Stay in Shape With These Boarding School Tips

When students are focused on studying and don’t have anyone providing them healthier home-cooked meals, it’s not uncommon for them to start gaining weight and practicing a sedentary lifestyle. However, it’s not as difficult as they may think to stay on course for better health. Whether they attend college, go to boarding school, or are just far from home, students can use these guidelines to keep fitness in their sights.

Check Out the Food Situation

Boarding schools have a cafeteria or dining hall where students have their meals. They usually are a buffet format, which in itself can be problematic. Here are some factors to consider when planning healthy meal choices.

• Know your nutrition: You don’t have to be a scientist, but you should learn which options are healthiest and which meats and oils to avoid. Also, having a realistic idea about suitable serving sizes is key.
• Assess the offerings: There are bound to be some unhealthy choices on the buffet line, but there should be a good number of healthful options as well. Take a look at what’s available and assemble your meal from that. For example, instead of putting syrup on your pancake, try applesauce. Or choose a salad for your meal instead of pasta.
• Consider calories in and calories out: It’s crucial to think about your activity level when choosing your meals. If you know you will be studying all day and won’t be moving much, don’t load up with a heavy meal. It will make you full and sleepy. However, if you plan to hike the local butte with some friends all afternoon, you’ll want some energy.

Stay Active

It can be easy to fall into a rut of lots of sleeping, lots of late-night studying, and not a lot of time left for moving your body. Fortunately, boarding schools often have many options for extracurricular activities that can get you on your feet. Think about these resources:

• Use the gym: Most campuses have a fitness center that’s open to students, and some are even open 24 hours.
• Join a team: If sports are your calling, consider trying out for a team that will keep you active. Even if it’s a sport that’s not your favorite, at least it will require some physical effort.
• Use the campus and city: Most boarding school students don’t have cars, so they likely have to walk most places they want to go. This can work to your advantage, forcing you into activity that burns calories. Are there any interesting sights to see in the city? Go exploring with friends and get a workout in at the same time.

Avoid Pitfalls

There are plenty of bad habits just waiting to ruin your fitness level when you are away from home. Here’s how to avoid them at all costs:

• Avoid junk food: High-calorie foods shoved by the handful into your mouth at midnight cannot be helping your health. Not only are junk foods full of fat and sodium, they also make you feel tired and unmotivated to study or work out.
• Don’t eat late: No matter what you are doing at 9 p.m., fight the urge to start eating. Choose a food deadline, say, 8 p.m., and don’t eat anything after that. Late-night snacks will not have a chance to be digested and will sit in your stomach all night.
• Avoid alcohol and sodas: Boarding school and college students should also avoid drinking their calories, whether it is from alcohol or sugary sodas.

If all else fails, find a schoolmate who also is struggling with an unhealthy lifestyle and work together to change it. He or she can remind you of better food choices or join you as a united front against people offering tempting and calorie-rich treats at midnight.