Fitness: the ongoing battle between college students and well, themselves.
It’s not easy, you can ask anyone. In fact, that’s exactly what we did. We interviewed sophomores Abigail Krebs and Alex Horlak to talk about what is ultimately a student problem.
On top of that, we wanted to make sure we got a couple different, but positive, perspectives. On one hand, we have fitness connoisseur Horlak, a man whose body is a temple. For a lot of people, this is something to aspire to.
For those that are a little less committed but still want to give a damn about their health, Krebs may be a little more suitable. Whatever your fitness goal may be, we hope we’ve picked some people that can be of assistance.
Horlak, a Georgia native who played Division I football at Wofford College prior to transferring to NDSU, is committed to staying in top-notch shape. In fact, he has two separate Instagram accounts: one for personal use and the other for fitness. So how exactly does this second-year business administration student stay in shape?
“I work out every day, sometimes twice a day,” Horlak said.
I know, twice a day sounds a little absurd to most people, especially when students are busy with classes and have other priorities.
If you don’t strive for the fitness excellence Horlak has achieved but still want to make good choices, you may want to talk to Krebs. She is a second year nursing major from Andover, Minnesota, and her goal is just to stay fit as a college student.
“I exercise four times a week,” Krebs said. Four is a more attainable number than twice a day, while still maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
For those wanting to stay fit in college, Horlak argues the most important thing is motivation. As an accomplished procrastinator, I couldn’t agree more. Many people want to stay in shape or get fit but don’t want to put in any work.
“Not having physical activity in your day, every day is the simplest mistake,” Horlak proclaimed. His simple solution? Get up and do something.
If you’re struggling to get out there, Krebs emphasizes mixing your exercise plan while giving it a set time in your daily routine.
“If you put it in your schedule, you’re a lot less likely to skip,” Krebs said. Once you’re there, how you exercise may decide if you keep coming back.
“Activities and group exercises are important,” Krebs said. Doing things that don’t necessarily feel like working out can keep people interested, especially if you change it up. “Maybe one-day weight life, one day run, one day an activity.”
Contrary to popular belief, Horlak disagrees that the freshman 15 is as bad as people make it seem.
“The freshman 15 isn’t necessarily a bad thing — we grow older and our younger frail bodies are filling out as we become more mature,” Horlak said.
Furthermore, he believes that it’s where the weight is being added to your body that people should focus on. In essence, if you struggle with the dreaded freshman 15 make sure you’re staying active and frequently go to the gym.
Krebs claimed the freshman 15 is easily remedied by maintaining habits from high school.
“People tend to eat whatever they want with all you can eat. People also stop sports after high school,” Krebs said. If you’ve already been maintaining your weight, the important thing is not to let college food and lack of drive ruin that.
When it comes to wanting to be fit, a well-balanced diet is critical. A couple of years ago, I tried working out and had no problem with going to the gym every day but was lackadaisical when it came to dieting. Who wouldn’t wanna eat a bag of sour patch kids after a long day of lifting?
Horlak is very scrupulous when it comes to dieting. He keeps track of his food intake and doesn’t worry about calories.
“To keep a good diet, I track how much food I intake from all the food groups,” Horlak said. Because of his brutal workout schedule, Horlak opts out of keeping track of his calories and needs all of the calories he can get.
However, if cutting those calories is your deal, Krebs would urge you not to go overboard.
“Calories and carbs are huge energy sources, don’t try to cut them out of your diet,” Krebs said. All things in moderation and that goes for calories. If a diet says cut this food group out entirely that’s a red flag.
“It’s unrealistic,” Krebs said. “Make little changes. Things like fruit, almonds, unsalted popcorn are great to have around.”
Staying in shape in college can be very difficult for college students. Krebs and Horlak are quintessential examples of how students could still manage to stay fit while balancing a busy schedule. In order to get into shape or maintain fitness, both agree you should stay active, maintain a healthy diet,and frequently go to the gym.
Oh yeah, ladies, give my boy Horlak a quick Instagram follow on his fitness page @xander.rh.