Every college freshman knows the struggle of procrastination, availability of good food, and the tons of free time to be lazy and catch up on the newest netflix shows. But what every college freshman also knows, is the struggle of the freshman 15. We all know the struggle of seeing the weight go up, but also having the lack of enthusiasm to actually do anything about it. Here are 10 simple ways to avoid the freshman 15 while also having a good time in your first year of college!
1. Grab a workout buddy or two and plan a schedule
By grabbing a friend or multiple friends and working out together on a set schedule, you have people who are there to encourage you and push you to do more. Working out alone can be hard to keep yourself motivated, use your newly found exercise buddies to motivate you. Doing this could also encourage you to make some new friends on campus!
2. Don't Eat Food Just Because You Are Bored
A lot of people, especially college students tend to eat when they are bored. If you are one of those people, try to keep yourself entertained. Find something that will keep your mind off of food and exercise the brain cells! If you can't help but eat when you are bored, keep healthy snacks around instead of unhealthy snacks. Such as carrots and other fruits and veggies!
3. Keep Healthy Food Around
Although in college it is difficult to make the right choices, it is vital that you keep healthy food around. When you go to the store to stock up your dorm, instead of grabbing that bag of chips off the shelf for $2.99, grab the slightly more expensive bag of carrots.
4. Eat a balanced meal
By eating a meal containing each of the food groups, you maintain the proper intake of what the human body needs to function. By doing this you maintain your metabolism to avoid that freshman 15.
5. Surround yourself with positive people
It is proven that when you are surrounded by negative people, you tend to develop a negative outlook on life. When you maintain a negative outlook on life, you tend to let yourself go and eat whatever you want to make yourself feel better. By surrounding yourself with positive people, you maintain a positive outlook on life and you tend to take care of yourself more.
6. Get out and get busy
By getting out and busy you avoid laying around all day. You get your metabolism working and your body works on its own to regulate weight. Also by getting active, you reduce the urge to eat junk food.
7. Designate a Cheat Day
By cutting out bad food altogether, your body will go into deprivation. By allowing yourself a cheat day, you allow your body to have what it is denied the rest of the week.
8. Make Sure you Make Healthy Choices
We all know that when we start college, we have a newfound sense of independence. With this independence comes making good choices in and out of the classroom. When it comes to the cafeteria we tend to go for the foods we like rather than what is good for us. To beat that freshman 15, make good choices and eat a balanced, healthy meal.
9. Join a sport
Use your newfound freedom to do something you've never done before. Or continue doing something you did in High school. If you don't want to do a collegiate level sport, find out about your rec sports or intramural sports offered in your school.
10. Try to cook your own food
By cooking your own food, you have the option to use the healthier alternative to some ingredients, such as oils and fats. Also, you can prepare your own meal rather than be forced to eat anything the cafeteria offers that may have unhealthy ingredients. You also have the opportunity to make healthier foods containing more veggies and less fats and carbs.
