Allison Foley

Final Project

As it might have been easy to figure out through my previous posts, living and eating healthy in college is not so easy.

Recently, Rowan has been trying to broaden their dining options and building up more restaurants on Rowan Blvd.

For my final project I decided to go out and get students opinions on what it is like to eat healthy at Rowan.

What I concluded from these interviews is that considering the little options the university used to have, compared to what is available now has made eating healthy a little bit easier for students.

Rowan re-invented their dining hall by adding “Tapingo” which not only saves students on time, it gives healthier options and even allows students to see the amount of calories in the meal they are about to order.

Freshens is apart of the new dining all giving students smoothie, salad and wrap options. Their meals are all made with 100% clean ingredients. According to a Freshens employee, Rowan’s Freshens is #2 in the nation, just behind Virginia Tech.

Playa Bowls has recently made an appearance on campus as well, which might have been the best thing to happen to a healthy students life.

Besides having healthy meals to offer, Playa also sells, cleansing juices and health shots to keep you feeling your best.

In an Interview with Playa Bowls manger Madison Moores, she says “Rowan needs more than just Playa Bowls and Freshens for healthy options.”

I was lucky enough to get two seniors throughout my interviews who have seen rowans dining selection evolve into what it is today and compare it with how it used to be.

22 year-old Brianna Lecaros says, “Rowan is definitely building up to give students more options.”

Checkout this video to find out more of what students think about eating healthy at Rowan.

 

Allison Foley

How Alcohol Puts A Strain On Your Fitness Goals

Binge drinking and college students is something that we often hear paired together. Between Greek Life, Bars or even casual hangouts with your friends, alcohol is almost always involved. Increasing your alcohol consumption in college can easily lead to what we know as the “freshman 15.” The freedom you get when coming to college may seem exciting at first, getting carried away with all the late nights and parties can take a toll on your physical appearance.

Alcohol is filled with nothing but empty calories, carbs and sugars. Here is a simple break down of what the nutrition facts look like for different types of alcohol…

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Photo Credit: Creative Commons

Drinking these extra calories late at night will do nothing but sit in your stomach as you fall asleep. Since you will not be active and burning them off, the stored calories, carbs and sugars will turn to fat.

When you are drinking hard liquor you need something to chase it down with. Soda, Lemonade and Fruit Punch are all go to’s for trying to mask that awful taste of whatever vodka you are drinking that night. Your chaser can easily add-on extra calories to your night of drinking, but it does not have to be that way. There are plenty of zero calorie, sugar-free chaser’s that taste just as good without adding more calories. My favorite is the Sparkling Ice Waters.

Besides drinking all these calories, these late night get together usually end with a fast food run. It is so easy to access to multiple fast food places, especially on Rowan’s campus. Dominos, Pizza Hut, Cookie Munchers and so many more places are located within walking distance from the campuses dorms. Because alcohol stimulates your appetite, you crave greasy, unhealthy foods. While you are under the influence you also have an impaired inhibitory control, which leads you to eat a greater amount of food than you do while sober.

A popular drunk food at Rowan is Domino’s stuffed cheesy bread. One piece of this bread has 120 calories. If you eat all 8 pieces, which apparently is common around here, that is 960 calories. Between all the food you consumed throughout the day, the calories from alcohol, your chaser and late night take-out, you are bound to exceed 3,500 calories which is equal to one pound of fat.

So you still want to be able to go out and have fun, but don’t want all these unneccessary calories racking up throughout the night right? Here are some tips you can use that won’t let all your time eating healthy and going to the gym become a waste.

First, find an alcohol that has the least carbs and sugars you can find. A good one I will recommend is Kettle One Botanical. This vodka has zero carbs, sugars and is low in calories! You can chase this with one of the sparkling ice waters that I mentioned earlier and you will have a more health conscious drink combo. Next, Eat a healthy meal before you go out so you are less tempted to eat after you have been drinking. Lastly, skip the late night fast food run. If you just go to sleep you will feel a lot better about yourself than if you were to wake up next to a pile of leftovers.

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Photo Credit: Creative Commons

Allison Foley

Moving Away From Home Can Be Tough, But Staying Fit Doesn’t Have To Be

Going away to college is a big change to experience. For most of us, It is our first time living on our own and having to make choices for ourselves. We don’t have our parents making us healthy home cooked meals or a set routine like we are used to from high school. Some may see this as “freedom” where they can finally eat and do whatever they want, but those unhealthy choices will definitely catch up to you and you may be left experiencing the freshman 15.

First let’s talk about the dining hall. With so many options from pizza to french fries to pasta, why would you even think to get anything else? These choices can be tempting, especially if all of your friends are getting them too, but your diet is one of the most important factors in staying fit in college. Here are some tips you should follow for eating healthy in the dining hall.

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Photo credits: Ally Foley

Something that a lot of students also face is no longer participating in extra curricular activities such as sports, that have kept them in shape all of high school. It is important to make sure you are keeping active in order to stay fit. Here at Rowan, there are two fitness centers available to students for free with your student ID. Since it is free you have no excuses not to make use of it! Another great part about the gyms on campus is their long hours. Monday-Thursday the gym is open from 7am to 11pm, with slightly shorter hours on weekends. This makes it easy to fit a nice workout session into anyones schedule. Check here to see often you should work out each week to stay in shape.

So we know that working out and eating healthy is key to looking good, but the benefits are endless. Feeling stressed and overwhelmed with change or school work is common in a college students life. Believe it or not, but working out is one of the best ways to relieve stress and boost your happy chemicals known as endorphins. Trust me on this one, increase the amount you workout and you will overall be a happier person.

The last thing I will share to help avoid the dreaded “freshman 15” is to be more conscious of what you are doing in your daily routine. Walk to class instead of drive. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Drink water instead of calorie filled drinks. Get at least 6 to 8 hours of sleep. Lastly, listen to your body. It is okay to enjoy a burger or some ice cream here and there. It is even recommended by many nutritionists to allow your body a cheat meal. You don’t have to look at these changes as a diet, but as a healthy lifestyle that will overall make you feel and look your best.