Stuck With the Infamous Freshman 15? Here's Some Help

Between all the classes, homework, papers, work and roommates, what college student really has time to exercise?

The "freshman 15" has become infamous, and if you're not careful, will become unavoidable. But most students can't find the time, or the money, to eat right or hit the gym three times a week. Instead, they're sitting in front of the television or at the library, snacking on Doritos and Diet Coke.

Although it may seem timely and expensive, and often can be, exercise can also be a part of your daily routine. In fact, you might not even notice you're doing it.

Kevin Allred, a senior at Utah State University majoring in American studies, incorporates exercise into his daily routine. Instead of riding the bus back and forth to school, he simply walks. That extra movement in his day energizes him and makes him feel a little less lazy, he says.

"It's all about cardiovascular," he said. "When you think about it, you walk a lot during the day without noticing it. For me, adding that extra walk to and from my car did it for me."

To incorporate some exercise into your daily routine, walk to school, walk to work and take the stairs instead of the elevator; anything to keep your body moving.

If walking doesn't seem to be an extreme mode of activity, consider this: for someone weighing 130 pounds, walking can burn as little as 78 calories in 30 minutes, and more if you walk a little faster. For a complete list of everyday activities, listed by the intensity of the activity or the name of the activity itself, visit the NutriBase Calories Expenditure chart.

Besides the healthy benefits, such as weight loss, weight control and a healthier heart, exercise can lift your spirits. During exercise, your body releases endorphins, your body's natural painkillers, proven to raise your levels of happiness. Walking to school on a warm day can clear your mind and ready it for a day in class.

A study conducted by researchers at Duke University, reported in the Mental Health Journal, found that 60 percent of participants suffering from depression overcame their illness without medication when they exercised for 30 minutes, three times a week. This is the same rate as those who took only some form of antidepressant medication, without exercise.

The article also reported another study that found that workouts of just eight minutes could "help lower sadness, tension and anger along with improving resistance to disease in healthy people."

Other benefits can include an improved confidence, reduced anxiety and lower levels of stress; all components a college student could certainly benefit from.

Another option students have is located right on campus. The physical education department at USU has recently opened a brand new fitness center upstairs in the Field House. It houses new cardiovascular and weight machines and is free to any student with a Student ID card. The variety of equipment gives students the chance to do more than just walk or run, which can sometimes be important. The heart needs work, but so does the rest of the body.

In a post to the newsgroup rec.running, exercise advocate Joseph Meehan said that exercise has many benefits, more than just weight control. In his experience, during basic training in the military, the heavy recruits would lose weight and the thin recruits would actually gain weight, but all in the muscles.

"Walking/running is most effective at weight control because you are using the largest muscle groups of your body," he said. "You can burn more calories with less effort and in less time than other methods."

He went on to say that the human body was designed for work as a hunter and gatherer, not an office worker.

"We no longer walk or run nearly as much as our bodies are designed for," he said. "We really should do more. We are also lacking in upper body and other exercise. So we really should do cross training, such as running and weight training."

For those students who do have a little extra time and money, and want to do more than just walk more or go for a run every night, a gym or weight loss program may be the answer. A gym usually carries with it a contract requirement and a monthly fee, and local weight loss programs can charge you weekly.

One of Logan's most popular health clubs, the Sports Academy & Racquet Club, currently has a membership of about 550 students, according to Operations Manager Jeremy Wilcock. The club offers swimming, dancing, tumbling, tennis, aerobics and fitness equipment and facilities. It carries a heavy fee, however, at a student discount of $44.95 per month, or $29.95 per month when you sign up with a friend, and you are required to sign a one-year contract.

Many students, after they have moved away from home and entered the college scene, find that exercise alone doesn't always prevent, or relieve, that "freshman 15." Melissa Mathis, a senior majoring in cellular and molecular biology, found this out the hard way.

"When I started college, I thought a little exercise a few days a week would save me," she said. "I didn't think about the donut I would eat for breakfast, or the grilled cheese sandwich I would grab from the cafeteria between classes or my favorite dinner of oversized baked pretzels dipped in cheese."

So when freshman 15 turned into the freshman 25, she knew she had to do something. She kept her same exercise schedule, about 30 minutes two or three times a week, but started watching what she put in her mouth.

"I'd eat an apple in the morning, instead of the donut, then I'd try to fit in a decent lunch," Mathis said, "or take one with me from home. Then for dinner, I'd eat the pretzel if I wanted to." Within six months, she had lost the excess 25 pounds, plus another three.

"I felt better as a whole," Mathis said. "I would seem to wake up earlier, have more energy throughout the day and, although a lot of my friends don't believe me, I think my grades improved a little."

When it comes to dieting, sometimes it isn't that simple. It's easy to cut down on the sweets and the snacks, but how do you know if the chicken pasta you made for dinner doesn't contain as much fat as the tub of ice cream you really wanted instead? Or who has time to calculate and keep track of all the calories you consume in an entire day?

Although they tend to be pricey, a weight loss program such as Weight Watchers can really help. They help you keep track of your weight loss and provide meetings (at no extra cost) for support, advice and other weight-loss techniques. They also provide easier programs for keeping track of the food you consume and how much of what will help you reach a desired weight goal.

There is one Weight Watchers location in Logan, and anyone is invited to join. At this particular branch, it costs $30 to sign up and cover your first week of membership, $10 each week until week nine, then $8 each week after that. You can find more information about the program as a whole at their official website.

To review some of the ways a weight loss program can help, visit Dotti's Weight Loss Zone and get tips and other information from a "survivor" on how to turn your dieting and exercise plan into a fun, and easy, success.

Whatever you decide to do to get or stay in shape, make sure it is something you enjoy. If you can't fathom the idea of exercise, as many people can't, just walk more. But if you're seriously considering beginning an exercise program, brush up on the facts.

For information on getting started and overcoming obstacles, from more health benefits to what to wear, visit The Exercise and Physical Fitness Page at Georgia State University. If you still have questions or hesitations, your physician can always help, or ask a friend how they got started.

As Dotti of Dotti's Weight Loss Zone says, "If you always do what you always did, you'll always get what you always got."

By Jamie Baer