College is a weird time in our lives. We spend a couple hours in class each day, drink from noon until late into the night, and tend to sleep past breakfast time. We shake it off and think … well, it's just four years of our lives, so why not? Let's live it up! What we don't realize, however, is that the trends we set now are likely to become life patterns after we graduate. If done correctly, there are several easy, manageable ways to establish patterns that can ensure a long, healthy life past our college years.

Fad diets and skipping meals are the best way to lose weight

Fad diets are usually a scam. How many times have you heard or seen advertisements for products that guarantee shocking results, like losing 30 pounds in 30 days? If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. In fact, it is these types of diets that are designed to make you lose weight quickly, but not necessarily keep it off. According to WIN (Weight-control Information Network), research suggests that losing one-half to 1 pound per week is really the only safe amount and this can be achieved through a healthy diet, moderate meal portions, and exercise.

Many people also believe certain foods like cabbage soup or grapefruit can speed up your metabolism, leading to weight loss. WIN states there are no known foods, which can burn fat. Some foods with caffeine may speed up your metabolism for a short time, but they don't cause weight loss.

A better choice is exercising, which can actually speed up your metabolism for up to 15 hours afterwards.

According to Nancy Parkinson, kinesiology and health professor, skipping meals is a big problem for college students.

"At the beginning of the year, I will often ask my nutrition students, 'when was the last time you ate a meal?'" she said. "Say the class is at 11 that morning, and the last time a student ate was at 11 the night before, they don't realize that they've already skipped one meal."

Parkinson said college student's lives are stressful but that's not an excuse to not take care of your body.

"You need to prioritize your schedule," Parkinson said. "Which includes feeding your body the nutrients you need and getting plenty of rest and sleep for your body to recharge effectively … basically, keep things in balance."

Studies show that people who skip breakfast and eat fewer times during the day actually tend to be heavier than those who eat a healthy breakfast and eat four or five times a day. WIN suggest eating smaller meals more often throughout the day that include a variety of healthy foods.

"Ask yourself: Are there colors in your meals?" Parkinson said. "Adding color is the easiest way to add nutrition to your meals. Add blueberries or strawberries to your oatmeal. Instead of regular lettuce in a salad, go for mixed field greens. You will add fiber, water, vitamins and minerals."

If your eating habits are so irregular that you're afraid you're not getting all the nutrients you need, Parkinson suggests taking a multivitamin, such as "One-a-Day" dailies.

Alcohol has no calories

Prepare your body before, during and after workouts. According to Ruckelshaus, the two best things you can do for yourself are stretching and hydrating.

"If people didn't do anything else, stretching before and after exercise is the most important thing you can do to prevent

injury," he said. "For those people who don't usually do much physical activity and then decide to go out and run five miles, they're more likely to get injured because their muscles won't be warmed up."

According to the American Dietetic Association, adequate food and fluids should be consumed before, during, and after workouts to help maintain blood glucose levels.

"Your body is like an electrical circuit," Ruckelshaus said. "That's why you need water before and Gatorade after. When you sweat, people think you just lose water, but you don't. You lose important electrolytes your body needs too."

Parkinson recommends drinking at least nine cups of fluids every day, and if exercising, to drink even more.

"By the time you're actually feeling thirsty, it's too late and your body is already dehydrated," she said.

Chocolate milk has been dubbed "the ultimate sports recovery drink" by the New England Dairy Council. As far as body fuel goes, foods that are high in carbohydrates and proteins, like chocolate milk, are good choices and should be consumed no more than 30 minutes after exercising to ensure recovery.

Fast food and desserts are always an unhealthy choice

Even fast food restaurants have healthy options. According to the American Heart Association, healthy substitutions can almost

always be made no matter your dining preferences. For example, the American Heart Association suggests rather than order a greasy cheeseburger and fries at Brick Street, try the grilled chicken sandwich with veggies or cole slaw on the side. If Mexican dining is your style, it's better to ask for corn tortillas rather than flour, substitute salsa for sour cream, and ask that they not bring the baskets of tortilla chips to the table before the meal, which can add on a lot of calories. For Chinese cuisine lovers, it's better to order steamed dumplings over egg rolls and fried wontons and to choose more vegetable based dishes instead of fried meats.

"Look for dishes with words such as grilled, steamed or broiled because those are much healthier than fried foods," Parkinson said.

She also suggests asking for sauces and dressings on the side of meals because many of these toppings have a lot of calories. For example, there are nearly 150 calories in 1 oz. of Ranch dressing.

The American Heart Association also suggests substituting healthier toppings like pickles, onions, lettuce, tomatoes, mustard and ketchup to add flavor to food dishes without the fat.

And as far as desserts go, everything is okay as long as it's in moderation.

"The best thing to do with desserts is to keep things in balance and control portion sizes," Parkinson said.

Instead of eating an entire dessert by yourself, try sharing one with friends.

Parkinson also recommends to have fun with it and to try new things. One of her personal favorite desserts is simply putting

Yoplait Whips yogurts in the freezer. They come in flavors like Very Vanilla and Chocolate Mousse and after freezing, they taste just like frozen yogurt. With just 100 to 160 calories, along with vitamins and protein, the Yoplait Whips are a healthier choice than a pint of Ben & Jerry's.

Senior cross country and track runner Amanda Mirochna has other healthier dessert options.

"I eat a bowl of cereal instead of dessert and when I snack, I try to go for wet foods like yogurt or fruit, rather than dry unhealthy snacks."

Exercising won't make me lose weight

Alcohol is deceiving. A common misconception about alcohol is that because it is a liquid, it doesn't have any calories. That's so wrong. On average, 12 oz. cans of light beers, like Natty Light or Keystone Light, have approximately 100 calories. Regular beers have even more. A 1.5 oz shot glass of Smirnoff or other liquors have about 100 calories. If you add in soda, lemonade, or other mixers, calories add up quickly- especially if you're binge drinking.

According to Parkinson, alcohol is processed in the body just like fat, so regardless of how healthily you're eating, alcohol is full of empty calories.

Senior and football athletic trainer, Drew Ruckelshaus said he agrees.

"When you've been drinking, you also tend to eat more," he says. "What people don't realize is that your body breaks down the alcohol first and the food later, which can often turn into fat."

Sophomore Catherine Pingree said she tries to counteract nights of drinking with healthy choices like exercising.

"If I know I am going to be drinking, I try to avoid eating too many carbs or desserts that day or I will just work out longer," Pingree said. "I switch it around, so one day I will run, the next I will lift or dance. I alternate between those and classes at the rec."

Stretching and hydrating before and after workouts isn't important

There's been recent news claiming exercise doesn't help with weight loss. To most health professionals though, this is complete nonsense. Exercise is a major component to any healthy weight loss program. However, many college students complain that they don't have enough time to exercise.

"The truth is everyone can make time to exercise," Ruckelshaus said. "You need to be doing some type of physical activity … if you can't go to rec, go run a mile with some buddies or do push ups or sit ups in the room to get your mind off homework and get your heart rate going."

The American Heart Association suggests exercising five times a week for at least thirty minutes. This can include walking, running, swimming, biking or aerobic dancing. If you are too busy to get to the Recreational Sports Center (RSC) or go out for a jog, there are other options.

If you plan on spending 30 minutes talking on the phone to your long distance boyfriend, make sure you're standing up and moving around. Rather than park right outside Starbucks, park a few blocks down and walk there.

If you tend to get bored of doing the same exercises, try switching up your routine. The RSC offers fitness classes such as Spinning, Pilates, Yoga, and ZUMBA, a type of Latin dancing. With options like these, there's no reason for exercising to not be fun.