Students make healthy choices for better life

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...