Avoiding the Freshmen 15

The cliché is that all college students should stay up late, binge-watch TV shows, drink Red Bull and chow down on Little Debbies all night. However, healthy habits should be formed while in college. As a college student, life is busy, but here are some tips to help you manage a healthy lifestyle:

1.Find a workout buddy! Motivate each other to workout and stay in shape at the UAFS Fitness Center.

Here are the UAFS Fitness Center Hours:

Monday & Wednesdays: 6:00a.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Tuesdays & Thursdays: 6:00am- 9:30am, 11:00 a.m.-1:30 p.m., 3:00pm-9:00pm

Friday: 6:00 a.m.- 7:00 p.m.

Saturday: 8:00 a.m.-12 p.m.

Sunday: 2:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m.

2. Eat Healthy. Healthy eating isn't hard. Think about what you are putting on your plate and try to eat in small quantities. The UAFS cafeteria has a salad bar with plenty of healthy choices. Subway’s 6-inch oven -roasted chicken breast, loaded with veggies, or Chick-fil-A’s grilled chicken salad are also great options.

3. Schedule time every day to workout. Make it a priority! The UAFS Fitness Center has: treadmills, ellipticals, recumbent bikes for cardio, weight machines for a full body workout, a studio room with mirrors, a full size gym with indoor track, workout videos to check out, and they also offer personal body assessments and personal exercise prescriptions.

4. Drink lots of H20. Drinking water throughout the day benefits your whole body. From your hair and nails to your skin, water is such a vital part of being healthy. The Institute of Medicine determined that an adequate intake (AI) for men is roughly about 13 cups (3 liters) of total beverages a day. The AI for women is about 9 cups (2.2 liters) of total beverages a day.

5. Rest as much as you can! Sleep improves your mental stability and helps to regenerate your body.

If you begin to eat healthy, rest more and workout. If you properly follow these steps, you can keep off the Freshman 15. College is fun, but it is also when you develop your life-long disciples.