Sending Students to College?

Add exercise to their curriculum

If you’re ready to send children off to college, a new Tufts University study suggests you should make sure they pack a pair of running shoes along with their laptop and iPod. 

Even if college students have a higher percentage of body fat than is recommended, the study found that being physically fit may help reduce their long-term risk for heart disease and diabetes. 

Young not immune to heart disease, study reveals

“Although cardiovascular disease and diabetes often surface much later in life, our results tell us that men and women in late adolescence and early adulthood are already showing chronic disease risk, but that keeping fit may help reduce this risk,” says senior author Jennifer M. Sacheck, PhD, in a news release. 

Published in the June 2010 issue of Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, the study followed 564 students. The students’ fitness level was determined by a 3-minute step test. The study also measured four risk factors for heart disease and diabetes:

• High-density lipoprotein (HDL, or “good,” cholesterol)
• Low-density lipoprotein (LDL, or “bad,” cholesterol)
• Triglycerides
• Blood-glucose levels 

The study found that being physically fit was correlated with lower triglycerides and higher HDL cholesterol levels among the women in the study, along with lower blood-glucose levels among the men in the study. 

Focus on Fitness

Layla O’Leary, outreach coordinator for the UVA Children’s Fitness Clinic, says the Tufts study supports previous research which found that physically fit people have better cholesterol measures and a lower risk for conditions such as heart disease. 

“Having 'excess' body fat does not necessarily make one unhealthy or at risk. Diet, fitness and other healthy behaviors all play a part in overall health for a child and or teenager,” she says. “It's not enough to just eat healthy or just be fit. Without proper fuel, the body does not work efficiently.” 

New to Exercise?

For college students (or anyone else) interested in improving their fitness level, O’Leary says it's important to have realistic expectations when you begin exercising. 

Here are a few tips:

• Start slow and build your routine.
• Begin with comfortable, convenient activities you are interested in doing.
• Gradually increase the difficulty and frequency of your workouts.
• Enlist a workout partner to help you get through the tough days.
• Keep a record of your progress.
• Rewards are always a good idea as long as they don't involve food.
• Remember ... it's ok to sweat and get out of breath! Don't be afraid to work a little.