Staying Fit While in College

Keeping Freshman 15 Off

Keeping fit counts. It helps mentally as well as physically. The phrase “Freshman 15”  has its own claim to fame — actually infamy — because it does happen all too often. It may not be 15. It can just be 5 or 10 extra pounds gained that first year of college, which might or might not be added to the next year. I gained at least 15 pounds during my first semester at college. It was definitely not my finest moment. I went from living at home with set meal times and no abundance of snacks to living in Athens among all its temptations. Who could resist the lure of late-night socializing and delivery of every (mostly fast) food imaginable?

On-campus fitness centers rival that of any expensive gym.  But even now, with the amazing fitness centers available to today’s students, many students do gain weight for the same reasons I cited. My daughters chalk it up to late-night pizzas and tacos (after drinking –yep, those calories count, too!) and the food not being the healthiest. But there are ways to keep fit!

No Judgement Zone

Please don’t think passing judgment is the aim here. Not every student will gain weight, drink, or think similarly about a meal plan. Those are just the personal examples that get to the main purpose of my message: even for students on a tight budget, it is possible to eat healthy, exercise, and not gain the Freshman 15. Let’s start here by addressing exercising. If your student is a fitness junkie or an aspiring one, UGA will 100% encourage them to get fit and stay fit. The campus itself is huge and hilly, so avoiding the busses and walking to class is a very easy way to make yourself active.

Georgia’s Ramsey Student Center is known as “Ramsey” and at 440,000 square feet, is one of the largest student athletic recreation facilities in the United States offering everything from badminton to volleyball. There are tons of free fitness opportunities through the Ramsey Center that are both indoor and outdoor.

Indoor activities at Ramsey include a rock climbing wall, an indoor swimming pool, tons of weight rooms, an indoor track, a martial arts center, and Volleyball, Racquetball, Handball, Squash, and Badminton Courts.

Outdoor Ramsey activities include a challenge course, a bouldering wall, tennis courts, grass fields for football, ultimate frisbee, etc., and Lake Herrick. There are also other outdoor opportunities at Pound Hall that are not free but include Softball/Baseball Fields, a Horseshoe Pit, and Basketball Courts. Other UGA options for fitness include getting involved in Club or Intramural Sports. These are fantastic opportunities for students to continue playing organized sports with friends and a great way to aid them in staying active.

Whether students live on or off-campus, they have the option to utilize UGA’s facilities although many choose to live in a space that offers a gym to residents or to get a gym membership elsewhere. To know which apartments offer gyms, go to our Off-Campus Living blog and check out the amenities tab of each website listed, that is where you will find if your apartment of choice has a gym available or not.

Fun is Fitness!

And there’s still more, as staying fit has never been so easy or included so many fun choices. The fitness center offers all types of classes including Bootcamp, cardio, spin, yoga and meditation, Zumba, barre, and more.

Fit Fanatics

For those students who can’t quite give up their familiar workout regimen, Athens has several places to find your fit. Each gym offers student discounts and different deals throughout the year to members, and most of them have an option to freeze your membership over the summer or during a semester. Make sure to check out Groupon or ask about any student discounts. For gym memberships, the most popular places among students in Athens are:

• Orangetheory Fitness – Students can choose from unlimited class membership to basic (4 classes/month) There are two locations in Athens. They do not offer discounts to college students but do offer a first-time free class.
• Pure Barre – The Ramsey does offer barre classes, but those committed to the Pure Barre workout model can head over to their studio on Alps Road. Check Groupon for any special discounts. Also, check their Facebook page for any offers.
• Crunch – This national chain’s memberships allow you to use your membership at any of their 312 clubs if you purchase a flexible membership starting at $21.95. Single club memberships start at $9.95 per month. Crunch is known for its group fitness and training programs
• 9Round Fitness – Two locations in Athens. offers 30-minute kickboxing themed fitness program that incorporates functional, interval, cardiovascular, and circuit training regimens. Offers a free class for those that want to try out the club.
• HotWorx – This “HOT” studio offers one free workout to introduce you to their sauna philosophy, which ranges from hot cycle to hot pilates to hot buns. And if you’re thinking cinnamon with icing, you’re not keeping with the theme of this whole fitness conversation.
• And for those who like their exercise in great Georgia outdoors, the Georgia campus and surrounding community offer outdoor runners (and walkers) some beautiful trails. The website, Mapmyrun,  was created by other runners and shows courses that take you around the entire campus, some as long as five miles. It is always advised to run with a buddy, especially if you are running in the early morning or at dusk. Safety should always come first.

A Healthy Approach

For a healthy approach to wellness, another cool aspect of UGA is the University Health Center and all the features it has for students. While most kids see the UHC as a place they go when they are sick, it is so much more than that. As a student, you have access to many things:

• Wellness Coaching is a meeting with someone to discuss your overall health, make goals for yourself, and create an action plan. Upon meeting with a Wellness Coach, you will have the option to schedule follow up meetings every 2 weeks for however long you’d like to have progress tracked, get questions answered, and be encouraged on your wellness journey.
• Health Promotion is a group at UGA oriented at promoting healthy living through nutrition, wellness, and sexual health. There are many different aspects of this group and they can all be explored through their website.
• #BeWellUGA is a movement that is centered around helping students have good physical and mental health. There are free workshops and classes available, student support and outreach groups you can join, and therapy and counseling offered to make sure students have healthy minds, bodies, and lives throughout their time at UGA and beyond.
• Sleep Education helps students understand why sleep is important, how much we need, and what happens when we do not get enough. There are also different resources regarding sleep available to students to help them through sleep disorders, get better sleep, and how to alleviate the stress that might be affecting sleep.
• Nutrition Services at UGA include meetings with dietitians, healthy cooking classes, metabolic rate testing, eating disorder help, and so much more. The goal of nutrition services is to help meet all the dietary needs of students and aid them in making healthy food choices and developing healthy eating habits.

For the healthy food approach to keeping the Freshman 15 at bay, please visit our Eating Healthy blog for better ideas than that midnight pizza. And cheers to health, fitness, and happiness!

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