Maintaining a Healthy Lifestyle

This morning in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel I read an article called "Big Man on Campus". This article is all about the dreaded "Freshman 15". Staying healthy when coming to college is a challenge. I'm sure that majority of college students would agree with me. The problem isn't that UWM lacks resources to stay healthy, it's figuring out how to fit it into your life and maintain that lifestyle.

According to the American Journal of Health Behavior the main reason incoming Freshman gain weight is, " Students entering college may be making independent decisions about their diet, activity, and television viewing behaviors for the first time. New environmental and social factors may emerge during this time period to have a greater influence on their behavior." The freedom of moving to college and making your own choices can sometimes have a negative impact on your health.

When I started school I was lucky enough not to gain the Freshman 15, but I did gain the Sophomore 10 (I'm not sure if that is a thing, but we'll go with it). My junior year I decided to get in shape. UWM and University Housing had a lot of options that helped me out. I'm down 20 pounds from a year ago.

The best thing to do when first moving to school is get into a routine that involves eating healthy, exercising, and practicing healthy lifestyle habits. UWM has a lot of different resources that can be utilized to maintain a positive lifestyle. I'll blog more in depth about all of these different resources but here is a preview of what I'm going to write about:

• Klotsche Fitness Center
•  Klotsche Gym offers everything you could need to stay in shape: swimming pool, weight room, track, basketball and volleyball courts, exercise classes, personal trainers, and nutritionists. If you are a full time student, Klotsche is a free resource and is conveniently located on campus.
• Healthy eating options on campus
• Wherever food is offered on campus (Sandburg, Cambridge Commons, RiverView, the Union, and the North West Quadrant of campus) healthy eating options are available. UWM offers vegetarian, vegan, and organic options at all of the restaurant facilities.
• Healthy eating options off campus
• Sport and Rec Classes
• The College of Health Sciences offers one and two credit courses that are focused on maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Some examples of classes are: Rock Climbing, Ballroom Dance, Belly Dance,  Meditation, and Healthy Cooking Classes.
• Norris Health Center 
• Norris is the main health resource on campus. There are full time doctors, nurses, therapists, and pharmacists to help with any health concerns you might have. 
• How University Housing supports a healthy lifestyle  

Let me know if you have any questions or blog topic ideas about Health. It's the field I'm going into, so I would love to write more about this topic.