Guest Post; Emily Stone: Tips for a Fit Fall Semester!

Hello everyone!

Today I'm happy to share today's post from a soon-to-be healthy blogger, Emily Stone.  Emily is getting ready to launch her own blog soon, so be sure to send her a note if you're interested in following her and be on the lookout!  Today she's sharing some great tips for a healthy Fall so whether you're a returning student (like me!) or just looking to stay on track as the days get shorter, she's got some great ideas to stay healthy.


Hi all, I'm Emily Stone, a SAHM, proud wife, runner, fitness fanatic, health food addict, and animal lover! I have my own blog in the works, but in the meantime, Jenn has been wonderful enough to let me contribute as a guest on her amazing blog. Today, I'd like to share with you some of my best tips for having a fit fall semester! So if you’re in school or going to classes then listen up! If you have any questions feel free to email me!

Tips for a fit fall semester – A Post from Emily Stone

When I first started college, I was absolutely dreading what it was going to do with my body. Going from healthy home-cooked meals to all-night parties and study groups could turn the Freshman 15 into the Sophomore 20 and the Junior 25. Yikes! How is it that “starving students” can find it so easy to put on unwanted weight? The good news is that there are lots of options for a college student to stay healthy and fit when fall arrives. 

Diet

I used to say that the word “diet” was “die” with T added to the end. Does anybody want to be on a diet? Not really. It’s so much better to make small lifestyle changes. The first tip is to anticipate the need to eat, drink and snack. I try to always take food and water with me wherever I go. If I don’t, fast-food joints will seem that much more appealing. I took my tiny fridge and filled it full of low-fat snacks and produce. I bought a Rubbermaid container and kept non-perishable snacks in it.

That underscores a major problem college students face. When I didn’t have access to a full kitchen, I found it harder to get a balanced diet. For a time, students can benefit from the occasional meal-replacement like protein bars and on-the-go protein drinks. However, these cannot replace fruits and vegetables. Where diet seems to fail, vitamins are a sensible idea, too. I bought Supplements from Beachbody and made sure to take a daily multi-vitamin too. Few people get all the vitamins and minerals they need to stay healthy and strong. So a good multivitamin is a necessity.

Exercise

I walk everywhere. It doesn’t really matter if I have a car, if my chances of getting a good parking space are practically nil. Walking is necessary, but it is not sufficient. The gym is usually outrageously though, and full of people I don’t want to be in the company of when I’m sweaty and out-of-breath. What do I do for exercise, then? DVDs and the internet, baby! Between my roommates and I, we could’ve ran our own fitness room. I got my start with some excellent Shaun T's workout DVDs and tested out some of my roommates from there. When I need to do some weight-training, I use resistance bands which have become a lifesaver considering how versatile they are and the fact that I can store them just about anywhere.

Maintenance

The trick to any diet or exercise regime is maintenance. If I quit after a month or two, it’s not going to work very well. I did much better once I took the long view. I need to be healthy for life. Good eating and fitness are great, but they can’t do everything for me. They can’t buy me a good night’s sleep. These days, I plan my schedule around eight hours of rest, and try to make it non-negotiable. That way, when I’m just too busy, I don’t totally run out of steam. I bought a scale so that I can make sure I don’t slip too much if my diet gets a little crazy around the holidays. And I’m more careful about partying. I’ve switched out my Sprite for club soda, and I’ve switched to low-cal drinks like the Skinnygirl Cocktails.

Early adulthood is the easiest time to get and stay healthy. Working hard to eat right, exercise and stay in control made me so much happier in the long run.