Health To-Go, Debunking the Myth of the Freshman 15

Jessika Vandivier
The Paw Print

Myth: The “freshman 15” is only a thing when you are a freshman.
Fact: You can get fat at any point in college.
As many of you readers know, staying healthy in college is not always the easiest task. According to a study done at the University of Alabama, seventy percent of all college students gain weight while at school.
Between the drunchies and the munchies, many of us probably aren’t very mindful of what we put into our bodies. And with Netflix and a paper to write, who has the time to work out anyway?
Well, from this point forward you no longer have to worry. ASU presents to you a weekly health column filled with tips and tricks that even the busiest person can incorporate into their daily routine.
The smaller the changes made, the easier they are to achieve and maintain. By taking baby steps every week, you will experience little victories that will ultimately fuel your motivation for eating healthy and staying fit. Let this column be a catalyst to your healthy, happy lifestyle.
Now this is not going to be a weekly workout plan or a diet regiment, but entries that give you the opportunity to make at least one or two healthy choices a day.
This week’s health tip: take the stairs! Now, this tip requires little to no brain power to accomplish. Fit Today says that taking the stairs on the daily, lowers your risk of everyday injuries, improves your heart health, and lowers your average body weight.
I’m not saying that taking the stairs every day is going to instantly drop you two pant sizes. However, according to researchers at Duke, taking just two flights of stairs per day for one year can drop you six pounds over all. I don’t know about you, but those seem like some serious results for doing something so simple.
Along with all of the other benefits, taking the stairs is also energy efficient and can save time if you are running late.
Your health challenge this week Grizzlies is to take the stairs wherever you go, no elevators or escalators!
For all of us living in the on-campus apartments, this will be an easy task to manage. I personally live on the third floor and have to make the trek up and down at least twenty times a day.
For everyone else, choose to take the stairs whenever you walk to class. Think of those six pounds you will lose this school year if you make that one healthy choice.
Good luck ASU! Take those stairs!