I entered college thinking that it would be simple to stay fit and healthy because I logged over 20 miles a week my senior year of high school running cross country with two of my best friends. I didn't realize how hard staying fit would be without my mother's healthy meal choices, my best friends to exercise with, and a hectic schedule that didn't already have an hour allotted every day just for running.
My first week of school I began regretting not joining the cross country team as a walk-on because the only time I had for exercising that wasn't blazing hot and filled with first-week-back festivities was at 7 a.m. At first, I was energized; looking at the bright side: running in the morning would allow me to explore campus and I may see other people running around. Wrong. The only other people I encountered on my runs at 7 a.m. were the maintenance crew looking at me like I was one of Montevallo's ghosts. It didn't help that the campus bricks are known for making people trip and there is only so much ground you can cover exclusively on campus.
After my first couple weeks of school, I was beginning to get tired of my early mornings and unrewarding runs. "Try the gym?" My mother suggested. I did, but there was something in me that feared everyone was looking at me dripping sweat in the cardio area. Or, worse, I would become known as that "red-faced sweaty girl" on campus. Which made me avoid it like the plague and go on unfulfilling runs in the morning -- I would only go around two miles before aching with boredom and feeling like I had to push myself to three. This turned my relationship with exercise from a loving to a resentful relationship.
When I joined my sorority I was lucky enough to meet another new member who used to run cross country, and we were able to go on a few three mile runs that were only mildly unbearable because of the lack of interesting running areas we knew. But for the most part, my runs were lonely and unbearable. I began to slack off, and exercise less during the week. I replaced running with light yoga and twenty minutes on a treadmill a day. I had finally conquered my fear of being a "red-faced sweaty girl" because of my lack of time to care. But the regression of high-intensity exercise and late-night food runs with sorority sisters was beginning to leave a mark. I gained five pounds, was always searching for energy, and miserable because of my separation from my friends at home.
The second semester of my freshman year I had another problem -- I injured my knee from running a half-marathon without training. Ten to 11-minute miles may not sound fast, but for a body that hadn't run more than six miles in over a year, it was too much. When my knee cap's pain was so excruciating I couldn't make it past a mile, I felt hopeless. I decided after seeing the doctor that the next time I could run I wouldn't take it for granted, but I did.
I didn't make a change until the second half of sophomore year when I was diagnosed with anxiety and feeling hopeless. I had already applied to transfer to a college closer to home, cried to my parents about how I couldn't possibly go back, and cut myself off from my friends. The worst feeling I had about returning to Montevallo was the idea that it was Montevallo's fault I had lost my previously healthy relationship with myself.
The summer before my sophomore year I counted every calorie, worked out religiously, and obsessed over food. I spent the hours I wasn't working looking up the calories for every Starbucks drink, every donut at Dunkin', and even how many calories were in Yogurt Mountain servings. I had never hated my body the way I had then, and I began to hate my life because I felt too ashamed to tell my friends the problems I was having because I was the "fit" one.
I don't know the exact moment it all changed, but I remember trying a Bob Harper strength video that was an hour long, and I had to do the modifications because it was so difficult. I decided to begin doing it twice a week to see how much I could progress because the challenge was exciting. I began to feel confident in my own skin again. I no longer counted every single calorie -- I ate what would make my body stronger. The reward was seeing my arms gain shape from being small, sagging runner's arms and feeling like I didn't have to run to feel strong.
When I went back to school I found myself making better choices, too. I began to challenge myself to exit the comfort of my room to talk to my friends, and I made time for myself every day to exercise. I even began to respect my body more as something that was my friend instead of an embarrassing aesthetic. I began to choose the elliptical over the treadmill to take care of my knees and chose songs I liked to run to. I even began to position myself in front of one of the TVs displaying the news because of my obsession with staying updated.
I didn't begin to deny myself carbs -- bread is my favorite food group. I didn't say no to every dessert. I didn't deny myself orange juice if I wanted it that morning. I just began to listen to my body and know what it needed. I also began to listen to my head to know I needed dessert every few days to stay sane. I didn't do difficult workouts that I hated. It was the opposite -- I began only doing workouts that challenged me and excited me.
Sometimes I wish I could meet Bob Harper and thank him for that one workout DVD, but I don't know if it was entirely thanks to him or just a final effort from the part of me that hadn't given up on my well-being that pushed me to do that video that day and vow to make things better instead of just complaining.
There are so many articles about how to stay fit during college, but I don't know if any of them address the real problem: the student. There is no easy way to stay fit during college. If you're not on an athletic team you have to actively make time to go to the gym or play a workout video in a cramped space. You have to choose not to eat that ice cream or drink that sweet tea because it makes you feel gross. There is no simple formula, and I'm glad I finally found a balance and a willingness. However, it's different for everyone and no one should discourage someone else's journey in discovering what's best for their well-being.
Here are some of my favorite things:
1. Popsugar Fitness on YouTube.
They have a variety of free exercise videos that range in time from about five to 45 minutes. I wouldn't recommend only doing five minutes a day, but if that's all the time you have something is better than nothing.
2. Knowing your college's student activity center hours so you can go when you have time that day.
3. Headphones designed for exercising.
Sweat can make regular headphones feel gross and slippery.
4. Fitness videos period to mix it up and you can do it at any time.
5. Water. Always and forever.
6. Drinking coffee black.
It reduces calorie intake. Choose a brew you like instead of a creamer.
