Haley KnappWe all worry about the Freshman 15. I want to pass this advice on to you because these are just some easy problem solvers to avoid gaining the notorious pounds that drinking, dining hall food and laziness packs on our first year out of the house.
1. Start with Salad
The dining hall is a wonderful, yet overwhelming place. If you start with a salad or soup, you will fill yourself up before covering your tray with a million things. Start off by just getting a salad and then go back for seconds and see what you really feel like eating.
2. Keep a yoga mat & weights or resistance band in your dorm room
Give yourself a little time every day to do a few exercises. That way you don’t have to drag yourself to the gym, everything is conveniently right there.
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3. Don’t overindulge
Allow yourself to have dessert occasionally, but maybe not every single night. Don’t starve yourself and make yourself miserable, if you are craving something sweet, satisfy the craving, but without overdoing it.
4. Manage your time
This is the first time in your life that you have little guidance and lots of free time. Create some sort of schedule that gets you to the gym or doing some sort of exercise. If you work out first thing in the morning, you will feel better for the rest of the day, and you will have gotten your work out out of the way!
5. If you drink, avoid drunk eating
The drunk munchies are the worst (and the best). If you have some sort of late night food place on campus, do not go there after your night out. Go straight home!
6. Keep healthy snacks in your room
Don’t buy junk food because you will eat it. Keep fruits and vegetables and granola bars, etc in your room so if you are hungry, you have something to eat but it’s not unhealthy.
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7. Get lots of sleep
Sleep is important for proper body function, including how our food is digested and how our body wants us to eat the next day.
8. Drink water
Staying hydrated is important for your metabolism, and makes you feel less hungry before meals so you don’t wolf your food down.
9. Join intramural
Joining a sports team will help you stay active and give you the responsibility of being on a team, but can also be so much fun especially if you join with a friend and play a sport you love.
10. Don’t skip breakfast
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day! Make sure to fuel yourself first thing in the morning with a healthy filling breakfast.
11. Don’t eat mindlessly
If you snack while watching TV or working on your computer, suddenly you’ve finished a bag of chips and you don’t realize it, and suddenly you’ve eaten hundreds of wasted calories that don’t even fill you up.
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12. Don’t eat out too much
Portions can be big and people have a tendency to try to eat as much as they can on their plate. Also, there may be bread, or soda or drinks that come along with this. Eating out less will save you money as well. If you do eat out, drink water and eat enough that you are full, but save the leftovers for lunch the next day.
13. Find a work out buddy
If you have someone to motivate you and vice versa, it will help you form good habits and get you consistently to the gym or going on jogs.
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14. If you drink, avoid beer and sugary chasers
Beer has lots of calories so don’t splurge on that, and when you get chasers go for healthier juices or flavored water instead of sugary soda.
15. Don’t stress
Stress is a big player in weight gain. Don’t stress about your weight gain and don’t stress about classes. If you have a stressful week, take it step by step, know that you will make it through, and celebrate at the end. Use working out as a stress reliever and don’t worry about the freshman 15!
How do you avoid the freshman 15?
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