The Isolation Insulation

I never had the chance to partake in O-Week. While I watched thousands of face-painted freshman cheer, laugh and parade around campus, excited to be embarking on a new journey, I was enduring the heat in two-a-day football practices at JW Little Stadium. I always thought the “freshman 40” was a myth, but after bumping into a number of my former high school mates, there was truth to it.

Unfortunately for many varsity athletes, they miss out on this rite of passage.

Fast forward twenty years and I’m getting to experience that rapid weight gain through the quarantine. This time around, the metabolism is (much) slower and there is nothing to offset the increased caloric intake. Over the past month, we’ve made cookies, bread, pretzels, chocolate brownies, and a cake with peanut butter ganache and marshmallow fondant. The rest of my family members have self-control. I do not. I am an emotional eater, grazer, and have no off-switch … I can’t remember the last time I felt full. Needless to say, I’ve eaten the ‘lion’s share’ of the sweets and the scale reflects that!

A study categorized participants into three groups: constant cravers, feasters,

and emotional eaters. Unfortunately, I'm all three.

Your metabolism is dependent on a number of factors: age, gender, genetics, hormones, and muscle mass. The quarantine has created a significant amount of additional stress on the majority of society. When our stress hormones (cortisol) are high, we turn to comfort foods (high fat + high sugar). The extra abdominal fat causes chemical changes that lead to lower metabolism and more weight gain. The extra weight causes further stress and the cycle repeats itself.

We have three weapons against unhealthy weight gain: resistance training, nutrition, and stress management.

Even if you don’t have access to gym equipment, you can get a really good workout using your own body-weight (calisthenics). Squats, lunges, push-ups, pull-ups, hip thrusters and planks hit all the major muscle groups in the body. Changing the number of reps, sets, tempo and rest periods provides enough variability to keep the body constantly adapting to new demands. If you are looking for added resistance, you can purchase a set of resistance bands with a door anchor for less than $50 - this will exponentially increase the number of exercises you can perform and bands are low-impact/joint friendly. The key is to overload the body so it adapts by breaking down and rebuilding muscle.

Herschel Walker (left, age 20; right, age 54) has spent a lifetime using push-ups, crunches, pull-ups, and hill runs as the foundation of his training.

There are so many schools of thought when it comes to nutrition. It’s important to recognize that there isn’t a “one size fits all” approach. However, the fundamentals of any good diet remain the same.

1. ½ your plate should consist of veggies, ¼ whole grains, ¼ lean meat or protein alternative.
   

2. Don’t drink your calories. Stick to water, unsweetened tea or coffee.
   

3. Follow the 80/20 rule. 80% of your meals should follow 1); 20% of your meals can fall outside those recommendations.
   

4. Practice mindful eating by eating slowly and focusing your attention on the different senses. Not only will food be more enjoyable, but it takes approximately 20 minutes for the brain to receive the message that the ‘gut’ is full. This will prevent overeating.
   

5. Listen to your hunger cues.

No more rainbow! The newly revamped Canada's Food Guide is easy to understand and features some great tools for eating healthier.

Finally, it is important to have a diverse set of tools when it comes to managing stress. Your “tool-bag” is unique to you. Finding HEALTHY coping mechanisms can take time, but it is well worth it. Venture outside your comfort zone and try something new. Meditation, mindfulness, yoga, gratitude journals, stress diaries, talking with others, progressive muscle relaxation, exercise, and nature walks are some of the most common techniques. Regardless of the method, we can manage stress by achieving the following outcomes: greater self-awareness, adjusting your perspective, and releasing endorphins.

Puppies = stress relief + happiness

Now, it’s time to put these things into practice and shed the Isolation Insulation.