Month: May 2020

Algonquin students’ book list

One thing a lot of us have been doing during physical distancing is reading. If you are wondering what book you should get next, here is a list of suggestions:

Becoming by Michelle Obama

1. Becoming by Michelle Obama

In her memoir, Michelle Obama invites readers inside her world, narrating experiences that have shaped her, from her childhood in Chicago through her career and motherhood to becoming the First Lady of the United States.

Eat Pray Love

2. Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

The author shares her discoveries after a divorce that has devastated her. Gilbert embarks on a trip, traveling the world, getting to know herself, finding her spirituality, and looking for a balance in life.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey

3. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey

This book was published in 1989, but it is still today one of the most referenced books in its genre. The book is about habits, the good and the bad ones, and how people can recognize them, examine them, and make the changes that will make them a better person and a better professional.

You are worth it by Don Yaeger and Kyle Carpenter

4. You are worth it by Don Yaeger and Kyle Carpenter

This book is a memoir about the war in Afghanistan and Carpenter’s experience in the battlefield. In 2010, a grenade skittered toward Carpenter and fellow Marine Nick Eufrazio. Without hesitation, he jumped on the grenade, saving Eufrazio, but sacrificing himself. The book is about finding purpose no matter what obstacles you face.

Lord of the rings

5. All of the Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings books

The fantasy Harry Potter series is about young wizard and his friends at a witchcraft school. The books were written by the English writer J.K. Rowling, and they have been translated in 80 languages and have sold more than 500 million copies worldwide.

The Lord of the Rings novel tells the story of a hobbit named Frodo Baggins. The adventure begins when he receives a magical ring from his uncle. The story is divided into six books which were also written by an English author, J.R.R. Tolkien, and have sold over 150 million copies.

Back pain? We have got you covered!

Sitting at a computer desk

 

While we all find ourselves adjusting to the new ‘normal’ of working or studying from home, it has become very challenging to form new habits to push you towards your personal health goals.

You have probably been spending more time than ever sitting hunched over your laptops, clicking manically and staring at screens all day long. Not only that, unless you’re lucky enough to have a home office or studying area, your new workspaces and study spaces are sofas, kitchen tables, or even worse, your beds.

You are not built to be kept in a seated position for extended periods of time, and doing so results in several postural deficiencies that can lead to neck and lower back pain. For now, let’s keep things simple and focus on the latter of the two, that dreaded nemesis of every desk jockey; low back pain.

How to get moving?

Yoga studios and gyms are closed for the foreseeable future and while some of us can sneak in home workouts, most people, especially those of you with children will have a million and one better things to do with any free time that you can find.

The good news is that a few simple exercises can help combat the negative effects of sitting all day. Even better, they can all be done in 5-10 minutes!

good vs bad posture

Before we get to the exercises, let me give you a little insight into why sitting at a desk wreaks havoc on our posture. The most prevalent repercussions that arise from sitting for too long are tight hips, weak gluteal muscles, tight hamstrings and weak abdominal muscles. As a result of these, your pelvis drops forward, your belly protrudes in front of you like an infant, and your butt sticks out like an Instagram model. This means that your poor spinal column is taking a beating and the discs between your lumbar vertebrae get pinched and inflamed. Yes, ouch!

Here’s what to do the fix this issue almost instantly:

Exercise 1: Foam Roll Your Quads

Foam rolling can be effective at alleviating muscle soreness as well as increasing blood flow to the targeted area. The subsequent increase in muscle and fascial elasticity helps improve joint mobility, keeping your body healthy and pain free.

foam roller

 

  1. Begin in a forearm plank position with the foam roller under one of your quads, slightly below the crease of your hips.
  2. Bracing yourself with your forearms and core, slowly roll down the roller until it reaches just above your knees. Then, roll in the opposite direction until you reach back to your hip flexors.
  3. When you hit a tender spot, pause for a few breaths and try to let yourself sink deeper into the roller. You can also roll side to side on these points to help them release.
  4. Perform for 30-60 seconds per side and move on to exercise 2

Exercise 2: Hip Flexor Stretch

This exercise is also known as the ‘couch stretch’ as you can perform it from the comfort of your couch – However, it will be the most painful 5 minutes of tv you will ever watch.

Hip Flexor stretch

 

  1. Take a half kneeling position facing away from a stool or chair with your right knee on a mat or cushion.
  2. Place your shin along the lip of the seat with your toes pointed upward.
  3. Keep your right thigh in line with your body and position your left leg in front with your knee aligned above your ankle.
  4. Sit up straight with your chest proud and brace your core.
  5. Keeping your hips square, contract your right glute muscle for 5-10 seconds and then relax. Repeat for a total of 60 seconds and then switch legs.
  6. For an easier variation of this stretch, you can keep your shin on the ground.

