30 Ways to Stay Fit When You Get to College

The reason why the freshman 15 is a thing is because college sort of sets you up for failure in the health department — from the second you step onto campus, you booze, socialize, and stress more, all of which leaves you with less time to sleep, move, and think about your health. Plus, college students have notoriously easy access to unlimited buffets and very cheap fast-food joints that stay open all night. And late-night eating is all ~yum~ and games until your pants don't fit.

That said, plenty of kids go to college, and come back in the same or better shape as when they left. Here's how to set yourself up for success on campus without missing out any of the quintessential stuff:

~IN YOUR DORM ROOM~

1. Stock your mini-fridge like a boss. If you have access to a fridge in your dorm room or a communal one on your floor, keep it stocked with staples like hummus and carrots, low-fat cheese, and whole-grain wraps:

With a microwave and some ingenuity, you can make a variety of healthy snacks in less time and for less money than ordering in. And then you can call your mom to tell her you've finally learned how to cook.

2. Cover your dorm room windows with opaque curtains. "Any light in the room can disrupt your sleep," says Spencer Nadolsky, MD, physician and author of The Fat Loss Prescription. Because inadequate sleep is directly linked to weight gain and proven to shake up the hormones that mediate appetite, satiety, and stress, a bright bedroom won't just leave you sleepy but also especially susceptible to the kind of constant overeating that contributes to weight gain.

3. Lay off the laptop and phone at night. Research shows that light from your laptop and phone screen can also keep you awake, so try to back away at least an hour before bedtime: If you must do school work right before bed, knock out the digital stuff first, and finish with anything that involves an actual text book or paper notes. And if Facebook is your late-night jam, put your phone on night mode (just swipe up to summon the sun/moon icon and automatically adjust the lighting).

4. Invest in a fan. At so many schools, fall heat waves are no joke — and neither are dorm rooms without air conditioning. The problem: Research suggests that sleeping in hot temperatures can reduce the quality of your sleep — and you know what that means for your weight:☝️ 🙈 . Dr. Nadolsky highly recommends buying a fan to keep you cool, which will help you fall asleep. Bonus: Its white noise can help drone out your dorm neighbor's bass or the sound of the doors slamming down the hall.

5. Keep crappy food out of your dorm room. That way, you won't be inclined to clear your candy stores when you get super stressed. See, your body knows that eating sugar triggers the release of endorphins. So when stress hits, it's only human to crave sugary cereals, candy, and cookies, according to registered dietitian Dana Hunnes, PhD, an adjunct assistant professor at Fielding School of Public Health at UCLA. The problem is that sweet snacks can trigger an endless cycle of eating, feeling awesome for a hot sec, then feeling hungry once again, according to Hunnes, whose best advice is to remove yourself from a stressful situation by, say, shutting your laptop or book, and taking a little stroll down the hall to check in with your actual hunger levels and relax a bit before you start munching. Then follow this rule of thumb: An ideal snack resembles a mini meal (see no. 1 above) and contains produce, protein, and whole grains.

~TO STAY ACTIVE~

6. Set a fitness goal and stick to it. "A lot of people think that they don't have time to exercise, but in fact, people don't have time not to exercise considering its potent effects on the brain," Dr. Nadolsky says. That's because exercise isn't just for burning calories: Even walking or biking around campus can improve your mood and cognition, particularly when you do it a few hours after studying, which boosts neural activity to improve your memory, according to recent research. So make a plan — ideally, to move at least 60 minutes a day and break a sweat no fewer than three times per week — and actually make it happen by scheduling workouts to fit within your weekly class schedule.

7. Plan your class schedule around your ideal workout routine. If you prefer to work out in the morning, opt for classes that start late enough for you work out on your way in. And if you prefer to exercise in the evening — but don't want to miss the weeknight action — schedule your latest class to end early in the afternoon, so you can stop by the gym on your way home.

