The first seems obvious, the 2nd, not so much. Here’s why, unless you stay active after college, you will gain weight. Sounds simple to avoid, but graduates don’t realize just how much walking they do in college. After graduation, most will get some sort of office/desk job where they will be mostly immobile during the day. Conversely, they will continue to eat the same things post graduation.

This combination will lead to many graduates gaining weight or an “office ass.” This can lead to a number of problems associated with obesity, including high blood pressure and high cholesterol. The latter of which I had a problem with.

After just a couple of years post graduation, I was diagnosed with very high cholesterol. I had access to free gyms at my apartment complex and work but I never went as often as I should and never ate as well as I could. This year, after another cholesterol test revealed that I hadn’t been doing much to get better, my doctor wanted to put me on Lipitor. This was the kick in butt I needed. I told him “no way, refer me to a nutritionist”. I followed the nutritionist’s plan and also got a new trainer at the gym, which I had joined a few month earlier.

Only 3 months later my cholesterol was completely fine and lost 38lbs. I should never have let it get to this point, but for those that have, you need to get healthy. Let this be an example to those graduating, keep in shape or face real problems. When you are in your 20s, you are no longer “invincible” like you were in college.