Healthy Lifestyle Tips for Students

Eat, Sleep, and Breath…

 

Have you seriously thought about how healthy your lifestyle habits are, since the beginning of this semester? Are you the type of person that goes sleep deprived for days? Do you sometimes lose track of time that you forget to refuel your energy with something nutritious to eat? Do you engage in any sort of physical activity at all to help cope with the stresses of everyday life? If you answered ‘no’ to most of these questions, you might seriously want to think about what you are doing to your own well-being in the long run. 

I know it all sounds cliché, but you are probably doing yourself more harm than good when you don’t take care of your health. I’m no expert and I know individuals vary from one another, but have you already caught the ‘bug’ that’s been floating around school recently? When it comes to getting sick, I don’t mess around. I’m pretty sure I’ve been cold/flu free for about a good two years now…call it a strong immune system or whatever you like; I choose to believe I always do my best to do the following in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle and avoid getting any sort of ‘bug.’

Eat Regularly – Eating regularly (especially breakfast) is one of the smallest things you can do to get your brain going for those early morning classes. I always try and do my best to do breakfast (along with my morning coffee of course), however it’s not always possible. If you can get into the routine of having a little something to eat in the morning it will become natural to you over time. I also always try and pack a snack or two that I can munch on throughout the day when I notice I haven’t eaten anything for long period; this way I can quickly refuel. Did you know that in most cases when you are really hungry it is because you are dehydrated? For this reason, I always pack a water bottle so that I can keep myself hydrated throughout the day or drink it when I am feeling hungry all of a sudden. 

Don’t Deprive Yourself of Sleep – I know it is hard when you have got sooo many things due in the same day/week, but I think one of the worst things you can do is deprive yourself of sleep by going to sleep at exceptionally late hour, or pulling an all nighter. If you are NOT a PROCRATINATOR then there should be no reason to pull an all nighter. Of course, I might just be a little biased…

I have noticed that by getting sufficient sleep I am much more focused and energized the next day. If you constantly deprive yourself of sleep you are not having just a bad day but you are also setting yourself up for a rough week. 

Sleep is important for an overall healthy lifestyle, because not only will you be more energized and focused but you might also notice it is also better on the appearance of your skin! 

Find Some Form of Physical Activity – I know some people are just not into physical activity in any way, shape, or form but physical activity a few times a week will boost your overall energy and of course it is a better for your overall health. For myself personally, I just CANNOT do the gym…and when I go for a jog the same thing runs through my mind every single time “I absolutely hate jogging”…I don’t know why I still end up trying to convince myself that I actually like doing. My enjoyment in physical activity is actually playing on various sports teams. I personally like the social aspect, fun, competitiveness, and team dynamics that all come along with the game. So if you are like me and you have failed at every attempt to go to the gym, or some other type of physical activity, maybe you would prefer a team setting or vice versa. Maybe you might prefer to go bike riding, roller blading, or swimming in the summer months. If you can try to do something physical a few times a week you will be doing yourself a huge favor by maintaining a healthy lifestyle but you will also find that you are more energized overall. 

I know what it is like to be in bed with the flu and then falling behind, then having to catch up! I hope these tips might motivate or inspire you to change something in your routine that you know you should be doing in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle, and so that you don't put your own immune system in jeopardy. Again, don’t take for granted your own health. Maintain your stress levels, focus, and energy by eating properly, getting plenty of rest, and engaging in a physical activity a few times a week.