Freshman Fifteen

Emily Kirkevold, Contributor

If you want to be healthy for the summer or make sure to escape the freshman fifteen next year, it’s time to start making healthy changes now. Being healthy is more than using fad diets and regular dieting, being healthy means a change in your lifestyle.

The freshman fifteen is an expression referring to the amount of weight college students gain their freshmen year. Many people accept that they will gain this weight while others strive to keep healthy even in college. ENN asked Mrs. Swanson what students should we watch out for to keep clear of the freshman fifteen, “First of all, a person has more freedom to eat what they want and when they want without their parents looking over their shoulders.  Secondly, many students, who once had high school sports to rely on for their daily dose of exercise, do not play sports in college. The freshmen fifteen can also happen as a result of alcohol consumption. One drink has roughly 150 calories.  When people choose to binge drink, they can be consuming anywhere from 800-1,500 extra calories in one night.  College students believe that it is a right of passage to consume alcohol.  This is very untrue. The damaging effects alcohol has on the body and brain are not worth it.”.

So what can we do to keep off the weight and still live a healthy lifestyle in college? First off, exercise, all you need is thirty minutes of walking or running. You can do this while you are watching Netflix, or listening to music. Just get active for thirty minutes. Mrs. Swanson commented, “There is ALWAYS time for exercise, you just have to WANT to choose to make it a priority in your life.”. So find the time and if walking on a treadmill isn’t your thing, go outside, play a game with your friends, anything that can raise your heart rate and get you active. Also, stay away from alcohol. This is hard, but as Mrs. Swanson said alcohol contains roughly 150 calories and in one night how many cups will you really drink? If you want to stay healthy, it may be better to steer clear. Lastly, stay away from fad diets and dieting. If you want to make a real change, Mrs. Swanson says to make a change in your lifestyle. While dieting is only a temporary fix, a change to how you live will be forever and last longer than dieting. Try sticking to the 80/20 method, 80% healthy foods and 20% little treats we all love to eat.

When eating healthy we should stay away from processed food. Strictly sticking to fresh vegetables and fruits. However; fat isn’t that bad for you. “Fat is an essential nutrient for your body and is necessary for supporting cell growth, providing energy, and insulating your body.”, says Mrs. Swanson. Stick to unsaturated fats like; avocados, nuts, flax seeds, salmon, and peanut butter to name a few. Be careful of  processed food as they contain high sugar and empty calories. Mrs. Swanson recommends always looking at the nutrition labels of what you eat to make sure you are eating well.

Remember that being healthy you first have to want to and it is a great thing to start for your future. Good luck everyone!