Finding your ultimate health during college possible or not?

mindyt23

Just curious if there are others who are in college and still able to maintain a healthy lifestyle? Eating, exercising ? Tips advice? I don't want to get unhealthy while I finish this last year and a half of school.

kerryradz

Hi, I'm trying to get back on track as well so would like to see what people suggest. I work full time and go to college two evenings after work each week and it's getting hard to try and eat healthy with little time in the evenings. Wondered if anyone had any suggestions for quick meals. Thanks K x

mccindy72

Just curious if there are others who are in college and still able to maintain a healthy lifestyle? Eating, exercising ? Tips advice? I don't want to get unhealthy while I finish this last year and a half of school.

My son and his wife met and married in college, and he's finishing his master's now. They got into juicing in a big way, do it every morning, and they don't eat any processed food, buy organic fresh veggies weekly. They're the healthiest they've ever been. Even without adding in much for exercise they've each lost 10 lbs and feel great.

inside_lap

I was pretty darn healthy back in college. The fact that most colleges have AMAZING gyms helps. There are usually several athletic clubs and classes that you can sign up for. Also, it's amazing what you can do with a mini fidge, toaster oven, and microwave . Good luck!

Marcia315

You think you're busy in college? Try working full time and raising kids. You have plenty of time.

seltzermint555

I think it really depends on so many factors that it is hard to say based on being in college. Being a college student can vary so dramatically. A lot of people do it when they are older and 90% online...that's totally different than the stereotypical collegiate experience.

I went to college at the traditional age, right after high school, but I was a commuter who lived alone off campus and worked 30-40+ hours every week. I was at my worst during some parts of college and then during my senior year I found some healthier habits and lost a bit of weight. For me it had more to do with the company I kept than my super busy lifestyle.

It's like any other time in life if you ask me. Difficult for some people, easy for others, when it comes to anything - including healthy eating, exercise, etc. Obviously there are a few different challenges if you live on campus, party a lot, or have a major that requires unique/unusual circumstances and foreign travel etc. Actually though a friend of mine lost weight during his semester abroad.

Good luck, regardless.

a_stronger_me13

I was pretty darn healthy back in college. The fact that most colleges have AMAZING gyms helps. There are usually several athletic clubs and classes that you can sign up for. Also, it's amazing what you can do with a mini fidge, toaster oven, and microwave . Good luck!

Free gyms are a HUGE benefit.

As a girl always on the run with a 70 hr work week and at least 10 hours a week working out, I don't think our routines are much different.
- Look up slow cooker recipes for things that can cook throughout the day while you're in class.
- Set aside some time (maybe an hour or two) on the weekends that you can prep food for the week (brown hamburger, marinate/grill chicken, hardboil eggs, cook pasta, make soup, etc).
- Canned tuna, salmon or chicken with crackers and veggies is pretty quick and convenient for a lunch on the run.
- Or just keep it simple with lunch meat and if you're looking to save calories sandwich thins or tortillas are a nice substitute for traditional sliced bread.
- Buy frozen vegetables to save money and also save time (fresh sometimes requires frequent trips to the grocery store).
- If you have roommates go in on a Costco/Sams Club membership, you can buy meat in bulk and freeze it in portioned out ziploc bags.
- If you're a breakfast person, you can actually cook quite a few breakfast casseroles ahead of time and just reheat a slice in the microwave before you run out the door in the morning.

Healingnutritionsolutions

It's a daily grind... it depends on your own lifestyle, and determination to get and stay healthy. Back then, I was young, didn't think about it, didn't worry about it and ate whatever I wanted - but now I'm older, a wife, mother, work full time and back in college... lol, working my way to better health every day. You don't find time for health, you make time, and sometimes there just isn't time... so then you focus on eating right, exercise when you can, and make the most of that young and healthier metabolism! It takes planning ahead a bit every week... shop ahead, pack ahead, bring water and snacks so you never get too hungry and nosh down an entire pizza, etc... You can do this! Surely a bunch of people here are young college folks!

TR0berts

I work full time and go to college two evenings after work each week and it's getting hard to try and eat healthy with little time in the evenings.

This was me. What I did was one of three things:

1) Made sandwiches from the previous night's leftovers for dinner, so that I could eat them between work and class.
2) Waited until I got home from school to eat dinner. This usually only happened when I knew I had an exam and was free to go when I was done.
3) Ate as "clean" as I could, while trying to keep my Calories low throughout the day. That way, when I stopped off and got something to eat between work and class, it wasn't a big deal if I ate a higher-Calorie meal than I normally would.


