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A different way to weigh in
By Lindsay Goodier
 In
the mind of the average female college student, constant striving
to be thinner is necessary. As she strives to develop her mind and
spirit, the world is screaming at her to develop more than just
a healthy body; she must obtain ultimate physical perfection.
According to the world, the college-age woman is to exemplify the
perfect, pre-childbearing body. With all this pressure placed on
physical appearance, no wonder female college students comprise
20 percent of people with eating disorders. This drive to see a
lower weight on the scale preoccupies the minds of many female students.
"We get ourselves into trouble when we start attaching more meaning
to the number than what is appropriate," said Michelle Coates, Director
of the ORU Counseling Center.
A fine line lies between being committed to pursuing a healthy weight
and obsessing over the perfect body. "The unhealthiness is the relentless,
obsessive pursuit of thinness," Coates said.
Instead of striving to reach an unobtainable weight, June Syko,
instructor of Exercise Weight Control and Creative Aerobics, said
that women should ask the Lord what their right body weight should
be. "Every girl in my courses has asked the Lord and He has told
her," Syko said.
Body weight charts that formulate healthy and unhealthy weights
according to height have been altered a great deal in the past 50
years to accommodate society's current demand for physical perfection.
Unlike these constantly changing statistics, the will of God for
a person's body weight never changes.
"You can use charts, but there is an inner feeling about what is
right," Syko said. She also said that without fail, each woman in
her classes returns with a number God has given her as her right
body weight. Once women have recognized what their right body weight
should be, a newly disciplined lifestyle must follow. "Are you prepared
to change your lifestyle with good, godly eating and exercise habits?"
Syko questions each of her students.
Syko draws the parallel between the decision to lose weight and
the decision of the man at the Gate Beautiful to be healed. In John
5:6, Jesus asked the man, "Do you want to be healed?" In the same
way, Syko said He asks us, "Do you really want to change or stay
in the same bondage?"
With the correct exercise and eating habits, a woman is able to
reach her ideal body weight. In order to maintain this healthy weight,
Syko warns that women must be cautious about late night eating.
"Even slim-trim females have to watch eating lots of carbs in the
evening," she said. Her list of carbohydrates to avoid after 3 p.m.
include pizza, baked potatoes, pasta, cereal, rice, bread, popcorn
and all sweets. This standard can present a challenge to students
because of the influx of late night eating in college.
"Late night studying and late night eating go hand in hand," sophomore
Laurel Hibbs said. "A lot of times the last thing on your mind is
keeping fit while you are up studying for a test."
In the struggle to obtain or maintain the right body weight, accountability
is a key. Surrounding yourself with friends who have the same vision
of healthiness is essential. "It helps when people encourage you
to eat healthy. It's harder to eat healthy when people around you
aren't doing so themselves," Hibbs said.
One way college students can hold themselves accountable for eating
is joining a weekly cell group led by Syko. She invites anyone who
wants to learn about godly eating habits and exercise to this cell
group that meets on Fridays from 5 to 6 p.m. in the HPER office.
Achieving a healthy body weight is a process. Just like learning
to play an instrument or learning to ride a bike, obtaining the
right weight takes time and commitment.
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