Category: Life & Style

by Aidan Edelson, health and wellness reporter

The phrase “Freshman 15” is a widespread saying in college lore. See the truth and lies behind the term, and how to stay on track during that first year of college. 

“The Freshman 15” is an intimidating saying in college pop culture. But it’s not really about the weight a freshman gains. It’s about the lifestyle changes that happen when someone goes away to college. Being in charge of yourself and your own habits for the first time can be tricky. Paying attention to nutrition and physical activity can become an everyday staple for some and an afterthought for others. 

To sort out the true and false, Kasey Giles, a dietetics intern at Virginia Tech, and Charles Chalmers, a certified personal trainer, share advice and facts that can help freshmen start on the right foot. 

Simply put, the “Freshman 15” is a total myth. According to Kasey Giles, “There’s really no peer-reviewed evidence that supports a mean weight gain of 15 pounds during the freshman year… the research really shows it’s like two to five pounds.” She went on to discuss that it varies from person to person. Some will gain weight, some will lose weight, and some will maintain their weight. 

When asked about the pressure to stay physically active to avoid weight gain, Charles Chalmers said, “It really starts with your diet, if you’re making good choices. It’s like alcohol. If you drink alcohol, you get a little tipsy; you’re gonna make bad choices. You’re gonna eat whatever’s available, so I don’t know if it’s a stigma, thinking you’re gonna get fat because of that. But more or less, you guys are still growing. Your body’s changing rapidly, your hormones are adjusting, all that comes into it.” 

It’s important to remember that freshman year is a time of change. The number on the scale might change, but there are a lot of factors that play into that change. So although the number 15 is not as significant as the saying suggests, the changes freshmen experience to their body and habits are real. 

Much of it boils down to one thing: the newfound independence freshmen have. For a lot of students, college is the first time they are making food decisions for themselves on a daily basis. And now they find themselves with more options than ever. 

“College is a major transition for most students. You’re learning how to feed yourselves often for the first time, unrestricted. And you begin to make those independent food decisions, and that’s just a big transition. Dining halls offer greater access, variety, and availability. And that’s new for a lot of students,” Giles said. 

That new freedom doesn’t always mean students will make the right choices. It can also open the door to unhealthy habits that can cause more harm than good.

“It’s hard because when you enter college sort of with the voice in the back of your head that you don’t want to gain the freshman 15, students can quickly find themselves restricting what they eat. Changing calories, counting calories, weighing themselves, participating in unhealthy habits.
And I think that narrative can be really damaging,” Giles explained.  

When students come to college, it’s on them to try to have a routine. There is much less structure than in high school. Although that allows for more spontaneity and freedom, it can also be hard to adapt and create the structure needed to eat well and stay physically active. 

Chalmers chimed in on this by saying, “A lot of people eat bad because they don’t have the time and the structure in their life to make healthy choices. Plus, you have the dining halls, top tier, and you have friends that you’re hanging out with, and you’re drinking, and you’re making bad choices. And one thing leads to the other, and you fall out of shape, sleeping a little too much, not moving around, and it’s very easy to put on the pounds.” 

Giles agreed that finding structure is hard, but suggests a different approach. Don’t focus on finding the perfect solidified routine. Focus on your mental stability and sustainability. “I think something that a lot of college students find themselves struggling with is routine, and routine is just not normal for college students. I think it’s less about focusing on the lack of routine and more about focusing on your mental health and your mental stability and understanding that it’s unlikely you’re going to be able to eat a quote-unquote regular diet. So it’s focusing on those habits that are gonna support your overall well-being. If you’re able to at least eat a regular breakfast, that is a starting place. Or, when you do eat inconsistently, ensure that your plate has variety; ‘eating a colorful plate’ is what we like to say. 
It’s an easy starting place.”

So how can students create healthy physical fitness habits? Chalmers says it doesn’t take hours in the gym every day. “At least three days a week of hardcore [exercise]. I’d say, anywhere from 45-minute to 60-minute sessions. But also, it’s what’s outside the gym. What takes place outside, whether they’re making good choices; rather than riding the bus, if the weather’s good, they should be walking. 
Anytime you can ride a bicycle, jump on a bicycle; it’s a better choice than a scooter. Anything that you can do.”

For freshmen looking to stay on the right track, remember it’s not about avoiding the “Freshman 15”. It’s about understanding that changes will happen and building habits that are healthy and sustainable. 

By Caroline Garcia, art, sports, and culture reporter

On a college campus where many are focused on academics and building a resume, one club wants to help the physical and mental wellness of women, building them up and bringing them together outside the classroom.