The other thing I did almost every night? I parked in the furthest (farthest?) parking space from the school, so that I had to walk at least a little more before and after class. Of course, I parked much closer on nights it was raining.

nxd10

You can do lots of walking and stair climbing.

If you're a traditional student:

All cafeterias have healthy eating options - you just have to look for them. Many even have low cal options.
The challenges you face drinking/snack foods, etc. are the same you'll always face. Buy healthy snacks for your dorm and eat a lot of them, but small amounts of chips.

It's way harder working holding down two lives - work and school. But people have made great suggestions. I think the extra energy you get from eating well overpowers the convenience of eating crap. My skinny, skinny, skinny sister gained two hundred pounds in two years by eating junk food on the run when she started working. Don't let that happen to you.

Your biggest tool for a healthy life is knowledge - and logging on MFP and learning which foods in your diet have too many calories for their nutrients is amazingly empowering.

kbf2107

I will have to respectfully disagree with that. While I recognize that as a college student, I have much more flexibility in structuring my time, that doesn't necessarily mean I have any more or less of it than the next person.

But with regards to the main post, I understand your struggle. I go to a university were the workload is INCREDIBLY demanding and I often have around 150-200 pages of reading per class (I average 4-5 classes a semester) per week. This doesn't include exam prep, paper writing, extracurriculars, and my part time internship. I've found that I eat the most unhealthy when I don't plan out my day and/or make meals ahead of time that I can grab from my fridge or whip up in five minutes. I usually try to cook up 3-4 days worth of meals at a time and this helps me save money and make better decisions. Also, working out at night has helped me, although I often find myself at the gym around 11 PM. I'm not too much of a fan of this habit, but we do what we can, right?

Ashrunsthis

As a college student I have discovered that eating healthy isn't cheap or fast, but with a little work you can get a good system down. As a ravenous runner, juicing, eliminating dairy, and going vegan just aren't on my radar. I also have a history of ED problems, so I try to stay away from restricting too much. I believe in eating natural and mostly unprocessed foods 90% of the time and going outside the lines 10% of the time (hello burgers, sweet potato fries, and chocolate cake!) I am currently a double major, on my school's cross country team, and on the magazine team, so the day is pretty hectic. I try to prep my food right after I go to the grocery store: measuring cereal and putting it into Ziploc bags, putting fruit in Ziploc bags and freezing it, etc.

Here is my current meal plan for spring semester:
Meal 1: Smoothie that I make the night before and stick into the fridge// 1/2 cup oats, banana or cup berries, 3 ounces greek yogurt, cup milk, tbsp. ground flax seeds. A cup of coffee from my French press + sp. raw sugar
**Alternate Yoga/Swimming/Weights depending on the day of the week// 30-60 minutes**
Meal 2: 3 ounces Greek yogurt, cup Kashi golean cereal
Meal 3: grilled chicken breast, spinach, steamed veggies, 1 serving whole grains (quinoa, barley etc.) or a baked potato
Meal 4: apple + tbsp. peanut butter, cup green tea + sp. raw sugar or cup carrot juice
**Run 40-90 minutes, depending on the day**
Meal 5: 2 slices whole wheat bread + 2 oz. turkey breast + spinach + sliced tomato + tbsp. hummus
Meal 6: cup frozen grapes + 2 tbsp. almonds

This is just the routine that works for me Hope you were able to gather an idea or two!!!

mindyt23

I do have two children as well, and a husband and I work 1 day a week..but thanks for that prospective..

mindyt23

You think you're busy in college? Try working full time and raising kids. You have plenty of time.

Um I do have two children under six one who needs extra attention and a husband, I work one day a week too..appreciate the prospective though..:)

mindyt23

Thanks so much for the tips!! Sounds like pre-planning and getting the exercise in where I can is the ticket! I just have to have good eats around when I'm stressing/cramming late at night! Thanks again!

balancedbrunette

Yes it is definitely possible to find your health during college, actually it is now through my college years where I have found myself at my best and have learned so much. If your weeks are extremely busy planning ahead is key, yea it does mean trying to find that bit of time to pre-cook your meals or whatever it is that will help you throughout the week. For me, I always take sunday evening before the start of every week to prepare my meals particularly if i know it is going to be a busy one - i'm in my final year now so I do find myself out of my apartment a lot and in the library a lot so i like to bring my own meals with me in tupperware.

I do a mixture of lunch and dinner options; chicken, veggies, boiled eggs, salad, turkey, spinach - mixtures of things i can throw in to a quick sandwich on the go or whip up a quick dinner with if i get home late. I also often prepare overnight oatmeal for breakfast if I know i'm not sticking around in the morning to make porridge - that is really yummy especially in the spring-summer months. That being said i always have frozen veg in and frozen chicken fillets for days i find myself running out on food near the end of the week or when i just want to cook a meal at home.

