College life is a stressful and demanding time for students. For many, monitoring calorie intake and ensuring you get to the gym regularly, naturally drops lower down on a student’s priority list. Below are our Top 5 Lifestyle Tips to avoid Weight Gain while studying.
1. PLAN AHEAD
When you plan ahead in advance you’re much more likely to stick to those plans. Planning and prioritising your nights out will best prepare you to eat and exercise accordingly and appropriately before and following a night out.
As any student will vouch for, unplanned sessions are usually the best and great craic but usually also account for the most “damage” 🥴
2. PUNCH CLEVER WITH YOUR FOOD-SHOP
If it’s not in the cupboard or the biscuit bin – well you can’t eat it – simple as. Not to mention the financial benefit if you can avoid filling your baskets with unnecessary high-calorie, processed and savoury foods.
3. CHOOSE LOWER CALORIE OPTIONS AT THE BAR
A pint of cider or a vodka with a low/calorie free mixer can carry as much as 180 calories in difference. For arguments sake, you have 6 drinks of an evening out with friends (I appreciate there is at least one Shane McGowan enthusiast in every group who easily has 6 vodkas with dinner while still actually contemplating whether to go out or not!) but back to my point, 180kcals x 6 = 1080 calories!! Do your homework ahead of time and choose wisely at the bar. Be calorie conscious.
4. STAY MOVING
Early mornings + late nights = plenty time laid out on the couch and afternoon naps. This means less activity and less calories burned. Run, walk or jog… Jump, swim or skip. Just move, and move often.
5. MAKE A CONSCIOUS AND MATURE CHOICE – AVOID SETTING YOURSELF UP FOR REGRET.
Enjoy your time I’m college. It’s an exciting chapter of your life and an opportunity so many people don’t get to experience. Learn. Experiment. Socialise. Have fun. But don’t find every excuse to ignore and abandon your health and fitness. Whether you’re aware of it and consciously do it or not, you’ll successfully allocate time for lecturers, study, projects, socialising and down time. You’re good at assigning time for different demands so adapt the same approach to physical activity and ensure it gets done.
Tag a student who could benefit from this little check list!
