by Bailey Peterson, college freshman
Unfortunately, “Eating Healthy” is rarely found amongst “Quantum Physics” and “Zoology” in college course catalogs. With a year of late-night taco runs and caffeine-fueled study sessions on the horizon, it’s easy to feel discouraged. Fortunately, there is hope! The load of your diet doesn’t have to match your schedule! Fight off the Freshman 15 this semester with these tips.
Don’t Always “Do Dinner” Being caught between an egg roll and a hard place can be avoided! Avoid this sticky situation and make your own healthy Chinese! Try one of the many simple, delicious recipes that can be found on the Signature Patient Website. Worried about the limited resources of a dorm room? Don’t. There are many dorm-room chefs with blogs and simple step-by-step instructions on overcoming your suite cooking fears, including www.dormroomchef.tv or http://college.biggirlssmallkitchen.com/. When you make your food, you are more aware of what is going into your body, and there’s no way those pounds can sneak up on you!
Do Premade Better Love of convenience often let’s our stomachs get ahead of our heads, but our body’s often pay a steep price for these quick fixes. Many convenience foods pack a whole day’s worth of sodium as well as loads of empty calories. If convenience is a necessity, there are better options than your typical snack aisle fair! Stash Medi-Weightloss Clinics® Signature Zippers or 100-Calorie Protein Bars in your purse, backpack, and dorm room for better-for-you convenience.
Slow Your Roll When our main focus is accomplishing our routine quickly, mindful eating can fall by the wayside. Even when we do make our own food, we rarely enjoy it because it’s just part of a cycle of mindless multitasking. Throw a kink in the machine. One of the easiest ways to eat less is to not indulge in food while distracted. Take the time to truly savor your food.
Party Sober The empty calories in alcoholic beverages are often not worth the weight gain (or headaches) they can cause. If you need to have a drink to have fun at a party, it isn’t that fun of a party.
Keep the Glass Half Full! Not only a motto for positive thinking, keeping the glass half full is practical advice. Being healthy isn’t only dictated by your eating habits — it’s your drinking habits, too! Make sure you drink at least 64 oz of water per day. It’s easy. Carry a water bottle or utilize the many water fountains around campus! Hydration is directly linked to how you feel and is can be largely responsible for how productive you are throughout the day. So, if you aren’t getting enough water, you won’t be doing your best! Drink up!