With September here, it is time we start discussing the dreaded freshman 15. What is the freshman 15? The freshman 15 is the name given to the weight that is put on by individuals during the first year of their college or university studies. In my case, it was the freshman 50 (see the bio on my website) but we’ll save that story for another feature, better yet a novel. There are numerous things that cause freshmen or new students to gain weight (refer to the list below).
Here is a brief list of what to watch out for:
• Late night eating
• High calorie drinks
• Alcohol
• Buffets
• Oversized portions
• High stress environment
• Lack of sleep
These factors sum up the causes of the freshman 15, however to put it into layman’s terms, it is simply caused by too much food and not enough exercise. Often when it is time to go to college or university, individuals leave home which means anything goes. Gone are proper eating schedules, proper bed times and there is no one to supervise or advise students on day-to-day activities.
If having a regular scheduled routine is what got you to university, I would advise you to continue with your routine, even when you get there, as it will save you a lot of heartache in the long run.
Ironically what allows new students to pack on the pounds is also what allows office folk to put on a lot of pounds. The number one culprit as you may have guessed is sitting.
Sitting all day and performing very little activity, other than walking from one meeting to another or one classroom to another does not add up to much energy expenditure. As you decrease your expenditure and begin to eat the same as before or more you are bound to gain weight.
How To Avoid the Weight Gain:
There are numerous things you can do to decrease weight gain and stay healthy. Here are the ‘Top 5 Things’ to do in order to achieve this:
1) Stop Eating Junk Food
While it tastes great and is really fast, keep in mind that junk food is the fastest way to pack on pounds. Large amounts of sugar, fat, salt and/or butter is the perfect cocktail to trigger your body’s fat storage machinery. Limit your indulgences and you will limit the weight gain. It is called junk for a reason and you do not want it in you.
2) Eat 5 to 6 Small Meals a Day, 3 Hours Apart
Gone are the days of only eating breakfast, lunch and dinner. Eat breakfast, lunch and dinner and be sure to eat some snacks in between. I highly recommend one snack between breakfast and lunch and then another between lunch and dinner. This will help maintain steady blood sugar levels and minimize cravings. The better you feel throughout the day, the lower the probability of making poor choices.
3) Drink Water
High calorie drinks can sabotage your daily calories, so always be on the watch to ensure you are not drinking away your daily limit. Always choose water, as there are no calories, no sugar and numerous health benefits associated with proper hydration. Water serves a large number of purposes in the human body, such as a transporter for other fluids, temperature regulations and also provides lubrication within the body needed for motion.
4) Exercise
Exercise is critical to eliminating weight gain. The added energy expenditure during exercising will significantly decrease the possibility of gaining weight. Exercise will also provide numerous other benefits such as elevating your mood, energy level and stamina, all while combating sickness and disease. I recommend exercising a total of four to six days a week. Two to three days a week of weight training with the remainder days involving cardiovascular exercise is a great place to start.
5) Relax a Little – Don’t Be Rigid
With your eating plan, as well as your exercise plan, always remember to be flexible andallow for the occasional indulgence. I often recommend for people to apply the 80 – 20 rule, where 80 per cent of the time you are doing exactly as you should be and the other 20, you don’t worry about. If you are looking for faster results then by all means follow the 90 – 10 rule and you will see results even faster.
Finally, remember that whether you sit at an office desk or in a classroom, you need to get up and start moving. Exercise and healthy eating will allow you to feel better and perform better in every aspect of your life, whether you are at the workplace or on the university campus. Make exercise and preparing healthy meals part of your daily routine to ensure the scale stays where it is.
By Paul Gill