Know everyone is in different situations here in college but what I love is how open college really is, I live on campus and i'm not afraid to be the student who eats healthy, there is so many students and people with health goals now and people respect that. I do try and do 80/20 where poss - 80% good foods to fuel my body with and 20% treats - it works well for me, sometimes there is more treats - like i may go out drinking with friends or have a movie night but i work that into my weekly goals, always jump back on the wagon the next day and eat as good as I can! For me anyways, what has worked is planning ahead and checking in with site to keep myself focused. Best of luck with your goals!

mccindy72

You think you're busy in college? Try working full time and raising kids. You have plenty of time.

this is pretty harsh. Everyone's life is different and difficult and time is hard to come by. I worked full-time, raising kids, and still went to college, and worked out every morning. Does that make me better than you, or the OP? No. It just means I had a different life than either of you.

Mr_Knight

Just curious if there are others who are in college and still able to maintain a healthy lifestyle?

Of course. Many of the world's finest athletes are college students.

Eating, exercising ? Tips advice?

Eat smart, move a lot. College is the perfect environment for being in/getting into perfect physical health.

arl1286

I do alright. Usually finals week means no exercise, as well as one or two other weeks each semester. But that aside, I don't have any problems eating well, getting ample sleep, exercise, etc. You just have to make it a priority.

dorianaldyn

Alright - I come to you from the future. I'm married, I have a demanding job, I have two small kids, I have a parent that isn't self-sufficient and is dependent on me for A LOT - oh, how I look back to those college days! Yes, your life is just as crazy-busy in its own way, but generally you have a lot more flexibility than someone in my position. I have a desk I'm supposed to be at for most of my day; I've got kids that need looking after... the times of day that I can actually exercise are limited and consequently I do most of my running at 4:30 am. I think back to college and wish I had taken advantage of that flexibility. The key is planning and knowing when your energy levels are the best. Plan your eating, plan your exercising, make them appointments just like you do your classes and coursework. Keep healthy snacks in your home for those late nights that you're up studying... you can totally do this and how I wish I had thought about this more back then!

lisalsd1

Pros: free gym, more "down time"(meaning that you have more "you time" b/c you don't have kids, usually not working a full-time job/commute) food purchased/prepared for you, a wide variety of food available at the school cafeteria

Cons: drinking, socializing, stress, lack of "normal" routine

pkw58

I think that finding your health/work/life/balance is a challenge at any age. You do it when you want to. I found it my Junior/Senior year in college thru the first 5 years after. then it kinda was yoyo diet land, then two years ago it really mattered (at age 53).

If you don't like being unhealthy now, and you can remember how low it made you feel, and you want to get out of it, you can set the course to be healthy the rest of your life. Many do.

So I would say finding your utilmate health during college is possible, it might be just the best time ever.

I found the key to meeting my person needs is doing things right away in the morning. Exercise, bible study, horn practice.

Then work / family /life gets all balanced because I already feel good about my self the rest of the day!

seltzermint555

You think you're busy in college? Try working full time and raising kids. You have plenty of time.

I see a lot of people were ticked at this comment but I kind of understand the frustration there, honestly. Of course the OP did not explain that she's a non-trad with kids etc. I thought so based on the photo (she looks young but not fresh from high school).

Anyway yeah, I'm not a parent so I don't fully grasp the responsibilities of that but as someone who typically worked 30-40 and sometimes 48 hours while attending college full-time it can be pretty irritating to hear non-working or part-time working college students whine about not having a lot of time. I feel ya on that.

sybrix

Here's my suggestions, I pack my food and snacks daily and I suck at pre-planning so take it as you will, lol. Also not sure if you get free cafeteria food, which renders this info useless! (Sorry!)

Invest in some portable reusable containers of various sizes. You can also do ziploc bags but they can be a waste in the long run. Also look into some small condiment holders.

