Freshman 15: It’s what all Freshmen hear, and everyone says "It won’t happen to me." “Freshmen” may be right in the phrase, but all Seniors, Juniors and Sophomores at Delhi have issues staying healthy and eating well. Hell, I’m not in shape myself (round is a shape, right?), and after all, it IS college—all you want to do is party and study when necessary, but there are ways to stay healthy at Delhi, whether you know it or not.
The food may be iffy, but you can definitely work with it, just as you can work with the resources for staying fit on and off campus. It can be hard to stay healthy in college, especially when there isn’t much to do in our small town. Something that can help is the gym on campus; it’s a haul to get there, I know, but when you're done, it’s not that bad! And after going to the gym for some time, the hill leading to it doesn’t seem like much because you get used to it. While there is a cost, it is billed as a one-time fee, and after that it's free (and if you decide you don’t want to go to the gym, the fee is easily waived—just go to financial aid), and there are other places to exercise.
For one, the track is good: it’s a relaxing walk at the end of campus, it's quiet and is normally used for the sports teams, but when they're not practicing, it's yours to take advantage of. There is a boxing room in the basement of Gerry equipped with boxing gloves and a few punching bags. This is a great way to work out and relieve stress, and it's also free. The last thing you can do to exercise is actually off campus—the EDU center. Past the hospital and the sketchy Buena Vista Inn on 28, it's a park with multiple trails to walk and enjoy nature. If you follow the trails all the way down, you can sit by the river and stick your feet in—it may be cold but it’s really relaxing, and the rough terrain leading to it can make for a good workout. There is a bunch of small hills and rocks, but once it flattens out it's all smooth sailing. There is also a fire pit there where you and your friends can go sit and roast marshmallows. While the EDU center is nice, it closes at dusk, which is why I stress using the gym, which is open until 10pm, and the boxing room, which is open almost all the time.
Food, on the other hand, is a little trickier. If you go to Farrell there is the salad station, where you can get a fresh made salad. There is also the grill where you can get a grilled chicken, and the pasta station where you can get pasta, vegetables, and meat. And don’t forget the pre-made sandwiches and sushi! There are ways to eat better, and when you are pulling an all-nighter, you can grab a piece of fruit or a protein bar for energy. Also don’t forget about MacDonald hall—they have a fresh salad bar and they usually have healthy items with vegetables.
You can take red meat out of your diet (it has a lot of fat in it), and you can also take out soda (our food venues on campus offer juice and iced tea, which is a lot healthier than soda).
As you can see, you don’t have to lose hope during the school year—just follow these tips and ideas and you will be just fine! And remember that exercise is a good stress reliever.
