Healthy Eating & Active Living

Healthy Weight

  • Most (54.4%) ASU students are in a healthy weight range, based on calculations of their Body Mass Index (BMI)

HOWEVER:

  • 40.0% of ASU students had a BMI of 25 or greater, indicating they were overweight or obese, which is an increase from 26.4% in 2000, 29.3% in 2002, and 37.9% in 2004

Healthy Eating

  • 96.7% of ASU students believe it is important to eat healthy daily

HOWEVER:

  • 37.5% of ASU students reported that they usually or always avoid foods and beverages with poor nutritional value.
  • Only 5.9% of ASU students reported eating the recommended number of servings of fruits and vegetables per day.

Active Living

  • 96.4% of ASU students believe it is important to engage in physical activity daily

HOWEVER

  • 40.8% of ASU students in 2006 reported participating in moderate or vigorous exercise at the recommended rates of three or more sessions a week (of at least 20 minutes), which is a slight improvement compared to 38.7% in 2004.
  • 42.4% of ASU students in 2006 reported engaging in exercises to strengthen their muscles two or more times a week, compared with 46.8% of ASU students in 2004.

American College Health Association. American College Health Association - National College Health Assessment: Arizona State University. Spring 2006. Baltimore: American College Health Association; 2006.  

HEALTHY EATING

  • Listen to your body
    • Know your body’s physiological hunger signals (lightheaded, headache, stomach growling), as opposed to psychological signals (social gatherings, emotional triggers, smelling food)
    • Eat until you are content, not stuffed. Know when you have had enough. Remember that it takes about 20 minutes for your body to realize it is full.
  • Fits into your lifestyle
    • Healthy eating is a lifestyle; make it a part of your everyday behavior.
  • Balance, variety, and moderation
    • Include all the food groups to achieve balanced meals
    • Choose and consume a variety of foods within each food group
    • Know and eat appropriate portions of foods; nothing to extremes
    • Don’t deprive yourself of certain foods - just keep in mind portions!

Tips to develop healthy eating habits

  • Schedule and plan regular meals and snacks.
  • Eat until you feel content - take your time when you eat, and savor each bite.
  • Incorporate into your daily eating: water, whole grains, fruits and vegetables, protein-rich foods, and beans/nuts/seeds.
  • Take a daily multivitamin.
  • Try some easy and healthy recipes.
  • Notice the size and number of servings and the nutrient content of your food so that you know if you’ve achieved your nutrient goals.
  • Take note of your sensations of hunger and appetite and whether they vary in response to emotions, schedule, proximity to food, and external influences.
  • Think of food as one part of life, not as the center of it. Don’t over plan or overanalyze your meals; ENJOY YOUR HEALTHY EATING EXPERIENCE!

physical activity and exercise

  • Physical activity refers to any activity/movement that expends energy.
    • E.g., walking, biking, hiking, swimming, dancing, and rollerblading.
  • Exercise is physical activity that is planned, purposeful, and structured.  Exercise is done to improve or maintain physical fitness.
    • E.g., running intervals, lifting weights, or flexibility training.

What is physical fitness?

  • Physical fitness is a person’s ability to perform a certain activity efficiently, or can be referred to as a general state of health and wellness. 
  • There are four components of physical fitness which include: Cardiorespiratory endurance, muscular strength and endurance, flexibility, and body composition.
    • Cardiorespiratory endurance is the body’s ability to consume, deliver, and utilize oxygen at the cellular level during sustained physical activity. Cardiovascular endurance activities strengthen the heart and lungs. Examples include: walking, running, cycling, swimming, hiking, and dancing. Choose an activity that you enjoy – you are more likely to continue to be active.

        • Recommendation: Engage in a minimum of 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity on most preferably all days of the week OR engage in vigorous-intensity physical activity 3 days per week for a minimum of 20 minutes per session.
    • Muscular Strength and Endurance is the body’s ability to apply maximal force one time (strength) or repeated times (endurance) with a muscle or muscle group. Resistance training can take many forms, such as weight lifting, practicing yoga, participating in Pilates, and doing exercises with resistance bands and stability balls.
        Recommendation: Perform physical activities that enhance and maintain muscular strength and endurance at least 2 - 3 days per week.
    • Flexibility is defined as the range of motion in a joint or series of joints. Examples of activities that aid in flexibility are stretching and yoga.
        Recommendation: Perform physical activities that enhance and maintain flexibility at least 2 - 3 times per week, ideally 5 - 7 days per week.
    • Body Composition refers to the relative percentage of body weight that is composed of body fat versus fat free mass (muscle, bone, organs, and water). There are many ways to measure body composition.
      • The skin fold caliper method is one measurement used to determine the amount of fat versus fat free mass in the body. Other techniques include Hydrostatic Underwater Weighing and BodPod, but may be more costly and not as easily accessible.

      Recommendation:

      Body fat percentage, desired health for men: 12-15%

      Body fat percentage, desired health for women: 18-25%

    • Body mass index (BMI) measurement is a relative measure of body height to body weight for determining degree of obesity (but it does not take into consideration lean muscle mass).

      • The formula for BMI is: weight (kg)/ height (m)2.

      Recommendation:

      BMI between 18.5 and 25 = desired weight     

Tips to incorporate physical activity into your life

  • Make time to be active!
    • Actively commute (bike, walk, rollerblade) to school, work, or the store
    • Exercise while watching your favorite TV show, listening to music, or reading
    • Make a weekend hike/bike/walk/run a habit
  • Seek social support from family and friends in the form of:
    • An activity partner
    • Encouragement
  • Take active study breaks (go for a walk with a friend or do some stretches)
  • Train for a race or an event, and schedule your training workouts weeks in advance
  • If you need assistance with designing an exercise program, or you need some motivation, hire a personal trainer
  • Join an active club (dance club, martial arts group)
  • Sign-up for intramurals (see ASU Tempe SRC website)
  • Reward yourself for reaching short- or long-term goals (new pair of running shoes, workout clothes, or get a massage, etc.)

How to help a friend

  • Learn about and share information with others regarding healthy eating and physical activity.
  • Buddy-up and do physical activities together.

Links for Healthy Eating and Active Living