Originally published August 15 2005
How to avoid weight gain during college years
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Statistics have shown that due to poor eating habits, college freshman gain an average of five to 15 pounds. By taking certain measures, this can be avoided.
A study at Cornell University found that students gain an average of four pounds during the first three months of their freshman year of college - a rate that is 11 times higher than typical for 17- and 18- year-olds.
Think about it: For every student who maintains pre- college weight, there's another who is eight pounds heavier by Thanksgiving.
And the first semester isn't even over.
But that's not all: The Cornell researchers found that, on average, only 174 extra calories a day accounted for the weight gain.
To keep that number in perspective, most 12-ounce regular soft drinks have around 150 calories, while once slice of cheese pizza comes in at 230 calories.
Jon Hinds, owner and head trainer at the Monkey Bar Gymnasium on Williamson Street, takes it further.
"I think it's crucial to do something every single day of the week, whether it's strength training or fitness classes," he says.
She adds that some college freshman may benefit from keeping a food journal and tracking their calorie intake.
The first half of the fitness equation is aerobic exercise, or cardio, defined as brisk physical exercise that requires the heart and lungs to work harder to meet the body's increased oxygen demand.
"In college, we walked everywhere," Meriter Hospital's Boehme recalls.
Boehme, a mother of a college student herself, suggests that the key to staying healthy and avoiding that "freshman 15" is simply to plan ahead.
"You have to plan into your schedule a certain amount of activity," she says.
Planning ahead also means to keep healthy food stocked at home, eating at regular times and carrying nutritious snacks to class.
Most cafeterias will have healthy low-fat, high-fiber foods, lean meats and nonfat milk, which she encourages students to eat regularly.
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