Dear Loyal Members, Friends & Family,

Christina Salvo

 Director of Marketing
& Public Relations

Diet & Nutrition Advice From Christina Elaine

Back to School: Colosseum Gym Helping Local Students Deal with the Pressures of Freshman Year

With the start of freshman year just around the corner, college students have a lot to look forward to.  New living arrangements, friends, classes, parties, sports, clubs and freedom can be positive parts of the next chapter of most young peoples' lives.  But for some, these things can also introduce a new set of problems for some young people - namely, introduction to the world of eating disorders.

College can be stressful - anyone who has been through the experience can tell you it's true.  Students are away from home, many for the first time, and it can be hard to know right off the bat how to take care of yourself when Mom and Dad aren't there to guide you.  Many times the right decisions and the most popular decisions do not go hand-in-hand.

Nobody wants to gain the dreaded "Freshman Fifteen", as it is called.  However, with the prevalence of alcohol at parties and late-night study sessions where the only food available is late night pizza and fried chicken, keeping your high school weight can be a daunting task.  It is all too common for students, girls especially, to resort to extreme and dangerous behaviors leading to bulimia and anorexia.  If you do not have personal experience with this in your college experience, there is a very good chance you will have a friend or know someone who did or will.  Any kind of eating disorder is no joke, and can potentially cause major long-term physical damage.  In extreme cases, those suffering from eating disorders can wind up starving themselves to death.

According to Science Daily (www.sciencedaily.com), common signs of eating disorders can include:

-           A preoccupation with calculating calories, fat grams and carbohydrate grams

-           A need to weigh oneself more than once a day

-           Allowing the numbers on the scale to determine one's mood

-           Exercising, skipping meals or purging (vomiting) after overeating

-           Exercising to burn calories rather than for health or fun (exercise bulimia)

-           An inability to stop eating once eating begins

-           Eating in secret

-           Feeling guilty, ashamed or disgusted after overeating

-           Basing self-worth on looks or weight

-           Worrying constantly about weight and body shape

-           Abusing diet pills or laxatives

Science Daily also notes the two most common forms of eating disorders as anorexia nervosa, when a person stops eating or eats very little to control their weight and bulimia nervosa, when a person purges or uses laxatives to eliminate the food they have eaten to prevent themselves from gaining weight.  "Both types of eating disorders can eventually lead to serious health problems and even death". 

A person with an eating disorder is not "going through a phase" or attention-hungry.  They are afflicted with a real disorder and should seek help.  If you have an eating disorder or know someone who does, you can contact The Center for the Treatment of Eating Disorders in Livingston, New Jersey at www.edhelp.com. 

There are so many better, healthier ways to lose weight including exercise and proper diet.  There are so many better alternatives to hurting your body.  With the right guidance, eating disorders can be avoided all together.  Finding a good support system is the first step.  A personal trainer can be an invaluable tool on the road to creating a healthy lifestyle and stay in shape at the same time, as well as a built-in friend who can help keep you on track.  If you are interested in learning productive, positive ways to enhance the college experience for you or someone else, please contact us at www.colosseumgymnj.com.  We are always here to help and understand the hard work and dedication involved in staying on the right track.  Our entire staff is certified, fully trained and dedicated to the health and well-being of our members and we maintain the highest standards of professionalism in all we do.  We are located right behind Seton Hall University and are always willing to help acclimate students to their new home.  Give us a call!  We can help you change your life.

  Getting Through Weight Training Injuries

When working on an injured area we should use light weights and high repetitions.  This will help us target the injury and determine our body's limitations. If the injury is minor, I work through it and around it but to avoid  further abuse in the area I begin to compromise.  By compromising I discover new movements that I can use in future workouts.

We should also remember that we have to feed the muscle with a balanced nutrition.  Let's remember to feed them with the right protein, multivitamins, BCAA and plenty of water.

Just a tip from John Cabiedes

Why Sign Up for Ultimate Fitness Boot Camp

Ultimate Fitness Boot Camp will push you beyond your normal exercise routine.  You can generally expect to meet in the gym or at times, outdoors. You will spend an hour doing cardiovascular exercise, running, interval training, and obstacle courses, along with strength training elements using dumbbells, exercise bands, kick boxing, kettle Bells, Trx suspension along with body weight exercises. You'll also work on flexibility in a stretch portion of the camp, which may incorporate elements of yoga or Pilates.  We pride ourselves in changing up training routines every day, to keep your body confused and stop that plateau that everyone encounters.  Our Ultimate Fitness Boot Camp is offered Monday, Wednesday and Fridays at 5am SHARP!  For further information, please inquire at the front counter or call Carlos "Chip" Baez directly at 973-953-9808.