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Kierra King
Professor Caruso
URWT 1103
26 February 2016
Living a Healthy lifestyle as a College Student
With hectic class schedules, enticing parties, and various on and off campus
activities, it is sometimes hard maintain a healthy lifestyle as a college student. With this
in mind, college students might wonder how they would start living a healthy lifestyle.
Asking questions such as What should we eat? and What options are available to me
here on campus? allows for college students to really think about what healthy options
they have.
Living on campus, college students have a variety of dining options. There are
dining halls, fast food restaurants, and the local campus grocery stores, Outtakes. All
these dining options, yet college students are left asking, What do I eat? Grubhub, a
company that helps find restaurants that deliver in your area, did some research on what
college students order. According to Grubhub, students are less likely to place
healthier orders than the average diner when they order take out (Watson). Grubhub

Kierra 4/25/2016 5:51 PM

Deleted: It takes an efficient amount of time,
thought, and strategic planning to achieve the
end goal of overall fitness.
Kierra 4/25/2016 5:54 PM
Deleted: Some college students might ask,
how do I live a healthy lifestyle on campus?
Kierra 4/25/2016 5:58 PM
Deleted: Well, in order to answer that
question, we must look at both the dining and
physical aspects of health.
Kierra 4/25/2016 6:02 PM
Deleted: First, we should
Kierra 4/25/2016 6:00 PM
Deleted: start with consumption.
Kierra 4/25/2016 6:07 PM
Deleted: Coming into college, you are an
adult and are responsible for the food you
consume. Mom and dad are no longer fixing
your meals, and you have total free range to eat
whatever you want whenever you want.

found that there are certain foods and beverages that are more popular to college students
than the typical diner. Those foods and drinks are mozzarella sticks, cookies, wings,
energy drinks, and the most popular food, pizza.
Being away from home, there is a higher chance that college students will
consume the unhealthy items available to them opposed to the healthier options. Toby
Smithson, on behalf of Academy Nutrition and Dietetics, says, "Away from home and on

Kierra 4/26/2016 2:11 PM

Deleted: To make matters worse, we are
ordering theses delicacies late at night.
Kierra 4/26/2016 2:12 PM
Deleted: There are various reasons as to why
college students order late.
Kierra 4/26/2016 2:12 PM
Deleted: more room for error.

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their own, college students may be more likely to indulge in large portion sizes and high
calorie foods as they are unsupervised. Another challenge of going to college is learning
to cook. Without loving parents to prepare meals, students may opt for fast food, which is
quick, easy, and inexpensive (Why do college students eat unhealthy food).
Eating healthy is quite expensive, and being a college student, you are generally
low on funds. There are a variety of financial scenarios on campus. Some students work,
some students receive money from their parents, and some students dont work and do
not receive money from their parents. With all these different situations, there might be a
substantial difference in the amount of money college students have to spend. The student
who works might receive $200 a month, while the student who gets money from their
parents might receive $100 a month. Then, some colleges require that its students have a
meal plan, which up front costs at least $2000. Some families cant pay that type of
money up front, so they most likely have to take out loans. Taking out loans leaves less
spending money, so the most economical thing to do is to eat what has already been paid
for.
Monetary problems are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to making
healthy choices, some college students are in class all day, and are unable to reach the
dining halls before they close. I do not understand why colleges dont have a 24-hour

Kierra 4/26/2016 2:26 PM

Deleted: This makes it hard to make smart
and healthy decisions. Then, some

dining hall. The University of North Carolina Charlottes, Sovi, closes at 8:30 pm on the

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Deleted: 24 hour

dot, meanwhile, students are coming out of class at 9:30 pm. This leaves students hungry

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Deleted: s

because not all students keep snacks in their dorm, and have to wait till 7 am to receive
their next meal.

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As if late classes were not enough, then, we also have to take into account
homework and study schedules. Some college students study and do homework all
through the night, sometimes even in groups. According to Joan Salge Blake MS, Many

Kierra 4/26/2016 2:34 PM

Deleted: In addition to late night classes,
students slowly but surely grow tired of the
repetition of food items on the menu at their
local dining halls (6 Dining Trends on College
campuses). As a college student myself, I find
myself drifting from the dining halls and
craving chipotle.

times, stress can cause college students to eat unhealthy foods, especially late at night,

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Deleted: Then

and to accompany that notion, health educator, Daphne Oz, goes on to say, "Late-night

Kierra 4/26/2016 2:35 PM

Deleted: that just because we arent in the
classroom, doesnt mean the work ends.

