AVOIDING THAT FRESHMAN 15

College is all fun and games, that is, until your pants don’t fit anymore. In a country like United States, where fast food sells like water, it is no surprise that Freshman 15is a real thing. For those of you wondering, Freshman 15 refers to the 15 pounds most freshmen are expected to gain in their first semester. I too thought that I wouldn’t fall victim to this, never realised how wrong I would be.

While it can be hard to manage classes, a social life and health, all at once; it isn’t impossible. There are many ways one can avoid Freshman 15and maybe even lose weight. The biggest factor that not only hinders our metabolism but also our overall performance, is not getting enough sleep. I know it can be a real struggle to get 8 hours of sleep every night but it’s really worth it. If not 8, at least 7 hours of sleep 5 times a week should be your bare minimum. It would also help concentrate better in class and avoid that early morning grumpiness.

Breakfast is another thing that most students skip (myself included). I know we’ve heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day but we don’t pay heed to it. It is true though. For one, the calories eaten in the morning our hardly retained and it in fact helps to boost metabolism. Eating breakfast also helps keep us full longer, in turn reducing our intake of unhealthy snacks throughout the day. 

Is your dorm merely 2 feet away from the convenience store? Because mine was and it was the greatest curse. Because the store was right there, I would go every day and be enticed by the unhealthy goodies on display. One trick is to not enter any of the enticing aisles and to instead head straight to the fruit and fresh food section. Try to avoid packaged foods as much as you can and to instead stock up on fruits and healthy snacks. You can also try to make your own food if that’s a plausible option at your housing.

If you have time, visit the gym, but if it’s too far and you cannot be bothered to put in that effort (like me), just walk everywhere. Avoid taking cabs as much as you can and just walk everywhere. This is also a great way to explore the city and meet people, while staying in shape, all at once.

Overall, college can be stressful. With midterms, deadlines and submissions, weight is the least of anyone’s worries. But eating right and leading a healthy lifestyle isn’t only about weight, it’s important for our day-today well-being and helps us maintain a positive outlook in life. There aren’t many things we can control, but a healthy lifestyle is something we can. So it would definitely give great happiness to have control over something and one less setback.