A healthy lifestyle is not a new concept to Arts & Sciences junior Jennifer Smith.

“It was probably in high school that I really started caring about being healthy,” Smith said. “I just noticed a pretty intense relationship between what I put in my body and how I felt, so I decided to be a lot more mindful about what I ate and how I treated my body.”

Smith also said she believes that transitioning to college was pivotal for incorporating a healthy way of living into her daily routine as she moved to Omaha from her home in Thousand Oaks, Calif.

“I suddenly had all of these food options in front of me and I had to be really careful about what I ate,” Smith said. “Not that Midwesterners don’t care about what they eat, we just have a lot of accessible produce in California. I realize now that I have to really plan my meals and always have a variety of vegetables and grains on hand so that I won’t give into junk food when I’m hungry.”

She took healthy eating to an extreme when she tried the Paleo Diet last fall. The Paleo Diet claims to be the world’s healthiest diet and is based upon the fundamental concept that the optimal diet is the one to which humans are genetically adapted. Dieters are limited to eating meat, fish, nuts and seeds and produce.

“I liked this diet because it gave me really strict guidelines,” Smith said. “Self-control with eating is really hard in college because when else are you going to be able to order a pizza at 3 a.m. with your friends and enjoy it? The Paleo Diet allowed me to stick to food I knew would be good for me, but at the same time it was really difficult.

“Now I focus more on moderation. It’s fun to get cheese on an omelet as a treat or have a slice of pizza with friends. I understand that these foods have consequences, but if I limit how much I eat them, they are consequences I am willing to accept.”

Smith also said she appreciates being active and struggled with fun ways of exercising after moving to campus.

“Back home I could hike or swim … just be outside more because the weather would allow it,” Smith said. “I love the feeling of working out every day, but I knew that running on the elliptical for an hour every day in the KFC was not for me. It just gets monotonous.”

A few weeks into her freshman year, Smith attended a Zumba class one evening at the Kiewit Fitness Center and was hooked. Zumba is an aerobic fitness program featuring movements inspired by various styles of Latin American dance and performed mostly to upbeat dance music. She went back to the class weekly for the rest of the semester, and come December, knew she wanted to become certified to teach her own Zumba class.

“I had to go to the class so many times until I got all the moves down, so I figured if I could do it, anyone could,” Smith said. “I went to a training when I was home for break and became certified and now I get mailed choreography and am able to teach Zumba three times a week.”

According to Zumba’s official website, participants may be able to burn up to 1,000 calories an hour because of the cardio-intensive, hour-long dance workout. Zumba’s motto is “Life’s a party,” which is evident in how much fun both the instructor and the participants have in a session.

“What sets Zumba apart is that it’s fun,” Smith said. “It doesn’t feel like working out but it definitely is. It just feels like a celebration and that’s what health in general should be about, celebrating you and your body in both what you eat and how you exercise.”

Claire Storey/The Creightonian