Losing Resolution
This year will be different.
You’ve already resolved to turn off the TV, exercise more and trade in those all-night pizza parties for some sensible, home-cooked meals.
But will you?
For how long?
Dan Smith, general manager of the Sports Academy (located at 1655 N 200 East in North Logan) said that even though his business sees a 15 to 20 percent increase in the number of people who come to use their facilities each January, that number begins to taper off only a few months later, though he has noticed that the drop-off season has been extending later into the spring each year.
“It’s been interesting, because over the last two – three years, the more and more public awareness that’s out there on how bad American health is in general, the more news stories and the more celebrities the get involved, the later the trend goes into the year,” Smith said. “It used to be that by February everyone was done with their New Year’s resolutions, but we’ve seen it expand into March, April and even May.”
That same public awareness has led to weight-loss hype and fad diets, which have grown in recent years in direct proportion to American fears of obesity. Experts say diets guaranteeing fast results, from Atkins to the South Beach, come and go because many people are willing to try anything that promises to help them stem off the plumpness.
“Fad diets are just that,” Utah State University Health and Wellness Center medical director Jim Davis said. “Rapid weight loss leads to equally rapid weight gain. There’s no evidence that fad diets are effective in long term. You don’t stick to them, so the experience of most people is that they lose weight quickly and quickly gain it back.”
Beyond the fads, though, most college students have a difficult time maintaining a balanced diet, Davis said. Though student life has become increasingly more personal (with personal music players, personal computers, etc.), people just don’t take the time they need to personalize their diet.
“We’re more individualized but we depersonalize meal time,” Davis said. “We tend to grab something and run.”
Health professionals and nutritionists across the country have long said that maintaining or achieving good health requires a lifestyle change. According to the American Heart Institute, a large part of healthy lifestyle comes from a balanced diet that pays attention to all areas of nutrition.
“The biggest diet problem is imbalance – eating a high level of carbs, without paying attention to protein and fat – that lends itself to a high fat diet. Students tend to eat foods that are over-prepared – fast foods, pre-canned, pre-heated, pre-boxed – instead of fresh food,” Davis said.
Meal planning is one of the key changes a student can make to ensure a proper diet. Planning involves taking the time to make a menu, go to the store with a specific shopping list (and the willpower not to pick-up pre-packaged, preservative rich foods) and planning time to cook and eat your meals.
“We’re much too spontaneous as a society,” Davis said. “We need to become knowledgeable about our nutrition: Learn how to read food labels and count our portion size. Most of the food from restaurants is hugely over-proportioned.”
Though many students are looking for a quick fix to burn off those extra pounds, long-lasting results have come only for people who make lifestyle changes that include a balanced diet and daily exercise.
“I think it’s really important that students exercise,” Smith said. “Not only does it help them be healthier, but a regular exerciser is going to be sick less and sleep better at night, which means in class they’ll be more alert and aware. When a student exercises, they do better not only in class, but also at their jobs. Their personal life, their spiritual life and everything [else] is more in balance.”
Most experts agree that studentsshould spend 30 minutes a day, five days a week exercising.
At least 20 of those minutes should involve exercise at an increased heart rate, Smith said.
Because so many people set resolutions at the beginning of the year, Davis said it’s important they begin by setting reasonable goals.
If a person sets a goal to run 10 miles a day after little to no exercise for several weeks, they are more likely to quite the program. But if that person starts out walking 10 minutes a day and gradually increases until they are exercising 30 minutes a day, they are more likely to stick with the program.
Little changes can add up to big results in achieving good health.
“Walk instead of talking the bus, take the stairs instead of the elevator, plan to walk in between classes, especially when the weather gets better. Take advantage of the campus sponsored athletic equipment,” Davis said.
The Health and Wellness center is also sponsoring the 2006 Physical Activity Challenge. Students and faculty from USU are encouraged to combine in teams of six who will log their hours of physical activity for the next three months. Teams with the most points will be recognized at a ceremony in April. For more information on the challenge, which begins on Monday, Jan. 16, contact Jamie McKinlay at (435)797-1010 or via e-mail at jjmckinlay@cc.usu.edu.
Though all students have access to athletic facilities at the Fieldhouse and HPER free with a valid ID, many locations around the valley, from the Sports Academy to the Logan Recreation Center, offer students a number of ways to keep their New Year’s resolutions. Many of these locations offer discounts to students.
“Nutrition is like a bank account,” Davis said. “If you take in more money than you spend, your bank account will grow. If you take in more calories than you use, your waist will expand. If you deficit eat, your waste line will shrink.”
-mattgo@cc.usu.edu