College. The home of fat sandwiches, 2 a.m., Taco Bell runs and stress eating.
It is no surprise that we have all heard of the freshmen 15, nearly 70 percent of college students gain weight. The weight gain that follows the pursuit of higher education does not always stop at freshmen year. This may have a multitude of factors such as, drinking, stress, irregular schedules and the wide array of unhealthy food available.
Us college students are at risk for packing on extra weight, and we may not even realize some of these contributing factors that come along with college life. At Montclair State we have about 18 different dining locations, all ready for you to simply swipe your ID and use flex or red hawk dollars. Mom isn’t around to tell you not to eat pizza for breakfast, or to remind you to eat at normal hours of the day.
One of the greatest things about college is being able to dine with friends, and social gatherings often revolve around grabbing food at some point. While this is a great way to make friends, it also opens up making unhealthy eating choices. I know for sure, that if all of my friends are getting pizza, I’m probably not going to pick the salad on the menu. Social contexts and environment have a tendency to influence choices we make, food is no exception.
College life can be stressful, and hectic. This change of pace can affect students in many ways. While gaining weight in college is something many of us experience, here are a few ways to help avoid turning a few pounds into something that can become a true health risk.
1. The Student Recreation Center. Montclair Recreation center is a state of the art, large fitness facility that is free for students to use. The recreation center has a multitude of ways for students to get involved and lead a healthy lifestyle. if you’re a little sheepish about going to the gym alone, the rec center offers Group X fitness classes, and personal training. Some of these group exercise classes include but are not limited to yoga, cycling, kickboxing, brazilian jiu jitsu, and Zumba. All at zero cost to the students of Montclair State.
2. Try and stay active. In this case, Montclair is a large, hilly campus. When the weather is nice, skip the shuttle and walk to class. Enjoy the good weather while it lasts, because it gets windy, and cold fast on this campus. (invest in a good scarf ... you’ll thank me later) If you’re feeling up to the challenge, skip the elevator and take the stairs. Unless you’re a commuter, because those Car Park Diem stairs can really take the wind out of you. Then I don’t totally blame you for taking the elevator once in awhile.
3. Join a club or Intramural sport. While many students play a sport at the college level, Montclair’s Student recreation center offers many different Intramural and club sports for students to get involved in. Not only is playing a sport great for your health, but it’s a great way to make friends, and get involved on campus. Also, you may get involved in a sport you have never played before and it could be a great learning experience. (Somehow I got talked into playing Intramural soccer, even though I’ve never played! Wish me luck.)
4. Drink Water! We have water fountains all around campus, hit the bookstore (or the rec center) and invest in a good water bottle. I promise you, buying a bottle of water every day is expensive.
5. Sleep. the majority of college students probably do not sleep enough. Between studying, hanging out with friends, and going out, it’s hard to get the right about of ZZZ’s. Lack of sleep is linked to making unhealthy eating choices, and can affect your overall health. Sleep plays a very important role in our functioning, and having a good sleep schedule is going to really help in the long run.
6. Enjoy yourself. Health is not only physical, it is also mental and emotional. It’s alright to indulge every so often, don’t beat yourself up for having that slice of pizza. Life is too short to worry about counting every calorie, you’re human. College is a time for self exploration and growing into the person you want to be, so stay positive!
