Staying Healthy at State

Hey girls!

My name is Maria Poluch and I am a sophomore majoring in Chemical Engineering. I can honestly saying that deciding to attend Penn State was one of the best decisions of my life and CONGRATS to you girls for getting in and choosing blue and white!! 

During my first year, I made staying healthy one of my top priorities. As a freshmen, you have so much going on in your life, from figuring out where your classes are to making friends to adjusting to collegiate life style. It can be overwhelming in the beginning, but things start to slow down as the semester goes on. It is important to not forget to keep yourself healthy through your whole journey. Here are a couple ideas I have on how to stay healthy:

1. Join the gym. A gym membership at Penn State lets you use all the workout facilities available. There are four gyms located in various locations around the UP campus. The two most used are Rec Hall and the White building. Rec Hall is located on West campus. It is the biggest and offers the most equipment. It contains an indoor track, basketball, and volleyball courts. The White gym is located near the HUB and is complete with an indoor pool and basketball courts. I think the best thing about the White gym is the fitness classes. The classes are awesome! They have Zumba, calorie killer (an aerobics based class), full body workout, washboard abs, and more. It’s really fun to get a bunch of friends an go to the classes together. For more information on gyms go here:http://www.athletics.psu.edu/psustrength/index_rec.asp
2. Join a club or IM sports team. Penn State is huge and so has a team for almost any sport you can think of. IM (intramural) teams are open to anyone and are less of a time commitment. I played IM flag football last year with the THON organization I was in and it was so much fun! It was a great time to meet more people and get exercise at the same time. For more information about IM sports go here: http://www.athletics.psu.edu/recsports/index.html. Club sports require try-outs and they usually take place during the first or second week of school. If you’re interested in joining a club sport, check out the website and contact the person in charge early on so that you don’t miss try-outs. Here’s the club sports website: http://www.athletics.psu.edu/recreation/clubs.asp. I have a couple friends who were on club teams and they all had a blast so consider this if you really love a certain sport. 
3. Run or bike around campus. Penn State’s campus is gorgeous, so take advantage of it!  There are tons of trails on and around campus that are great to run or bike. I would definitely recommend running or walking on campus in the beginning of the semester to get a feel for where your classes are located in relation to other buildings. Although it can feel big at first, the campus starts to shrink as you feel more comfortable and more familiar with the place.
4. Figure out where the health center is located. I know this one sounds a little obvious, but so many freshmen have no idea where the health center is on campus. With everyone living close together, it is easy for diseases to spread in college. Sinus infections and colds are common. I personally had never gotten a sinus infection before I went to school and then had two last year. The health center can diagnose you and give you antibiotics, so don’t be afraid to use their services. Also, there a a free advice nurse that you can call anytime for any reason.

Those are just a few things to think about so you can fully enjoy freshmen year! During WEPO, you will have a session about stress management and more. That information will really help you out too. I hope you’re all having a great summer! I can’t wait to meet you at WEPO!! Get excited for State!!

For the glory,

Maria 






Maria Poluch is a sophomore majoring in Chemical Engineering. Maria is a rover for WEPO 2012.