Lots of Harvard’s undergrads are athletes. You’ll find some of the best lacrosse players, hockey players, swimmers, runners, rowers, kickers, catchers, and throwers around. On some nights you’re going to be eating in the same dining hall as the football team, and your reaction upon seeing their eating habits is probably going to be some combination of disgust and amazement.

I am not one of those athletes. But I like to eat - quite a bit, actually. The dining halls don’t always offer the best entrees from night to night, but I can get pretty creative with sandwiches, salads, and burgers (ask me about my peanut-butter-honey-banana-bread or my humus hamburgers!). Food isn’t available after-hours either, but that always gave me all the more motivation to grab a burrito or a slice of pizza before 2 AM if I knew I was going to be staying up late — better safe than hungry, right? So how are you supposed to stay fit and avoid the Freshman-15 when Harvard’s welcoming week involves an ice cream bash, several outdoor barbecues, and a whole new Square of restaurants to explore? By working out.

For me, coming to Harvard was the first time I had full access to a nice gym. In high school, my idea of a workout was a few rounds of DDR, but going to MIT just to play an arcade game definitely wasn’t going to work for me here. Luckily, Harvard has more than a few places to work out, and it’s definitely worth your time to check these places out.

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