Every rising freshman’s worst nightmare is gaining weight. With all of the free time, unhealthy food, and partying, how is it possible to maintain weight?
When you take a tour of a campus, depending on which time of year you visit, it is extremely likely to see at least one person running the campus. Thoughts like, “That looks like a fun way to exercise while in college!” or “People that go here are extremely fit!” might pop into your head. However, after arriving on campus, getting involved, keeping up with your studies and trying to fit in some fun, working out in order to maintain that ever-so-coveted “high school figure” seems more painful than tripping on the cobblestones and completely busting it in front of a million peers.
According to the Journal of American College Health, in an observational study of 77 first-year college students, “for the students who gained weight only, the mean increase in body weight…was 6.82 pounds…and percentage of body fat was 0.9 or-3.8%.” Although the average weight gain wasn’t 15 pounds, no one wants to gain weight, especially in their first year of college.
This weight gain epidemic may be in response to the stresses that the first year of being away from home incurs. The dining halls allow you to pile on unhealthy food at the buffet, but limit you to half of a sandwich if you decide to try and eat healthy. Some students may eat more in response to stress or homesickness and seek validation in fattening comfort food.
Audrey Petrilli, a freshman Hospitality student from Charlotte, N.C., comments, “I was a dancer my entire life. I was so nervous about coming to college and gaining weight because I’m not dancing six days a week anymore. Before I came to USC, I had never even set foot in a gym. And now, I go all the time! It’s really become a source of stress relief for me, and it’s fun to challenge my body in different ways that it isn’t used to. I’m actually getting better and better at running, which is something I would’ve never thought I could do!”
Strom Thurmond Wellness and Fitness Center, just on the outskirts of campus, is free with tuition. It boasts an indoor track, numerous cardio machines and a weight room that leaves nothing to be desired; if a solitary hum-drum workout plan isn’t for you, don’t fret! Strom also offers workout classes such as cycling, cardio funk, body pump, Zumba and much more.
If you played sports your entire life or are looking for ways to stay healthy, intramural sports may be the thing for you! For example, a few of the intramural sports offered by The University of South Carolina are Indoor Soccer, Tennis, Basketball, Flag football, golf, bowling, dodgeball, and many more.
Tips for staying healthy during your freshman year, and in years to come:
Be honest with yourself: If you have to justify eating something unhealthy, then you probably shouldn’t be eating it.
Find your niche: look for what makes you happy, if you aren’t having fun while exercising, then it may be time to look for a different way to go about it.
Find an exercise buddy: sometimes working out with someone else really makes a difference. He or she can motivate you to work harder (and vice versa) and keep your mind off of it at the same time.
Park the moped/car: Walk to classes! That little bit of added exercise may end up making all the difference.
When you’re upset, don’t take it out on your diet: This is a hard one. If you’ve taught your body to need food when you’re upset or stressed, it will be difficult to stick to the healthy stuff. Just try your hardest, or limit your portions of the unhealthy meals.
Treat yourself: When you’ve been working out and eating right, it’s okay to treat yourself to a fattening/unhealthy meal or snack every once in a while.
Don’t compare yourself to others: Everyone deals with body image issues. Just because you’re built differently than someone else doesn’t mean that you need to starve yourself or spend all day in the gym to look like them. Remember, the most important thing is to be healthy, not malnourished.
Limit your drinking: Sure, going out is fun, but going out with a beer gut isn’t.
Source:
The Journal of American College Health Volume 55, Issue 1, 2006
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3200/JACH.55.1.41-46#.UkNmuhaYczU