In a few short days, many Ohio University students will be headed south to Hilton Head, bathing suits in tow. And even for those who are not, warm weather is here and summer is around the corner — meaning many will be re-evaluating the damage done to their physiques throughout the year.
“Most college students probably want to focus on having fun now and focus on nutrition later,” said Micailah Brock, fitness graduate assistant at Ping Center.
“They would go out and spend $100 a night or so on alcohol or unhealthy foods, but they would not look at nutrition.”
An increase in alcohol and “drunk” food is a common factor in college students’ weight gain, and was part of the reason Erika Roitblat, a senior studying political science, gained more than the typical freshman 15.
Searching for a way to lose weight and get back in shape, Roitblat started Weight Watchers in April of her junior year, losing 22 pounds in about three months.
“Looking at pictures from now compared to freshman year — it’s huge,” she said. “I feel like a different person when I look at those pictures.”
She said Weight Watchers taught her how to be disciplined and eat properly, and she never felt hungry or as if she were depriving herself.
Now on a low-carb, high-protein diet, Roitblat tries to avoid anything oily, creamy or high in fat. In anticipation of her weekend in Hilton Head, she hits the gym at least five days a week in between work and an internship with Ohio’s Court Appointed Special Advocates-guardian ad litem program and plans to keep it up for the summer.
“I did curb my drinking a lot last year,” she said. “It’s my senior year, so I am drinking, but it is hard to balance all of that.”
Though Brock was critical of most students’ weekend decisions, she did say she understands that college’s unstructured schedule makes it difficult to stay on track of a fitness or health routine.
“There are so many inconsistencies within the schedule it makes it hard to find time,” she said. “If you have a 40-hour-a-week job, you have a schedule, and the problem is that college students don’t have a set schedule.”
In fact, Roitblat admitted her schedule sometimes gets disrupted.
“This winter, I went lax on my diet, and this past month and a half, I’m getting back on a routine,” she said.
Others, though, find college a fitting time to focus on health.
“I think college students have a lot more opportunities to be healthy because we get these big breaks to work out in and we’ve got this great campus to walk around,” said Caroline Bobst, a freshman studying pre-optometry.
Bobst is used to 5 a.m. workouts for crew, where she is considered a “heavyweight” rower, compared with a lightweight rower who has to stay under 135 pounds.
She said she is enjoying her short break from two-hour practices and focusing on finishing up the school year. Though she doesn’t worry about her weight, she considers herself healthy.
“I feel pretty physically healthy,” she said. “Even though I’m not perfectly skinny, I feel strong and I don’t feel sloppy or anything; I don’t feel weak.”
Bobst said she had to learn to love herself at an early age and is comfortable with her size, adding that many guys echo that sentiment.
“Not to be boastful or anything, there are a lot of guys who like me anyways,” she said. “And they say that they like my curves, so I really don’t worry about (my weight) that much.”
Many college students, however, are not as comfortable in their own skin, and some negative thoughts can lead students to make even more unhealthful choices.
Students in college often experience a vulnerability that can greatly affect their self-esteem, said Rebecca Conrad Davenport, a psychologist at Campus Care.
“Sizeism is one of the prejudices that we don’t talk about a lot in our culture,” she said. “It really keeps people from accessing their potential.”
Conrad Davenport said she often uses a model to help her clients build self-esteem. She works to help her patients separate actions, accomplishments or failures from their overall value and self-worth. In this way, even when one feels that he or she is not doing something well enough, it doesn’t change his or her self-value.
Still, it’s a long process, Conrad Davenport said, and Roitblat agreed.
Roitblat said that changing her lifestyle to a more healthful one greatly helped the way she feels, both physically and mentally.
“I don’t think that, that self-esteem issue ever goes away,” Roitblat said. “I don’t think I’ll ever feel perfect, but I think that’s OK … as long as you’re doing something and you’re proactively being healthy.”
As for being stricter with diet and exercise programs before a big vacation or swimsuit season, Conrad Davenport said it’s about making sure you’re doing it for the right reasons.
“The idea is not focusing on weight loss or an ideal weight,” she said, “but focusing on nutrition, focusing on moving my body and moving my body for the sake of pleasure and enjoyment as opposed to burn calories to be a certain weight.”
gm220908@ohiou.edu
