One thing that needs to be established is that cheat days are okay! Dwayne Johnson for sure knows how to do cheat days but that may be a little bit different...
Healthy eating is all about moderation and in college our schedules are all over the place. It is easy to skip meals during the day. However, by packing food with you throughout the day will help not to overeat at night.
It is so important to treat ourselves. In fact, it can actually help us to have a balanced diet.
After all, we’re in college and Insomnia and Acropolis are open late at night for a reason. It is part of our college experience to indulge. As we know food has a way of bringing people together. It is all about being mindful and indulging here and there instead of making it a habit. It is super important that we don’t deprive ourselves of all of the amazing foods out there. The key is to keep a routine. I often try to choose healthier options during the week and on the weekends go out with my friends and go off of my normal weekly healthy routine.
The weekends are a great time to explore new restaurants and see what Syracuse has to offer.
Eating a balanced diet is ideal. The term “hangry” is very familiar to us all and in college it is essential to hopefully not be in that position. Sometimes the required class that we have to take falls right in the middle of breakfast or lunch time, or the only time you get together with your group for a project falls during a prime meal time, or you slept past your alarm and don’t have time to grab breakfast. This is so realistic and happens many times. What I have found super helpful is meal prep.
If you decided to head out to eat, before going out, ask to see where you’re going. A good idea would be to look up the menu online beforehand to see what item suits you and can then think about if you want to have that mindful indulgence when you’re out. As said before, self-indulgence is a must and healthy eating absolutely does not mean denying yourself.
If you want greasy food one night, (including that Acropolis pizza) go out and eat some greasy food. The most important part about all of this is that you track what goes into your body! A lot of enjoying and spending time with friends in college stems from going out to eat together. It is okay to take part in the eating as long as it is in moderation. From my years at college this definitely took time to get used to but being mindful has made all the difference.
It may seems impossible to maintain a healthy lifestyle in college but it is 100% doable. It takes discipline and being committed. If you fall off the wagon one day it is okay! The whole point is that you become aware of it and just get right back on track the next day.
It never hurts to treat yourself :)
Comment your favorite Syracuse spots to indulge in!
Cheat days are the best and I'm so glad you decided to write about it! I think often times, it can be especially difficult to not feel guilty while indulging in your favorite dessert. For me, I try to remind myself that if I stay healthy most of the time, it is okay to have a cheat day from time to time. I agree with you that it is okay to indulge but in moderation. My favorite spot to go after a late night is the classic Calios! My freshman year, I would go there at least once a week. Now I try to have Calios in moderation. Thank you for sharing!
I am so happy that you've selected the topic of cheat days to be the main focus of your blog post. I find that this concept is often overlooked in the health and fitness world, creating the stigma that cheat days are negative and frowned-upon. The majority of the fitness influencers I follow across social media platforms never discuss the benefits of treating yourself to an "unhealthy" meal every so often. However, as you mentioned in this blog post, cheat days are extremely important! It's not fair to completely deprive yourself of foods you enjoy just because they are not up to society's standards of "healthy." Moderation is key!
I love your comment about food bringing people together. This afternoon,…
I love this blog post! I always find it so good to indulge from time to time as it does not mean you are unhealthy. My personal favorite Syracuse spot to indulge in is Chipotle. I’ll usually grab Chipotle after a tailgate or if I’m in a rush. I do recognize though that when I eat Chipotle, I always make sure that my next couple of meals are healthy and that I take time to workout during the week. Just as you said, it is important to eat healthy and to maintain a healthy lifestyle, especially in college, but to indulge in moderation. I’ve never actually thought about meal prepping but I think that it is a great way to…