Are you a college student wanting to stay healthy? Try these tips!
College is a time to learn new things and branch out of your comfort zone. Establishing a balanced diet and lifestyle can be a big challenge while in school. But, with a couple of tips, I believe that everyone - yes, even college students! - can practice an active and healthy lifestyle. Incorporating these practices is so beneficial to one's health in the long run, both physically and mentally.
Tip #1: Move your body!
One of the perks of being a college student: you’ve got access to a rec center with a weight room, cardio machines, and classes that provide different types of ways to be active! These are all fun and productive ways to burn some calories and get into a routine of moving your body.Do you find the gym intimidating, or feel like there’s no way you’ll fit that into your busy schedule? We’ll need to work on that, because the gym should be for everyone. But in the meantime, I’ve got good news for you: there are many studies that show that simply taking walks is incredibly beneficial for your physical and mental well being. If you walk for 30 minutes a day, you get an adequate amount of sunlight, you burn calories, and you have done a great thing for your mental health!
Tip #2: Protein, veggies, water.
In most college dining halls, there are options galore of what to eat and it can be overwhelming. A few tips about nutrition I have can make your decisions a bit easier and help you figure out what things you should look out for:
Make sure you have some protein at every meal. Protein is important for all healthy active adults, as it supports lean muscle retention/muscle growth, helps curb hunger, transports substances throughout the body, and keeps your body in a state of repair/renewal. Some protein sources you’re likely to find in a dining hall include: meat, seafood, eggs, Greek yogurt, beans… maybe even things like edamame and quinoa.
Try to get a serving of vegetables with at least two of three daily meals. Vegetables have lots of nutrients (vitamins, minerals) that our bodies need to operate at their best.
Drink lots of water. Try to drink at least 64 oz of water a day, which is the equivalent to 2 Hydroflasks or 4 plastic bottles of water. Hydration will be key when you are both exercising and studying.
Tip #3: Get more sleep.
This can be a tough one, but it really is important to get an adequate amount of sleep per night. College requires lots of studying and socializing, and these both can cause you to have an irregular sleep schedule, where some nights you may be getting barely any sleep! Try to get 6-8 hours of sleep per night so that your body has time to recover and rest. It is tough to get into the habit of going to bed super late and getting up super late, as this leads to missing lots of things in the morning. My rule of thumb when it comes to studying and staying up is after 12, most of the information you are trying to memorize is not going to be retained properly anyway. A good night's sleep will improve your chances of remembering the information you studied, so you’re better off getting to bed. Physical impacts of not getting enough sleep long-term may include:
Unhealthy cravings
Inflammation
Decreased cognitive function
Digestive/gut dysfunction
Decreased carb tolerance (i.e., body doesn’t use them as effectively)
Weakened immune system
Weight gain (related to the above)
So, it really does matter. Get started with good sleep habits now.If you follow these tips given, you can live a healthy lifestyle while being in college! It definitely requires some routine and work, but I believe it is certainly attainable and you will be thankful you did it in the long run. Establishing these habits into your day to day life will have great health benefits and set you up for success after college, too. Want more 1:1 support to help you develop healthy habits for long-term success? Maybe a personal nutrition coach is the answer! :)
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