You’ve heard the horror stories and have even seen evidence when you Facebook stalk your high school’s newest collegiettes (don’t lie, everyone does it). No, I’m not talking about a couple of shots gone wrong, though that’s also bad. After a semester or two at school, many collegiettes find themselves a couple (or more) pounds heavier. Some collegiettes experience more than weight gain: between the greasy food in the dining hall and the lack of exercise, many girls succumb to an unhealthy lifestyle in college. But this is just inevitable, right? Wrong! Believe it or not, you can start fighting against an unhealthy collegiette lifestylenow. By adopting some healthy habits before you head off to the big, bad world of college, it’ll be much easier to be in tip-top shape at school. As always, we’re here to help and are giving you our top ten healthy habits to adopt before college.
1. Learn to Love Fruits and Veggies
Confession time: you still sneak that helping of spinach to your dog. Or do you move it around your plate to make it look like you’ve eaten more? Regardless, a lot of pre-collegiettes aren’t crazy about fruits and vegetables. While a nice helping of tiramisu always sounds better, you’re going to have to learn to love fruits and vegetables. Let’s put it this way – an addiction to tiramisu is bad news. “Fruits and vegetables provide our bodies with natural sugar and fibers, ” says Dr. Sharon Richter, RD. “They also keep us feeling full.” Eating fruits and vegetables at school is hard for even the healthiest collegiettes. “It’s so easy to fall into bad habits of eating pizza and takeout every night” says Jessica Salerno, a junior at Ohio University and HC Contributing Writer. “If you can start eating fruits and vegetables once a day, you’ll be much better off!” Start off by mixing fruits and vegetables into your meals: add some berries to your Greek yogurt or throw a couple of pieces of broccoli into your bowl of penne. Going to college doesn’t mean that you have to drop these fun meals; you can find these food staples in the dining hall. By the time you head to college, you’ll be eating fruits and veggies like a pro.
2. Take a Multivitamin
While fruits and vegetables sound like a great idea in theory, they might not be ideal if you’re a picky eater. What’s a girl to do? “Multivitamins are good if someone doesn’t eat a balanced diet with a variety of fruits and vegetables,” says Dr. Richter. Be warned, pre-collegiettes: multivitamins aren’t miracle pills. While they don’t prevent diseases [http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=100511973] and aren’t as nutritious as the food you eat, they do help if you’re not eating enough nutrient-dense food. If you think that eating fruits and vegetables is tricky when you’re at home, it’s even more difficult at college: a lot of dining halls have a limited amount of fruits and vegetables. While eating fruits and vegetables is preferred, taking a multivitamin is a good way to ensure you’re getting all the necessary nutrients. It’s so important to get all of your nutrients, especially in college: your fabulous, collegiette lifestyle minus nutrients equals one big disaster.
3. Set a Cut-Off Time
Late night munchies are almost a rite of passage in college; however, it can also lead to packing on the pounds. To eliminate temptation, set a time to stop eating. That means no popcorn during Pretty Little Liars, right? Not necessarily. We just can’t eat right up until the moment we brush our teeth and hop into bed. “You just need about forty five minutes before you go to bed so food starts to digest and to ensure you sleep well,” says Dr Richter. Unless you go to sleep right after your precious TV time, you can still snack – healthily – during your favorite shows. If you find yourself in need of some late night snacks in college, just remember to keep it delicious and nutritious [http://www.hercampus.com/health/10-healthy-yummy-study-snacks]. An apple or some almonds are yummy and packed with nutrients!
4. Get Moving
After an exhausting day at high school, all you want to do is go home and watch episodes of Family Feud until you have to do homework. (Or was I the only one who watched Family Feud?) Anyway, your relaxing after-school agenda can lead to an unhealthy college lifestyle. When you’re in college, you’re even more tempted to turn into a couch potato after a huge midterm. Kick-start a healthy collegiette life by exercising! “Most Americans aren’t getting enough exercise because of computers, TV, and driving instead of walking or biking,” says Dr. Sarah Short, a professor of Nutrition Science & Dietetic Programs Department of Public Health, Food Studies, and Nutrition at Syracuse University. Instead of Facebook-stalking your latest crush—no matter how cute he may be—turn off the computer and hit the gym or take a walk around your neighborhood. If you live close enough to your friends or school, sacrifice your driving jam sessions and walk instead. Your new movin’-and-shakin’ attitude will make you more eager to work out at school. Let’s not forget that your new workout plan will give you more energy and better time management skills, which are necessary when you’re a collegiette.
