Change it to Zero in Three

Society has engraved this idea into our heads since the day each of us was born: women must be skinny and men must be "ripped". As of recently, a new idea is surfacing and becoming more and more accepted--obesity--and with obesity comes the claim, "your body is what it is, you cannot control that." What happened to healthy? Isn't it far more important to take care of yourself and have a strong and healthy body than it is to have a skinny one? It is because of claims like this that about 8 million Americans suffer from an eating disorder and 1 in 3 adults are considered obese. What exists? These numbers exist, they are real; the world around us has a cruel perception of what bodies should look like and it is the furthest thing from true. Growing up, I started to believe these perceptions. I wasn't as skinny as my best friend, so therefore, I was fat. Was it true? Absolutely not, but the world made me think so. According to my Body Mass Index, I am at a healthy weight. The range of healthy weights is actually broader than most realize. Many of us have fallen into the mindset that, I'm not skinny, so I'm fat, but I'm not obese so I can't embrace it, so I'm just stuck here. Health isn't about numbers, or at least it shouldn't be, and it's not about others either. Healthy is completely personal, but it is crucial, especially to us college students.
We are at the brink of our existence. It is more important now, than ever before to be healthy. Our bodies simply cannot do the things required of it if we are not healthy. We are constantly moving and rarely have a break; our minds are always engaged in new concepts, we cannot afford to be unhealthy. Eating right gives your body the nutrients it needs to stay alert and focused in class, exercising gives your body the strength it needs to make it through the day, not to mentions endorphins which make you happy and is an excellent stress reliever. Along with eating right and exercising often, our bodies need sleep. Sleep not only rests your body, but it rests your mind, it makes it possible to stay awake in class and while you study and to retain the information you are being taught.
Being healthy or becoming healthy is not near as daunting as you might think, I know I thought it was. It's actually quite simple and it's the little things that end up making a huge difference. Drink water instead of soda and when there are stairs, take them. Choose an apple over chips and go for a run once a week. Do twenty curl-ups and ten push-ups before bed and go to bed early. Keep a water bottle filled in your backpack at all times and bring a lunch from home. These little things add up and you will start to see big results and if you keep up these habits, these will be life long results.