New year, new you, new…pounds? Try to avoid gaining the infamous and feared freshman 15 with the tips below.
Don’t eat. No, totally kidding, but – on the whole – do try to stick with foods like veggies, fruits, greens, nuts, oats, whole grains – you know, those foods your parents were always trying to get you to eat.
Drink water. Not only does it curb your hunger (fun fact: lots of times when you think you’re hungry, you’re actually just thirsty), it’s just really good for you in general.
Speaking of drinking: on average, one shot of hard alcohol contains around 100 calories. If you have five drinks throughout the night well, you guys all got into college; you can do the math. Additionally, watch out for those late-night snacks that come after a night of drinking. Those calories from the Whataburger breakfast taco you ate last night went straight to your hips, whether you remember eating it or not.
Exercise. A night of partying requires a day (or at least an afternoon) of exercising to work off those pounds. Luckily for you, there are many convenient ways to get moving around the Trinity campus. Start by joining the YMCA, located right across from the admissions building, and sign up for a Zumba or dance aerobics class. If you happen to be particularly lazy, find yourself an exercise buddy who will get you up off your ass and out to the gym.
Don’t use studying as an excuse to avoid exercising. Instead, bring your textbook to the gym with you. Even if you don’t retain any of the information, you’ll feel better about at least attempting to study.
Walk to class rather than driving. I know it’s tempting, especially with the looming prospect of Cardiac Hill, to simply jump in the car and drive to upper campus, but think of all those calories you’ll burn by trekking up those steps even before your day has started!
Take a PE class at Trinity. Class offerings include, but are not limited to, yoga, swimming and even running classes for the particularly insane.
My biggest problem when it comes to exercising is my tendency to get bored. In order to find motivation, make a playlist of your favorite songs or bring a book you enjoy reading (personally, I enjoy reading the Hunger Games while exercising because I find the fact that I would have been the first to die especially motivating).
If nothing else works, keep in mind that you’ll be wearing shorts and tanktops through at least mid-November. That should keep your fingers away from the French fries.
