Of all the things that college freshman are warned about, few can compare to the woes caused by the “freshman fifteen.” This “freshman fifteen” refers to the average amount of weight a college freshman will gain during their first year of college.
All throughout high school I was a three-sport athlete and an avid weight lifter. One of my three sports was wrestling, therefore (whether I wanted it or not) I got a crash course on weight management and how to “safely” cut 30 pounds before the season started. Unfortunately my grappling career ended with my senior year as did my entire athletic career. So now I find myself faced with the ever dreaded “freshman fifteen” and no sports to counteract it, and let me tell you with Call Hall chocolate milk on tap in the house I would have no problem packin on the pounds. Luckily K-State has a rec center that is free to all full-time students. Now as I said, I have lifted weights and ran quite a bit in high school and thoroughly enjoyed it. (Even though I lack the ability to bench press a Prius like Arnold Schwarzenegger) However, upon my first adventure to the gym this year I realized I was missing a key part of my workout(Something not even a whole case of Red Bull and 12 cups of coffee can compare to): My coach hunched over the bench or squat rack yelling “COME ON SMITH! ONE MORE REP! ONE MORE! GET IT! ATTA BOY!” Without that motivation I found myself struggling to lift or do anything that required athletic ability, without feeling weak and drained.
This scenario in many ways can reflect the day to day life of most people and FFA members. Too often without realizing it, we lean on others to motivate us and make us strive to be all we can be. Sadly it isn’t until these people are removed from our lives that we realize what poor self-motivators we can be, and even though we have proved time and time before we can do it (whether that it is getting that last rep at squat, finishing a state degree application, or simply cleaning our room) without that motivator figure we struggle and either perform much more poorly or fail altogether. So the next time you are faced with a situation where it is all on you to accomplish whatever task is at hand, and you begin to feel that weakness overtaking you, remember how easy success was with someone at your side encouraging you. Be your own motivation, because you know YOU can GET ONE MORE REP!