talks are a danger zone for unhealthy eating because: You are enjoying bonding with your
friends and aren't thinking about what goes into your mouth(Why College Student eat
Late at night?)." Stress and socializing are two components to college eating. We also eat
based off the preference of our peers (Rattenfenger). It is said that if your peers dont
disagree with fast food eating, then youre more likely to eat fast food (Rattenfenger).
Students dont understand that they do have other options other than eating out
and being strictly confined to the dining hall. Most dormitories have a community
kitchen, so you could start cooking your own food. However, there is the problem of not
having a refrigerator to keep your food cool. There is a possibility that the community

Kierra 4/26/2016 2:49 PM

Deleted: .
Kierra 4/26/2016 2:49 PM
Deleted: Its many hours since the cafeteria
closed for dinner, and your body is starting to
get hungry again.
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Deleted: Its late at night and you're getting
tired, so you eat to stay awake
Kierra 4/26/2016 2:41 PM
Deleted: Youre trying to stay awake to do
that last homework assignment, and the next
thing you know, youve eaten a whole bag of
chips!
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Deleted:
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Formatted: Indent: First line: 0.5"

activities at the University of North Carolina Charlotte, such as zumba, kickboxing, and

Kierra 4/26/2016 2:44 PM

Deleted: Shopping healthy can be costly,
however, if you take the appropriate steps, you
will be able to afford an abundance of
groceries. There are a few steps you can take
to make your grocery shopping affordable: set
a budget, never go to the store hungry, buy
essential items in bulk, make a shopping list
and stick to it, clip coupons, make sure prices
are correct at the check out counter, and save
your receipts (Bun). Once you have the skills
to shop, you need to know what to shop for.
Some of the items on the cheaper side of the
scale are things such as dry beans, eggs, oats,
frozen vegetables, yogurt, in season
vegetables, and canned tuna (Sorey). Even
through we do not necessarily like what the
dining halls have to offer, but sometimes that
is all that is available. If that is indeed the... [1]

core training. What exercises should we engage in for muscle training? If you want to

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Deleted: Then

muscle train, engage in pushups, sit-ups, weight training, and calisthenics, which is a

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Deleted: ,

kitchens have one, but you wouldnt want to risk someone taking or touching your food.
The foods that we eat are only half the battle of health, then, we also have to
account for inescapable fact of exercise. How much exercise should we be engaging in?
For most college students, it is essential to engage in 150 minutes of cardio and at least
two days muscle training (Getting Exercise in College). Good exercises for cardio consist
of walking, jogging, dancing, and much more (George). They offer various group fitness

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Deleted: there is the

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form of gymnastics (George). Exercising can be fun and a stress reliever, however, there
is such a thing as too much exercise. If you are constantly rearranging your schedule,
canceling appointments, or skipping class in order to work out, then you are engaging in
excessive exercise (Roop). Exercise is great, but just like food in moderation.
College is for a clean slate, and based on this research, I learned that it is possible
to obtain and maintain an affordable healthy lifestyle. Just by eating the proper foods and
engaging in consistent exercise, you can achieve the lifestyle you want to achieve.
Anything is possible with dedication and the proper mindset.

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Works Cited
1. Bun, Daisy. "15 Tips on How to Do Grocery Shopping on a Budget." Fullthyme
Student Recipes for Students on a Budget. N.p., 15 July 2013. Web. 24 Feb. 2016.
2. George, Shannon. "Cardiovascular & Muscular
Endurance." LIVESTRONG.COM. LIVESTRONG.COM, 28 Oct. 2015. Web. 24
Feb. 2016.
3. "Getting Exercise in College." KidsHealth - the Web's Most Visited Site about
Children's Health. The Nemours Foundation, n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2016.
4. Rattenfengher. "Fast Food College." Storify. N.p., 24 Feb. 2015. Web. 24 Feb.
2016.
5. Roop, Megan. "12 Signs You're Exercising Too Much." Mindbodygreen. N.p., 24
July 2014. Web. 24 Feb. 2016.
6. "6 Dining Trends on College Campuses." The Prospect. N.p., 07 Oct. 2014. Web.
24 Feb. 2016.
7. Sorey, Kalee. "15 Cheap Healthy Foods for Anyone (College Students, Families,
Single Parents)." SoreyFitness. N.p., 27 Feb. 2014. Web. 24 Feb. 2016.
8. Watson, Elaine. "Do College Students Eat like the Rest of Us? GrubHub Finds
out." Food Navigator. N.p., 27 Aug. 2013. Web. 24 Feb. 2016.
9. "Why College Students Eat Unhealthy Late at Night?" Sharecare. N.p., n.d. Web.
24 Feb. 2016.
10. "Why Do College Students Eat Unhealthy Foods?" Sharecare. N.p., n.d. Web. 24
Feb. 2016.

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11.

Woodruff, Cathryn. "7 Tips For Navigating The Dining Hall." The Huffington
Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 20 Aug. 13. Web. 24 Feb. 2016