Staying fit in college can be incredibly hard, especially considering the type of lifestyle that we can so easily fall victim to. We all know what it feels like to try on last year’s bathing suits and realize they definitely don’t fit like they used to. Here are some tips that help you stay fit while still living the college lifestyle we all love.
Get Into a Routine
It’s so important to hold yourself accountable for getting that work out in and eating healthy throughout the day. Create a day-to-day schedule where you have a set time to get a work out in, so that way you don’t end up pushing it off until it’s too late to go. I like to consider my work out as important a priority as school work. That way if it doesn’t get done, then I hold myself accountable for that and don’t allow myself to go out at night. A great way to stay motivated is to make an exercise date with a friend, so you can’t make excuses when it rolls around. If you work out in the morning, set out your clothes the night before and put your alarm clock across the room, so it forces you to get out of bed instead of hitting snooze. Most important of all, exercise even if you have fifteen minutes to do it. If you make a point to fit some sort of work out in your day, the habit will stick. If I have minimal time, I go to fitsugar.com and do a video or two. They’re quick and super effective.
Switch It Up
When you do the same exercise every day, your body grows accustomed to the movements and essentially adapts so that you burn less calories. At some point your calorie loss will plateau and your hard work will become pointless. Additionally, when you repeat the same workout daily you become bored and less motivated to get up and do it. A great way to avoid this is to take classes, so that you switch up the muscles you’re working (and they’re a lot more fun than standing on an elliptical for an hour!). Ritchie and Eppley have great class selections like yoga, HIIT, and body pump, and they’re a fun thing to do with friends. Another option is do cardio every other day with weight training on the days in between. Despite the common misconception, weight training is essential to toning your body and keeping weight off.
EAT
There’s no reason to swear off certain foods. Everything in moderation is much easier to accomplish and stick to. Cheat days are a great thing to follow, so that way you have something to look forward to every week. If you know you’ll be drinking, make your cheat day that day or the day after so you don’t have to feel bad for drunk eating or hangover food cures.
Downloading an app like MyFitnessPal is a great way to hold yourself accountable for what you eat throughout the day, and you’re much less likely to snack too much. Keep in mind that calories aren’t the only thing you should be counting though. Often low calorie foods have added sugars to make up for the missing ingredients, and sugar is sure to pack on the pounds quickly, so always make sure to read all of the nutrition facts.