Looking to Avoid that Freshman Fifteen?
Everyone’s heard about the freshman fifteen (sometimes twenty). Whether you’re a freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior, the threat of gaining a surprising fifteen pounds looms over all of us. So how do you go about preventing this “freshman fifteen”? Take a look at these 5 simple tips to help keep you in shape.
1. Go to the gym
– This is the most obvious of the five. The purpose of the Eckerd College Fitness Center is to allow students to maintain a healthy lifestyle. You can run on the treadmill for thirty minutes, or try out the elliptical. If you’re into gaining muscle, there are a lot of machines and weights for that as well. If solo workouts don’t work for you, ask a friend to tag along or take one of the available group workout classes. On Wednesdays, wear sweatpants and tennis shoes if you’re into hip hop dance. If not, there are plenty of other classes to choose from. Nevertheless, for some people the gym can be kind of monotonous and boring. If the gym doesn’t work for you, why not try going for a…
2. Run along the beach
– the fact that there’s a beach on our college campus means we should take advantage of it. Whether you go in the morning, the afternoon, or the evening, the view is beautiful. You can bring along your iPod and a friend to maximize enjoyment levels. And when you’re finished, you can rest on a hammock beneath the palm trees. Sounds great right?
3. Join a club sport – Eckerd has a ton of club sports available to students. It’s a great way to exercise while having fun and meeting new people. You could join rugby, field hockey, or soccer. If those don’t interest you, take a look at the complete list of athletics clubs available here: http://www.eckerdstudents.org/list-of-clubs
4. Go swimming at the waterfront – The waterfront has tons of activities for you to do, and if none of those interest you, swimming is another fun way to exercise without really realizing your working out. It’s a low impact exercise that works out your entire body, and you don’t have to worry about sweating.
5. Watch what you eat
– this is the last and most difficult tip in my opinion. It’s so easy to give into the temptation to eat pizza and French fries every day. Café Bon Appétit is always serving some delicious dessert that would be the perfect end to any meal. And don’t even get me started on the milkshakes at Triton Pub. Eating recklessly makes gaining that freshman fifteen too easy. When it comes to your meals, try making healthier choices, maybe a salad instead of pizza or vegetables instead of fries. You don’t have to completely give up the junk food, but try and replace some of the junk with something healthier.