Welcome back ladies. As we start another new school year I am sure many of you, especially the first year students are wondering, what will college mean to me. Unfortunately, many students will find that college will mean weight gain. Every year hundreds of college students throughout America will gain weight. One thing we need to keep in mind is that the "Freshman 15" is a myth. That's right. According to Jay Zagorsky in a study of 7,418 young people from around the country, the average weight gain was 2.5 to 3.5 pounds. The research was conducted by Ohio State's Center of Human Resource Research. This is good news; however, remember this is an average which means some students may gain nothing and others may gain much more.
The study found that women gained an average of 2.4 pounds during their freshman year. Only 10% of college freshman gained 15 pounds or more. The study further shows that college students do gain weight over the course of their college careers. The typical women will gain 12 to 13 pounds. After college when students venture into the real world, the typical student continues to gain 1.5 pounds per year. So we see there is some good news and some bad news. There is no freshman 15. However, there is a significant amount of weight gain during college and this gain continues after graduation.
Why the weight gain? This is not rocket science. Students tend to take in more calories than the expend. Pizza, burgers and other fast foods tend to be high in calories. A small snack seems innocent enough, but when one constantly snacks the calories quickly add up. If one consumes more calories than one uses, the calories will be stored as fat. Students also tend to become less active. Going to class and studying account for this lack of exercise. I am sure most of the women at Mary Baldwin do not waste their time watching Jersey Shore or surfing the net. At other schools, although not here, students often consume alcoholic beverages which are extremely high in calories. If you want to calculate your caloric intake from alcohol go to www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov. Drinking also tends to cause one to eat more. Because the weight gain is usually gradual, a young freshman student will not realize she have gained weight until those favorite jeans seem to be (all of a sudden) a little snug. Of course the reason for this snug fit is the washer and dryer in the dorms -- "They shrunk my jeans!" Sorry, not so!
How can we avoid this unwanted gain in weight? Again, not rocket science. Don't overeat and get exercise. It is amazing to me that many students will not walk across the campus to exercise at the PAC. "It's too far to walk." The walk to the PAC can be your warm-up, and the walk back to the dorm can be your cool-down. Remember it is much easier to STAY in shape than to GET in shape; ask any one that has tried to diet.
The PAC hours are Monday to Thursday 6AM to 9PM. Friday 6AM to 5PM and Saturday 12 to 5 PM. We have a small, but well equipped weight room. Free weights, machines, ellipticals, recumbent bikes and treadmills are all there for your use. As many of you have discovered you can exercise by just walking around the campus and the local community. Mighty Big Calves can be gained, and weight can be dropped by simply walking.
March on Squirrels.
No comments:
Post a Comment