COLLEGE WEIGHT GAIN
When I went to college, freedom came with unexpected consequences—especially at the cafeteria. Unlimited food met my unlimited appetite, and before I knew it, I had gained somewhere between fifteen and eighteen pounds. Like many freshmen, I didn’t realize how quickly habits could change when structure disappears. Rather than panic or give up, I made a simple, practical decision: I would use what I had. My dorm was a ten-story building with roof access, making eleven full stories of stairs, and I committed to climbing them every other day. What I did not realize is that I could have shared my easy secret to weight loss. Simply climbing stairs was the secret to my easy way to lose all the weight plus I was thinner than i had ever been! My pants began to fall off! Who knew I could have written a book on this and made a tour out of my success! Here is the book on HIIT I could have written but someone else did! Healing is rarely this dramatic but I did it, here is more on how.
USE THOSE STAIRS!
Those stair workouts were brutal in the best way. Each climb demanded focus, breath control, and persistence, especially on days when motivation was low. I didn’t think of it as a fitness program—I thought of it as determination. Step by step, floor by floor, I built stamina and burned off the weight I had gained. Over time, the pounds dropped, my energy increased, and I felt stronger both physically and mentally. Without knowing it, I had engineered a highly effective workout using nothing but discipline and stairs.
HIIT BECAME A TREND
Years later, I learned that what I had been doing had a name: HIIT, or High-Intensity Interval Training. HIIT involves short bursts of intense effort followed by brief recovery periods, pushing the heart rate up and improving cardiovascular health, endurance, and fat burning in a shorter amount of time than traditional steady-state exercise. Stair climbing is a perfect example—it combines strength, cardio, balance, and mental grit. By using my body weight and intensity instead of machines, I naturally lost what’s often called the “freshman fifteen,” a term for the common weight gain many students experience during their first year of college.
Now, at 57, those lessons matter more than ever. I still value efficient, functional workouts that build real-world strength. Weight training helps preserve muscle mass, supports bone density, and keeps metabolism strong as we age. I’ve learned the importance of nourishing my body with enough protein, including red meat in moderation, for strength and recovery. Intermittent fasting has also helped me maintain balance, teaching my body to use energy more efficiently rather than constantly grazing.
Looking back, what started as a practical response to college weight gain became a lifelong understanding of fitness and self-care. I didn’t need fancy equipment or trends—I needed consistency and effort. That stairwell taught me that the body adapts when challenged, and that simple, demanding habits often deliver the greatest rewards. It’s a lesson that has stayed with me across decades, proving that strength, once earned, continues to pay dividends for life.
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