BY EMILY HARRISON / KALAMALAMA STAFF WRITER
As a college student, especially if you are not an athlete, we are all susceptible to the “freshman fifteen.”
I, for one, fell victim to this, twice….
Now, I was able to lose one of those 15-pound gains, but unfortunately the other fifteen seems to be sticking hard.
But something I have learned about myself is that it’s very easy for me to tone my body. So, instead of losing the weight, I’m actually turning it into muscle.
I would honestly recommend doing this over strictly weight loss. I know being a young woman it’s more conventional to be skinny, or to weigh something close to a feather… but I’ve grown up with my dad telling me I’ve got the legs of a linebacker. I’ve had fluctuations of my weight my entire life. I’m kind of done with stereotypical stuff.
I’m genetically predestined to have thick thighs, so why not embrace them, you know?
But like I’ve said before, I am a college student. I understand the lack of time and money typically needed to be able to help maintain your ideal body weight, let alone tone and workout your body.
So, I’ve decided to give some tips on how to get on the path to achieving this.
Diet
I know people are not amused when they hear the word diet. I hate the word and I’m technically on one.
Diets can be a tricky, and sometimes a treacherous thing. There are so many diets out there, but the one I find that works the best for a college kid, is calorie control.
The best advice my father ever gave me was to burn more calories than you consume.
I am a 21-year-old girl who is 5’5”. Typically, my metabolism burns around 1600 calories a day just by being alive, and well.
But I’m also decently active, burning around 300-400 calories a day with steps and exercise.
So, in order to lose weight, I on average eat about 1600 calories a day. This is right at my body’s average calories needs, but including how many calories I burn through exercise, I’m actually at a deficit.
For each person their calorie intake is going to be a little different, and their weight goals may be different than mine. I figured out a good mean for me by using an app called “My Fitness Pal”
I log my calories in, and it tracks my exercise.
But there is caution to this. I have fallen victim to starting an eating disorder because I thought it would be best to eat below that calorie average every day.
There are diets focused on fasting, but they are also focused on your body getting the nutrients it needs on days you are not fasting. So, eating a significant calorie deficit every day will eventually lead to health problems.
Don’t do it.
This app calculates the calories you need to obtain your ideal weight.
Trust it.
Don’t do what you think is best and accidently conduct some self-harm.
Patience is key when dieting, sticking to it is hard enough, but you need patience in order to maintain, and eventually achieve, your weight goal.
Exercise
I also know that being a college student means you may not have the time availability, let alone the energy, to get a big workout in. And that’s okay. I struggled with this for a while too, and only until I was a 3rd year did I realize how to balance it.
There are a few things I can suggest helping with this problem.
First off, using cheap equipment.
What I mean by this is getting some tools to help aid you; tools that won’t hurt the bank.
I for one use a jump rope to help with my arms and calves. Jump ropes are like eight dollars, and this is something somewhat fun to do, and I even do it in my house. As long as you have the space, go for it!
Even doing five minutes a day can help improve your strength and muscle tone.
I typically do this twice a week, and for about three minutes at a time.
I am recovering from a broken foot, so I try not to overdo it on the jumping. I can handle small doses, but I do want to be able to walk the next day.
For those of you who are not recovering from a broken bone, try to do longer periods of time.
I know this may hurt your lungs, and you may get tired pretty quickly, but you are a college kid. Your body is confused as to why you’re exercising again. It just needs bullied a bit more in order for you to be able to achieve those longer periods of time.
Another cheap thing you can get is leg bands.
These I think are five dollars for a pack of three. The pack of three has different tension resistance, so if you want to start off light and do a light resistance or vice versa and have a medium or high resistance, you have the options.
When I get up in the morning, three-times a week, before I get in the shower, I use these bands. I do a number of exercises, typically leg raises or squats, and some others, that help tone the definition in my thighs and butt.
These can be used for different things too. People sometimes use them to tone their arms and shoulders (doing exercises with the bands to crate the tension in your shoulders and arms) and you can also use them to tone your calves too.
There are plenty of workouts available for free online (I typically find mine off of Pinterest or TikTok), that can help you get the idea of how-to workout according to your desires.
I am looking for toning and definition, so I typically use the high resistance band.
Another cheap item I use on the daily, and usually twice daily, is a yoga mat.
I know there is sometime speculations about the effectiveness of yoga, but I ignore all of those. Even if you do a low impact or a stretch yoga, it is still beneficial.
I usually see it as a prework out stretch and a way to relax my body before I sleep.
Yoga is actually a fantastic way to exercise. There are so many variations of yoga, and one my fellow Kalamalama writers also wrote a whole post about the benefits of yoga.
I definitely recommend checking that out if you are interested in the concept of yoga.
There are so many different types of yoga that can help with toning, stretching, constipation, metabolism, weightless, muscle gain, heart health, clear mind… basically anything you need or want.
I do an assortment of yoga’s in the morning, whatever I have the energy or need for, but at night I use the same ten-minute yoga that allows me to stretch but my body and wind down and prepare to shut off my brain for sleep.
Another exercise I typically do is walk. I average about 12,000 steps a day.
I have a walk routine I do, I walk my block a couple of times, typically four, to get my steps up to 12,000. I don’t always have to walk this much, but I do find that walking this (because it’s both up and down hill) increases my calorie burn because as my dad says, “these aren’t meaningless steps.”
Walking has a lot of benefits, and a lot for someone to explore. I typically walk to clear my mind, to get rid of the troubles of the day and the burdens that are weighing on my shoulders. I find taking a long walk actually helps me realize my problems aren’t as big as I worry them to be.
I have noticed over the past couple of weeks that my legs look slimmer. I have muscle definition in my calves and slimmer thighs, which is ultimately the goal. I would like more definition in my claves and to see a start in definition in my thighs, but I understand with the amount of time I have available, and the amount of work put into my routine that it’s going to take time for me to see the results I ultimately want. And that’s okay.
I do need to focus on school at the moment, so losing wight and gaining muscle definition is alright, and I can accept the fact that my progress isn’t as fast as it could or maybe should be. But again, that’s not a bad thing.
Everyone will have to work out at their own pace. Everyone will have to set their goals to what best pertains to them.
This isn’t a straightforward process. There’s learning curves and adaptations for everyone. The main goal of all of this advice is if you want to lose weight or tone up a bit while you’re in college, these may be some decent strategies to try.
There are other things you can try, for instance our school hosts a free pickle ball club on Saturdays, that’s decent exercise. We have open access to beaches everywhere. Running or swimming for an hour on the weekends may also be obtainable and helpful. We have many campuses that we have to walk to all the time, that may be a good route to try to walk.
Whatever it may be, the point is, there are exercises to try even if you are low on funds and time. So, if you are wanting to change your path and drop or prevent the freshman fifteen, find your path, and try to adapt or stick to it.
