It's All About Balance!

If I could go back four years and talk to my recently-graduated-high-school self, I would tell myself three things: calculus isn’t as bad as it seems, get involved and meet lots of people, and stop ordering Chinese food at 2 a.m.

College eating habits tend to be bad regardless of which school you go to, but I feel like Rutgers has it the worst. After all, we are the home of the “Fat Sandwich” (at least they’re straight forward about what you’re getting into) and have amazing restaurants such as Stuff Yer Face, Paulie’s – where you can order a 10-pound pizza, and Noodle Gourmet. It certainly doesn’t help that all of these places are within shouting distance from each other.

During my first year at college, my waistline expanded quicker than Charlie Sheen’s popularity on Twitter. Over the next three years or so I definitely tried to cut back and get in shape, but motivation is hard to find after a long day of classes, exams, and studying. This past year however, I moved off-campus with a few friends and we’ve been doing our best to use our kitchen to produce healthier meals. We’ve also penciled out a workout regimen which includes running, basketball, and tennis. Ahh, the pleasures of being second semester seniors.

With this renewed interest in health, it was a pleasant surprise when I came across Ed Levine’s weekly column on www.seriouseats.com . SE is definitely one of my favorite food websites and when I’m feeling particularly evil, I’ll torture myself by browsing their “A Hamburger Today” section. For those that don’t know, Levine is the founder of SE and also keeps a weekly blog about his “Serious Diet”. As I perused through his entries, it was encouraging to see a fellow food lover struggle with the balance between delicious food and health.

While I find no pleasure in his pain, it’s nice to know that I am not the only one out there with this problem. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from college, it’s that balance is everything. Studying/having fun, going to class/sleeping in class, eating/exercising.

I’ve dedicated 2011 to finding a job after graduation and getting healthier. What are some things that you need to balance out in life?