We all adopted a forward-looking way of living when we started kindergarten, if not before. In elementary school, we learned addition so we could do multiplication when third grade rolled around. The times table was merely preparation for trigonometry, which was a precursor for taking an Advanced Placement calculus course to increase the odds of being admitted to a good college.

College years are a time for making lifelong friendships, creating lasting memories and discovering our passions. Ultimately, though, they mark just another era of training for the future. Building our resumes and gaining the necessary credentials to one day become a gainfully employed, productive member of society is something we have consciously and subconsciously been doing forever. But how many of us regard our time in college as the chance to embrace healthy habits? We dismiss many of the latest health findings, forwarding studies about cancer and heart conditions to a wrinkly relative or those who we see as less invincible.

Most of us have been fortunate enough to steer clear of major medical catastrophes so far, contributing to our superhuman self-perceptions. Unfortunately we’re merely muggles, inevitably vulnerable to health issues that can’t be waved away with the utterance of a magic spell.

Practicing positive health behaviors while we are young, such as exercising and eating nutritious foods, could be the closest we get to miraculously thwarting detrimental ailments later in life. A study published this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that short spurts of strenuous physical activity, such as having sex, can increase the risk of heart problems in older people. The researchers said these issues occur in those who don’t exercise regularly.

If adopted consistently, hitting the gym is a habit that can feel as natural as brushing your teeth. Wouldn’t it be a shame to think that lack of exercise throughout life could lead to death by knocking boots? Sex life aside, it’s unfortunate to think that a bad habit during college could lead to irreversible health issues and years of regret later in life.

I’m not recommending obsessive-compulsive healthy behaviors or sacrificing every enjoyable behavior with nonhealthy consequences. I love ice cream, pizza and the excessively jovial spirit unleashed after a few too many glasses of wine. I worry, I stress, and sometimes I simply don’t feel like flossing. In short, I’m no Dr. Oz, and I don’t want to be.

But college is a great opportunity to improve your well-being. Although students are in an environment full of booze, drugs and opportunities for risqué sexual behaviors, Syracuse University is equipped to encourage healthy habits. College is one of the only times in life when we can go to the gym and visit a counseling center without a fee, fill our pockets with free condoms and eat from a limitless, colorful salad bar without making an expensive trip to the grocery store.

I’m proud some of the habits I picked up during college can contribute to a longer-lasting, high quality of life when I’m older. My bean-laden vegetarian diet cleanses my body, watching ‘The Office’ alleviates stress and working out keeps me feeling energized and fit. If the elliptical can give me the added bonus of a more heart-healthy sex life when I’m 65, that’s certainly a habit worth keeping.

Acsmit05@syr.edu

Published on March 30, 2011 at 12:00 pm