“Style is a magic wand and turns everything to gold that it touches.”

-Logan Pearsall Smith

For many of us, our time in college is a unique experience. It is the first time many of us are away from the constraints of our parents. We have virtually unlimited freedom to act and choose to our heart’s desire. We can explore new avenues and rethink old ones. These newfound freedoms, however, do not come without responsibility.

We are expected to work hard and perform well in our studies. Like many other things, though, the end doesn’t always justify the means.

Recent studies show that a hard working individual who also takes time to work on his or her appearance receives more respect from peers (and also makes more money) than a similar individual who cares less about personal appearance.

Think about it. Who would you respect more, the guy who comes to class in a dingy logo T-shirt, sweats and flip-flops? Or the guy wearing slacks and a button-down shirt (tucked in, of course)?

Why would you want to perform like a superstar, but look like a bench warmer? We owe it to ourselves to be the healthiest and most presentable people we can be. We spend too much time trying to become top-notch students and professionals to let something like poor style or poor physique misrepresent our accomplishments.

So what exactly is style and physique? Style is good or approved fashion that represents one’s elegance or intelligence, while your physique is your body and your level of fitness is the condition of your body.

These concepts together will greatly improve one’s appearance and perception.

We all have much to learn about style and fitness – some more than others. Through the weeks to follow, though, I hope to guide you towards finding your own sense of fitness and style, as well as evolve my own.