Exercise 3: Glute Bridge

Now that you’ve stretched the tight problem areas at the front of the body, it’s time to activate the weakened muscles on the back. The glute bridge will strengthen your glutes and hamstrings to help improve posture and protect your lower back when standing and sitting.

Glute bridge
  1. Start by lying on your back with your knees bent and your feet about 8 inches from your glutes.
  2. Using your abs, brace your core to prevent any arching of the back
  3. Drive your heels into the mat to lift your hips and lower back off the ground.
  4. Try to fully contract your glutes and hamstring while keeping your heels pressed into the mat.
  5. You should feel all of the tension in your glutes. If you find that pressure builds in your lower back, you are performing the exercise incorrectly.

Exercise 4: Dead Bug

In order to bring your pelvis back to a healthy, neutral position you must learn to engage our core musculature in a way that promotes postural control. A strong core can be your best weapon in the fight against back pain. However, countless amounts of crunches and leg raises will generally only exacerbate the issue. The dead bug challenges you to maintain a neutral pelvis while moving your limbs away from the centre of your body. It might look like a beginner exercise but I’ve seen professional athletes tremble and turn beet red from the challenge that dead bugs present.

Dead Bug

 

  1. Lie on your back in a pose that looks like you fell backwards off of your office chair; head flat on the ground, arms perpendicular to the floor, knees and hips both flexed to 90 degrees and toes pointed to the ceiling.
  2. Flex your abs hard and try to maintain a natural lower back curve.
  3. Begin by pushing your heel away from your body and make sure that your lower back and pelvis do not rotate forward and upwards.
  4. The only movement occurring should be at the leg.
  5. Hold the leg fully extended, with the heel 1-2 inches from the floor for 2 seconds before returning to your starting position.
  6. Repeat for the opposite side.
  7. To progress this exercise, move the opposite hand and foot away from your midline and try to make yourself as long as possible while maintaining a strong core.

Putting it all together:

  1. Foam Rolling: 2 x 30-60 seconds / side
  2. Hip Flexor Stretch : 2 x 30 seconds / side
  3. Glute Bridge: 2 x 15 reps
  4. Dead Bug: 2 x 6 reps/ side

Give this routine a go and I am sure you will feel better!

*Article written by Brian Kehoe. He is a professor in the Fitness and Health Promotion program at Algonquin College.

All you need to know to build an incredible resume

Resume writing
Putting together your resume can be time consuming, especially when you are not sure about what should be in it. But don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! Jessica Andrews works as an employment officer at Algonquin College and has shared some tips on how to make your resume look professional and ready to land the job you want!

1-Tailor it

In order to make your resume stand out, you want to tailor it to every job that you apply to. Want to know how? Pick out key words from the job posting and use industry language in your resume to make it stand out from other applications.

2-Use the College resources

There are many resources that are available to you through the College. One of them is the program websites. For every program there’s a list of learning outcomes that you would have learned throughout your program that are perfect skills that you can add to your resume. Take a look at yours, put them in your own words and show your future employer all the knowledge and experience you will be able to offer.

3-Be specific about your accomplishments

Instead of just saying one or two words about things you’ve done in previous work experiences to describe what you’ve done, use numbers, values and strong adjectives to highlight your accomplishments.

For example, instead of just saying, “assisted students” you, would write “assisted 5 to 10 students on a daily basis to support them through this or that”. “Numbers give more context to what you’re saying and really demonstrate your skill or what you did,” says Andrews.

4-Work on your profile statement

Instead of an objective statement, start your resume with a profile. “It’s a short summary by yourself in relation to the job or industry you’re getting into and then in your cover later, that’s where you would say like, “Oh this is a job I’m applying for and be more specific,” tells Andrews.

Highlight the program you are in and any hands-on experience you have. Keep it to two sentences. The profile is supposed to grab the reader’s attention, so they want to keep reading to find out more about you!

5- First things first

When choosing the order of things in your resume, you can start with the profile, then skills. As a student or recent graduate, you will put education before work experience.

“It is your most recent and relevant qualification in your field, so that’s what you would be most selling to an employer, but as you then get into your career, and start getting more experience in your field that would be more recent and relevant, so then it would make sense for your education, to go down,” explains Andrews.

6- Avoid templates!!!

“We usually say: don’t use template; just because everybody else is using the exact same ones, then your resume doesn’t really stand out. Templates are also really hard to edit afterwards,” says Andrews. “There’s a lot of different ways you can make your resume unique without having to buy or use a template.”

You can build your own resume in Word. Click here for some tips.

