Fight the freshman 15

Ah, September: A month that brings together Laurier students old and new as they dust off their Onecards, load up their suitcases and drink for an entire week just to celebrate the mere beginning of another year.

For seasoned veterans, your year looks very similar to the last: a delightfully inebriated O-Week, wearing pajamas to your 8:30 a.m lectures and cheering your heart out at Homecoming while drunkenly unaware of what is actually going on in the game.

However, for those who are wearing purple and gold for the very first time, your upcoming school year will definitely be a jam-packed year filled with many “firsts”. First lectures, first new friends, first Homecoming, first romance, or even the first realization that you’re gaining the “freshman 15”. Laurier newcomers often find themselves submerged in a current of opportunities, not knowing where it’s leading and often don’t know exactly where to settle down.

Get prepared: your icebreakers, dons, floor mates, family, professors, lectures, even your Twitter account will all be bursting with “get involved” campaigns urging you to join up with something — anything. For many of you (about 7,000 students to be exact), you will find yourself running, sweating, laughing and competing in one of Laurier’s award-winning intramurals, recreation, or fitness programs.

Yes, you read that correctly. Laurier has been awarded the Canadian Intramural Recreation Association (CIRA) Outstanding Intramural Recreation Achievement Award for Ontario for the fifth year in a row. This means that Laurier stands above 78 other Ontario schools based on the overall quality of programming for both physical and mental well-being.

Activities such as aerobic classes, basketball, aquatics, martial arts, hockey, rock climbing, ultimate Frisbee, yoga, dance classes, dodgeball, volleyball, inner tube water polo, squash, cycling, step classes, pool lane swim and flag football are all offered by the school each year and continuously draw a large crowd. Intramurals, athletics and recreation is a fantastic way to relieve stress, get moving, avoid the much hated ‘freshman 15’ and just gives your mind something else to think about aside from that midterm you have yet to study for. These athletic opportunities allow students to continue a sport or a hobby — maybe even spark interest in a new one — without compromising your academic or social schedule.

In addition, getting involved athletically allows you to meet other students who share the same passion and love for physical activity and sport. Whether it’s the friendships formed that you will maintain forever, or the inspiration needed to get out of your tightening track pants and get active — or maybe you’re just someone who loves sports; getting involved athletically is something you should seriously consider if you still haven’t found your university “niche”.

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