Losing weight and maintaining a balanced diet as a college student seems to be a far-fetched idea. With late night studying, midnight snacks, fast food and our busy lifestyles, health and wellness is not an easy task, but it is one that many Lipscomb students say is well worth it in the end.
“At a certain point being healthy was just being smaller, and then I got educated on it,” said Shanika McMillian, a junior accounting major from Nashville, Tenn. “Just because you’re small doesn’t mean you are healthy, so for a point in my life I just wanted to lose weight to be smaller, but now it’s more that I want to be healthy.”
McMillan has lost almost 30 pounds, and she says being healthy has not only changed her life but also changed her lifestyle.
“For me I am motivated to disconnect from my past, my past is my weight and the more I shed it, the more I let go of that,” Shanika said. “The biggest challenge is giving up food, not knowing just how attached we are to food.”
Choosing the right foods is an important aspect in losing weight and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
“Living a life where you are able to function at your top is choosing the right foods that help fuel your body,” said Lauren Waller, an exercise science major from Brentwood, Tenn.
Health and wellness is not only being physically fit, but taking care of your body as a whole.
“Losing weight is 80 percent of food and 20 percent of exercise,” McMillian said.
As a college student, the hardest part of losing weight is choosing the right foods according to many students. With our on the go mentality and fast food lifestyles, it is not easy.
“It’s so easy to go into the student center and get Chick-fil-A… but the great thing about being at college is you have options versus if you were at home where you might not always have the opportunity of choosing meals,” said Janese Malone, an exercise science major from Gallatin, Tenn.
In addition to choosing the right foods, students say joining a fitness group program or even partnering with someone to lose weight helps build accountability and dedication. For McMillian, joining The Biggest Loser challenge has helped build her motivation throughout the weight lost process.
The Biggest Loser, based off the hit ABC television show, is “more intense than last year,” McMillian said. The four-week challenge is led by Director of Campus Recreation Emily Harris, and she challenges students through daily workouts and nutrition guides.
“The Biggest Loser challenges me, and that’s what helps,” McMillian said. “I’m very task oriented, you give me a task and I will execute it, and so The Biggest Loser helps me out in what I would not be able to do for myself.”
If you are ready to get in shape and lose weight, “we have the facilities here that you can use right on campus,” Waller said. “I know we get busy with our lives, school work, and jobs…but if you can take 30 minutes to an hour out of a day to come to the SAC, it will benefit you in all aspects of your life.”
With state of the art equipment and people to help right here on campus, students say it’s easy to start your journey for free. For more information visit, http://www.lipscomb.edu/campusrecreation/Student-Activities-Center.