The Virginia Tech campus is home to two sizable gyms with all of the equipment one could ever need and more. Some students come into college as avid gym goers, whereas others might be stepping into a gym for the first time.

Despite previous knowledge, stepping into a new gym can be intimidating, or not having a gym buddy can be discouraging. CHAARG, a workout club at Virginia Tech, is working to curate a welcoming, inviting environment for women at Virginia Tech to workout together without judgment, expectations, or prior knowledge.

CHAARG (Changing Health Attitudes + Actions to Recreate Girls) is a national health and fitness organization that operates as a student-run club with hundreds of branches at colleges and universities across the country. The organization was founded in 2012 at The Ohio State University with the motivation of helping women to become more comfortable in the gym while also being able to have fun.

The Virginia Tech chapter was founded a few years ago, and has grown in size with over 100 members currently. Girls can become members of CHAARG, where they are exposed to a range of workout opportunities. Members are invited to join weekly group workouts, small group bonding activities, and social events. Workouts vary from week to week, exposing members to all different types of workout classes, including boxing, dance classes, weight training, running, and more.

Event coordinator for CHAARG, Alisa Calabro during a group workout at Blacksburg Boxing. September 15, 2026. Photo by Caroline Garcia. 

The group element also brings a new smaller community of women to have fellowship with on a large campus. Alisa Calabro, the current event coordinator for CHAARG, shares her insight on the community CHAARG provides: “I really just like that it is a women-based community. The founder of CHAARG created workout groups so that you could try new things without having to feel judged or intimidated by gym bros grunting and screaming at the gym. We’re a community where you’re more comfortable being yourself around other people who you know are not going to judge you being there. It’s nice. Everyone’s so nice.”

“You know nobody’s looking. We’re doing jazz dance soon. I’ve never done jazz dance before and I can’t dance, but I go to these things knowing they’re not going to laugh at me or anything, and I can just try it and be free to do so. So it’s pretty cool,” Alisa added. “Another new thing we have this year is a run club — this is just additional stuff, because really the biggest thing we’re trying to do is make campus a little less intimidating.”

The weekly large group workouts exist to bring women together, while the small groups create even more intimate groups where real friendships and connections can develop. The small groups are structured where girls can sign up for a time slot that works with their schedule, and they are assigned a weekly slot with the same girls each week. The smaller groups allow girls to make deeper connections with each other by having consistent meetups to participate in a fun activity or just hang out with one another.

The club doesn’t just want to help women workout, but help to create a space for women to meet each other and broaden their horizons. “The group workouts challenge girls to try new workouts without feeling pressure or intimidation in a new environment,” said Halla Baugher, the vice president of media for CHAARG.

Aside from exercise, the leadership team is working hard to ensure that CHAARG focuses on a comprehensive scope on wellness. This semester, the club is bringing in health experts to speak on how food and exercise work in tandem — assuring members feel strong and energized for their workouts.

“The leadership team, we’re prioritizing staying healthy,” adds Calabro. “This year we’re trying to add in a dietician to come speak with us, so that no unhealthy habits accidentally form through a college fitness group. We think that’s very important.” With 50% of teenage girls participating in disordered eating behaviors, this education is more important than ever.

Accessibility is a pillar of what CHAARG is working toward. While making working out with new people more accessible, they also help to make classes more accessible financially. Many studios that host events with the club charge hundreds of dollars for memberships or individual sessions. In CHAARG, the women will pay an affordable fee in dues for the semester, which will cover all weekly classes that otherwise would add up quickly in price. The national organization also has grants where applicants can have their dues covered or dropped significantly, because they want all women to be included in the community.

Group photo at the end of the weekly CHAARG workout, holding up the organization’s logo. September 15, 2026. Photo by Caroline Garcia. 

In a large school and online world, community is what people are looking for. Many girls have found this in CHAARG. Nihar, a freshman in the club, shares her reason for loving CHAARG: “It’s a really great community of girls. Everyone is all friends. I’m a freshman, so it’s my first year, and I think it’s a great way to get active and find a community.”

Calabro mentioned how she was able to meet a lot of girls that were outside of her major. “I just really like that it brings people together closer than just being in a club and coexisting with each other — you actually make connections and meet a lot of people you probably wouldn’t.”

CHAARG exhibits how health and community can work together to benefit students, both physically and mentally. With a goal of creating a belonging workout community without the intimidation, the organization exhibits a wellness goal Virginia Tech commits to: no Hokie left behind.

By Alex Frank, Health and Wellness Reporter

Have you ever stayed up late one night studying? Or maybe you stayed up late going out with friends, watching a movie, or just scrolling in bed? For many young adults, these are common occurrences. Sleep is often the first thing sacrificed when work, school and social life get busy. Lack of sleep can affect more than how tired a person feels the next day. Consistently poor sleep can affect young adults’ mental health, mood, memory and overall energy levels. 

