Freshman are notorious for gaining the ‘Freshman 15’ but there are resources here to help avoid that. On campus there is the Bruce and Graciela Redwine Student Wellness Center, commonly referred to as the wellness center. At times, the gym is filled with the hustle and bustle of students, faculty, and staff. Running, lifting, and training, students move about the 51,000 square foot facility, practicing maintaining a healthy lifestyle.The gym costs all students $130 per semester in their fees and tuition. It is equipped with more than 75 pieces of free weights and 50 different pieces of cardiovascular equipment, each having a television. There is also an outdoor aquatics area, indoor track, fitness rooms and a gymnasium.

Angie Reay, director of recreational sports, wellness center and summer camps coordinator, is behind all the recreational and intramural sports as well as running the wellness center.

“One of the big things is to just get involved, to have that social interaction and meet new people,” Reay said. “There are also many health benefits to coming and staying active. Since many students have a lack of sleep, incorporating a healthy life style, healthy eating and being active will really help overall health going through college. It’s great to have an opportunity to relieve some of that stress by coming in and taking care of your body.”

Imani Morlock, kinesiology junior, works at the wellness center and knows the benefits and importance it provides.

“Using the wellness center is a great way to stay healthy in a physical and social aspect,” Morlock said. “The equipment is very clean, and there is equipment for every muscle group. I’ve personally met great people at the wellness center and made multiple friends there. The employees at the wellness center are also amazing if you need someone to talk to.”

Kayla Parnell, nursing freshman, credits the wellness center for helping her maintain a healthy lifestyle.

“My friends and I play volleyball all the time at the wellness and I also play pretty much every other intramural sport too,” Parnell said. “I also make sure to drink a lot of water and workout.”

With between 800-850 people using the wellness center a week day, Reay said she understands it is easy for freshman to get overwhelmed and intimated by the gym. People may be worried to come by themselves or don’t know how to use the equipment properly, but she wanted to shed light on the services they offer. Students can set up times with staff and they will show you around the gym and can provide basic workout programs to begin.

“Other things to stay active can also be using the Sikes Lake trail, just going out on a walk, walking to classes and not getting in your car to drive to classes,” Reay said. “Dining options are also important, making sure to not pick Chick-fil-A all the time and just making conscious choices for what you’re eating. As well as getting on a routine which helps with sleep patterns, stress levels, overall health.”

Morlock said both exercise and nutrition are important to stay healthy. However, it can sometimes be hard to find the balance with all the school work.

“I stayed healthy by trying my best not to eat at the chain restaurant on campus including Chick-fil-A, Einstein’s and Starbucks,” Morlock said. “Cooking is one of the best ways to keep a healthy lifestyle. Other ways I stay healthy on campus is by playing soccer almost every day. I also try and get a healthy amount of sleep on a daily basis which can be hard because, as students, we have a lot to juggle.”

Ariana Alonso, exercise physiology sophomore, noted the importance of exercise and healthy eating.

“I stay healthy on campus by going to the wellness center almost every day for about two hours,” Alonso said. “When I want to eat healthy, I go to Burrito Bowl in the Clark Student Center and when it’s closed, I like to go to Mavericks’ Corner. At Burrito Bowl, I order a rice bowl with lots of protein, carbs and colorful veggies. Also, I like to get healthy smoothies from there every now and then. At mavericks’ corner I order yummy salads or wraps.”

Campus administrators have tried to make having a healthy lifestyle easy for students by providing a website that allows students to take charge of their dining experience. The website includes all the hours of operation for the dinning locations as well as their menu. While most dining options have the same ideas all the time, the Mesquite Dining Hall changes every day and every meal. The website also shows how many calories each item was. The website has a wellness and sustainability tab which leads to other resources. This includes My Fitness Pal, Nutrition Tools and Food Allergy Management. These are all resources that help make it easier to stay healthy and manage your food consumption.

Maryn Heil, sociology freshman, is trying to avoid the Freshman 15 this year by choosing from the healthy dining options. On campus there are seven dining options. Mesquite Dining Hall is the main dining hall but there is also Grill Nation, Chick-fil-A, Burrito Bowl, Maverick’s Corner, Einstein’s Bros Bagels, Starbucks and the Market at Legacy.

“I stayed healthy by limiting how many times that I eat out in town and picking the best options for food when I eat on campus,” Heil said. “Burrito Bowl has some healthy options. I get a lot of vegetables and no cheese when I’m trying to eat well. Chick-fil-A also has the grilled chicken sandwich which is a good choice too.”

MORE THOUGHTS FROM STUDENTS

Tatum Hines, undecided sophomore | “I’m lazy, and I usually just get swamped with all my schoolwork so I kind of just use that as an excuse not to go.” |

Coletta Holland, dental hygiene sophomore | “I don’t use the wellness center too much because there are very many females usually in there. It’s always guys and I don’t feel comfortable most of the time. I feel judged thinking that I may not be using a certain piece of equipment right.”

Averie Zurkowski, business sophomore | “I am way too lazy to get out of my apartment and walk over there to work out.”