7-Check out resume workshops

The Employment Support Centre at Algonquin College offers support on campus and online as well. One of the services they offer are resume workshops. Check out the website for future dates, as well as workshops that are tailored for international students.

 

 

How to better use your time at home during COVID-19

Spending some time at home did not seem so hard at the beginning. You might have had the chance to sleep in, watch some TV shows and just relax. But weeks have gone by, school is done, and you are now uncertain of what to do with your time.

One thing we know, we should try to make the best we can with all this free time (if you are not working from home). Here are some tips for you:

Time to put things in order!

Do you know those drawers we never have time to organize? Or the messy cupboards? Take some time to organize things in your room or around the house. It will make you feel productive and proud of yourself.

Read books

Here is one thing that will always be a good call. Take time to read as many books as you can. We learn so much by reading! They say that we become better writers when we read.

There are many websites in which you can download free books such as DigiLibraries or the for the little ones.

Learn a new skill

From something simple such as braiding your hair, or something more complicated like learning a new career skill, you can find tutorials and workshops online for almost everything!! So, why not take some time to learn something you have wanted to for a long time, but have never had the chance to do so?

Take care of yourself

If you have always said you did not exercise because of lack of time, there is no excuse anymore! There are plenty of workout videos to follow and you can also take walks or go for runs. Algonquin College’s Student Association has been promoting some online workout through their social media as well. Stay tuned and let’s get some sweat going!

Get creative in the kitchen

How many times have you had the chance to not only prepare your lunch and dinner at home, but also be creative? Use the time to take some risks and maybe try out different recipes. Check out the top three recipes by Algonquin students.

Algonquin students top 3 recipes during social distancing

Has physical distancing made you eat more? If your answer is yes, you are not alone!

On the other hand, being at home has also given people time to cook and try out recipes. We have asked our students about their favorite recipe during this time, and have come up with a top three list. Check it out and make your favorite one!

1-Chocolate chip cookiesChoc chip cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup white sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons hot water

½ teaspoon salt

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2.Cream together the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Dissolve baking soda in hot water. Add to batter along with salt. Stir in flour, chocolate chips, and nuts. Drop by large spoonfuls onto ungreased pans.

3.Bake for about 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are nicely browned.

Source: All Recipes

2- Mushroom Risotto

mushroom risotto

 

Ingredients:

8 c. chicken or vegetable broth

1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

2 tbsp. butter, divided

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 lb. button mushrooms, sliced

1 bay leaf

4 sprigs thyme, leaves removed

kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

2 c. arborio rice

1/2 c. white wine

1 c. freshly grated Parmesan

3/4 c. frozen peas, thawed

2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

1.In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring chicken broth to a simmer. Reduce heat to low.

2.In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat oil. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon butter, garlic, mushrooms, bay leaf and thyme. Cook until the mushrooms have softened and are golden, about 4 more minutes, then season with salt and pepper. Remove mixture from the pot.

3.Melt remaining tablespoon butter in the pot and add the arborio rice, stirring quickly. Cook until the grains are well-coated and smell slightly toasty, about 2 minutes. Add the wine and cook until the wine has mostly absorbed.

4.With a ladle, add about 1 cup hot broth. Stirring often, cook until the rice has mostly absorbed liquid. Add remaining broth about 1 cup at a time, continuing to allow the rice to absorb each addition of broth before adding more. Stir often and cook until the risotto is al dente and creamy, not mushy. (You might not need all the broth.)

5.Add the mushroom mixture back into the rice.

6.Stir in Parmesan and peas then garnish with parsley. Serve warm.

Source: Delish

3-Ramen

ramen

 

Ingredients:

2 large eggs

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger

4 cups reduced sodium chicken broth

4 ounces shiitake mushrooms

1 tablespoon reduced sodium soy sauce

3 (5.6-ounce) packages refrigerated Yaki-Soba, seasoning sauce packets discarded*

3 cups baby spinach

8 slices Narutomaki, optional*

1 carrot, grated

2 tablespoons chopped chives

Directions:

1.Place eggs in a large saucepan and cover with cold water by 1 inch. Bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute. Cover eggs with a tight-fitting lid and remove from heat; set aside for 8-10 minutes. Drain well and let cool before peeling and halving.

2.Heat olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add garlic and ginger, and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.

3.Whisk in chicken broth, mushrooms, soy sauce and 3 cups water.

4.Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until mushrooms have softened, about 10 minutes. Stir in Yaki-Soba until loosened and cooked through, about 2-3 minutes.

5.Stir in spinach, Narutomaki, carrot and chives until the spinach begins to wilt, about 2 minutes.

6.Serve immediately, garnished with eggs.

Source: Damn delicious