By ANNE LIU ’17
Sports & Wellness Editor
Although temperatures are heating up, there are still a few more weeks of winter. That being said, there are a few not-so-healthy habits that many of us have picked up over the last few months of hibernation. Here are three of those horrible habits, plus some ways to combat them in the future:
Snacking (snacking, snacking and more snacking)
Let’s be honest: snacking occurs year-round. But between midterm stress and the simple enjoyment of eating yummy food while looking out the window across the cold abyss, winter snacking is the absolute worst.
But who says you shouldn’t snack at all? The key is to look for alternatives to the most unhealthy foods. Swap your extra-buttered popcorn for lightly-buttered, or your crunchy potato chips for healthy apple crisps. Below are some additional alternatives you can fall back on when the snack itch starts to claw at you:
-dried fruit (make sure it’s unsweetened)
-fruit
-gum
-dark chocolate
-nuts
-granola
In addition to snacking, sipping on your sweetened iced tea or Coke while watching your favorite television can be a hard habit to break. But try swapping these sugary drinks with some unsweetened iced tea or simply lemon slices in water.
Hibernating indoors
It’s cold, dark, windy, wet—we all know why no one likes to go outside at this time of year. For some, trekking from the east side of campus to the Keohane Sports Center is just asking too much.
You can stay indoors, and even in your own dorm, but try to spend less time sitting at your desk or curled up under your blankets enjoying your favorite television series.
Check out our workout of the week, which features pilates, corepower yoga and other exercises designed to be fast, easy and super healthy!
Going to bed and getting up late
Nothing messes up your metabolism like both going to bed and waking up late. It’s hard not to do, though, especially when it’s so cold outside and you’d much rather snuggle with your pillows in bed.
Perhaps realizing that getting up at 12 p.m. means a loss of four to five hours of sunlight will help you change your ways, especially since you could be enjoying (slightly) warmer weather during this time! Don’t forget the old adage: The early bird catches the worm.