Written by: April Gammal

Question: I hate putting on my pants after they come out of the laundry. It reminds me of how much weight I’ve gained since I’ve been at school. I don’t feel like I have time to go to the gym and I don’t think my eating is that unhealthy. I’m thinking about taking these diet pills that I’ve heard about. Do you think this is a good idea?

I think that we can all sympathize with you because many of us feel bigger than we would like to be at one point or another.

But listen: drop the diet pills idea. These pills usually look promising in the beginning, but the weight is usually gained back fairly quickly, nevermind the fact that the pills are not healthy for you.

Losing weight is not an easy thing and it takes time and patience. Ever watch The Biggest Loser? The contestants aren’t too pretty when they get off those treadmills.

First of all, you do have time for the gym. Don’t tell me you’re in class from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. every night and then do your homework until you go to bed. Let’s be real: you have two to four classes every day. I’m not going to do the math for you, but there is time in the day for a thirty-minute cardio workout. I’m sure you’re IMing, Facebooking, Twittering, or e-mailing more than an hour a day, so cut out half of that time and get on the treadmill.

Also, please don’t tell me that you’re one of those people who take the Bentley loop to class. OK, if it is snowing, raining, or freezing, then yeah, you don’t want to look like you’ve taken your second shower of the day when you walk into class.

But if it’s a nice day then you better be walking up those stairs to class. It’s mandatory exercise… Do it. Also keep in mind the fitness classes now offered in the Slade Fitness Center. The class schedules can be found on Bentley’s website.
Below you will find a nice little equation that you may find helpful. It is a body mass index (BMI) calculator. This will let you know if you are at a healthy weight in relation to your height.

BMI = [(Weight in pounds)(703)]/[(Height in inches)2]

Another piece of advice is to join a club on campus that involves exercise, like CRAZE, the Martial Arts Club, the Step Team, or the Ballroom Dance Group which, as I mentioned in last week’s column, meets on Tuesdays from 9-10 p.m. in the Dance Studio. There are certainly many options, you just have to choose some.