Now that you’re going off to college, you have probably heard of the infamous “Freshman 15.” This weight gain often occurs because of the change in lifestyle for new college students. In high school, there was a chance that you were on a sports team and you probably had home-cooked meals. Even if you are a transfer student from a community college, your lifestyle is still changing.

Chances are that you are going to be a whole lot more busier in college with studying late at night and trying to build your resume with extra-curricular activities.

There are ways to keep off those pounds though, even if you are not a University athlete. 

There are two big recreational facilities on campus, Activities and Recreations Center and the Campus Recreation Center East. You can get into these two facilities just by flashing your i-card. In fact, your membership to these fitness centers comes out of your student fees, so it’s a ripoff for you if you don’t go.

Here are some extra tips for keeping in shape.

Make a plan

The best thing that has worked for me during the semester is to dedicate certain times of the day to exercise. It is basically the same as dedicating a certain time of the week to studying for a certain class, just as your professors may advise.

If you are into running, this will be easier if you sign up for a race like a 5K or 10K or one of the Illinois Marathon events in the spring. Signing up for an actual event should give you more motivation to stick to your plan so that you are not stuck walking most of the race you signed up for.

Sign up for an intramural sport

Even if you aren’t a University athlete, that doesn’t mean you can’t play on a sports team. If you go to the Campus Recreation website, you can find a list of intramural sports teams. So if you’re not into exercising just for exercising, there are still ways of having fun while staying in shape.

Find other ways of exercising for fun

Even if you are not into sports or doing simple gym exercises like lifting weights or getting on the elliptical, there are plenty of other ways to have fun while exercising. While the ARC is complete with an indoor track, weight room and cardio machines, they also have a full rock climbing wall — and it only costs $2 each time you climb for shoe and harness rentals.

Although not in the ARC or the CRCE, there is also an ice skating rink that is open for public skate that is free to any student with an i-card and only costs $2 for skate rental.

Both the ARC and CRCE have fitness classes that you can take for an extra fee. Although there is the extra fee, there are about 20 different fitness classes ranging from cardio, dancing, yoga, Pilates, aquatics and cycling. Plus, keeping in mind with my “making a plan” advice, having a class you go to every week can certainly be encouraging.

Get a workout buddy

When you get a friend who also likes to lift weights or to go running, it can be much more encouraging to have someone to do things with. Plus, it can be considered your hang out time for the week, and you are much less likely to skip your workout when you’ve made plans with someone else.

Bike everywhere

The University campus, along with the city of Urbana, is a very bike-friendly community. So instead of taking the bus everywhere, you can ride your bike and burn extra calories. Plus, it’s much faster than walking.  

Kat is a senior in LAS. She can be reached at [email protected].