Puissance » Heath

Soft Water Supplied to UWaterloo Main Campus Buildings

Puissance — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 05:05:37 +0000

Showering at the Physical Activities Complex (PAC), I noticed that I felt more slippery than usual. I thought that they must use soft water. Today, I find out that soft water is indeed supplied to all main campus buildings at the University of Waterloo because they are shutting down the soft water supply for a few hours.

Soft water is easier on your skin. You can use less soap and it will lather well. For more information, check out the links below.

Links: WiseBread – Do You Really Need “Soft” Water?
Wikipedia – Water Softening
Source: Dec. 9, 2008 – UW Daily Bulletin

Telehealth Ontario

Puissance — Tue, 20 May 2008 02:29:28 +0000

The Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care offers a free service that gives you access to a registered nurse to answer your questions and to give you advice. My dad and I called this service on a Sunday night at 11pm over the long weekend. A nurse answered the call within half a minute. We had questions regarding Tylenol, amoxicillin, and some symptoms. During the confidential call, the nurse was clear, understandable, and very polite. She offered us two options: (1) answer our questions about medication or (2) proceed with an over-the-phone assessment of the symptoms. We opted for the assessment and asked questions about the medication afterwards. She was knowledgeable and knew about all the drugs that we talked about. She went through the assessment and provided some sound advice. All our questions were answered and I hung up the phone as a satisfied caller. For those who are seeking medical advice, this service is available 24/7. If it isn’t a medical emergency and you have a question, I highly recommend calling Telehealth Ontario to take advantage of this wonderful service.

Link for more information: Telehealth Ontario
Phone Number: 1-866-797-0000

Stress – No Longer Useful, Harmful?

Puissance — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 14:58:23 +0000

Stress activates the sympathetic nervous system, which elevates heart rate and prepares the body for action. Nowadays, stress is useful in many situations. It helps us meet deadlines, make it into work on time, and study harder. However, too much stress multiplies itself and weakens the immune systems. Stress makes us uncomfortable, so we automatically want to get rid of it. If we are able to remove the stressors, then the stress was useful. However, if we fail to remove stressors, then the stress was harmful. This can lead to learned helplessness where a person begins to feel powerless and if it becomes serious, it can worsen into a depression.

I think that we’ve been quite adaptive with stress because it can be useful in so many situations, but stress is now a common occurrence in our everyday lives. With such busy lives, it’s not easy removing all the stressors. We simply live with too much stress. In the past, people felt stressed when they were hungry or in danger. Today, people feel stress on the drive to work, at work, and at home.

Since stress can be harmful, let’s take a look at what we can do to reduce it:

Reduce commute time – traffic is a stressor, more time to do other things is a relief
Schedule some “me” time to do what you enjoy
Spend time with family and friends – socializing helps
Work to eliminate stressors
De-clutter your environment
Write things down
Manage your time
Listen to music
Exercise for 30 minutes a day
Plan ahead
Sleep

Lastly, have confidence because you can do it!

My Training Plan

Puissance — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 04:29:08 +0000

Background Info:
Last year, I focused on cutting fat and overall health through cardiovascular exercise. I started off by skipping 30 minutes a day for several months. Then I went swimming regularly for 4 months. I lost 10-15 lbs of fat and now I am focusing on building muscle. I realized that this method wasn’t the best approach because I did too much cardio. However, my workout plan does not include any cardio now. I am doing this for both health and appearance. I realize that this is a lifestyle change as well. I will need to spend time training and eat well through a stricter diet. I encourage others to join me and we can be workout buddies!

My Main Goals:

Build 30 lbs of muscle mass over 3 years (10 lb/year, 3.33 lb/season, 0.83 lb/month)
Visible Rectus Abdominis
Broader shoulders (Trapezius and Deltoids)

My Mass Builder Exercise Plan

My plan consists of total body workouts using mainly compound movements with emphasis on shoulders, chest, and abs to meet my goals. Although power lifting techniques are the best, I did not include them because they are difficult and I don’t want to hurt myself. I will consider trying them when I’m stronger. I keep a workout log and if I notice improvements, I will increase the weight. I understand that this plan is not perfect, but I have tried upper/lower body splits and push/pull/leg splits and they haven’t worked well for me. I also don’t do squats everyday because my knees are bad. Any suggestions are welcome.

