Your parents warned you about it. Your friends tried to stop you. But sometimes it happens — you hit the freshman 15.

Whether it’s gaining or losing 15 pounds, the freshman 15 can strongly affect your life. Freshman year is already so stressful for so many reasons, and the last thing anyone should worry about is those few extra pounds. Maintaining your personal wellbeing is the key to happiness, good health and overall success throughout college and in life. Fortunately, UCSD’s Health, Recreation and Well-Being services offer many free or cheap programs and opportunities, such as intramural sports, recreational clubs and activities, to help students maintain a healthy lifestyle.

One of the few great resources that UCSD supplies is The Zone. Located in Price Center Plaza, The Zone opened in the fall of 2010 and promotes eight dimensions of well being: social, spiritual, occupational, financial, environmental, physical, intellectual and emotional. This space is a collaborative space for UCSD’s Health, Recreation and Well-Being cluster, which includes Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), Sexual Assault & Violence Prevention Resource Center (SARC), UCSD Recreation and Student Health Services (SHS).

Each week, The Zone features free programs such as yoga, meditation and zumba to promote the eight fundamental dimensions of their program and introduce students to other campus wellness services. A popular service provided by The Zone are the therapy dogs. These canine companions from San Diego’s Love on a Lease come to The Zone to play with students for the students’ clinically proven stress relief.

“We have healthy cooking demonstrations that teach students nutritious recipes,” Zone program coordinator Iris Crowe-lerma said. “They are usually vegetarian. We offer a cookbook here that has all the recipes that are healthy and easy to make.” All services provided by The Zone are free for students so there’s no need to add financial stress to your list of worries.

Another program available to students is the nutritional consultation provided by UCSD Recreation. UCSD’s registered dietitian, Yumi Petrisko, helps students address health and nutrition history, make nutrition goals, and create a nutrition care plan during one-on-one or group consultations. For students with SHIP, her services are free, and for those without SHIP, a small price of $20 is necessary. Call Central Scheduling in order to schedule an appointment and take one step closer to good, overall health.

UCSD Recreation organizes other great activities. This on-campus organization provides students with informal recreation classes and formal classes to fight the flab and meet new people. All classes provided are located on campus and are typically around $100 for about 10 sessions during the quarter.

“With over 100 sports facilities here on campus,” Crowe-Lerma said, “There’s really no reason not to be active.”

Recreation also provides opportunities for students to be one with nature through its Outback Adventures, which includes backpacking, white water rafting and horseback riding trips such as a camping trip to Joshua Tree. These trips are a little on the pricey side, but if you don’t mind dropping a couple hundred dollars for an amazing experience in the wilderness, Outback Adventures would be your best choice.

Intramural sports such as beach volleyball and dodgeball offer alternatives to working out at the gym. Another option is to join one of the various sports clubs and represent the Tritons. These clubs include not only your traditional sports, such as soccer, volleyball and water polo, but are also not-as-traditional sports such as dancesport, cycling and sailing.

There are also recreational dance clubs available for the less sporty. With beat-dropping hip hop groups, such as Ascension and 4n01, and cultural dance clubs, such as Chinese Dance Association and Da Real Punjabiz, UCSD remains diverse even within its physical activities.

Students can also sign up for dance classes (TDMV 1) like ballet, contemporary and jazz, ranging from beginner to advanced classes. Sign up through WebReg and shake what your mama gave you; working toward your GEs has never been more fun.

And finally, the simplest solution in three easy words: Hit the gym. With two, large, indoor facilities on opposite ends of the campus, UCSD has provided easy access for students to break a sweat for free. It’s easy to get bogged down with the stress of classes and extracurricular activities so sometimes working out will be the last thing on your to-do list, but making simple, healthy changes is essential to fighting off the freshman 15.

“Even just simply walking to class instead of taking the shuttle [or] taking the stairs,” The Zone’s marketing intern Natalie Wong said. “Just little things. They may not seem like much when you’re doing it, but it really does add up.”

In order to keep off the freshman 15, many programs on campus suggest not only exercising and watching what you eat, but also maintaining overall balance.

“It’s not about starving yourself, because a lot of students think ‘Oh, dieting’… but actually that’s worse,” Wong said. “It’s all about balance — balancing your diet, balancing your life, and making time for yourself and to exercise. Those are the things that also help with stress, and stress can affect your eating habits and your sleeping schedule too. Eating isn’t the only thing that affects the weight that you gain or lose.”

With so many different options, choosing an activity to ward away the freshman 15 can be a daunting task. But with programs ranging from recreational class to free programs at The Zone, everyone is able to find what works best for them.