By Hunter Samuelson
Contributing Writer
We have all heard the voice. It’s up and ready by seven in the morning to allure you, tempt you, haunt you. There’s no way you won’t run into it throughout your day.
It’s the voice of the Hickey Cookie.
But maybe it’s not the cookie for you. Maybe it’s the donut bites, or the hash brown potatoes you ate for breakfast, the crunchy corn dog for lunch or the taco pizza for dinner.
It’s not totally your fault. College kids live a busy lifestyle.
But as all fitness gurus will tell you, it’s not about having time. It’s about making time.
Eating a small breakfast
Losing weight is a matter of calories in versus calories out, so of course we’ll all shed the pounds if we take as little in as possible, starting as soon as we wake up! Wrong. Have you ever been to Europe and experienced the huge breakfasts they have? If you ever go to a hotel in Europe, they will surely have out meat and cheese, eggs with vegetable sides like tomatoes, rolls, nuts, fruit and endless bread. So why are they skinnier than us?
After breakfast, Europeans usually have medium lunches and small dinners. They eat a big breakfast so they have calories to burn off throughout the day.
Americans who try to eat light all day and then indulge in a huge dinner usually don’t do enough activity at the end of the day to burn off calories from a huge dinner.
Put down the granola bar and eat breakfast like a king.
Muffins are healthy versions of cupcakes, go ahead and have seven!
If you’re trying to be healthy by having a banana nut muffin every morning, you’re better off with a donut. According to Campusdish.com (Hickey nutritional website) muffins are 237.05 calories of sugar and fat. That’s more than the dulce de leche brownies, which are 223.01 calories.
Haha, no.
If you want to lose weight, learn to feast with fat. Carbs do not keep you full for long. A little fat goes a long way, just keep the intake to around 30 percent of your daily calorie intake. But this doesn’t mean you can devour the Hickey’s spiced pumpkin blondies like a famished wolf.
Sodium slurping
As winter approaches, a bowl of soup seems to be like the perfect healthy meal. But even the reduced-sodium and low-fat versions of soup have high sodium. Sodium raises blood pressure, bloats us, and makes us feel sluggish.
The parfait myth
So you thought the parfait was the key to satisfying your sweet tooth while still staying healthy? You thought wrong.
Sweetened yogurt, (any yogurt that isn’t plain) is the only yogurt the Hickey offers. Yup, that white yogurt isn’t plain, it’s vanilla, and it’s very high in added sugar. (So is the granola on top.) Buy your own plain Greek yogurt with fresh fruit sprinkled with whole grain cereal.
Get naked
This is the only time you’ll be allowed to follow this advice, so take advantage of it. Gravies and sauces are the ultimate traps in the Hickey. The chunky chicken salad is 717.03 calories because it’s loaded with mayo and mustard. You’re better off putting a plain grilled chicken in your wrap. Get into the habit of eating food without salty sauces or seasonings, and watch out for those hidden dressings.
Why you should eat that cookie
Remember to be mindful of what you’re eating, but don’t overthink it. It’s just as unhealthy to be obsessed with healthy eating as it is to be obsessed with unhealthy eating.
To avoid being that person, just eat the cookie. I know I told you to resist the alluring voice of the Hickey cookie, but if you obsess about making the right choice, you’ll obsess over the wrong choice, and if you refuse to eat just a bit, you’ll binge.
There is a difference between dieting and being a healthy eater. Even though we think dieting is all about thinking less about food, paradoxically, dieters who restrict food intake and deprive themselves of sweet treats only become more obsessed with food.
Treating yourself is just as important as eating healthy. Just like how rest and recovery is important for the prevention of injuries in exercise, Hickey cookies and brownies are important for the prevention of feeling deprived. A healthy eater is not somebody who resists temptations. It’s somebody who knows when to give into them and when not to.
How to Earn the Hickey Cookie
Can’t get rid of the post cookie devouring guilt that lingers in our head and makes us feel worthless? Fortunately, you live near a recreation center with an open multi-purpose court and cardio equipment with wireless internet.
According to Rob DeFazio, director of the Center of Activities and Recreational Leadership, the aerobics room offers yoga, pilates and ab lab, so there’s always the opportunity for toning and sculpting your core.
Also, according to DeFazio, the aerobics room will offer Fitness on Demand soon:
“It’s a system where students can request a group fitness activity and there is a wall-mounted kiosk where the student selects the group exercise they want, and a 10-feet-wide screen drops from the wall projector, and the class begins,” DeFazio said.
Fitness on Demand is also flexible with busy schedules, said Defazio.
“For time length, each class varies. Some workouts can be twenty minutes, others can be for an hour, and it will be available whenever the Richter Center is open.”
With an electronic instructor always available for you to come break a sweat, you have zero excuses.
To look up the nutrition facts for everything on the Hickey Menu, click the link:
http://www.campusdish.com/en-US/CSNE/StBonaventure/Locations/