Day 1:
Bench Press
Deadlift
Military Press
Chin Ups
Rows
Abs (2 exercises, 3 sets of 15-25 reps each)

Day 2:
Bench Press
Deadlift
Military Press
Inclined Dumbbell Press
Side Lateral Raise
Rear Lateral Raise

Day 3:
Squats
Bench Press
Military Press
Flies
Reverse Barbell Curls
Alternating Dumbbell Curls
Abs (3 exercises, 3 sets of 15-25 reps each)

Ab Exercises:
Push (Serratus) Crunches
Hanging Leg-Hip Raises (can also be done straight leg)
Inclined Twisting Crunches
Leg Lifts
Jack-knife Sit-ups
Cable Kneeling Crunches
Dumbbell Side Bends (Obliques)

My Diet:
I don’t have a detailed diet plan, but I eat 4-5 times a day and it includes these foods:
protein powder (post workout only)
chicken breasts
tuna sandwiches
turkey sandwiches
roast beef sandwiches
cereal
rice
broccoli
cauliflower
apples
bananas
oranges

Once I hit a plateau, I will return to my original push/pull split to focus on certain body parts. Now I just have to be consistent, eat a lot, and hit the gym 3 times a week. Wish me luck!

Add an Apple to Lunch

Puissance — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 18:20:04 +0000

When I’m in school, I eat small lunches because they are quick. However, my stomach never feels full. For lunch, I usually eat either a sandwich or a 250g microwaveable lunch with a glass of (orange) juice. The entrée is usually from 200-300 calories and the glass of juice is 150 calories. If I add an apple to satisfy my stomach, I’m only adding 75 more calories. In total, I would be getting around 475 calories for lunch.

If you normally eat huge portions and want to eat healthier with smaller portions, the starch in apples will easily satisfy your stomach, so try adding one to your lunch. They’re healthy!

Swimming

Puissance — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 06:17:07 +0000

I went for a 20 minute swim the other day to examine the possibility of going swimming to replace jogging. I concluded that it is definitely viable. I have taken swimming lessons when I was a child, failing the beginner levels of “tadpole” and “goldfish” a few times. However, I still remember how to move my body in the water and it’s amazing. For this reason, I think all children should learn how to swim. Although I do not have the best form and technique, I was able to cross the length of the pool without stopping midway. After several of these lengths, I began to feel the fatigue and my muscles began to tense up, especially my triceps. The resistance that water possesses is excellent.

Swimming requires the full body and is a great cardiovascular exercise as it increases the heart rate. It also involves breath control, which is one of the toughest factors of swimming in my opinion. You’ll get a really good sense of achievement from swimming because you’re exercising, you’re performing difficult techniques, and you’re on your way to a better looking body.

Moreover, the pool is a great place to socialize and meet people. On my first day, I met two people who were swimming at that pool for the first time as well. We only had a few short conversations, but it was still very interesting. Keep in mind that the pool is open for all skill levels. There will be pros, there will be noobs, and there will be those who just want to chill in the water.

Next time I go, I will be attempting the following routine:

Stretch during shower
Tread water for a few minutes as warm up
Front crawl one length, back crawl back and repeat a few times
I’ll do some breaststroke in between

But after 20 minutes, I’ll feel tired, nevertheless, very good. It feels even better when you walk outside after a good swim. And if it’s an outdoor pool, it’s probably the best. Lastly, if you are looking for something that will keep you active during the summer, I highly recommend swimming. You get to socialize, exercise, and feel good. I’m sure lessons are available for those who want to learn. I’ve included a link below to a site with some nice guides to basic swimming techniques, too.

