Monday, October 29, 2007

College Weight Gain

Are you destined to gain the Freshman Fifteen?

Students today are faced with the serious reality of unwanted weight gain as they enter college. A recent study by Cornell University found that on average, college freshman gain about 0.5 pounds a week. This is almost 11 times more than the average weight gain among 17-and 18-year olds and almost 20 times more than the average weight gain among American adults! In the face of such staggering statistics two obvious questions arise: 1) Why are college students gaining weight at such an alarming rate? and 2) How can college weight gain be avoided?

Q: Why are college students gaining weight at such an alarming rate?

A: There are many different specifics that lead the student to gain weight in college, but they can be summed up into three main categories.

1. Increase in Calories
College life encourages an increase in the caloric intake of students. College is filled with social events and social events usually equal FOOD! Most college cafeterias serve their food buffet style, and when given access to unlimited amounts of food most people automatically overeat. Fast food, while laden with calories, is cheap so it appeals to the budget of a college student. Studying for long hours often leads to snacking for hours. Blended coffee drinks and smoothies are often staples in a college student’s diet even though these items often pack more calories than a regular meal.

2. Decrease in Activity
When students enter college most of them leave organized sports behind them. These students that were used to practicing five or more times a week for hours at a time are now left with no accountability to be active. Couple this with the hectic schedule that most college students deal with, and it begins to make sense why most incoming freshmen don’t even make time to find the campus gym, let alone visit it regularly!

3. Metabolism Killers
College students are notorious for crashing their metabolism by poorly managing their diets. This occurs when a student eats too few meals, and ends up eating extra large meals once or twice a day instead of proportioned meals throughout the day. A common metabolism killer of college students is skipping breakfast, the most important meal of the day as it starts one’s metabolism up in the morning. Eating late at night is another classic metabolism killer of college students.

Q: How can college weight gain be avoided?

A: The first step in avoiding weight gain is to be aware of the things that cause it. Couple that with the following three suggestions of proven ways to avoid weight gain, and you are looking at a plan of success!



1. Set a Goal
The best way to ensure that you don’t become the next college weight gain statistic is to make it your goal not to gain the weight. Be aware of the changes to your lifestyle once you enter college, and make a conscious effort to only allow healthy changes to occur. Post your goal where you can view it every day and periodically check your progress by weighing yourself.

2. Practice Nutritious Eating
Be aware of the pitfalls of college eating habits and concentrate on eating nutritious well-balanced meals. Avoid fried foods and foods high in calories. Eat as many fresh vegetables and fruits as you can, and practice portion control while roaming the cafeteria.

3. Join an Exercise Program
Whether you join an intramural sports team, enroll in PE, or attend an aerobics class the bottom line is that you need to be active in order to ward off the freshman fifteen. Find an activity that you enjoy and consistently do it. You should be exercising a minimum of half an hour three times each week. A great way to keep consistent is to build accountability with a friend.

Armed with an informed game plan and some effort, any college student can avoid weight gain. For more information on college weight gain, and for your own game plan visit www.AvoidTheFreshman15.com. You don’t have to settle for depressing weight gain as you navigate through the most exciting time of your life! You deserve the body of your dreams.




About the author:
Diana Keuilian, Certified Personal Trainer, and author of “Avoid The Freshman Fifteen”, has a proven method for avoiding college weight gain. Visit www.AvoidTheFreshman15.comto learn more. She is also the head Fitness Trainer for the nation’s leading online fitness site www.HitechPersonalFitness.comand board member of www.HitechTrainer.comLearn more at www.Keuilian.com

Benefits Of An Online Degree

There are a number of benefits to entering a distance learning program to earn your online degree. You get to learn at your own speed in the comfort of your own home and you can work at your kitchen table or on your back porch if you have a long enough extension cord.

But you also get the opportunity to learn again, which for many of us is really a great gift. Some of us are stuck in low-paying jobs and careers that are stifling our creativity and intellect. Others simply want to experience the natural high that comes from pursuing a life-long interest.

With hundreds of schools, universities, and colleges offering accredited online degree programs that opportunity and those benefits are waiting to be picked like low-hanging fruit. Enroll in an online degree program and let distance learning help you harvest your share.

Even though most of your online learning is done in the solitude of your own home there are many resources available to assist you progress towards your online degree. A virtual and real army of teachers, advisors and counselors are waiting to help. Some institutions even provide you with your own academic advisor who will help you navigate through course outlines and curricula in order to select the study program that meets your needs.

One of the major benefits to getting an online degree is almost guaranteed pay raise. Your current employer should be given first chance to reward your efforts by giving you a new job or assignment or by adding to your pay envelope. But if that is not possible then the marketplace will reward you for your specialized training with further opportunities to increase your earning power.

But perhaps the biggest benefits of getting an online degree are actually the intangible ones. The pride and boost to your self-esteem that you will feel from finally graduating is worth any amount of money.

The respect and admiration of your family and friends is also priceless. Even people at work may start to treat you a little different as you become more knowledgeable in your work and you may find that you are sought out for advice and guidance.

To realize your dreams is really the purpose of life and the elation that you feel as a result of achieving yours will last and endure for a long, long time. Enjoy the fruits of your labor.

About the author:
This article courtesy of http://www.schoolguideusa.com


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