Adjusting to the newfound freedom and lack of structure that comes with life after high school can be difficult. With so much to juggle while learning how to live on your own for the first time, sleep often falls low on the priority list. One night of poor sleep can affect you the next day, but what becomes a nightly habit for many young adults can have serious effects on long-term health and well-being. Lauren Woodard is a licensed therapist for teens and young adults with a master’s in social work and a bachelor’s in psychology. In an interview, Woodard explains how hard it is to get quality sleep, the effects poor sleep has on young adults’ well-being and ways to build healthier habits. 

Lauren Woodard, MSW, LCSW 

Her comments were edited for length and clarity. 

Why do you think sleep tends to be such a problem for young adults?

Young adults are in a unique developmental period where they are often navigating a new phase of freedom, responsibilities and demands without the structure they had at home and in high school. For many college students, living at school might be the first time they haven’t had parental supervision and structure around sleep. College is also such a unique time where you are trying to balance so many competing interests: almost 24/7 access to friends and social opportunities, classes, internships, work, clubs, sports, volunteering, dating, all while managing sleep. Sleep is typically the easiest thing to cut! I can’t think of another period of adult life. 

What are the most common unhealthy sleep habits? 

In my work with college students, I most commonly see a pattern of uneven sleep where students might get very little sleep during the week and then sleep in a lot on weekends to make up for it. That in and of itself can severely disrupt your natural sleep-wake circadian rhythms and can also cause what I call “Sunday Scaries Insomnia,” where it is hard to fall asleep on Sunday evenings and you start the week sleep deprived. Another is alcohol intake. Although alcohol makes people feel sleepy at first, research tells us it is a sleep disruptor, causing early wakefulness. Excessive screen time and phone use in bed is another one.  The blue light from your phone and the mental stimulation of what you are watching are big sleep disruptors.

How does stress affect someone’s ability to sleep? 

Stress is a large component driving sleep disruption. Stress puts your body into a naturally more alert and activated state. So if you are stressed, it would take you much longer to be able to feel like you can wind down enough to fall asleep. So think about adding an energy drink in the afternoon, the stress of an exam and scrolling on TikTok a perfect storm for impacting someone’s ability to sleep and a reason why stress management through exercise and meditation is so important. 

How can poor sleep affect mood, motivation and ability to handle everyday stress? 

I say this weekly to my client: Sleep is a foundational component of your mental wellness. When we’re sleep-deprived, our ability to concentrate, tolerate distress, regulate our emotions, make decisions and manage everyday stress is impacted. A decision that might feel relatively easy when you’re well-rested can suddenly feel overwhelming or even impossible when you’re exhausted. You may find yourself feeling far more anxious, emotional, or frustrated by something you would normally be able to navigate; not necessarily because the situation has changed, but because you’re trying to handle it with a sleep-deprived brain. It is like functioning all day with a phone at 10% charged. 

How do phones affect young adults’ sleep habits? 

I could probably do an entire interview on just this. Blue light from your phone keeps you awake and alert and blocks melatonin production, which is a sleep hormone you need to sleep well. I also hear a lot of clients say notifications stress them out, and they feel like they have to respond right away, even if they are trying to rest. One other thing I see is a downside of social media where many of my clients get caught in a comparison trap with viewing social media – it may make them feel like they are less in some way by seeing other people have things they don’t. That can result in feelings of anxiety and depression, which impact sleep.

What are the first changes you would recommend to someone who consistently gets poor sleep? 

Doing a complete reset of your sleep habits might be too stressful, so I say pick one area. Some ideas are, like, set an alarm on your phone to remind you to go phone or social media free for 30 minutes before bed. Stop consuming caffeine after lunchtime. Try to wake up at the same time every morning and go to bed at the same time every night; stay within 2 hours on each end of that on the weekends. If you stay out late, still wake up within 2 hours of your normal wake-up time. Another thing is to try to keep naps short and earlier in the day if you take them. Lastly, stay out of bed unless you are sleeping.

If you could change one sleep habit among college students, what would it be? Stop spending so much time in your bed. For many college students, especially those in dorms, their bed becomes a multi-purpose space: desk, couch, dining room and place to scroll. If possible, I encourage clients to create some distinction between where they are awake and where they sleep. We want the brain to develop a strong association between getting into bed and winding down.

By Emma Duncan, education reporter

One year after its launch, The Chillfield has changed how Virginia Tech students find entertainment, bringing events to Hokies where they are through mobile programming.

