Newswise — The Freshman Fifteen. That’s the expression that refers to the average weight gain of first-year college students.
And for many of today’s overcommitted students, establishing healthier habits and fitness routines over the next three years is also a serious challenge.
Staying in shape at college and developing exercise and nutrition habits for a healthy future is the subject of a new book published by Clarkson University senior Nduka Anyanwu of Brooklyn, N.Y., an engineering and management major.
FitTionary: The Beginner’s Fitness and Nutrition Guide to Staying in Shape on Campus offers information on nutrition and smart tips and strategies for eating well on campus and shows readers how to design and implement an exercise program specifically designed for busy students with demanding schedules.
Anyanwu is a certified personal trainer and self-proclaimed “fitness enthusiast.” He is also the student manager at the Clarkson fitness center. He came up with the idea to write FitTionary from the experiences he has had on campus with students, staff and faculty.
“I’ve learned that many students and fitness beginners lack the fundamentals of efficient and smart training techniques,” he says. “While I was at our gym, many people would come to me seeking advice on how to train and diet properly. I realized that this was a universal problem on many campuses and I had the knowledge and opportunity to help fix it.”
Before the book was published, Anyanwu was already designing workouts for and holding training sessions with faculty members and students at the gym for a nominal fee, but he wanted to raise the awareness of not just exercising, but leading a healthy lifestyle.
“For many people, gaining unwanted weight in college is a reality because lifestyles change,” he says. “Teaching them how to balance school, activities and fitness will hopefully inspire them to pay attention to their health, both during and after college.”
Anyanwu credits concepts he has learned at Clarkson as a driving force behind his ability to actually turn his idea into a reality. “Finding solutions to problems that really matter and developing entrepreneurial thinking are two things that Clarkson students learn and do well because they’re the foundation of our education,” he says.
Looking ahead, Anyanwu is optimistic that there are more books in his future. “I’m not running out of thoughts yet,” he says. “I plan on writing more books on fitness, nutrition and self-help down the road.”
The book is available at www.fittionary.com or Amazon.com .
Clarkson University launches leaders into the global economy. One in six alumni already leads as a CEO, VP or equivalent senior executive of a company. Located just outside the Adirondack Park in Potsdam, N.Y., Clarkson is a nationally recognized research university for undergraduates with select graduate programs in signature areas of academic excellence directed toward the world’s pressing issues. Through 50 rigorous programs of study in engineering, business, arts, sciences and health sciences, the entire learning-living community spans boundaries across disciplines, nations and cultures to build powers of observation, challenge the status quo, and connect discovery and engineering innovation with enterprise.
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