Staying Healthy in College: Part 1
If you have attended college or a university, you know how easy it is for your health to take a back seat to everything else going on. There are so many things that need your attention that it can be easy to push off doctors appointments, eating healthy, and working out. I am here to say that there are easy ways to make your college experience healthy without causing any inconvenience. If you’re interested in learning more, continue reading! If you’re not, you might be interested in one of my other blog posts, so go on and check them out!
Let’s Jump Right In!
1. Eat in, not out
One of my vices, when I was living on campus, was eating out. It was easy, convenient, and sooooo tasty! But you know what it wasn’t? You guessed it: Healthy! When it comes to eating out, you do not have control over how your meal is cooked. There is no telling how much salt has been added or what the food was cooked in (most likely lots of butter or oil). Also, portion sizes tend to be larger than what you probably need. Now, what I suggest is stocking your mini-fridge with plenty of nutrient-dense foods that you know you will eat and know how to cook. I am not telling you to spend all of your money on organic vegetables that cost as much as your college tuition, but what I am saying is maybe look at the nutrition facts before making the purchase. A good, cheap alternative for fresh produce is frozen. Frozen fruits and vegetables are just as good as fresh ones, and they last longer. You can even get some steamer bags of vegetables for those days that you are super overwhelmed and cannot be bothered to drag your stuff down to the community kitchen (if you have one available). If you do not have any way to cook your own meals and you have to go to the school cafeteria, I recommend looking at all of the options before jumping in line. Scope out the scene and see what your most nutrient-dense option is. There is a salad bar available most of the time, but I don’t want you to think this is your only option. Another tip is you can ask the kitchen staff how the food is prepared. They should be able to tell you about how it was prepared so you can make an easier decision.
2. Make your ‘Study Break’ into an ‘Exercise Break’
Exercise?! It’s the last thing you want to think about while studying for an exam, right? Actually, maybe you should. Not only is exercise good for your overall health, its good for improving your learning. So, there are multiple ways in which aerobic exercise can aid in enhancing your learning. One way is that it enhances your alertness and can refresh your motivation. Studying for hours on end is tiresome and can feel draining. By taking small breaks of activity, you can ‘wake up’ your brain and get it refocused on the task at hand.
Another way aerobic exercise helps is to promote new brain cells in the hippocampus, which is in charge of memory. According to Nancy Barile, M.A. Ed. “In short, not only does exercise help the brain get ready to learn but it actually makes retaining information easier.” Exercise also aids in reducing stress, which we will discuss in a little bit. But for our purposes now, this is important because too much stress can affect your memory and your ability to focus, which is the complete opposite of what you need right now to ace Professor Smith’s Biology exam. Note that I mentioned that the effects are from Aerobic exercise. Aerobic exercise is what we typically think of as ‘Cardio.’ Now, that doesn’t mean you have to go on a mile run (unless you want to?), but it would be advantageous to get your heart rate up. Some options you could do are
Take a brisk walk,
Run in place,
Jump rope (maybe not in your dorm your downstairs neighbor might not appreciate that),
Step-ups,
Go up and down the stairs a few times, or
Go on to YouTube and find a stellar 80’s aerobic workout and sweat it out.
The choice is yours! Have fun with it!
3. Utilize your Health Center
If your university has an on-campus health center, then continue reading; if this does not pertain to your school, feel free to continue to the next tip. Now, if your campus does have a health center, most likely, you’re paying to use it in your student fees. Since you’re paying for it, you might as well use it! Take some time at least once a school year and pay them a visit. While you’re there, you can address any health issues you are experiencing and make sure your overall health is up to par. Also, while you’re there, maybe ask them about a flu shot and how you can best prevent a cold. The common cold can spread like wildfire on a college campus, and you do not want to miss a lecture because you have a fever and the sniffles. By visiting the health center and getting a check-up, you are actively taking your health into your own hands, and it can be empowering! Also, this will take some weight off your shoulders, knowing that your body is running at its best, and you can focus more on your Statistics exam that’s coming up.
4. Manage Your Stress Levels
I told you we’d get to stress! I am sure, as a college student, you know the true meaning of stress. Multiple assignments due at once, tons of reading to do, you probably have a part-time or full-time job, and there seems like there is not enough time in the day (plus many more things that might be going on in your personal and academic life). It’s tough! But that doesn’t mean we can’t relieve some of that pressure, so you don’t completely burn out and end up living in the mountains with a goat named George. Although if your dream is to live in the mountains with a goat named George, then all power to you and follow your heart’s passions, my friend! Anyway, some easy ways to reduce stress include self-care habits (I’ll explain these in one second), exercising, meditation, and so many more. You probably have heard a lot about ‘self-care,’ well, I’m going to tell you about it again. Self-care is taking time in your routine to do something for yourself. For some people, their self-care is their skincare routine, some it’s their makeup, others it is spending 20 minutes in the afternoon taking a small nap. It’s entirely up to you! These are things you can easily add into your everyday routine to give yourself time to relax and do something special for you.
Phew! This is a lot of information!
Don’t get discouraged, though, if the topic you are most interested in did not appear in this post. I will be posting many more blogs on this topic. Let me know down below, in the comments, what you would like to see discussed in this series next! Also, let me know if you have any questions about the topics we discussed today!
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