So many people claim it is impossible to live a healthy lifestyle in college. Students complain healthy food is expensive or that they don’t have the space to cook meals. They complain they don’t have the money to spend on a gym membership and the Rec Center is always too crowded. Those are a bunch of excuses, quite honestly.

To begin, healthy food does not cost any more than unhealthy food. It’s probably easier to run through McDonalds for breakfast than to run to the store and grab some eggs. But hey, eggs will last a lot longer. You can get a good four meals out of that, and they’re what, $2 or $3? Grab some chicken and vegetables and meal prep for the week. It’ll end up saving plenty of time.

I know it can be a little difficult to cook in the dorms, but that pertains to freshmen only; the rest of you have no excuse. And freshmen, there are kitchens in the dorms. Use them. It may be a little inconvenient to lug food and dishes to the first floor just to cook, but isn’t it worth it in the long run? Make a dinner out of it – get the roommates together and prepare a nice little meal for yourselves.

And for those of you who are in a fraternity or a sorority, you have three meals made for you every day. I know those meals aren’t always the healthiest, but nearly all of the houses have a salad bar. For example, the Alpha Gamma Delta house has a salad bar with grilled chicken on it. Every day I make a salad with grilled chicken for both lunch and dinner. I choose to ignore the unhealthy choices and go straight for the protein and veggies. You are more than capable of making these same decisions, no matter the house you are a part of.

I know the Rec Center stays crowded, but that’s just an excuse. It might be a little intimidating at first, but I promise nobody is really paying attention to you; they’re too busy focusing on their own workout. Put your headphones in, zone everyone else out and do your thing. If you don’t feel comfortable using the machines, try one of the group classes. The Rec offer class after class, day in and day out. And if the free Rec Center isn’t your cup of tea, there are plenty of inexpensive places around town to join, like Planet Fitness and Crunch Fitness.

We all sit here and complain about how the “freshman 15” is a very real thing, but we don’t do a darn thing about it. We go out, splurge on late night snacks and refuse to go to the gym.

So here I am, encouraging you to stop making excuses. Get your butt off of the couch and turn off the Netflix. Stop going through the drive-thru, walk into the store and grab some fruit and vegetables. Buy the frozen ones if you need to – it’s a little cheaper. Go get a gym membership, or walk yourself into the Rec Center that is free for full-time undergraduate students. Make it a lifestyle. Make it a routine. Once you start, I promise you won’t want to stop. Living healthy is a choice, and one you need to be willing to make.