For some students, juggling school and staying fit can be very difficulty to manage.
Cerritos College wrestler Java Maglasang talked about how easy it is to not exercise, “Laziness does get in the way because sometimes I don’t feel like doing anything because I’m either to tired from school or work, so I tend to chillout at home.”
Cerritos College offers many classes ranging from personal fitness classes, weight training classes, pilates, yoga and sports related classes.
Ni Bueno, health education department chair, explained how students can start implementing workout plans, “I think what needs to happen first is for a student to sit down and write out (his) schedule.
“Then, (he) know(s) exactly how (he is) spending (his) time and then (he) would know where (he) could fit in time for an activity.”
Kinesology major Kimberly Schotborgh talked about the difficulties with balancing school and working out.
“It’s kind of hard, but if I know that I need to make time to workout either by waking up earlier or (making) room in my schedule to just put my priorities straight and really set up an actual time to workout.”
Bueno talked about what students should do when they eat, “To me, there is no good or bad (food) because sometimes you have to have certain (food) and it’s okay as long as you have a small quantity. It’s all about portion control.”
Another service offered here at Cerritos College is the Pound for Pound program. This program offers free exercise classes, personal diet counseling and a nutritionist.
Bueno gave some tips for those who are barely starting to get fit, “My suggestion to students is to start off slowly. What I find is people try to jump into fitness really quickly. Some say, ‘I’m going to exercise six days a week for an hour a day,’ and that is just putting a lot of pressure on yourself.
“It’s almost like setting yourself up to fail. I always suggest to students to start with one day a week with 15 minutes a day of exercising, after, they have done that after two to four weeks, then they could add another day of 15 minutes a day.”
Bueno said starting with baby steps is always the best way to approach fitness. She also said that students can just partner up with someone else and walk around the campus or they can park farther away.
Nursing major April Martinez talked about what fitness means for her, “I think what defines healthy is overall health, whether it would be physical health, mental health and spiritual health.
“Hav(ing) an even balance of all those things, and eating right, taking care of your body and also taking care of your personal needs (is important).”
Martinez talked about what she does with eating right, “I just try to stay clear of fast-food, I eat a lot of vegetables.
“I try to stay away from red meat, I eat a lot chicken and fish and I drink nothing but water.”
Criminal justice major Sam Holandez talked about the positive effects of working out, “It gives you good self-esteem and confidence toward everything you do.”
Bueno also recommended that students plan one day to see what they can bring to eat from home so they won’t have the temptation to buy food impulsively.