Link: BBC Sport – Front crawl basics
Source: CNN – The benefits of: Swimming

Obesity Chart

Puissance — Sun, 03 Jun 2007 01:42:34 +0000

Here is something interesting. It shows obesity percentages of populations in multiple countries. Check it out:
Wellington Grey — Miscellanea — World obesity

Carbonated and Flavoured Water

Puissance — Mon, 28 May 2007 00:41:37 +0000

I was walking home ~~from an eventful night one early Saturday morning~~ and decided that I needed to drink some water. I went into a snack shop and purchased two bottles of water because they were on sale. When I opened it, I realized that it was carbonated and I read the label to see exactly what it was. It read, “Carbonated water beverage.” I know about flavoured water, but now they come both flavoured and carbonated, just like soda. I drank some and tasted it. To my surprise, it tasted as good and as sweet as soda. By the way, I had the Aquafina (Pepsi) Sparkling Carbonated Water Beverage, Berry Burst. If it tastes so good, can it replace soda? Would it be healthier?

At this point, my answer is no. The current bottle that I have shows LOW CALORIE on the label and from their website, a 0 calorie bottle of the same flavour is now available. They are probably researching methods to make their products seem healthier. All flavoured water contains some artificial sweeteners, such as Aspartame, Acesulfame-potassium, and/or Sucralose. These have low or zero calories, but because they are artificial, debated health issues are present. These products are released by the same companies that produce popular soda beverages possibly because they are trying to expand their market to reach health-oriented people.

Since these products are still new and tests of chemicals used in sweeteners are not yet thorough, I would recommend that we limit our intake of these beverages. Overall, I would stay away from drinking large amounts of flavoured water, whether carbonated or not, and pop. If I’m thirsty, I would opt for water.

Sources:
Aspartame Warning
Pepsi Product Information
Wikipedia – Acesulfame potassium
Wikipedia – Aspartame
Wikipedia – Sucralose

Smog

Puissance — Sun, 27 May 2007 15:36:11 +0000

The other day there was a smog alert in Waterloo, which is somewhat of a rural region. Smog is a large collection of air pollutants in the air due to warmer weather conditions and high energy use, usually in heavily populated cities. I’ve been living in Toronto and smog is quite common, but I couldn’t believe that Waterloo has the same problem. Pulled from the Toronto Public Health website, the people at risk from smog are

Children
People with lung diseases and heart conditions
People who work, play sports or exercise outdoors
Pregnant women
People with asthma
Seniors
Smokers

When there is smog, some people may have difficulty breathing (shortness of breath) and suffer from irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat. If you are doing heavy exercises outside during a smog alert, you are intaking more air pollutants, so it’s best to avoid those activities.

The following tips are from airqualityontario.com:
How can we protect ourselves and reduce smog?

Reduce car use – all year round
Drive Clean
Turn off the lights
Set Your Air Conditioning Temperature a Few Degrees Higher
Limit use of small engine tools
Use air-friendly products
Delay exercising
Stay indoors
Don’t light up on smog alert days

Sources:
Smog – Toronto Public Health
Ministry of the Environment – Spare the Air Actions

Allergies

Puissance — Fri, 25 May 2007 04:08:00 +0000

As I walked outside the other day, environmental allergens were floating around. Sometimes they will be inhaled through my nose, sometimes they will make contact with my eyes, and sometimes they will land on my hair and clothing. Then I get reactions that most people are familiar with; the itchy eyes and the runny nose. I’ve got plenty of allergies and it’s mostly to green plants. Here are some preventive measures that I found useful:

Close all windows
Use air conditioning on recirculate
Change and wash clothing frequently
Shower at night
Stay indoors for early mornings and late afternoons

For symptom relief, you can try using drugs, but I never use them. It’s best to consult your physician before trying them. The most common are antihistamines, such as Claritin and Benadryl. It will reduce itchiness and irritation.

Sources:
Allergy Relief 101
Plagued by Pollen?
Do OTC Allergy Remedies Really Help?