Embrace a Healthy Lifestyle: Sustainable Eating and Weight Loss

Scrolling through social media, it's common to see influencers promoting rapid weight loss challenges like "75 Hard" and the "Winter Arc."

 

These trends often advocate for intense daily workouts and strict caloric deficits, promising a perfect body by summer.

 

However, such extreme approaches can harm both physical and mental health and are typically unsustainable.

 

Instead, embarking on a fitness journey that prioritizes overall health allows for the development of a sustainable lifestyle without the risks associated with unrealistic transformation timelines.

 

Adrienne MacKenzie, associate director of fitness and wellness at recreational sports, notes, "People are looking for a quick fix or something that feels like it’s going to be easy. It’s all about, ‘I want to make a change. I want to do it quickly.’ It creates an urgency with it."

 

This urgency drives individuals toward these fleeting trends.

 

Reflecting on my own health journey, I realized how social media encourages comparisons to unrealistic ideals, creating immense pressure to achieve perfection and leading many young adults to chase quick, drastic results.

 

Health experts recommend losing one to two pounds per week for safe weight loss.

 

Rapid weight loss can deprive the body of essential nutrients, increasing the risk of muscle and bone density loss, and often results in regaining the weight if old habits resume.

 

The mental toll is equally significant, especially for college students balancing classes, work, and social lives.

 

The added pressure of achieving a drastic "glow-up" can heighten burnout and anxiety.

 

Human biology senior Himani Patel shares, "I want to watch a good TV show while eating food I actually enjoy or go on a run when I’m feeling good about it, not (when) I have to check something off my checklist."

 

Maintaining physical health is important, but it shouldn't come at the expense of other life aspects.

 

Rather than adopting unsustainable routines, implementing small, consistent habits over time can build a lifestyle that fits seamlessly into daily life.

 

MacKenzie emphasizes, "Behavior change science is real. Small, repeatable actions are sustainable over time, and you’re more likely to stick to them. The other piece of it is identity and lifestyle integration. If you do things over time, it starts to become who you are."

 

In March, I began taking my health more seriously.

 

Initially, I went to the gym once or twice a week and monitored my eating habits and daily activity.

 

Gradually, I incorporated workouts into my schedule and now consistently exercise three to four times per week, walk around 12,000 steps daily, and primarily consume clean, whole foods.

 

By shifting my lifestyle rather than seeking a quick fix, I've achieved sustainable health improvements.

 

Real change doesn't happen in 75 days.

 

It occurs when you decide to alter your lifestyle to one that’s healthy and sustainable.

 

Reject get-fit-quick schemes and sustain the healthy version of yourself that you’ve worked so hard to become.