget AAA league, so my stats kind of spoke for themselves. I was interested in why I got cut from this team. So I asked the coach why I got cut from the team.

He said that it actually has nothing to do with my skill level, it was because his team wasn’t aloud to take me because 9 years ago I started playing minor hockey for the Morell Mustangs in Atom (after the St. Peter’s Minor hockey Association folded forcing me to play hockey elsewhere.) I personally think this is ridiculous, I mean, what happened to the old days where people played where ever they felt they wanted to, now I’m forced to play for Morell (assuming the coach will take me) and I’d really rather leave.

Lets be honest, if I wanted to drive 3 hours twice a week to play for the Tignish Aces and they wanted me on their team, I should be aloud to play there, because it’s junior hockey, you don’t see the P.E.I. Rocket being made up entirely of Islanders, why? Because they’re a junior team looking to make the best team they can so they can win, sell tickets to their games and make money.

As for the players, I should have the right to play where I can be on a good team, get my fair share of ice time and most of all get treated with respect. All of which will get over looked here in Morell. This is the reason I want to leave, not coaching, not the players, but for those 3 reasons.

That’s why I think that the P.E.I.H.A. rules are flawed in this sense, not only will it make me as a player feel better about my team, seeing I picked my own team, but it will make the league as good as it possibly can be because you’ll have the best players moving around and more distributed.

This is why I think P.E.I.H.A should change some of their rules determining this matter, because the players deserve more, the teams deserve more, and the fans deserve more. Please make the junior leagues better by this."

Grab and Go Healthy Snack Foods

Who says eating healthy has to be unappetizing?  Quick, healthy snacks and healthy eating habits during your day will be the extra fuel your body needs! It is important to eat snacks throughout the day. This will keep your metabolism high and prevent overeating at major meals. We should not rely solely on breakfast, lunch, and dinner to provide our bodies with nutrients. We should aim for six smaller meals or three medium size meals with snacks in-between.  Try some of these delicious snacks to keep your energy levels sustained throughout the day. Not only do you get to eat more often (who doesn’t like to eat?), but your body will start to crave food every 2-3 hours. This is a good thing! As long as your putting high performance fuel in your body, weight gain will not happen! We do not gain weight from eating healthy food; we gain weight from eating refined, over-processed, junk food with no nutritional value.

Have you tried eating carrots and celery, pepper strips, cucumber or any favorite raw veggie and team with natural peanut butter or hummus…they are easy to pack, nutritious and taste great! 

How about a handful of dried cranberries or raisons, chocked full of nutrients and a great “anytime” snack.   Pack an apple, a small orange, or a banana for a quick treat between classes….no prep at all! 

Don’t forget the whole grain snacks…whole-wheat crackers or whole wheat bread. Top with peanut butter and/or sugar reduced strawberry jam, banana and you will have a sweet treat!  Don’t forget the dairy…low fat yogurt topped with fresh fruit and homemade granola or dried fruits is yummy. Grab milk or a peace of cheese at the cafeteria for some extra calcium.

After school snack? Nuts, especially almonds, if not allergic to, are a great snack with omega 3s and are great brain enhancers, and another quick grab and go snack.  Mix with raisons and dried cranberries and you have a great trail mix. A half-cup is a filling snack!

These treats are just a few grab and go snacks, for the in between healthy meals. If anyone has any other suggestions for quick snacks, please feel free to share your ideas and I will post! 
 

“Hang on for 50 minutes of pain for 12 months of glory”

With ideal running conditions and tremendous fan support along the way, my father and I both achieved our goals today in the Annual BMO PEI Marathon races.  My father, who is 54 years old, set a new personal best completing the 10 KM course in 47:26.  Not bad for a 54 year old man.  It makes me wonder, can you run faster then your father or mother? If so, can you run fast then my dad? Chances are slim, considering he finished 17^th overall out of 321 runners.  Great job Dad!

Completing my first half marathon, I was thrilled with my results.  I completed the 21 KM race in 1:28:29.  Prior to the start of the race, I said to my father, “hold on for 50 minutes of pain, for 12 months of glory.” Around the 16 KM mark I had to remind myself of this very important message and dig deep to keep pace.  With no stopwatch to calculate my running pace, I managed to break 1:30, which I had set as a goal prior to the start of the race. 

A beautiful day for a run and a great way to spend my Sunday morning! Life is Good :-)

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN KNOWING AND DOING - Blog

Fifty years ago, we did not know smoking was linked to cancer.  As a result, smoking was an acceptable past time and popular among all age groups.  You could smoke just about anywhere, including school.  At my old high school, my father recalls a designed smoking room near the school entrance that was always filled to capacity.   Since that time though, things have changed dramatically and smoking is considered unacceptable in most public places.  We now know the harmful effects of tobacco; thus the vast majority of us choose not to smoke.  Smoking, among many other terrible things it does to our body, causes cancer, and weighs heavily on the health care system.

If we know something is harmful to our body, why do we do it anyway? Why would we engage in any behavior that shortens our life? Why would we put anything into our bodies that is not pure?

If we could apply this same logic to food (why would we eat anything that does not contribute positively to our health) we would be a healthier society.  Our kids would not be developing diseases (typically not seen until adulthood), and our health care system would not be hampered by curable diseases, such as childhood obesity.

Why do we continue eating foods that supply little or  no nutritional value, make us overweight, cause disease, and shorten our lives? Why do we continue to pollute our bodies with sugar, fats and salt?  To answer my own question, I think the answer is quite simple.  There is a major difference between knowing and doing, especially with food!  Making unhealthy food choices is all too easy, as “entertainment food” is everywhere.  Much of our daily socialization revolves around food, and we find comfort in food.  We eat when we are sad, upset, or stressed rather than talk about our feelings. 

Without a doubt, food plays an enormous role in all of our lives.  Regardless what the role, or reasons why we eat, we must keep sight of the primary role of food.  Food is fuel for our bodies and should supply us with energy.  I guess this is the difference between knowing and doing. Sometimes we know what we should be doing, but fail to put these things into practice. 

A Boost in Confidence – My 16-Kilometer Run

With only 11 days until the PEI half Marathon I completed my longest run yesterday.  Despite the rain and wind I had an incredible run on the confederation trail.  I ran almost all the way to St Peters and back, which was a huge boost in confidence. Knowing that I only need to run another 4-Kilometers further (A half marathon is 20-kilometers) I know I have the base mileage to get the job done.  My 16-Kilometer run took me 1 hour 10 minutes, which theoretically makes me eligible to run the half marathon in 1.5 hours.  Based on previous years results, this could make me eligible to be in the top 10 finishers.  With only 11 days until my 1/2 marathon debut, I can’t wait to push my limits, and see what I am capable of accomplishing. I know one thing is for sure, “there is no limits, only the ones we impose on ourselves.”