Let’s face it: whether you’re on campus or off, staying healthy can be rather tricky. College is a time of high stress, high calories, and lots of tempting treats all around that can affect your waistline. Living off campus, however, means you have to shop for your food, make your own decisions, pay your own bills, and basically be an adult. It can seem overwhelming and almost impossible at first, which may make you want to eat a box of mac and cheese every night and call it dinner, but I promise that’s not the answer. You can survive living on your own all while still being healthy without your mom’s help! Here are a few tips and tricks to help you learn how.
1) Stock your pantry and fridge with the right kinds of food
Now that you’re doing your own grocery shopping, it can be tempting to walk into a store and throw anything you desire into your cart. Try not to do this! Instead, fill the cart with wholesome foods that will keep you fit, full, and healthy. I spend most of my time grabbing fruits and veggies at the grocery store— I also love to get rotisserie chickens and several packages of brown rice so I can make a variety of delicious, nutritious meals! It’s okay to throw in those Cosmic Brownies once in a while, but try to buy things that will not only keep you healthy, but also full! That’s key here, since you will be on your own with no dining hall to satisfy those late night cravings.
2) Get a gym membership
Although the Rec Center is still open to all UMass students, living farther off campus can make it difficult to find the motivation to get there. If you have a car you can drive there, but then you have to worry about finding a parking spot (and paying for said parking spot). I highly recommend getting an off-campus gym membership to make this easier! Planet Fitness right down the road in Hadley offers memberships for only $10 a month and they are equipped with just as much cardio and strength machines as the Rec Center. Although you won’t be able to get in your weekly Zumba anymore, it is still a quick and convenient way to get in a good workout and stay fit.
3) Walk to class instead of taking the bus
Depending on how far you are from campus, walking to class may seem (or be, in some cases) impossible—but if you’re close enough, try! It’s an easy way to get in some light exercise, and it can be a nice little throwback to that trek from Southwest to campus during freshman year. If your class or house is extremely far from campus, even walking a little ways to the bus stop can make a difference!
4) Buy some cookbooks
Even though you can now access a variety of recipes on your phone, cookbooks will never go out of style to me. It’s really easy to buy a ton of different ones at Barnes and Noble or online, all with a variety of different meal ideas. It’s easy to feel like you don’t know how to cook when you’re on your own and live off of ramen, but it is definitely not necessary. Cookbooks will be your savior when you’re feeling out of inspiration, and you can make sure to buy ones that are based on a college student’s budget and time!
5) Invest in some at-home workout equipment
A yoga mat, some hand-weights, a workout ball, etc.— all of these will make it super easy to stay fit while still being at home. Now that you have your own place and some extra space, it will be easy to use this to your advantage. Using mats, weights, and the ball are all great ways to get in various types of workouts ranging from abs, legs, arms, and more. I also highly recommend checking out the Facebook pages of some of the UMass Rec Center’s teachers; many of them post links to their YouTube channels, where you can follow along with the workouts they teach. My favorites to do are the 30-Minute Ab workouts taught by a recently graduated Rec Center teacher Maya. Just look up Group Fitness with Maya on Facebook and you can find all of her videos for inspiration!
Living off campus doesn’t have to be detrimental to your health. Follow these tips and you’ll feel just as good as you did while eating the nation’s best dining food, walking all the way to campus from your dorm, and being forced into Zumba classes with friends. It may be a different way of living at UMass, but it is also a new, exciting, and fun one!