Back To School Issue - Schooled Magazine

health & fitnessAvoid the Freshman 15By Kristen BarlowWhen ditching home for college life for thefirst time, many freshies are faced with thedreaded Freshman 15. The closest they’ll getto eating a vegetable is an order of fries withketchup. However, the best way to avoid puttingon the pounds is simply “being aware.”With any unwanted weight gain, it is mucheasier to prevent the gain than to try to takethe weight off later.What Is The Freshman 15?“Freshman 15” is a term used to describe theAVERAGE weight gain that college studentsexperience, which usually ranges between 5and 25 pounds. Usually the weight gain occursduring the first semester of the freshmanyear, but can also occur later on during thetime spent while at college.Are You At Risk?Answer the following Yes/No questions:1. Do you regularly enjoy eating fried foods?2. Do you have a sweet tooth, and your meal isincomplete without a few desserts?3. Do you get “stressed out” easily, and turn tofood for a relief?4. Would you rather drive than walk to class?5. Is your ideal meal everything that is possiblyserved at the cafeteria?If you answered yes to any of these questions,you could be at risk of the “FRESHMAN 15”.10 Tips to Help Avoid theFreshman 151. Throughout our entire lives learning aboutdiets and health, we have always learnedthat moderation is the key to success, so thenumber one thing to help avoid weight gainis to decrease the amount of food consumed.Think about the amount of food on your plate,if it is more than you eat at home, leave partof it.2. Eat well balanced, lower-fat meals andremember to follow the food guide pyramid.3. Take time to sit down and enjoy the meal.When you are full, stop eating!4. Drink lots of water especially in the Utahdry environment. You should consume atleast eight glasses of water daily. Also, drinkwater before your meals and you will becomefull quicker. And when you’re hungry later,drink more water.5. Incorporate fruits and vegetables intoevery meal. If you need to go for seconds,always go for seconds on vegetables. Choosea fruit for dessert instead of cakes and cookies.However, when eating salads, try usinga light salad dressing.6. Get off the facebook and myspace andmove! Exercise is an important part of everyhealthy person’s life. Go for a run, join aclass at the gym (which is a great way tomeet people), or take a walk.7. When people are stressed out or bored,they tend to eat a lot more snack foods toprovide comfort. Try grabbing a bottledwater or some fruit to help fill you up, don’tdepend on chips or other high-calorie food.8. Soda = Bad; diet soda or a low-calorienoncarbonated beverage can be a wisechoice. The hidden calories in soda add upwhen you start drinking three to four glassesdaily out of the never ending soda dispensersat the dining centers.9. Avoid eating out of a vending machineevery day. Although highly convenient,these foods are typically higher in caloriesand in fat.10. When stocking your residence hall roomwith snack and food, don’t make the highercalorie and higher fat food available. Trystocking with fresh fruit, low-fat pretzels,bagels, lightly-buttered popcorn, and bottledwater.SMBad Breath KillingYour Social Life?By Kristen BarlowTrue or False?You can Lose Weightby Donating BloodBy Kristen BarlowFalse. One pint of blood a collegestudent donates could potentiallysave up to four lives. Since a pintis a pound, you lose a poundevery time you donate blood. Inother words, “Why should peoplebother with dieting when you cangive blood?” First, most donatorstend to eat the sweet snacks andsodas offered after giving blood,which negates any dietary effect.Secondly, according to oneUniversity of Texas clinician, “Allthe calories in your body basicallyget carried from your GI tract toyour muscles through your bloodstream, so you’ve got a net deficitof calories after donating blood,but that doesn’t mean your ‘burning’them. You are just lettingthem flow out of a needle, withthe blood.” Thirdly, regulation inthe United States allows peopleonly to donate whole blood onceevery 56 days—a pound lossevery 56 days which is probablyregained by the next time is nota consistent weight loss program.Therefore, from these three points,in no means is donating blood agood way to lose weight.26 Schooled www.schooledmagazine.com