Making the Healthy Decisions

College students should become more physically active, in order to promote a healthier lifestyle. As a college student there are a lot of things that can easily persuade one to become unhealthy, such as: eating unhealthy foods, drinking alcohol, and not exercising regularly. Students who make poor choices such as those sink into a sedentary lifestyle. This often occurs in students’ first year of college, known infamously as the freshman 15 or in some cases the freshman 30. If students utilize the resources they have available to them on campus, they will be able to maintain a healthier lifestyle and reduce the risk of obesity. It comes from a slowing metabolism as we age, and because of this have to battle these each and every day.

One major problem that often causes students to gain weight is the heavy consumption of alcohol. The problem with drinking is that it slows down your fat burning metabolism. Alcohol can affect your body profoundly, with even the smallest amount. A study from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition stated, “Eight men were given two drinks of vodka and sugar-free lemonade separated by 30 minutes. Each drink contained just less than 90 calories. Fat metabolism was measured before and after consumption of the drink. For several hours after drinking the vodka, whole body lipid oxidation (a measure of how much fat your body is burning) dropped by a massive 73%.” (http://www.hornetjuice.com/how-long-does-alcohol-affect-your-fat-burning-metabolism.html) Many students try to reduce the calories of the alcoholic beverage that they are drinking by drinking shots or a light beer. This however, does not solve the problem; alcohol still reduces the amount of fat a person’s body would burn normally. Heavy consumption of alcohol is detrimental to a student’s health, which is why they should drink in moderation.

Surprisingly, most college students know about the damages of alcohol, yet they still continue to drink. According to a study by two University of Indiana professors, “About 80% of all college students consume alcohol at least once a year with men consuming more than women. About 20% of students are heavy drinkers (Engs, Hanson).” This kind of statistic helps explain why college students are inactive and unhealthy. To help combat this alarming statistic, students should become more physically active in order to help boost their metabolisms.

There are several ways students can become physically active; a lot of them are already on campus and designed especially for students. A perfect example of this would be throwing around a football on the quad with friends or taking advantage of the University of Alabama being a walking campus. A walking campus is a campus where the best way to get around, is usually by walking or biking. Just this small step of having to walk or bike to all your classes everyday or playing sports on the quad can increase a student’s physical activity. The University also has running track markers around the quad and the recreational center; so that people can run around them and know the distance they are running. This gives people more initiative to actually get out and run or walk, even for a short amount of distance.

One major resource students can utilize is the recreational center. It has tons of aerobic machines such as: treadmills, bikes, rowing machines, elliptical trainers, and stair masters. They also have an eighth of a mile indoor running track in the gym. On the bottom floor they have a great selection of weight training equipment for students to use. There is also a rock climbing wall, basketball courts, an indoor soccer court, volleyball courts, racquetball rooms, and even a combat room if you want to practice martial arts, wrestling, or boxing. The rec is also a great way to meet people who want to stay active, which will help students encourage each other to remain physically active.

Another major resource available to students is the intramural sports office. They get together all students who are interested in playing a particular sport to play against each other. There are many different intramural sports students can participate in by forming teams of their choice, or join another team as a free agent. This is the most fun way that there is to stay active on campus. Flag football is the biggest intramural sport at The University of Alabama, hundreds of team’s face-off against one another and the teams with the best records advance to the playoffs. It is a very competitive sport that keeps students physically active on campus.

Students benefit tremendously from staying active on campus. It benefits them physically by burning calories and also mentally by relieving stress from schoolwork. Being active does not have to feel like a pain every day; it can be used in a positive way by channeling one’s energy. Students can make healthier decisions by drinking less alcohol and becoming more active on campus. The resources on campus are readily available to the student body and need to be taken advantage of, especially since students pay for it anyways through tuition. It is imperative that all students become more physically active now because it will greatly benefit their health in the future.

Works Cited
"Alcohol's effect on health of college students: Dr. Ruth Engs." Indiana University. Web. 15 Nov. 2009. .

"How Long Does Alcohol Affect Your Fat Burning Metabolism?" Hornet Juice Sports Drink Metabolizes Fat for Extra Energy and Endurance. Web. 15 Nov. 2009. .