This is the Rubbermaid set I have: http://www.amazon.com/Rubbermaid-FG7K3900CHILI-18-Piece-Food-Storage-Container/dp/B001HBI7CY/ref=sr_1_2?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1388701259&sr=1-2&keywords=rubbermaid+set

And the condiment holders I have: http://www.amazon.com/Soy-Sauce-Container-15-Bag/dp/B001AJ8HOG/ref=pd_sim_b_2

With the different sized containers there are the different types of things I can do. I can either prepare this stuff ahead or hurriedly shove this stuff into them as I'm running 10 minutes late in the morning:

- Pretzels
- A raisin/choc chip/nut mix
- Hummus in a snack container with veggies and/or pita bread in a larger container
- Sandwich ingredients. This morning I put a few slices of "meat" on the bottom, then a slice of cheese, and then the bread. I wrapped each layer with foil to keep the flavors/juices from running into each other. Then I packed mustard in one of the tiny condiment bottles. I have access to a toaster and microwave at work so I toasted the bread, added the "meat" and cheese, nuked it for 10 secs to melt the cheese, and added the mustard.
- Greek yoghurt, granola, frozen berries in one of the bowl-shaped containers
- Cereal
- Soup with the crackers in a separate container
- Rice, beans (usually black beans) and veggies

Endless possibilities. I carry a small purse too and as long as you get a high quality set with heavy duty lids they don't leak everywhere even if you carry them sideways. I usually pack a lunch and 2 snacks. Sometimes the snacks are pre-packaged (like string cheese) and I just shove them in my purse.

A bento box cookbook has great portable meal ideas. A lot of them are quick with very little prep time. Try a bento-inspired cookbook and instead of Japanese bento boxes use your handy containers! I have this one: http://www.amazon.com/The-Just-Bento-Cookbook-Everyday/dp/1568363931/ref=pd_sim_b_2

Hope that helps in some way. IMO the key is a varied portable container set and fast portable meal options. Good luck!

Edit: Oh yeah as for exercise... That's up to you, I just workout for 30 mins after I get home anywhere from 6-11pm depending on mood. I use workout DVDs, walking, or a weight lifting routine. You can get an effective workout under 30 minutes, any physical activity you can manage is great! When I was in college walking to all my classes made me LOSE 10 lbs my first year! :laugh:

cuinboston2014

It's possible at any stage

I work full time, have a daughter, and am in school full time and completing clinical hours on top of the credits. Sometimes I'm on-the-go from 4:30am until after 9pm. Everyone has their own schedules with varying challenges at different stages.

The BEST advice I have is to prioritize and plan. If you have to get up at 6am to get ready for your day, get up at 5am instead, do a 45 minute workout and then get ready. If you have to be ready for your kids that early, plan a workout at night. Whatever works for someone else might not work for you in terms of scheduling - but you need to have a schedule. And when it comes time to workout, don't push it aside. Look at it just like anything else. You have to get the kids together, you have to prepare meals, you have to do wash, you have to workout.

I also have tons of quick options for any meal. They may not be the most unhealthy, least processed food ever, but it works for me. I eat a lot of protein bars or make a lot of simple sandwiches that I can eat on the run. I also eat simple protein shakes - think milk, a banana, and protein powder - and take that on the run. I also always have healthy snacks wherever I go.

When the stress load goes up at the end of a semester or wahtever it may be, adjust your schedule accordingly. You can't work out for 3 days because you are THAT pressed for time? try to take an extra 5-10 minutes for a walk break and eat a little less.

cwolfman13

I was pretty darned healthy in college. I probably didn't get the best nutrition in the world, but I was generally active. I didn't really "workout" but I didn't own a car so I walked and road my bike everywhere and I loved hiking and hanging out with the "hippies" playing frisbee golf, etc.

It was after college when I finally landed a "real job" sitting on my *kitten* 10 - 12 hours per day and traveling that things got out of control. Now at 39 I'm healthier than I even was in college...largely because I'm back to moving and also getting proper nutrition.

But really...you can do it at any stage of life.

GingerLolita

It's definitely possible because I've gotten so much healthier in college so far! 2 years ago, I was an overweight senior in high school, but I LOST my freshman 15 and got into a healthy BMI range and have been maintaining since.

The biggest challenge I've found in college is that every semester is a different schedule and you need to be able to adapt your healthy habits. I'm assuming you have your own place with all the tools to cook, which is an advantage over many other students who are stuck with fairly unhealthy, binge-inducing meal plans. Before next semester starts, come up with a game plan on how you'll make time for cooking and eating healthy. Cook mostly on days that you're free to prepare for the days that you aren't. Plan realistically; if you're eating while walking between classes, bring a wrap, sandwich, or something easy to eat.

Have some healthy on-the-go options in mind for times when you forget to bring food. This has saved me over the past semester, although it certainly hasn't saved me money.At my school, we don't have a cafeteria, but we have an organic cafe in the building I also work in that makes great egg white sandwiches and turkey wraps; around campus, there's also somewhere to get a low-calorie meal of vegetable soup and multigrain bread, or somewhere else that offers low-calorie, healthy half or whole sandwiches and wraps.

Also, if your school has a gym or exercise classes, take advantage! If not, try to incorporate more running or walking into your daily routine and see if you can find a gym or exercise classes that fit into your schedule.