Trimming Down in 2017
So it’s New Year’s Eve, and you’re sitting comfortably at home amongst your friends and family. The Christmas dinner leftovers are a pleasant memory, and you are sleepy and defenseless, surrounded by friends and family, just waiting for midnight to arrive. While you are in this weakened state, someone suggests that you all make New Year’s resolutions. It’s now that you experience that same paralyzed feeling you got at Thanksgiving when someone asked what you were thankful for-any number of answers could work, but all you can think of in the moment is the obvious. At Thanksgiving, you are thankful for God, family and friends, and at New Year’s, you resolve to lose weight.
I’ll be perfectly candid: that resolution, flippantly made, may be carelessly broken within the first week, and no one will judge you for it. But if it is something that you truly wish to accomplish, here are some things that you should consider, Judson girl.
- The gym is RIGHT THERE. This is the one time in your life that you will live on the same property as a gymnasium, and have a free membership that you can use any time of day or night (unless you’re a freshman-respect your curfew).
- The gym has many resources to meet many needs. In case you don’t remember from Welcome Week, there are resistance machines, weights, stationary bikes, jump ropes and treadmills. There is a scale there to track your progress and a Bluetooth speaker you can connect your phone to for optimum workout tuneage. There is also a pool, but make sure you bring a buddy for safety.
- The dining hall has lots of healthy options. When you live on your own, you will have to choose between cheap junk food and more expensive healthy options. Here, your meal plan is already paid for, and it is up to you what you consume. There are always vegetable and protein options, and there is salad, even on the weekends. The infused water is also great if you are trying to stay better hydrated, and you can fill up your water bottle any time, not just during meal hours.
- Having a schedule will help you stay on track. Have a regular time each day, or every other day to go work out. You are more likely to follow through on working out if you have an alarm set for a certain time rather than hoping you get around to it.
- You are surrounded by people who would probably like to get healthier, too. If you find one, you can work out together, or at least help keep each other accountable. This is the positive application of peer pressure.
Good luck, and congratulations on your resolution to become a healthier you!