You hear all the warnings before entering college, but you don't ever think that you will actually succumb to such a fate! Or at least, I didn't think so. The idea of "Freshman 15" seemed like a silly myth, almost a rite of passage, before entering university. Well, I unfortunately learned first hand that this is certainly not a myth - I am definitely "softer" than before I went to college... maybe not 15 pounds, but more than I'd like to admit.
I like to think that all the weight gain was attributed to growing up, becoming a real person... but I'm sure the terrible cafeteria food and stress eating during finals week didn't help much. You'd think that with moving home, the weight would just fall off! But, it turns out that being deprived of good food for 4 years is making me eat MORE. Now that I'm exposed to home cooked meals every night, I eat as if I've never tasted real food before in my life; I scarf all that home-cooked deliciousness down.
So while the Freshman 15 is already an unpleasant reality, it is made even worse by today's date. June 21st officially marks the first day of summer. Simply put, this means one thing: bikini season. I swear, I've never heard a more terrifying word than "bikini." Bathing-suit season always seems to sneak up on me, and it's just too much pressure to suddenly be in great shape!
At college I had SO much free time. Honestly, I did. Sure, I had class and studying, but there was so much freedom in my schedule. I had class a maximum of 2-3 hours a day, the library was open 24/7, and gym-time fit perfectly in-between; an ideal life style to be able to devote to my fitness and health. Okay but truthfully, I was too lazy to go most of the time. Epic fail. And now that I'm home and truly motivated to get back in shape, I'm confined by the typical 9-5 schedule with summer classes and internship. What's a girl to do?!
So I have thought of various solutions to get in beach-acceptable shape:
Plan A - Stop eating yummy things.
A wise woman named Kate Moss once said "Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels." But let's be real, that's SO not true. One word: Ice cream. It's a crime to give up ice cream during summer time. It truly is. You just need it on those hot, lazy, summer days. Sorry Kate, I can't take this advice. I love food wayyy too much!
Plan B - Exercise, and learn to have some self-control for God's sake!
Ugh. Easier said than done. I feel like that's always the advice, but my self-discipline is shot-to-hell whenever there's a plate of delicious food staring at me. I think the best way to approach it, is to not obsess too much over how much you are dieting/exercising. Moderation, moderation, moderation. For me, that's the key. If I go too extreme in either direction (eating too much, and then trying to compensate by eating too little) it never works out.
I've also found that doing FUN activities with friends makes it feel like it isn't exercise. Personally, I love going for long walks. There's a great place near my house that has hiking trails in a forest/woods type of environment which is really nice to explore. I'm supposed to go on this walk tomorrow with a friend, so it's something to look forward to at the end of my long and exhausting work day. Something social and fun, an easy walk is perfect to squeeze into my busy schedule, without it being too daunting or difficult.
So, day one of this plan start NOW. No time like the present! I guess I'll avoid sneaking down stairs and getting that piece of pizza from the fridge that I've been thinking about...
Fear is usually an effective motivator: bikini, bikini, bikini...
Later Gater,
BB
No comments:
Post a Comment