No matter who you are, you will probably gain weight in college, have a less-than-proper diet, or become sleep-deprived thanks to late nights at the SLC. Pretty much everyone wants to look good and feel good, but balancing health and fitness can be overwhelming when you have a lot on your plate as a student. There are always tests to study for, coolers to paint, and meetings to attend. Regardless, you can maintain or even improve your health by adopting small habits that add up.
Break up with Orbit Buses & Elevators
You don’t have to buy a Fitbit or anything, but take advantage of walking. I can understand taking the bus if you have to go from Ramsey to the north end of campus, but if you get on the bus to go one stop further you are probably wasting more time waiting on the bus than it would take to just walk in the first place. Another really cool thing about the sidewalks is that you aren’t pressed up against a sweaty stranger while being forced to hold your backpack between your legs! If you’re feeling really adventurous, you can even walk up Ag Hill instead of taking the bus all the way to the Bio building. If you’re headed to the SLC to study, take the stairs. Trust me, I know walking all the way up to the fourth floor absolutely blows, but it really does add up in the long run. You will be surprised by how much better you feel when you make it a point to get extra steps in.
Eat Purposefully
No one has time to sit around and count calories, and no one is going to have a perfectly clean diet. However, you need to put some thought into what and when you are eating. Eat breakfast, and if possible, eat a small meal every 3-4 hours to keep your metabolism revved. Vegetables (not slathered in butter or cheese) should make up the majority of your diet, followed by fruits, grains, and lean proteins like fish and chicken. If you are on a meal plan at UGA , tater tots and pizza are tempting, but it is relatively easy to find healthy options at the dining halls. If you eat at home, cook your grains and meats on Sunday and Wednesday and throw a few days worth of lunches together in separate Tupperware containers (check out Pinterest for some really good resources on meal prepping). Try to snack on almonds or fruit instead of chips or Pop-Tarts when you get hungry between meals. Drink more water than you think you need to and avoid juices and soda as much as possible. The best advice I have about how to go about planning your meals for the week is to treat your meals like questions on a test. You eat roughly 21 meals a week, so two unhealthy meals would still put you at a 90 percent for the week. You are a college student, so just go ahead and accept the fact that you aren’t going to eat perfectly all the time. Sometimes you just want to eat a 12-count meal from Chik-fil-A or go in on a whole box of pizza rolls, and that is fine! You don’t have to give up your favorite meals to get in better shape, so just enjoy them in moderation. There’s a lot of hype these days about eating clean and putting kale in everything, but if you focus on making small improvements to the way you eat, the results will come.
Be Active
Get moving. You don’t have to run marathons or anything, but find an activity that you enjoy and do it often. Regular cardio dramatically decreases your risk of heart disease, and the endorphins ain’t too bad either. Whether it is playing basketball, running, or taking a Zumba class, you should engage in sustained cardio at least four times per week in sessions that last at least 30 minutes. More than that is even better. Resistance training is just as important too. Pairing cardio with resistance training (lifting weights/plyometrics) at least two times per week will target fat loss, whereas only doing cardio will cause you to lose muscle mass as well. Weightlifting also increases your bone density, which will decrease your risk of breaks and sprains. Your 70-year-old self will thank you later for making gains now. If you aren’t sure where to begin with a weightlifting routine, attend a resistance training class at Ramsey or ask one of the employees in the gym for suggestions. Ladies, you will not get bulky from lifting weights, so don't be afraid of the weight room. No matter what you decide to do for resistance training, be sure to take the initiative to pick up some dang weights. You’ll be happy you did by the time spring break rolls around.
Alcohol: Educate Yoself Before You Treat Yoself
There is a high chance that you drink. There is an even higher chance that you get drunk more than once a week (especially during football season). I am by no means insinuating that you should quit drinking, but you should definitely be aware of the impact alcohol can have on your health. First of all, alcohol can slow down your metabolism for up to 48 hours when you get drunk. It is literal poison to your body and can potentially put you in the hospital or kill you if you have too many drinks. Alcohol has a ton of calories and no nutritional value whatsoever (aside from a glass of red wine). A shot of vodka has roughly 60 calories; add mixers, and you are looking at 150-250 calories per drink. A moderately turnt evening consists of at least five or six drinks, so unless you just take all your liquor straight never chase that, you are probably consuming anywhere from 1500-2000 calories every time you go out. This being said, you should probably lay off the Five Guys and Cheetos if you know you’re probably getting drunk later that evening. Recreational drinking is pretty much inevitable in college, so if you do decide to partake, just keep in mind that it can make you retain or gain a lot of weight if you do it too often and don’t exercise consistently. It can be fun, but if you aren't mindful of your limits you can get yourself in a lot of trouble both physically or with the law. Drink responsibly!
There is so much more to be said about becoming healthier, but start with some of these steps and you will notice a big difference in how you look and feel. You won’t always eat perfectly and you’ll occasionally miss a workout, but making small improvements is better than taking no initiative at all. Remember that the media has unrealistic standards of beauty and work on loving yourself more every day. Now go get yolked!
XOXO Tor
