Written by Sydney Young
Due to the abundance of cookies and cakes constantly available to us from Commons and Cavern, it’s not hard to understand how the “freshman 15” can sneak up on us. So, to balance this out, it is important to create and maintain healthy habits. Even as midterms rapidly approach, and it seems that we are sitting under piles of work, it is easy to think that your health is less important, but it is not. While the transition to college can be extremely stressful and adding another thing to our metaphorical plates may seem like it’s too much, it’s essential that we keep up with our physical and mental health.
Any article that you read about creating new healthy habits will open with the suggestion to set your intentions. While it seems corny, and starts to feel repetitive, it’s because it is important. For myself, I want to become physically stronger and test my body’s capabilities. Working out is an effective way to accomplish both things. If you are still reading this, I assume that you’re also trying to have good habits, so, what’s your motivation?
Anybody that regularly tracks their step count throughout the day has undoubtedly noticed a sustained uptick in their activity levels. For those of us not in a sport this is mostly due to walking to and from classes, activities, and our friends’ dorms. Of course, if any athletes are reading this, your healthy lifestyle is built into your life here at college between practices and games.
Not all of us are college athletes though, so we must create workout routines of our own. This is where the Belk Fitness Center comes into play. Gyms can be terrifying. For people that have never worked out, or people that are accustomed to their home gyms, walking into a new space is intimidating. So, what to do? Enlist the help of a friend. My roommate and I went to the gym together the first couple of times until we got comfortable enough to go on our own. Whether you have a friend that can show you the ropes, or somebody just as confused as you, going with a friend takes the pressure off you to have it all figured out.
While we work on balancing our diets, and improving our physical health, don’t forget to look out for your brain too. Sleeping, talking to your friends about your stresses, and looking up from your screens are still too important to let slip by the wayside. So, work on your healthy habits, keep up your grades, and remember to eat the cookies in Commons every once in a while!
