Summer is fast approaching, and there is no better time than today to start working toward your ideal body and happy self. All it takes is a balance of healthy eating, sleeping and exercise.

Healthy eating

It’s not always as easy as it seems, and some things that may seem healthy are in fact bad for you. For example, diet soda is definitely not good for you. In fact, it provides a higher risk of becoming overweight because of the added artificial sweeteners.
Fruit juice is another deceiving beverage. Recent studies have shown that including fruit juice as a part of a healthy, balanced meal is in fact counter-productive. It is not a low-sugar alternative to sugary, sweetened drinks like soda. The best way to incorporate fruit into your diet is to eat the unprocessed, whole fruit because the fiber that is not found in juices will keep you fuller longer and has an effect on how the sugar is absorbed into the bloodstream.

Eating healthy involves maintaining a well-balanced diet and making sure to incorporate all the necessary food groups suggested by the Food and Drug Administration. Healthy eating is a large part of the way one loses weight, and it is important that the food being consumed is actually doing the body good rather than just satisfying hunger.

Exercise

The other major part of the battle to lose weight is exercising. It is important that the calories being taken in do not exceed the calories being burned, or else you are being counter-productive. Burning calories every day is easy. Walking to campus and from class to class is the easiest way to start burning off calories. Campus Recreation offers an extensive gym with a weight floor, cardio machines, two indoor gyms, a swimming pool, outdoor volleyball and indoor soccer. It also offers personal training to those who may be new to working out and are a little nervous to start out on their own. It’s included in your tuition, so take advantage of it.

There are also options offered outside of campus, like Boxing Inc. at Campbell Avenue and Silver Street, which offers students a chance to be fully immersed in a full-body high-intensity workout. They offer classes from boxing all the way to MMA fighting.
Yoga is another form of exercise that can not only help you lose weight over time, but also reduce stress levels and maintain a healthier mindset. YogaOasis, with locations at Campbell Avenue and Copper Street and downtown at Congress Street and Fifth Avenue, offers $5 drop-in classes, but be prepared to sweat and work hard.

Sleeping habits

The final piece of the triangle is, in fact, sleep. Sleep can take a toll on every part of someone, mind and body, and it is essential that we get the recommended amount of sleep each night. When we run on little or no sleep, our body does not and cannot perform to its fullest.

As college students, we are the most susceptible to lack of sleep because we stay up all night working on projects and spending time with our friends. We don’t realize how detrimental it truly is for our future. Sleep deprivation is linked to the onset of colds, the flu, heart disease, diabetes and obesity.

The recommended amount of sleep depends on age; for teenagers, it is between nine to 10 hours a night, and for adults, it is seven to eight hours a night. It’s common to think, “Oh, I can just catch up on my sleep another time,” when, in fact, that’s not true. Once you lose sleep, your body suffers from that loss in detrimental and sometimes dangerous ways.

Exercise, eating healthy and sleeping form the triangle that lead to getting a healthy, in-shape body. Summer is around the corner — make sure you are ready to enjoy it to the fullest.

@CamilleAnne7