College is a time for change. It is a time to find out who you are and decide who you want to be for the rest of your life. It is also a time to decide how you want to live your life.

Hustling all the way across campus to make it to biology lab does not count as work out. You no longer have your high school coaches forcing you to run up and down the court. College does not require much movement; aside from walking to class we spend most of our time sitting. Sitting in class. Sitting to study. Sitting to do homework. Sitting to watch Netflix and play video games. The best chance of staying fit in college is to eat healthy and keep moving.

There are many opportunities to work out. The Wellness Center offers endless work out options; there is no possible way to incorporate them all into your schedule. Spinning, zumba and yoga are not free but the physical benefits may be worth the $50 a semester. Whether you want to tighten up or stretch out, fitness classes may be the fit for you. Signing up for a class makes you more likely to attend and more motivated to work out.

Join an intramural team. It does not matter if you are good at sports; my flag football team was 0-6 last season. It’s a fantastic way to meet people and burn some calories. There will be the high school “try hards” to beat you down once each season, but for the most part everyone just wants to have fun.

The rule of thumb is everyone should get 30 minutes of cardio, minimum. No two people are exactly the same and therefore no two people need the exact amount of cardio a day. Everyone should try to sweat some each day but how much is up to you. You need to decide for yourself how much gym time you need. 

Cardio does not have to mean running. You can try using the elliptical or a bike. It is less stressful than running but will give you the desired after effect. The Wellness Center also offers open swim. Swimming a quick way to burn calories and take the stress off your joints.

 Make sure to hit the weights. Muscle burns fat and one of the best ways to build muscle is to lift some weights. 

There’s an app for everything. Map My Fitness and Goal Streaks are two apps that could help motivate you to work out. MMF tracks how far you are going: walking, running, push ups, or biking. It notifies you every mile and lets you know your pace. MMF keeps track of where you go and how fast. It also lets you know how many calories you’ve burned throughout your workout.

Make the change to ensure that you live a healthy lifestyle. College fitness does not need to be difficult if you