Healthy habits: Start early, practice often
Published 9:00 pm Sunday, November 5, 2006
Graduating high school seniors are warned of the perils of the “freshmen 15” – a phenomenon equating first-time freedom and college temptation with excessive weight gain.
While researchers at Tufts University have debunked the whole notion of a 15-pound weight gain, they did determine that freshmen men gain about 6 pounds and women around 4.5 pounds during that first year away from home. Another, equally health-threatening statistic is that the weight is typically packed on rapidly within the first 12 weeks of school and tends to stick somewhere around their middles for the rest of their lives.
Sadly, college freshmen aren’t the only group putting on the weight at alarming levels. Americans in general are tipping the scales at higher and higher numbers, with treatment costs for obesity-related illnesses threatening to swamp our already overburdened health-care system. High blood pressure and cholesterol, type 2 diabetes and an increased risk of certain types of cancer have all been tied to excessive weight. Fortunately, in many cases, a lifestyle adjustment is all that’s needed to turn this trend around.
The good news is that the following healthy living tips can easily be adapted to anyone at any age:
1. Nutrition counts. The five-a-day rule for servings of fruits and vegetables is important. Make healthy choices when it comes to food. Avoid fatty snacks and empty calories consumed in the form of soda pop or sugar-based juices. Translation: step away from the Halloween candy and grab an apple or a carrot stick.
2. Limit consumption of alcohol and stop smoking. It’s been 40 years since the Surgeon General issued his report card on smoking – we’ve all had more than enough time to read it.
3. Avoid fad diets. As tempting as it may be to hop on the bandwagon and adopt the latest diet craze, we all know that a healthy-eating, smaller-portion strategy is better for our bodies.
4. Finally, keep in mind that the best way to beat weight gain is to get moving. Exercise is essential to a healthy lifestyle and you don’t need to kill yourself with a gut busting hour of step aerobics or spin class at the gym. Aim for the recommended 30 minutes of exercise each day and you’ll be on your way to a healthier life.
Simple changes can make a huge difference, not only for college freshmen, but for all of us.
