Spring Break
Staying in Shape
Anthony Cesarini
Issue date: 9/28/07 Section: Health and Fitness
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As the new academic year gets underway, students are slowly getting accustomed to their classes, extracurricular activities and social lives. However, many will forget a very important aspect of their lives this academic year - their fitness.
Whether you call it the Freshman 15, or just simply college weight gain, it can happen to you before you can say "finals."
Fortunately, it is fairly easy to avoid putting on unwanted pounds. You just need to remember two things: planning and fitness.
If you are one of the lucky students who pay for a meal plan, the opportunities in the dining hall may seem endless. You can easily get addicted to eating burgers, pizza and fries every night for dinner. Or, if you don't have a meal plan, you might get accustomed to waiting until late in the night to eat and just order some good old greasy pizza.
However, with a little planning, your meals can be a lot healthier.
Find consistent times during which you can eat at least three square meals each day and add these meal times to your schedule. Stick to a variety of foods that you like, but eat the less healthy options less often. Whether you like fruits and vegetables or not, they are necessary for a well-balanced diet so try to eat five fruits or vegetables each day.
Be mindful of what you put on your food too. Don't make the mistake of eating salads everyday, but loading them with fat-infested ranch or sugar-infused raspberry vinaigrette dressings.
Remember that any food can be bad for you if you eat too much of it so be mindful of your portion sizes. Limit yourself to one or two plates at the dining hall each visit. Don't feel pressured to eat a lot just because you have an all-you-can-eat meal plan. As soon as you start to feel full, it's probably a good idea to stop eating.
Most experts will agree that just eating right won't keep the pounds off. You need to maintain your fitness.
Luckily, Drexel has a lot of options. The Daskalakis Athletic Center, although it can be overcrowded during peak times, has a weight room and an exercise room available for student-use.
Whether you call it the Freshman 15, or just simply college weight gain, it can happen to you before you can say "finals."
Fortunately, it is fairly easy to avoid putting on unwanted pounds. You just need to remember two things: planning and fitness.
If you are one of the lucky students who pay for a meal plan, the opportunities in the dining hall may seem endless. You can easily get addicted to eating burgers, pizza and fries every night for dinner. Or, if you don't have a meal plan, you might get accustomed to waiting until late in the night to eat and just order some good old greasy pizza.
However, with a little planning, your meals can be a lot healthier.
Find consistent times during which you can eat at least three square meals each day and add these meal times to your schedule. Stick to a variety of foods that you like, but eat the less healthy options less often. Whether you like fruits and vegetables or not, they are necessary for a well-balanced diet so try to eat five fruits or vegetables each day.
Be mindful of what you put on your food too. Don't make the mistake of eating salads everyday, but loading them with fat-infested ranch or sugar-infused raspberry vinaigrette dressings.
Remember that any food can be bad for you if you eat too much of it so be mindful of your portion sizes. Limit yourself to one or two plates at the dining hall each visit. Don't feel pressured to eat a lot just because you have an all-you-can-eat meal plan. As soon as you start to feel full, it's probably a good idea to stop eating.
Most experts will agree that just eating right won't keep the pounds off. You need to maintain your fitness.
Luckily, Drexel has a lot of options. The Daskalakis Athletic Center, although it can be overcrowded during peak times, has a weight room and an exercise room available for student-use.
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