Coming to DePauw, one of my greatest fears was gaining the dreaded "freshman fifteen" and staying healthy in general. After a small amount of time here, I realized it was not extremely difficult to make small changes to stay healthy. But then Winter Term came around, and I became aware of how the "party scene" can negatively affect one's health.
Whether you are on or off campus, Winter Term offers a very different experience than most students have encountered. The majority of freshmen stay on campus and are given a month of less-strenuous academic work and a lot more free time. Unless you are careful, this free time can lead to poor diet, habits and health choices.
Although we have less work to do than during the school year, Winter Term holds many more distractions and reasons to stay out, changing around most student's sleep schedules. A lack of sleep can lower your immune system, increasing your likeliness to get the common cold or flu, according to WebMD. It can also attribute to an increase in stress, weight gain and lower academic and mental performance. What could students possibly be doing at night that seems more important than sleep? Many of you could be thinking of different activities, but in the party scene, one stands out.
It is no secret that alcohol is a large part of the social scenes of most college campuses, and DePauw is no different. With less academic responsibility and more relaxed schedules, the intake of alcohol increases during Winter Term. Consuming a large amount of alcohol more frequently can obviously have many effects on your health, but more specifically the calorie intake and amount of germs that float around on a night of drinking can be astounding.
There are 69 calories in a one ounce shot of Kamchatka Vodka and 144 calories in a can of Hamm's beer, two commonly imbibed beverages during a night out. Many people disregard the caloric intake through their beverages, but it is often a large factor attributing weight gain in college. Of course, eating right is important, but look to what you are drinking at night to be fully aware of having a healthy diet.
Another issue with college drinking comes in the form of how alcohol is consumed. Many times, an entire group will drink out of a single vodka bottle and a soda, allowing germs to be passed around very easily. Even if a shot glass is used, it most likely will be used multiple different times by different people. I have heard of at least two people officially diagnosed with mononucleosis, a viral infection that causes fever, sore throat and swollen lymph glands that is highly contagious. Keep that in mind next time you reach for a handle of alcohol.
The germs are flying around this campus, whether it is in your dorm room or at a fraternity party. The unhealthy factors are easily accessible, and you must be conscious what you are putting in your body. College is often the time to form unhealthy habits, but you can also form healthy ones. Just use that DePauw education and be smart.
- Cordes is a freshman from Indianapolis, Ind., with an undecided major.