By now, everyone has heard of the dreaded “freshman 15,” a reference to the tendency for people to gain somewhere around 15 pounds their freshman year of college. A combination of poor eating habits, lack of exercise and sleep depravation is usually what leads to the sudden increase in body weight.
Sleep depravation is one of the harder challenges to overcome. College students, particularly freshmen, tend to stay up much later than they should, leading to a lack of sleep on most nights.
Poor eating habits are difficult to move past strictly because of a lack of desire. Everyone loves the late-night Taco Bell or Waffle House trips and daily fried chicken based meals from Chick-Fil-A.
That leaves just lack of exercise as the last challenge to overcome in order to defeat the “freshman 15.” Arkadelphia Health Club, located at 3030 Pine Street, has the solution to this problem. Joey Burroughs is one of the personal trainers on staff at Arkadelphia Health Club who is more than willing to provide 1 on 1 advice and workout tips to any college student looking to get into shape.
“Our goal is to show students the importance of a healthy lifestyle at a time when they need it the most,” Burroughs said.
Obviously it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that working out can help prevent the inevitable weight gain that seems to plague many college students. Not having enough time and not being able to afford a gym membership are generally the most common reasons why students fail to live an active lifestyle.
Arkadelphia Health Club took these struggles into account and as a result they have introduced a special rate for Ouachita students that includes full gym membership, including various classes that are taught throughout the week and access to personal trainers for the entire year, all for only $69. According to Amanda Couch, another personal trainer at Arkadelphia Health Club, Zumba is the most popular class among college students. They also offer classes in yoga, chair yoga, motivation and muscle confusion, dancing to oldies, steps, abs, weights and boot camp.
“Our classes are a fun way for students to hang out together and also get in shape, rather than partying,” Couch said.
These classes are the easiest and most effective way to fight the “freshman 15” because they make the chore of exercising and working out into a dance or a game that makes it seem more like having fun.
“I did Zumba as part of my preparation for the Miss OBU pageant last year and I loved it. Even though I was technically working out at the gym, it felt like I was just dancing with a group of friends. It’s honestly the best way to get in shape in my opinion,” Ali Kinsey, junior business administration major from Hot Springs said.
Arkadelphia Health Club even uses these classes as a recruiting tool to get other students interested in a healthy lifestyle. Non-members can visit any class of their choosing for only $5 as a way to test the waters before they commit to a full membership.
So next time you complain to your roommate that your favorite pair of jeans don’t fit anymore, instead of grabbing another quesadilla from Taco Bell, stop by and talk to Joey Burroughs and Amanda Couch at Arkadelphia Health Club and you’ll be well on your way to living a healthy lifestyle and kicking the “freshman 15” to the curb.
By Zach Parker
