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Combating the freshman 15

Arizona Summer Wildcat

UA Rec Center offers many ways to keep the weight off

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is not always easy during a student's freshman year of college when pizza is a staple of the diet, and time for exercise and sleep fall to deficit levels.

As freshmen try to adjust to changes in their eating, sleeping and exercise patterns during their first year of college, many find themselves putting on weight.

"The hardest part for freshmen is getting adjusted to a new lifestyle, and working out seems to be at the bottom of the list," said Steve Boca, a weight room staffer. "I recommend doing 45 minutes to an hour of cardio and light weight training three to four times per week."

For students who are limited on time to exercise, there are alternatives to spending hours at the University of Arizona Recreation Center.

"Briskly walking to class and increasing your heart rate has aerobic benefits," said Jeanne Missey, the assistant director of Campus Recreation for Fitness. "While waiting in line at the bursar's office, you can do isometric workouts by squeezing your gluteus muscles."

Another reason many freshmen evade exercise is the intimidation factor. The recreation center has state of the art equipment that many people are not familiar with.

"The weight room has personal trainers and sample programs available to those who have never worked out in a gym before," said Thomas Finn, a weight room staffer. "If you don't want to pay for a trainer, we have weight room orientations and you can learn how to use each machine."

For those who are not interested in traditional workouts, the recreation center offers aerobics classes that range from yoga to hip-hop dancing.

"Our aerobic program is one of the best in the country," Missey said. "The aerobic class schedule I really recommend for losing the freshman fifteen. We have different types of classes, and aerobic activity is what burns the fat."

There are also activities for freshmen who prefer to exercise outdoors. Outdoor Adventures - which is located in the recreation center - offers trips that range from mountain biking in the Patagonia Mountains to scuba diving in the Sea of Cortez.

"We strive for life-long health and fitness, and outdoor activity is a big part," said Echo Surina, an Outdoor Adventures employee. "We encourage people to find an activity they can enjoy and have fun with."

The recreation center also offers a way for those with a competitive edge to stay in shape through intramural sports.

The best way for staying healthy and keeping the weight off is to keep everything in moderation, Missey said.

"Students stay up late and do not eat breakfast, and by the time they get to the afternoon, they are starving and reach for something highly caloric," said Missey.

Keeping low-fat snacks such as fruit and pretzels around, getting enough sleep and an adequate amount of exercise will keep the weight off, Missey said.

Reasa Haggard can be reached at city@wildcat.arizona.edu.