Late night pizza, binge drinking on weekends, snacking on sugary and fatty foods between classes and shoving your face at the dining hall--habits every college student must endure throughout their four years (or more, God bless). This can lead to weight gain, sluggishness and a myriad of other health problems.
In honor of my alma mater's commencement ceremony tomorrow, I wanted to highlight a few simple changes graduating seniors can make as soon as you cross the stage to receive your diploma to take on a faithfully healthy lifestyle and begin to rehab their bodies (undergraduates can take notes too, but I'll be back another time with eating tips for college students!). I made these changes immediately upon graduating and I am now 20 lbs lighter because of it.
Stop eating deep fried foods. Right now. Yes, it might taste delicious, but you are adding way too many calories to your diet, and your freshman 15 (some of you, 30) can probably be entirely blamed on those late night fries or chicken fingers. Opt for baked and grilled foods instead.
Cut back on the pizza. If you must eat pizza, please top it with vegetables, or just have one plain slice with a big greens filled salad.
Cut way down on the sugar intake. This includes all the sugar you put into your coffee during your all nighters, sodas (especially Red Bull), gummy bears, M&Ms. Not only will you lose weight, but lowering the amount of sugar you ingest will prevent you from crashing throughout the day, and will lighten your mood.
Go to bed earlier. Try to get at least six hours of sleep per night. Your body uses sleep to rejuvenate itself. Fun fact: Did you know that your spinal discs shrink throughout the day and only re-expand during your sleep? This could account for all those times you felt sore all over after getting little to no rest during finals week. Your entire body will thank you for getting more sleep. "Beauty Sleep" isn't just a saying.
Exercise more frequently. No, walking to and from class does NOT count as exercise. The most effective form of exercising allows your heart rate to be above its resting rate for at least 30 minutes per day, 3 days a week. Once, you get used to this, increase your workouts to 45 minutes, 5 days a week.
To the Class of 2009, congratulations and good luck. Hopefully make these few changes in your life will help to begin your life in the real world healthily and happily.
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You know what I wish? That I could've had a blog like this to read when I was in undergrad. I hope undergrad [or grad for that matter] college peeps are reading this prior to frosh 15-30...bc it's REAL kids, it's real.
Hey Faith, have you checked out this book called Volumetrics by Barbara Rolls and Robert Barnett? I skimmed through at Barnes and noble and took it out the library and just really cracked it open. I like it because it's not a quick fix, or fad diet but educates you on why you should eat this way! Anyway, you prob know all about it already. :]
Thanks again for this blog.
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