Whether you want to run a marathon, lose a few pounds by Spring Break or just have a healthier body image, New Year’s resolutions can be a great way to jumpstart your fitness goals. So why do so many people have a hard time keeping their commitments longer than Feb. 1st?
Nutrition professor Sarah Ash said the key to staying on track with fitness is fundamentally about the approach students take toward weight loss.
“People put a lot of emphasis on weight because it is something we can see, and we are all image-conscious,” Ash said. “But fitness has to be about more than just losing weight — students need to see the benefits from a health perspective.”
Exactly what benefits can students expect to see from a commitment to maintaining a healthy weight?
“There is a correlation between body weight and diabetes, cholesterol and heart disease, among other health problems, ” Ash said. She said being physically fit also leads to a better mood and increased energy level.
Beth Harvey, a freshman in fashion merchandising, agrees that working out increases her energy level and helps her focus on her schoolwork.
“My new year’s resolution is to make it to the gym five times a week,” Harvey said. “I’m also taking a weight training class so I can work on increasing my strength level. I have been a vegetarian for over a year, which I believe keeps me from making a lot of unhealthy food choices.”
Fad diets are popular ways to lose weight quickly and are praised highly by some users. In 2009, many household diet brands such as Atkins Nutritionals, Weight Watchers, the South Beach Diet, the Zone, Jenny Craig and Nutrisystem made top 10 lists for “diets that work.” New diets such as Eat Right 4 Your Type, the GenoType Diet and Bodybuilding For You also gained a following of fad diet fans.
Atkins focuses on reducing bad carbohydrates, such as simple sugars found in cookies and white bread, with complex carbs found in whole wheat and fruit. Other diets, such as the Zone and South Beach, focus on balancing between the three main food sources of energy: carbs, proteins and fats. Weight Watchers is unique in that the program promotes a community of people working together to lose weight by encouraging users to meet with a support group. The most convenient diets are those, like Jenny Craig, which deliver food specific to the program’s diet plan directly to your doorstep.
Diets like these may not be practical for all college students, however. Some students like plans that outline every meal, but other students just want to make healthier decisions and see lasting results. Ash said she doesn’t recommend fad diets for permanent weight loss, especially not for college students.
“You can lose weight on any diet,” Ash said. “They tell you exactly what to eat, so as long as you stick to that plan you will see some results. But that isn’t always practical for continued weight loss. A vital part of college student life is going out to eat with friends, so you don’t want to deprive yourself of that experience.”
A better plan involves setting small steps and making slow, gradual process that is sustainable, according to Ash.
“There is not one diet that works for everybody,” Ash said. “You have to find what works for you and it has to be a plan you can stick with.”
Health experts constantly debate the role nutrition and exercise play together in overall fitness, but most agree that a combination of the two is the best method for sustained results.
Fitness director Natalie Freeland said students should find a balance between exercise and nutrition.
“Exercise doesn’t always have to be running on a treadmill in the gym,” Freeland said. “The University offers many opportunities for students to get in shape, from intramural sports to aerobic classes.”
Freeland said students who wish to make exercise a permanent part of their lives need to find ways to keep working out from becoming boring. She encourages students to try different activities and branch out from the norm.
“Remember to focus on how the exercise makes you feel,” Freeland said. “It’s never just about the weight.”
Kristin King, a personal fitness trainer in Benson, North Carolina, has a few practical tips she uses with her clients that could also be helpful to college students.
“I start off my clients by talking about the importance of drinking water,” King said. “Your body is 60 percent water so it needs to be constantly replenished, or your body will start to take water from other places in your body and slow your metabolism down.”
King also stresses getting enough sleep, because the hormone that codes for fullness decreases when your body is depraved of sleep and stressed. Not getting enough sleep also leads to sugar cravings, according to King.
“You’ve heard all these things before, but they are important to overall health and fitness. I also recommend eating breakfast because it gets your metabolism going for the day,” King said. “And finding the time to exercise for 30 to 60 minutes a day, in whatever form you choose, provides endless benefits.”