8. Take advantage of cheap fitness deals on campus. On most campuses, your tuition includes access to a fitness center, while access to fitness classes for the semester can cost you a small but annoying fee. If you're more into organized classes than exercising in an open gym, and you can swing it, throw down the cash. No matter what it costs you (as little as $17 for a semester's worth of once-a-week classes at colleges such as Syracuse University), it's bound to be cheaper than anything you'd fork over in the real world, where a single boutique fitness class can cost up to $40 per session in some cities.

9. Walk everywhere. Yeah, there's shuttle service between your dorm and your farthest class, but a 20-minute walk to campus and 20-minute walk home is 40 minutes of exercise without stepping foot in the gym. So you can easily get exercise without really trying — just make sure your path is well-lit when walking home at night, and enlist a buddy when you can.

10. Get a fitness tracker you're obsessed with. Paying for books and bedspreads and booze and ugh, college itself is enough to leave you strapped for cash. But people who pay attention to how much they walk often end up competing against themselves, and going all out to reach their daily goals — an invaluable thing to do for your health. You don't need to go all out for an Apple Watch or pricier model— just get a basic step counter, like the Misfit Flash for $19, and walk 10,000 daily steps or bust. (Pokémon Go can only help.)

11. Wear your workout clothes to class. This way, you can go straight to the gym after class without packing a bag that makes you look like you're heading home for winter break. Besides, once your sports bra is on, there's no turning back.

12. Run inside your school's stadium. Assuming it's permitted, an unlocked stadium is basically an indoor track with a built-in Stairmaster — the perfect place to break a sweat when weather is shitty, and you don't feel like running into everyone and their sorority sister at your campus gym.

13. Do cardio while you cram. Bring your notes to the gym and plop them on your cardio machine's console. Regardless of your post-workout recall — which should be stellar because exercise improves your memory — you'll have learned the valuable skill of multitasking.

14. Practice a small-space workout. On lazy days when you can't even leave your dorm room for anything besides food and class? Don't. Just do a quick high-intensity workout with whatever space you've got. (Pro tip: Schedule it to coincide with one of your roommate's classes so she's not around to throw shade if you happen to sweat on her side.) You can do this one right between your beds:

~WHEN YOU'RE OUT AND ABOUT~

15. Don't wait until you're starving to eat. Buy nuts or trail mix in bulk (which will cost less than single-serving snacks in the long run), and pack them into mini snack bags to stash in your book bag. This way, you won't overeat the next time you make it to the dining hall.

16. Make sure packaged goods you buy on the fly contain some protein. To make sure you're not eating a snack that will make you hungrier, look for snacks with at least 7 grams of protein, Hunnes says. A Greek yogurt or a small handful of nuts or roasted edamame will do the trick. Those vending-machine potato chips? Not so much.

17. BYO mixer to pregames and parties. College parties are rarely short on booze — but diet-friendly mixers tend to be the first to go. Soda water won't contribute extra calories to your cup or disguise the taste of alcohol — which means you're less likely to throw back your drink as if it's dessert. Or try one of the mixers that make your drink healthier.

18. Preplan your late-night snack. If you eat dinner at 7 p.m., the pregame starts at 9 p.m., and you're don't stumble home until after 3 a.m., it will feel like a whole day has passed between your last meal and your bedtime. While college isn't college without at least a few late-night pizza runs, stocking up on portion-controlled snacks you enjoy — or one of the 15 healthiest drunk foods — can save you money and calories.

19. Choose bottled beer over tap. Beer is the one of the best things to drink when you're out— and not just because you can find it at literally any frat party. Light beers tend to contain fewer calories than mixed drinks — usually around 100 calories per can or bottle depending on the brand. Go with the bottled option over keg beer to limit yourself to a 12-ounce serving (or two, or whatever). It's smaller than the amount you'd probably pour into your Solo cup. If light beer's not your thing, or you have no idea what kind of beer is in that keg, order lower-calorie drinks at bars, and use this guide for keeping serving sizes in check at self-serve parties:

~AT THE DINING HALL~

20. Approach the all-you-can-eat meals with a plan. University dining halls often publish their menus and nutritional stats online. Check them out before you swipe in for a meal to get a sense of your options — or at least do a lap around the cafeteria to assess the situation before you start to fill your tray with everything that looks good.