Designed by Ben Evans, lead engagement engineer at Student Engagement and Campus Life, The Chillfield uses interactive activities to connect students to campus partners and each other. The truck hosts events in Blacksburg once a week, at the Roanoke campus once a month and in the D.C. area once a semester.

Hokies can play Tetris Tumble or Connect 4, compete in Nintendo Switch games, customize tote bags and koozies using a heat press, decorate vinyl records and more. In its first year, The Chillfield hosted approximately 52 events and reached over 10,000 students. Jazmyne Barron, coordinator for student experiences, shares her team’s highlights from year one and aspirations for the future. 

[This interview was edited for clarity and content.]

What gap did The Chillfield fill in the SECL office?

During the pandemic, there was a large gap in student programming. It was harder to engage students because we needed to follow safety guidelines like social distancing. As we transitioned into a more normal sense of campus life and programming, we noticed it was harder to get students to come to things because they hadn’t been doing anything for such a long time. So, the idea was to go to them instead. 

Think back to The Chillfield’s very first event. How did you feel when it ended?

The Chillfield’s very first event was the launch party. Honestly, I had no real expectations at the time. The event ended up being very successful and ran smoothly. We hosted it on the Drillfield and had a lot of different activities available, some of which have become staples in our programming. I think it really set a positive tone for what was to come in the year ahead.

Can you share a story that illustrates the impact of The Chillfield?

When the truck launched, we were a team of three undergraduate students and one graduate student assistant. Now, our team has doubled. One of those undergraduate students, Filip DeHaven, is now my graduate assistant. Seeing them grow from last year to this year has been very rewarding. 

We wanted to culminate all our success during the first year into our first birthday party, which was a collective effort. Each of my student staff put all of themselves into that event for it to be so successful. I think it really shows how they are passionate about this work and want to share fun experiences with other students. They continue to return every semester and I’m proud to work with them.

What have you and your team learned about designing events that resonate with students across such diverse schedules and interests? 

When you work in student programming, it’s important to ask yourself how you can create an experience for everybody. We try to provide a variety of options for people, some that are very low stakes, like our grab-and-go goodies, but also opportunities for people to sit with their friends and do a fun craft. We try to play around with the times to reach different students and allow everyone to attend our events. 

Has there been an activity or event that didn’t work as planned? What did the team learn from that experience?

I can definitely say weather is our biggest enemy. Our most recent event, National Lego Day, was supposed to be outside. However, we had to shift inside because of the huge snowstorm.

When we’re hosting events on the Drillfield, a little bit of wind can make everything go flying. Even if the forecast is decent, wind can keep students away. The weather definitely keeps us on our toes.

As you enter year two, what are your biggest goals for The Chillfield?

Our team is trying to constantly think outside the box. My student employees really want to bring in new people and expand what we can offer. We have our favorites that we know the truck can easily do, but I think we’re getting to a point where we’re ready to branch out. A new location could help us reach hundreds of new students. My personal goal is to eventually start working with some community partners. 

I read that enhancements like a better backup camera and accessible storage are being discussed. What is the status of these upgrades and how will they improve events or operations?

The Chillfield is a pretty old truck, so many parts are outdated. Over the break, we got new seats installed and the dashboard rewired with CarPlay. The heating and conditioning actually work now; that’s very nice to have. We are working to get a new horn installed that will play the intro to “Enter Sandman.” We also installed a jump seat in the back for when we’re driving around campus. The truck has its quirks, and we’ve learned to work with them. 

In March, you and Ben will be presenting at the 2026 NASPA conference. What does it mean to bring The Chillfield story to a national audience, and what do you hope other campuses take away from it?

I’m only a year and a half out of graduate school and I’m presenting at a national conference, which, to me, is insane. Our goal is to provide these campuses with a packet of resources and say, ‘Here’s what we did, take it, replicate it with what works for you.’ We’ll make a point to tell people that you don’t need this big truck to do mobile programming if you’re on a smaller campus. You could build out a really cool golf cart. Our emphasis is make it work for your campus.

As someone who has worked with The Chillfield since its first event, how do you hope you feel one year from now?

This is gonna sound funny, but it’s true. Every time we’re out, students love to come up to us and ask what food we’re serving. I’m trying to sell this idea that we’re not a food truck, but a fun truck. I hope that, by the time we’re entering year three, people know that we’re not a food truck. We like to make jokes and make light of the situation that we’re in. However, we purposefully avoid food for our events.

Is there anything else you would like to share? 

The Chillfield is truly one of a kind. It’s not on any other campus, which I think is really cool. Going to one of our events should be a bucket list item for students during their time here, especially since, if they decided to attend another school, they would never get a Chillfield experience.