Every college student has that moment where they look in the mirror after eating at their all-you-can-eat-buffet-style cafeteria for several months, after quitting whatever sport they played in high school upon arriving at their institution of education, and thinking "Well, these clothes aren't that tight." Then, they have that moment when they get home at Christmas and step on a scale for the first time in several months and realize that the "Freshman 15" is unfortunately a very real thing.
During my freshman year of college, I not only avoided the "Freshman 15", but actually overcame it. I lost 20 pounds in my freshman year of college by running. So I have decided to share some of the many reasons I love running.
1. You can lose weight.
Admittedly, it takes more than just running to lose weight, eating healthy and creating other healthy habits helps with losing weight immensely, but running is a form of cardio which means that it burns a lot of calories very quickly, and this is a little bit of an oversimplification, but to lose weight, essentially you have to burn more calories than you consume when you eat.
2. You drink more water.
One of the very first things most schools teach in Biology is that 70 percent of the human body is made of water. This also means that admittedly most of us don't drink as much water as we are supposed to. When you work out you get sweaty and lose a lot of water weight, which makes you thirsty, thus making you drink more water. If you start your day off with activity, then it makes it easier to continue those habits throughout the rest of your day; in other words, if you run in the morning, you are more likely to take in more water throughout the day and actually be drinking the amount of water you should, which going back to point #1, also helps you lose weight.
3. Running strengthens your entire body.
Running strengthens every part of your body. People assume that running uses a lot of leg strength (or at least, I did, until I actually started running), but in actuality, to run, and especially to run fast, you have to use ever part of your body. While running, your core keeps you stable, and prevents you from falling -- and pumping yours arms actually helps your legs move with greater strength and speed.
4. You realize that your body can do unbelievable things.
Finishing a workout, hitting a new distance or time, or finally dominating a hill (something that is particularly common in my home state of Colorado, as well as in Dubuque, where my college is located), is one of the best feelings of all time. By pushing yourself to reach a new goal, you can come to find that there is incredible strength and agility within you.
5. You sleep better.
College students tend to seriously lack sleep, and especially good sleep. I am a huge night owl, so it is already hard for me to sleep and common for me to pull all-nighters and even to not sleep all the way through the night, but running helps your to sleep, and it generally makes the sleep that you get more restful, which gives you more energy throughout the day.
6. You have more energy.
Even if you are an insomniac, and the sleep part doesn't relate to you, running gives you more energy. If your body is getting stronger, and, especially at first, lighter, then logically it makes your body easier to move, and if your body is easier to move it isn't as tiring to move it, or to do anything else with it, which means that you have more energy which you can put toward other important things, like classes...or tailgating...you decide.
7. It becomes easier, and more enjoyable to do other physical activities.
Personally, I enjoy rock climbing, hiking, and swing-dancing. A lot of people enjoy pick-up games of soccer or Zumba. No matter what it is, if it is something that makes you break a sweat, running (which makes you more active and fit in general) will make it easier and thereby more enjoyable.
8. You kind of hate yourself a little bit.
There are moments where you kind of hate yourself and think, "Why in the world would I do this to myself?" and it's kind of humbling, which everyone can use -- I actually consider that to be a good thing. This mindset also helps you to overcome failure, which is also a tool everyone can use. Plus, you get over that feeling, and remember how awesome you are and all the cool things you can do, now that you are healthier, and you stop hating yourself and you get to LIVE!
9. There are a lot of cool runs you can partake in once you have speed and/or endurance.
Color Runs and Tough Mudders, and other various, obstacle course, music-themed, cool races have become exceedingly popular in the past few years. Color runs are a blast, and there are marathons that have live bands at every mile-marker, so there are countless fun ways to take your running to a fun next level.
Furthermore, many running competitions use money that the runners raise to donate to charities and non-profit organizations.
10. Even though sometimes it sucks, running is really fun and it helps you stay healthy.
Stay healthy and happy, my friends. Run, run, as fast as you can.
