Tips to avoid college weight gain

Many high school students experience a lot of changes when they step into college for the first time. There are numerous changes students undergo but one of the change they’re least prepared for is the Freshman 15. The Freshman 15 is the weight gain students experience during their first year in college—which is approximately 15 lbs but the actual average weight gain is around 5 lbs. Many factors contribute to a freshman’s weight gain including:

• Not eating enough healthy foods
• Not enough sleep
• Overstress
• Little to no exercise
• Lack of exercise
• Midnight snacks
• Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol
• Eating junk food while studying late at night
• Studying with friends while eating unhealthy foods

For most young adults, college life is their first time to make decisions for themselves which include their daily diet. Meals-on-the-go is often a college student’s best way of having a meal while having enough time to prepare for going to a class. It’s a big lifestyle change from when mom used to cook their meals for them. Regardless of these lifestyle changes, you can avoid the Freshman 15 by practicing simple healthy habits from the very beginning of college life. 

1. Have a schedule One of the most important things a college student needs to learn about life is having a schedule that reflects their priorities in life. If being healthy is a priority, then it has to be seen on one’s schedule. You either need to have enough time to prepare healthy meals daily or you need to have time to get the healthiest meals you can afford in your area. You cannot let the tyranny of the urgent decide for you which meals you can eat and just grab anything in sight. This can become a very bad habit if not addressed immediately. You can also schedule many if not all your classes so that you can walk from one class to the other without being late. Walking will ensure that you burn the food you eat quickly and keep you from gaining unnecessary pounds.  Give enough time to finish your projects to avoid having to cram and sleep late which causes you to eat more. This will give you enough time to rest and sleep every night. 


2. Prepare healthy snacks A high-protein snack to munch on when you feel hungry can keep you from craving junk foods. Much of a college student’s weight gain can be attributed to junk food eaten in-between meals and after meals. 


3. Have a healthy breakfast Take a high-fiber, low-fat, high-protein breakfast that keeps your energy high for the first part of your day and also helps in your digestion. A good breakfast can keep your body from being sluggish and helps you avoid grabbing just about anything you set your eyes on before lunch. 


4. Exercise with a buddy or a group Exercise can be boring when you do it alone. But working out with a buddy or a group of friends can be fun and helpful. Look for other students that want to join you in your fight to stay away from the Freshman 15. Having at least one person exercise with you will keep you from laziness. Make it more fun by competing with one another as to who weighs less after a number of weeks. 


5. Closely monitor your portion sizes Most students don’t realize that the extra serving they order every so often builds up to extra weight gain in the long run. You need to watch how much you eat every meal and make sure that somebody looks after you as well, hopefully someone who’s trying to keep in shape, too. 


6. Avoid going to too many parties Partying means lots of food (the unhealthy type) and alcohol—both of which play a huge part in weight gain for a typical college student. Since people often, if not always, over eat when they go to parties, you need to carefully choose the parties you attend and say no to the rest. Going to less parties will benefit your health as well as your studies and overall well-being. Keeping away from the Freshman 15 is not difficult but it does include discipline. Deciding to live a healthy lifestyle will not only benefit you during college but after college as well. Unnecessary weight gain is not a given and can be avoided when you choose habits that contribute to good health throughout your college life. 


Author bio: Alexis Thompson is an alumna from Martin College Australia, a former Mountain Backpacker and a 26 year old mother of 2 daughters, Sophie and Rhian. She is into almost all types of Music especially The Fray and Hillsong. She also has a passion in Singing and Scrap Booking. Follow her escapades on her Twitter.

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Tips for Educating Students without Financial Worries

Because of current economic misbalances, everyone worries about financial stability. Student life is also not safe from these worries; continuing to higher education to achieve better career prospects is too expensive in today’s world. Managing their money properly can help the student lead to freedom from financial worries. Below are some tips to manage money during student life:
Control your money by making a proper financial plan. This consists of 3 steps:

• Know your financial goals
• Plan to reach them.
• Stick to the plan till you achieve these goals.

Expense vs. earnings:  

Control your expense and spend less than you earn as this helps you to keep out of debt and save for the future.

Do you need it?: 

When you are out shopping before buying something think and ask yourself “Do I really need this?” and “Is there a cheaper alternative?” try to find difference between necessity and luxury.

Keep emergency money: 

Manage an emergency fund by saving a small amount in savings account from your pay cheque or monthly expenses.
Make bill payments on time: pay your bills on time as this can lead you on the right track with no debt.

Live debt free life:

Pursue debt free life by controlling your expenses and spend money wisely.

Opt short term loan: 

At times of emergency choose a short term payday loan instead of long term loan. These loan save you from long term debt by repayment on next pay day. Repayment of these can also help improve your credit score.

Manage your credit card: 

Keep only one major credit card and don’t cross the credit limit. If you are too tempted and can’t stop yourself to shop unnecessarily, it’s better to keep credit in storage or cut it up. Don’t use a credit card for a cash advance as this can be more costly in the long run.

Beware from credit pusher: 

Keep a distance from company who provide easy credit scheme with huge interest. They can lead you to never ending debt.

Guard your vital information: 

Do not provide information such as bank account number, credit card pin, social security number and so on to anyone without a proper reason.  Such info should be provided only to known and trusted sources.

Reduce your health expenses: 

Eat healthy food and do regular exercise. Hit the gym whenever you have free time or walking few miles will do well. These habits will keep you healthy and minimise your health expenses.
About the Author:
My name is Michelle.  I am a tech writer from UK.  I am into Finance :).  Catch me @financeport

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