by Elana Lycos, sophomore, dietetics major
It’s the start of a new year, which means goals are being set and high expectations are the norm. If you’re anything like me, you’re already thinking about ways to get in shape for spring break. It’s so easy to get caught up thinking about the sun, the beach and, more importantly, how good you’ll look in a bathing suit. With a few weeks to go before that long-anticipated week, many of us have been constructing some detailed workout plans to get into shape.
We all set goals for ourselves to be “healthier” by focusing all of our energy on the food aspect of the process. When doing so, we miss the bigger picture. What you eat isn’t the only thing that determines what the scale says at the end of the day. Exercise, adequate sleep and time to de-stress are all factors that are heavily overlooked. What you eat, and how much of it, tends to seem like the easiest factor to control, which is why we all turn toward dieting without hesitation. I’ll admit, exercising can be hard, going to bed early instead of spending time out with your friends may be tough, and sitting for a few minutes to just relax may seem like a waste of time.
However, when it comes to exercise, there are many fun ways to do it. Did I really just say that? Yes! The best part is, being on campus means that you have a million possibilities to get involved in creative and fun forms of exercise. Some halls have their own little gyms, or larger facilities like IM East and IM West are always an option. You can also check out Wonderbodies, a gym located in Wonders Hall.
On the other hand, if you’re not interested in working out at the gym, you could go for a run down some of MSU’s many running trails, or even just around campus. There are many workout clubs to join, too. I was personally a member of one last year called CHAARG, which was an all-female workout club. We did some very interesting forms of exercise to keep things light. For example, at one of the spotlight workouts that I attended, the instructor taught us all how to twerk. Imagine twerking for an hour… it was definitely a workout. I also went to a Zumba class, a yoga session, experimented with cross-fit, and learned how to do kickboxing. If you don’t want to pay to be in a club, yoga sessions and Zumba are offered around campus at no charge on specific days of the week. If you’re interested, the following link will tell you when and where these sessions are being held: https://liveon.msu.edu/campus-life/fitness
Perhaps the most important factor that’s overlooked is the role of sleep. Let me be the first to admit that I do not get nearly enough sleep. Who has time when there is school work to be done, classes to go to and a social life to maintain? To be honest, I sleep so poorly that a friend of mine actually bought me a book called “Tips for Better Sleep” as a Christmas present. After reading it, my views on sleep have changed dramatically. Sleep is a serious key for success, well-being, and living your best life. Take my advice, and do not underestimate the power of sleep. Make it a goal of yours to get one to two more hours of sleep each night and see how it makes you feel. From personal experience, I can tell you that it may just make a world of a difference in your life.
Sleep is not the only factor of well-being that is overlooked; taking time to de-stress is basically non-existent in many people’s lives. For just a few minutes a day, we should all try to meditate, rest, draw a picture, write a poem, etc. The possibilities are endless; you just have to decide what works best for you. Setting aside time to do what may feel like nothing is what makes this all so difficult. In a world of constant action, whether it be sitting in class, texting your friend, or scrolling through social media, taking time to relax our minds has become increasingly difficult. Believe it or not, setting aside a few minutes to breathe deeply and focus on ourselves is an important step toward achieving those difficult goals that we are all trying to reach.
In the end, the realization must be made that dieting can only do so much for us in the grand spectrum of things. Of course we should all strive to eat our fruits and veggies, and probably limit our sugar and fat intake more or less; but the bigger picture is overall wellness. Instead of trying to cut out certain foods to where you have unbearable cravings, or stuffing yourself so full that you feel uncomfortable, think about how the foods that you are eating really make you feel. Listen to your body, and make sure to take care of it in areas other than eating alone. Try to get to bed at a decent time, take a couple of minutes to breathe and think about your aspirations, and invest in a fun workout plan. If you put all of these factors to use, you are more likely to achieve your fitness goals and rock it on spring break!