I’ll be writing about food and fitness, and I hope to help at least a few readers make healthier eating and exercise choices. College is full of all-nighters and parties, but why not balance the chaos with a few consistencies?

Instead of focusing on how to fend off the freshman — or sophomore, junior or senior — 15, I’ll incorporate enriching foods and fitness routines into college life. Rachael Ray and Denise Austin, move over. Making meals with 20 ingredients in a closet-sized kitchen with four hungry roommates doesn’t fit the bill. And doing the grapevine in a 15-by-10-foot bedroom between classes isn’t ideal, either.

I’m not a personal trainer — nor am I trying to be. I can make a mean grilled cheese, but I’m not a gourmet chef. You can think of me as a college guinea pig at your service. I have enough experience to try new things but not enough to have found the answer to maintaining a well-rested, fit, healthy bod that can withstand all the turmoil of college life.

Like many students, I’ve ridden the scale roller coaster. Gained 10 pounds freshman year, lost it when I went home. Gained five pounds after I turned 21 — still working on losing it. My point is: I’m like you. We all want to retain our high school physiques, but the important thing isn’t waist size or lifting weights — it’s about feeling healthy.

So let’s start with the basics. What good does a push-up do if you’re not doing it correctly? And are you damaging your spine while doing those crunches? Putting in the work won’t help if you’re not doing it right. What do you want to know how to do? Are you great at a particular sport or exercise and think it would help fellow Spartans itching to bulk up, slim down or just blow off steam?

No knock on the good ol’ Grand River Avenue eateries, but we all know if we visited them less frequently, we might actually have some extra money. Two words jump to mind when it comes to college cooking — cheap and easy. Add a dash of health-nut mentality, and it’s a trio that’s an alternative to pizza and burritos five days a week.

For the dorm dwellers out there, I’m not leaving you out. I know the notorious selection of fried foods that smirk up at you from the plastic cafeteria trays. Despite best intentions, you probably won’t veer toward the salad bar every day, and the soft-serve machine in the corner is likely screaming your name as well. But you do have more choices there and in your small sanctuary equipped with a mini fridge and microwave.

I’ll do my best to throw out some recipes worthy of your taste buds and limited cooking space, but I’m eager to hear your take on fixing up a college feast.

Squeezing in a jog between classes and scrounging the cupboards for dinner may seem like more work than it’s worth, but starting now will make the uphill climb to feeling fit a lot less steep.

Find your motivation. Are you doing it to lose weight, train for a competition or de-stress? Do you enjoy cooking, want to save up cash for spring break, or are you just sick of eating out? College doesn’t have to mean saying farewell to home-cooked meals and a six-pack. You just have to want to do it.

Kate Polesnak is the State News food and fitness reporter. Let her know what you want to read about by e-mailing her at polesna1@msu.edu.