There is a monstrous beast on the prowl in your dining hall! Here's how you can steer clear of this monster.
Description: A ravenous beast haunting college dining halls causing freshmen to mysteriously gain 15 pounds before they go home for Christmas break. Lurking around campuses across the country every fall semester, this eerie monster hides in college cafeterias, especially near the dessert section, waiting to pounce on its next victim. Students fearfully file through the lunch line, wondering if the monster will attack them as they reach for the nearest donut.
Victim: College Freshmen on your campus
Ok, ok...I confess, there really is no monster that hunts you down as you grab your food. Although I can guarantee that there will be no ferocious monsters scheming to attack you in the dining hall, I can assure you that staying healthy while living at school can be quite a difficult task.
The following is a list of some tips to help you stay as healthy as possible during your freshman year (and for the rest of your life, for that matter). Here they are in no particular order of importance...
- If you have the choice of taking the bus or walking...walk. Stairs or elevator...take the stairs.
- No matter the temptation...don't get in the habit of eating McDonald's everyday for lunch.
- Take the opportunity to go to the main dining hall and get a hot meal with vegetables at least once a day, even if it takes longer than grabbing something to eat from the sub shop. Taking time to eat at the dining hall will give you a chance to take a break from your hectic schedule, get some healthy food (should you choose to eat it), and hang out with your friends.
- Go to the gym for study breaks. It's better to study for smaller amounts of time with breaks in between than studying for prolonged periods of time. You will retain more, making your study time more effective.
- Swim or do water aerobics! It's a great way to exercise without feeling sweaty.
- Find a workout partner and agree to go to the gym or do something active a few times a week. Exercising is more fun when you have someone to do it with.
- If you're a guy, carry the ladies' books (hint, hint -- a lot of us ladies like that stuff).
- Drink lots of water! Take a water bottle to sip on during class. Soda has a lot of calories and caffeine. You will have more energy if you drink good old water. There is no substitute.
- Watch the fat content and the amount of calories in the food you eat. Many cafeterias put signs near the food indicating nutritional information. For example, avoid the mystery meat if one serving satisfies 85% of your daily value of saturated fat.
- Take advantage of the many opportunities that your campus offers to join an intramural team. These activities do not demand a lot of your time, and they give you the opportunity to become involved in the campus life at your school, stay active, and get to know more people.
Here's to a healthy freshman year!
Used by permission of WSN Press and Campus Crusade for Christ. All rights reserved. WSN Press, Campus Crusade for Christ--2500, 100 Lake Hart Dr., Orlando, FL 32832 USA.
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