Freshman 15 isn't just for freshman

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Life as a student is no cakewalk. As assignments pile up and cram sessions begin, the thought of exercise and nutrition gets put on back burner. Not all of us fall into this trap, but many of us do. Whether we are new students, leaving home for the first time or returning students moving in with new roommates, the stress of a new semester is ever looming.

The big question, however, is how can we be proactive about potential pitfalls as stressors begin to rise?

Considering that I’m not a nutritionist or fitness coach or one of those people who pretends to know everything, I decided to ask those around me their thoughts and came up with a few ideas that I think might help us all out.

Get active – any way you want

I’ve found that in first year it’s important to develop a routine early to help get acclimated to the college lifestyle. For the most part, nobody is going to motivate you except you. Get active by finding a way to exercise regularly in the beginning of the semester. Fanshawe offers a variety of options from competitive varsity (tinyurl.com/falconvarsity) and recreational intramurals sports (tinyurl.com/falconintramural) to personal trainers and affordable on-campus gym memberships. As students, we are also eligible for a variety of discounts on fitness services offered throughout the city of London. Make a plan and stick to it. Remember that any activity is good activity.

Pack a lunch and never skip breakfast

The idea comes from past post-secondary experience. I know if I don’t plan ahead, I just end up eating a lot of frozen pizza. Strive to eat a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables throughout the day while including a form of protein with every meal. I have found this method particularly helpful in cutting down on the cost of buying food on campus while also limiting my portion size. Planning your meals the night before can help curb unhealthy eating habits and ensure you eat an appropriate amount (while saving your wallet!).

Educate yourself

The most important thing I realized during my first year of college is that I needed to be my biggest advocate. Taking the time to learn about healthy nutrition can be rewarding both physically and mentally. There are plenty of websites and apps designed to make learning about nutrition simple. One example I have found helpful in the past is an app called MyFitnessPal. You can simply scan barcodes with a smartphone and have the nutritional information displayed instantly. Another useful tool is the basal metabolic rate (BMR). This handy metric helps calculate the recommended caloric intake for your specific body type, saving the math for the engineers.

In the words of the Roman philosopher Marcus Tullius C icero, “Cultivation to the mind is as necessary as food to the body.”