Body-conscious students must reconcile healthy lifestyle with poor weekend choices
Gina Moffa
Issue date: 3/16/10 Section: Opinion
In general, Loyola students prioritize physical fitness as something of substantial importance. While not all of the student population falls into the chosen elite of Division I athletes, or can boast the coveted glories of washboard abs and a five-minute mile, it's indisputable that we are a relatively body-conscious population. This isn't necessarily a bad thing; it's just a fact of reality. Like the society we have been born and bred into, we are fixated on health and appearance, and it undoubtedly plays a significant role in our eating and exercise habits.
Let's take a look at some of the most populated areas on campus. Exhibit A: the dining halls. While most of the guys on campus have no problem scarfing down an extra helping of fries or filling up their ridiculously unnecessary jumbo-sized plastic cups with all the sugary carbonated beverages their hearts desire, a lot of the girls pay careful attention to exactly what, and how much, they are eating. The line at cyclone salad is practically down the block with calorie-counters calculating fat ratios and carbohydrate percentages. The few daring enough to stand in line at W.O.W. and order chicken fingers run straight to the back of Boulder where they continue to eat their food as fast as possible - hardly enjoying it - with the hopes that no one will see them.
While the girls may pay a lot of attention to what they are eating, the guys are more interested in the physical aspects of fitness. Exhibit B: the FAC. The weight room is constantly clogged with hoards of motivated guys who are convinced that they need to get "big" in order to successfully impress one another. The male population is a varied combination of uncertified personal trainers who are well-educated in how each machine works, what days of the week what muscles should be worked on, what protein shake works best, etc. Granted, we're not assembling an army of body builders here, but most of the guys have pretty good background knowledge in how to work out. The ladies, on the other hand, stick to the things they are comfortable with: the treadmills, ellipticals and ab-room. On any given day these areas are filled to capacity and nearly impossible to approach.
Let's take a look at some of the most populated areas on campus. Exhibit A: the dining halls. While most of the guys on campus have no problem scarfing down an extra helping of fries or filling up their ridiculously unnecessary jumbo-sized plastic cups with all the sugary carbonated beverages their hearts desire, a lot of the girls pay careful attention to exactly what, and how much, they are eating. The line at cyclone salad is practically down the block with calorie-counters calculating fat ratios and carbohydrate percentages. The few daring enough to stand in line at W.O.W. and order chicken fingers run straight to the back of Boulder where they continue to eat their food as fast as possible - hardly enjoying it - with the hopes that no one will see them.
While the girls may pay a lot of attention to what they are eating, the guys are more interested in the physical aspects of fitness. Exhibit B: the FAC. The weight room is constantly clogged with hoards of motivated guys who are convinced that they need to get "big" in order to successfully impress one another. The male population is a varied combination of uncertified personal trainers who are well-educated in how each machine works, what days of the week what muscles should be worked on, what protein shake works best, etc. Granted, we're not assembling an army of body builders here, but most of the guys have pretty good background knowledge in how to work out. The ladies, on the other hand, stick to the things they are comfortable with: the treadmills, ellipticals and ab-room. On any given day these areas are filled to capacity and nearly impossible to approach.
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Russian Wives
posted 3/20/10 @ 11:19 AM EST
Yes i agree with you , and nice news thanks. This realy nice news , i watch for them .
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