The life of a student is essentially a juggle between studying for tests, writing papers and maintaining an active social life. Sometimes the frenzied day-to-day life lets your health take a back seat. Staying healthy however is especially important during times of stress.
Here are 10 small lifestyle changes you can make to stay nourished and healthy.
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Never Skip Meals
It is especially common for college students to skip meals when they’re preoccupied with other work. This is, however, a terrible habit that is hard to break once formed. It causes your metabolism to slow making you gain weight rather than lose it. Moreover, it reduces concentration and affects your ability to focus. This makes you easily distracted, fatigued and grumpy.
2. Prioritize Nutrition
Incorporate fruits and vegetables into your meals as much as possible. Smoothies are an easy and healthy breakfast alternative. Salads are a painless way to add a healthy dose of vegetables to your diet. Search up healthier or vegan alternatives to your favourite foods and cook wholesome home-made meals as often as possible.
3. Don’t Skip Doctor’s Appointments
A regular health check-up is more important than you might think. Caught up in your busy schedule, you might postpone your doctor’s appointment as unnecessary or not immediately essential. However regular screenings are necessary to keep you happy and healthy. They intercept problems before the situation is exacerbated. Early interception allows for more effective and speedier cures/treatments.
4. Curb Junk Food
This is an obvious tip but much harder in practice. Minimizing stress and related binge-eating is bound to drastically lower your junk food intake. If you find yourself consuming more junk food when you’re in a hurry or lazy to cook, keep a meal planner. Planning meals and eating at regular intervals through the day will curb any excessive hunger and let you chart your caloric and nutritive intake. Substituting unhealthy snacks with fruits, nuts and protein and fiber-rich foods is also helpful.
5. Focus on Fitness
Making sure you get at least half an hour of exercise daily is absolutely essential for a healthy body and mind. Your daily exercise regimen does not have to incorporate a gym session or a rigorous workout schedule. A simple walk to stretch your legs and relax your mind works just as well. Even a jog or a run everyday morning can be refreshing and rejuvenating. Prioritizing fitness is just as important as balancing your meals. It is an equilibrium between the two that produces the most effective results.
6. Stick to a Fixed Sleep Schedule
A good night’s sleep does wonders for your health, both mental and physical. A solid 7-8 hours of sleep has shown to decrease hunger levels, boost immunity and even affects memory positively. Obviously, a hectic college life makes it impossible to avoid late-nights and all-nighters completely, but at least 5 days a week of regular sleep will leave you feeling the benefits almost immediately.
7. Maintain Hygiene
An overused health-related adage is to “Wash your hands before every meal”. It might be cliched but it is especially important when you frequent public places. If a basin is not always readily available, make sure you keep hand sanitiser with you at all times.
8. Keep Sanitary when using Public Restrooms
Public washrooms are a cornucopia of germs and diseases. Often unsanitary and unclean, be as careful as you can while using them. Keep wet wipes handy at all times and ensure you don’t touch the door handle without a paper towel. Wash your hands as rigorously as possible and clean your hands with dry tissues (use your own to be on the safe side).
9. Use Sunscreen
The skin is a fragile and easily damaged organ that must be protected from the environment. Constant sun exposure can lead to UV ray damage and in the worst cases even lead to skin cancer. Sunscreen also protects from dryness and redness caused by sunburn and skin thickness caused by the sun. It keeps your skin younger and more even-toned.
10. Mental Health is Just as Important
Finally, prioritize your mental health. Your body cannot function effectively if your mental health is subpar. It is easy for stress and circumstantial difficulties to get to you leading to a decline in your psychological state. It’s always important to take a break and relax your mind whenever you feel overwhelmed. Reach out to a friend or a family member if you feel the need to talk or if you feel the problem is serious and needs to be addressed urgently, do not hesitate to seek professional help either.
Health tip- Don’t forget to check our great article on stress relief
Tags-10 Health tips for college students, personal health tips for college students, health and wellness tips for college students, health tips for college freshmen, health tips for a college student, health and fitness tips for college students
