No body wants to be the one that comes home at Thanksgiving with a beer gut and a gobble of their own. Living in Boulder provides several outdoor activities, but the amount you smoke, drink and munch counters the exercise. Conveniently, Rooster has strategized twenty-five ways to avoid the inevitable freshmen fifteen. Good luck baby Buffs.
1. Walking to class is a foolproof way to burn extra calories and spike your metabolism. If you live on campus, set your alarm five minutes early to ensure extra time to walk across campus, or set your alarm five minutes late so you power walk. If you live in William’s Village or College Inn, skip the Buff Bus and take advantage of your location. The 1.5 mile walk to campus could burn off the Cosmo’s slice you munched on late last night.
2. Bike around Boulder to the mall, to Pearl Street, to South Boulder and beyond. The RTD bus is free and direct, but riding your bike to run errands provides extra exercise and an opportunity to explore Boulder. The hills and trails in West Boulder’s neighborhoods will force your body to adapt to the altitude.
3. Hike trails further than Chautauqua Park such as Sanitas trail and Rocky Mountain National Park. North and South Boulder host hiking trails in suburban neighborhoods that provide quiet and more challenging trails. Everyone in Boulder knows if a boy or girl asks you to go hiking on Saturday, it’s a date!
4. Ski or Snowboard on the weekends. Planning a trip to Keystone or Breckenridge not only keeps you active on Saturday and Sunday, but it could prevent you from binge drinking at night. The idea of waking up at seven a.m. for a day on the mountain seems daunting and causes most people to hit the sack early to avoid injury and exhaustion.
5. Stick to a work out schedule. We all use phones and personal planners to organize homework assignments and meetings so why not schedule an exercise routine. Whether you schedule a weekly aerobics class or daily jogs, planning a time to exercise consistently will increase your motivation to exercise.
6. Clubs and gyms have student packages and pricing, which provide for a clean, professional and private environment. Fitness One Boulder, Colorado Athletic Club, Rally Sports Health and Fitness, and Lifetime Fitness offer student prices for a gym membership meaning unlimited use of equipment and classes. Most fitness clubs allow prospective members a free week and a good chance to test out the facility to ensure you (or your parents) get all the bang for your buck.
7. The diving boards at the Rec Center pool are open all week for students to swim and show off their skills to the students on the ellipticals and treadmills. Grab a couple friends and jump your way into shape by doing tricks off the diving boards and swimming around the dive pool. Treading water equates to jogging, jumping rope and cycling.
8. Take the stairs in all buildings including the thirteen story ones in Will Ville. Hiking the stairs in each building gives your body the cardio blast it needs after sitting in class for fifty to seventy-five minutes. Although the altitude change may take your breath away the first few weeks in Boulder, your body will acclimate quicker if it is constantly challenged by vigorous activity.
9. Sweat out alcohol in the Rec Center Saunas Sunday nights. Sitting in the sauna for fifteen minutes after a workout or swim could help your body detoxify from binge drinking and eating late night junk food.
10.Calorie counting alcohol could prevent you from consuming an extra meal’s worth of calories multiple times a week. Stand by the fact that one beer or one shot is one hundred calories. Beer and soda cause the belly to bloat so taking a shot and chasing with a carbonated drink makes everybody’s belly look a little rounder than usual. Instead of chasing a shot of vodka with regular soda, use Fresca, Tonic Water or lemonade for a lower calories alternative.
11. Find the lowest calorie and most satisfying slice of pizza in Boulder to guarantee you make the most of each cheesy, greasy bite. Cheese pizza without meat, vegetables and extra sauce has the least number of calories in general, but the size, bulkiness and types of cheese decrease a slice’s nutritional value. Papa Romano’s pizza is thick, soft and loaded with toppings. Cosmo’s pizza is gigantic, thin and scarce on sauce. Abo’s pizza is a perfect combination of the two. No matter which pizza joint you choose, remember extra toppings and crust will add calories to your diet even if its three a.m. and you have not yet stopped for dinner.
12. Skip the “ice milk” in the dining halls and limit the number of cookies in Sewell. A soft serve ice cream after dinner or on a hot day sounds like the perfect dessert but a one hundred fifty calorie treat every day may add up to a couple pounds a year. Once you observe a dining hall employee pour a white creamy liquid into the ice milk machine, you will begin to wonder what ingredients are entering your body.
13. Drink hot tea or soup before a meal to fill your stomach. Studies show that drinking a large cup of hot liquid before a meal will turn on your brain’s hunger sensor. If you consume a hot cup of tea or Miso soup, for example, your stomach will tell you sooner when its full so you will be less likely to overeat and you will make smarter choices off a menu or in the dining hall lines.
14. Fifty percent of thirst is mistaken for hunger causing people to consume extra calories to satisfy the wrong desire. Drinking a bottle of water in each class period will keep you hydrated in Boulder’s dry weather and help your body communicate its needs. Aim to drink three to four water bottles a day to stay healthy and full.
15. Head to the dining halls just before close to avoid overeating and dessert. At the end of the day, the dining hall employees want to go home hence their sudden desire to clear your tray. If you allow an employee to clear your tray before you’re finished, you will realize how much extra food you take that you will not eat. Also, the lack of options towards the end of the shift will force you to choose foods you really need.
16. Find a low calorie go to munchie such as popcorn or dark chocolate. Studying late and smoking guarantees oral fixation and a desire to eat anything salty or sweet so plan ahead. Microwave popcorn averages four hundred calories a bag and dark chocolate has antioxidants and caffeine to keep your brain stimulated. These two snacks are a healthy alternative to the empty calories in chips and ice cream.
17. Do you get bags of sweets and homemade cookies in the mail? Take advantage of your mom’s care packages by re-gifting the candy to friends for birthday presents, secret Santa or get well soon gifts. Savor the homemade item, as it is difficult to find a kitchen in the dorms, but rid your room of sweet temptations during midterms and finals.
18. Eat three meals a day, especially breakfast as it kick starts the metabolism for the rest of the day. Utilize the mini fridge provided by the school to keep milk cold and fruit fresh. A bowl of cereal, oatmeal or a bagel will moderate your digestive system and prevent overeating at lunchtime. The dining halls open every morning at seven a.m. so students have time to eat, study and walk to class.
19. Use your Buff Bucks to buy gum and chasers rather than chips or Ben and Jerry’s ice cream. With every meal plan, students receive an allotted amount of money to spend in the dormitory stores for food, medicine and drinks. This money is perfect to buy junk food, but saving it for chasers and gum will help you keep off extra weight.
20. Save money and calories by packing a snack for late night library sessions. The Laughing Goat has coffee, tea, energy drinks and snacks, but instead of spending $5 every time you go to the library, pack an apple or orange from the dining hall. You could fill a Ziploc bag with cereal or a water bottle with milk to nourish yourself throughout the evening of studying and hard work.
21. Eat well all week and loosen up on the weekends! If you stick to a diet all week such as no ice cream or chocolate, treat yourself on Saturday. The key to maintaining weight is moderation and control, so you deserve a reward for resisting some temptation.
22. Stop eating three hours before bedtime. While you sleep, your body turns food into fat and cannot properly utilize any nutrients. Since it takes your body three hours to use the nutrients provided by food, set a bed time three hours from the last thing you ate. Allowing your body to digest before bed will guarantee hunger when you wake up so you can start off the next day with a satisfying breakfast. The dining halls close at seven p.m. and open at seven a.m. for a reason.