Campus options can help students shed pounds
Living away from family, studying hard and partying even harder may place eating healthy and exercising regularly low on some students’ list of priorities. However, it is wise to consider the ramifications of eating everything except fruits and veggies.
A report released by the Trust for America’s Health found that “in the past year, adult obesity rates increased in 28 states, while only the District of Columbia (D.C.) saw a decline. Nationally, two-thirds of adults and nearly one-third of children and teens are currently obese or overweight.”
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) stresses the importance of an improved lifestyle to maintain a healthy weight or to stop gaining pounds. When ready to lose weight, a lifestyle change, not a fad diet, will keep the pounds off.
There are many opportunities at USF to help students maintain or obtain a healthy weight and lifestyle.
It may seem impossible to eat well while at college. However, USF offers a variety of healthy choices for students and staff. If vegetarian food is your style, you may be glad to know that USF ranked fifth in Peta2’s Most Vegetarian-Friendly College Competition. The college offers a variety of gluten-free foods as well.
Students also have to get moving. USF students have an advantage here, as membership for USF Campus Recreation is free. Start by visiting its website. It is open seven days a week with hours available to suit nearly everyone’s needs. The Campus Recreation Center offer swimming, cycling classes, weights and equipment, group fitness and for a fee, a personal trainer.
If working out in a gym is not to your liking, maybe bike riding is the answer. USF offers students a free program called Borrow our Bikes. It includes bike, helmet, lights, locks and keys.
Also, check out intramural sports or other forms of outdoor recreation to find more options to stay active. It is important to find an activity that you enjoy, so you will stick with it and it won’t be a chore.
By combining a smart, healthy diet with regular activity, you should emerge from college without the dreaded “freshman 15.”
Regina Farrell is a junior majoring in art history.
More Stories
OPINION: USF SG, you can’t lead a university if you can’t lead by example
Apparently, everybody has the right to speak their mind, until it’s an unpopular opinion. And the recent drama from SG leaders only further proves that there is little respect for different opinions on a university campus. USF Student Body President Cesar Esmeraldi posted a video on April 9 on both his own and SG’s official […]
OPINION: The grind never stops, but it should.
Hustle culture blurs the line between productivity and toxicity and everyone around me seems to be motivated by ‘the grind.’ This ideology is spread on social media and advocates for people to constantly work at succeeding in their personal and professional lives. It’s hard enough being a corporate-conforming girlie. Even though I plan on one […]
OPINION: Why I’m always open to learn and why you should be too
“ هل أنت جاد ,” my co-worker says to my boss. The bagel shop just finished its rush hour, and my co-workers fill the empty building with their Arabic conversation. All I understand is their body language: mouths curving into smiles and bodies leaning back to release a laugh. My white girl, Florida-raised self, has […]
OPINION: USF students, light up the ballot this fall to legalize marijuana
Ah, the high life. The issue of recreational marijuana has been debated for years. All smokers know that when it comes to leisurely weed use, the grass is indeed greener. “Of course recreational marijuana should be decriminalized. It’s literally a f—— plant,” said a sophomore respondent to a survey from The Oracle. In November, students […]
OPINION: USF pre-med life is hard. Here’s how you can stay ahead of the game.
Being a pre-med student is hard. Waking up for the 8 a.m. lab, going straight to volunteering at the hospital, going back to class and going to the library to study is the everyday life of a pre-med college student. And that’s just doing the bare minimum to succeed. And oh yeah, don’t forget studying […]
OPINION: Estudiantes de USF, es hora de aprender un segundo idioma
Didn’t understand this headline? You might want to consider taking up a second language. I remember the first time I recognized the value of knowing a second language. I was waitressing at this dinky hibachi restaurant and my next table had just been sat. The customers looked frazzled. I could tell they were having difficulty […]