5. Cut the Sugary Drinks Out of Your Diet
After a long day at school, nothing screams “pick-me-up” like a can of soda. Unfortunately, this “pick-me-up” is notorious for being an unhealthy beverage. The hidden calories? The excess amount of sugar? Who needs that?! “Soda with sugar is too easy to drink and has many calories that you don’t notice,” says Dr. Short. “It is very easy to drink calories and not realize how many you are getting.” But you’re in the clear if you drink diet soda, right? Wrong. “Even soda without calories doesn’t do your teeth any good,” says Dr. Short. If you’re experiencing some carbonation temptation, treat yourself to some seltzer. It’s bubbly and isn’t as unhealthy as soda.
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6. Stock Up Your Fridge with Healthy Snacks
Are you surprised that collegiettes are super unhealthy when they fill their shelves with ramen noodles and bags of chips? Resist the temptation and start exploring healthier food options. Before you pack your bags and head to college, start going to the grocery store with your parents. Instead of throwing the usual munchies in the cart, tell your parents that you want to eat healthier. Start your health crusade by checking labels at the supermarket. “Avoid high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated oils,” says Dr. Richter. “Also, look for the most recognizable ingredients. For fresh food, shop the perimeter of the supermarket.” Haven’t you ever realized that the edges of your supermarket are filled with fresh produce? When you shop the perimeter of your grocery store, you can pick up fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, and diary products. At school, fill your fridge with milk, berries, carrots, and hummus. Since your fridge is filled to the brim with nourishing snacks, you’ll be less likely to spend money on microwavable noodles. Your new college friends will be so impressed by your healthy initiative that they’ll want to store their fridges with nutritious treats too.
7. Stay Hydrated
You have no excuse to not drink water! “Water is the most important nutrient for your body,” says Dr. Richter. According to Science Daily, you should be drinking nine cups of water a day. Start hydrating yourself now by bringing a water bottle to school. If your high school’s water fountains are questionable, invest in a reusable water bottle. Not only are they eco-friendly, but a lot of them also come with filters so you can get water anywhere (within reason)!
8. Eat Small, Healthy Snacks Throughout the Day
As a busy pre-collegiette, you’re always on the go. If you’re not at school, you’re at volleyball practice, rehearsing for your school’s spring musical, or at a mathlete competition (if it’s cool enough for Mean Girls, it’s cool enough for you). It’s no surprise that you’re absolutely starving when dinner rolls around. So you inhale that first plate of your mom’s chicken parm. Then, you grab a second plate. And a third. You then open up your freezer and… you get the idea, right? I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you’ll probably be even busier in college, not to mention hungrier at dinnertime. To avoid that freshman fifteen, snack on some healthy treats throughout the day! “If you snack, you usually won’t overeat at the next meal,” says Dr. Richter. “You should aim for three meals and two snacks.” Get into the habit before college and pack some carrots or rice cakes to snack on throughout the day. Don’t leave this tip at home with that awkward sweater your aunt got you for your birthday—bring some snacks to your lectures!
9. Drink Milk
It seems so obvious; however, it’s crucial to drink milk in college. Even if you drink milk with dinner now, it’s easy to forget when you’re at college. As a growing collegiette, you need your dairy products! “Milk is a great source of calcium, protein, and vitamin D,” says Richter. “You should drink milk that is either non- or low-fat.” But what should you do if you’ve been rejecting milk at the dinner table since you learned how to say “No”? Try some non- or low-fat Greek yogurt! There a bunch of yummy flavors to choose from.
10. Watch Your Portions!
Be warned, pre-collegiettes, some dining halls serve completely unbalanced meals. Example? Too much rice and too few vegetables. Not only does this mess up your caloric intake, you’re also not getting all of the nutrients you need. “Your plate should have half fruits and vegetables, a quarter of lean protein, and a quarter of whole grains,” says Richter. As silly as it sounds, practice loading your plates at home. Once you’re at college, you can visualize how much of each food you need and be sure to add more peas and take away some rice.
In addition to all of our tips, it’s important to be realistic. Chances are you’re going to splurge once in a while and eat a slice of pizza when your friends order a pie. It isn’t the end of the world! “Once in a while isn’t bad, but not everyday,” says Dr. Short. Just keep it in moderation. That being said, don’t forget to give us some credit when you share your freshman success stories with your friends!