Q + A, Part 4

15 May, 2013 by Claire | Leave a comment

Today I’m answering another handful of the questions y’all have submitted. Be sure to readpart 1, part 2, and part 3 to see if I answered your question or just to check out the answer to something you probably wanted to know anyway. If you’re still feeling snubbed, please submit any question you’d like!

Will doing 100 ab crunches a day for thirty days give you evident results?
The most definitive answer I can give you to this question is no. Unfortunately, you can’t really target fat loss that way and, more often than not, the moves you make in the kitchen will deliver more results than the moves you make in the gym. Think about it this way: you can consume calories far faster than you can burn them. So, if you’re looking to get bikini-ready abs, I’d suggest a calorie-conscious diet full of whole foods, cardio, and strength training (including those crunches, if you’d like).

You mentioned that you did Weight Watchers when you were younger. What are your thoughts on it now?
I’ve had a couple stints with Weight Watchers and excluding my undergraduate nutrition education, it has probably provided me with the most knowledge about healthy eating. Recording your food as PointsPlus is a great way to exercise portion control and hold yourself accountable for what you put in your mouth.

My only qualm about their new system (assuming this is still how it works) is that fruit is zero points. For most people who don’t particularly enjoy fruit as a snack, this is probably an effective way to get them eating more. And while fruit is a nutrient-dense alternative to many snacks that are nutritionally empty, it still has calories. As someone who loves fruit, I was happy I could consume cups of it between meals to stifle my hunger without dipping into my daily PointsPlus for the day. That extra couple hundred calories or so, however, definitely stifled my weight loss, as well.

I have the BIGGEST sweet tooth ever, which has been a problem since I am trying to lose the 20 pounds I gained freshman year. What can I do to keep me away from the sweets?
I think your best bet will be to indulge in your cravings from time to time, but in a slender way. There are lots of lower calorie alternatives to satiate a sweet tooth, and totally avoiding the things you love is just going to set yourself up for failure. I like to have a 100-150 calorie “safety net” left over at the end of the night for sweets that satisfy my sweet tooth. This includes things like sweet slender nachos, single serving mug brownies, or chocolate Greek froyo.

May 2013 Plank Challenge

1 May, 2013 by Claire | 4 Comments

After seeing a few monthly challenges floating around the fitness blog/Instagram world, I decided to make my own version! I include planks in many of my Slender Set workouts because they’re effective in engaging your abs, obliques, triceps, back, shoulders, and even your inner thigh muscles. If you’re up for the challenge, print this out, stick it on your wall, and plank it out with me all month long. Tag me (@theslenderstudent) on Instagram and show me your progress!

Sunstone Yoga and Hot Pilates Giveaway

18 April, 2013 by Claire | 23 Comments

When I first opened the e-mail from Sunstone, I was ready to write it off. I don’t know what it is about yoga, but I’ve never been able to get into it. I think it might have something to do with the amount of blood that rushes to my head after 30 minutes of downward dog…

Ok, I’m not a marketing major or anything, but even I know that I probably shouldn’t be telling you how much I hate yoga before imploring you to enter a yoga giveaway. Well, I actually went to Sunstone for the first time to try Metal, their hot pilates class. Pilates I can get down with, and Metal was one of the most intense pilates classes I’ve ever taken. Set at 90° F, Metal takes you through many of the traditional pilates moves, but with spurts of boot camp style cardio added in. I left drenched in sweat and woke up the next day feeling like every muscle in my body was made of a taut rubber band.

Despite my original hesitation, I didn’t think I could post a giveaway to Sunstone without trying out one of their yoga classes. So, next I tried their Earth class. Earth is also set at 90° F and is described as a “power flow” class. I couldn’t believe how much I enjoyed it. I didn’t feel like I was just folding myself into a pretzel to no end, like I normally do. The instructor walked around, offering descriptive instructions about each move, so I finally understood which muscles should be engaged when. I also think most of my blood remained evenly dispersed throughout my circulatory system so, like, that might be a plus.

After my experience at Sunstone, I guess you could call me a convert. And if you’re interested in hot pilates, several hot yoga options, or just a really down to earth, non-judgmental studio that isn’t crawling with Lululemon-clad housewives, I suggest that you give Sunstone a try (check out all of the locations here; Texas only). Plus, cool story: Sunstone is offering five people the chance to win a free introductory class and free week at Sunstone for themselves and a friend. Rules for entering are below!

To enter the giveaway, leave a comment on this post, telling me a little bit about why you want to try out Sunstone. To increase your chances of winning, earn a second entry by liking both The Slender Student and Sunstone on Facebook, and then leaving a second comment here telling me that you did so.

Rules:
1. All entries must use a valid e-mail address.
2. Open to those with access to a Sunstone studio near them.
3. Comments must be entered before Thursday, April 25 at 3:00 PM central time.
4. The winner will be randomly selected and announced on Thursday, April 25 at 5:00 PM central time.

Slender Style: Patterned Leggings

9 April, 2013 by Claire | 1 Comment

Patterned pants have proliferated throughout the fashion scene. Not only have they managed to survive the changing seasons, but they’ve even made their way into our gyms. I’ve seen constellation pattern leggings on campus, neon tribal print on the treadmill, and the anatomy of the lower body all over the web.

What do you guys think of the trend? Spandex already draws enough attention below-the-belt and I’m not sure if I need any added emph-ass-is by slapping on some pattern.

this: Nike Relay Print, $58
that: Nike Pro Printed. $45
the other: Nike Sunset, $60

Here are some more mild choices on sale right now at Nike. Polka dots freak me out but I could get down with the other two. Will you be adding any of these to your cart?

The List

4 April, 2013 by Claire | 6 Comments

I often struggle with how personal I want The Slender Student to be. I hesitate to put it all out there for two reasons. Firstly, you could all be Craigslist Killers, or strangers with candy that want me to get in your van. Secondly, I’m just some random college girl whose blog you stumbled upon after clicking through some pretty food pictures on Pinterest. Admit it, you’re here for the healthy food porn, not to hear my life story.

Recently, however, I was telling an acquaintance something about a fast food venture fueled by libation, leaving her in complete disbelief that, “The Slender Student drunk eats?! At WHATABURGER?!” In that moment I realized that in sharing my healthy tips and recipes, I’ve (unintentionally) made myself out to be a nutritional saint. So today I’ve decided to share my list. My list consists of five things (though I’m sure there are more) I’m working on to improve my health. These are the things that I know I should be doing as a nutrition student, a health blogger, and a human, but that I don’t do because I’m well…a human.

I know from my own experience (and a buncha geeks’ research) that writing things down helps keep you accountable, so feel free to leave your own lists in the comments section. Immortalizing your goals on the interweb could make you that much more likely to achieve them, plus I’d just love to see them.