21. Make the salad bar your first stop at the buffet. If you eat the healthiest foods first, you won't have much room left for unhealthy stuff. Fill at least half your tray with vegetables and fruits, a quarter or less with whole grains or colorful starchy veggies like sweet potatoes and butternut squash, and a quarter or less with protein, Hunnes says.

22. Make sure every meal contains some healthy fats. While high-fat foods do tend to be denser in calories than low-fat ones (meaning you eat a lot of calories in a few bites), the nutrient is vital for satiety, an important aspect of weight management. Whether it comes from a drizzle of olive oil, or nuts or seeds sprinkled on your salad, or avocado spread on whole-grain toast, a couple tablespoons can make any dish really hit the spot. Choose foods towards the top of the chart below and include them in every meal:

23. Load up on single-ingredient foods. It's a simple hack for healthy eating when you don't know the nutritional facts of the recipes being served. At the cafeteria salad bar, go for a colorful mix of unadulterated raw veggies. At the hot buffet, go for simply prepared foods like grilled chicken as opposed to breaded chicken fingers or chicken parm; whole yams instead of marshmallow-covered sweet potato casserole; and brown rice as opposed to beef fried rice. Any made-to-order dishes where you can pick your own ingredients — like an omelet bar or Mongolian barbecue — will help you track exactly what you're eating.

24. Avoid oily, mayonnaise-based, or otherwise creamy salads. Just because they're served at the salad bar doesn't mean they're healthy. Creamy salads, like macaroni salad, tend to be high in calories and fat. You can always dress your veggies yourself and in moderation.

25. Go easy on rich salad dressings. The thick, creamy ones (like Caesar, French, ranch, and Russian) tend to be loaded with mayo, while syrupy, sticky ones (like honey mustard raspberry vinaigrette) can contain lots of sugar. You're better off with oil and vinegar for flavor and healthy fats that will satisfy you and help your body absorb more of the nutrients — like fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K) from the produce you eat.

26. Find a friend who <3s breakfast as much as you do. If you're on an unlimited meal plan, you're already paying for breakfast — a meal that's not exactly necessary for people who don't wake up hungry, but can keep your stomach from growling through morning lectures. Meet a friend in the dining hall to make sure you both take advantage.

If breakfast isn't your thing and you don't want it to be, just opt out of the unlimited meal plan to save money and yourself from temptation to binge to get your money's worth.

27. Stash fruit for the road. At buffet-style cafeterias, you can usually find loose fruits like apples and bananas to toss in your bag on the way out to class or leave in your dorm room to snack on later.

28. Try not to get too excited about unlimited soda on tap. Yes, you can drink all the soda! You can refill forever and for free! But free doesn't mean free of calories, and the calories you drink just don't fill you up the same way as calories you can crunch. The same goes for fruit juices. "When in doubt, just go for the water," says Dr. Nadolsky, "[It] will save you from a few pounds of weight gain over the year."

29. Taper off your caffeine intake after lunch. Depending on how your body metabolizes caffeine, and your choice and size of drink (hi, venti!) stimulants like caffeine may keep your eyes open through afternoon classes but continue to exercise their effects late into the night, impacting your sleep and appetite. Dr. Nadolsky says noon is a good time to cut yourself off — but generally, the later you drink coffee, tea, or hot chocolate (and yes, decaf tea and coffee can contain some caffeine, and so can chocolate) the greater your risk of tossing and turning when you're supposed to be resting up for that 8 a.m. class.

30. If you want dessert, eat some. Deprive yourself, and the next time a craving hits during a boozy night out, you'll wake up the next morning with an empty ice cream carton and a dirty spoon. It's better to go in for the kill when you're feeling it, or hell, every day — it'll stop you from overdoing it next time. Just go easy so your sundae so it doesn't rack up enough calories to count as a second dinner.

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