How to Get Fit As a College Student.

It's your first year of college and you have probably heard about the famous "freshman 15" or maybe you are a victim. Wherever you are on your fitness journey, you are in the right place.

---

I remember when I walked into college. I was so happy and so ready for the next four years. I looked forward to making friends and living a healthy lifestyle. This was the first time I actually could say that I had complete control over what I cooked and what I ate. I also had no curfews so I could workout whenever I wanted to. It was sweet until my first exam and after my first month's rent. Life got real and the struggle started, but because I knew in my heart that I did not want to gain weight, (which is very possible) I had to make fitness a priority. With a lot of trials and failures, I came up with four simple rules that helped and I hope that they can help you as you as well.

---

Rule # 1: No working out on exam week.

This rule saved my life. See, I started my first semester thinking I could do it all. I had intense workouts. (By the way, I forgot to mention that I decided to be all super woman and joined the wrestling team.) Yes, I worked out, was part of the wrestling team, had a job, and still tried to keep my grades up. Like you've probably guessed, yes I did horribly! Absolutely terrible, I mean like, I had a 1.9 GPA. So I made this rule to save my education. Remember that although fitness is important, your education is even more important. You need to set priorities and I will show you just how to do that.

First, look at every class syllabus and keep a note on when your exams are, that way you can plan ahead. Some people are able to do it all, but unfortunately, that's not how my mind works. Because of how intense my workouts used to be, they actually made me tired during the day. ( I will talk more about this.)

Rule #2: Workout in the evenings 5 times a week.

This rule honestly saved me and my GPA. After realizing that I messed up really bad, I started working out in the evenings or at night after I was done studying and attending classes. I would end my day at the gym. I actually felt great because I felt like I had accomplished everything that needed to be done, now it was time to reward myself and have fun. I also made sure I worked out three days during the week, and two days in the weekends. Wednesdays were always my days off where I would prep my meals for the week. ( We will talk about meal prep next.) Some people prefer working out in the mornings, and that's fine too, but, evening workouts worked for me and for my grades. I think after my freshman year, my lowest GPA was a 3.0.

Rule #3: Meal Prep Always!!

I know this sounds a little extreme, but this will save your life! If there is anything you should have control of, it is your diet. In college, it is easy to be lazy. I mean, you get the glorious meal plan and all you have to do for breakfast, lunch and dinner is swipe your card and eat. The worst parts are the "all you can eat" areas in the cafeteria. You might be like, "Okay, Stefanie, I live on campus. How in the world am I supposed to prep my meals?" No worries, my campus friends, I got you with my next rule, but for now, if you have access to a kitchen and buy your own groceries, you need to take advantage of that. Always prepare your meals! This allows you go gain control of what you put inside your system, but have two days (you can choose which two) during the week when you can be lazy and eat whatever. This time is when you go out with friends and splurge. In my next blog, I will cover in details about meal planning and I will also give you a free sample meal plan.

Rule #3 For those living on campus.

Y'all are in trouble. Living on campus does not allow you to have control over your meals because obviously, you can't cook, but there are few things you can do to help.

1. Know your macros! (I used this link to calculate my macros: https://mealpreponfleek.com/macro-calculator/)

2. Understand how to get your macros and what following your macros means. (I will be doing a blog on this soon)

3. You can use MyFitnessPal to calculate your macros: https://www.myfitnesspal.com/

4. Don't shy away from veggies! I always say that veggies are the safest way to go, because they are low in calories and very filling.

Thank you guys for reading my blog! Please feel free to comment and if you ever have any questions, please send me an email and I will respond to you as soon as I receive it.

xoxo

Stefanie Choh