After a long summer off, it can be difficult to get back into the swing of being back on campus. On top of this, prioritizing your health needs can be even more difficult.
For some students, this is the first time that they will make health decisions for themselves, like what to eat, when to exercise, when to sleep, and how to stay mentally balanced.
By prioritizing your health, it will allow you to focus more effectively, maintain a strong immune system, and stay involved with all the activities that are offered on campus. Follow these tips to help you live a healthy lifestyle, while still having the best college experience possible!
1. Eat foods that will give you energy throughout the day. As a college student, it can be difficult to choose healthy foods. With buffet-style food courts and fast food found all over campuses, eating unhealthy can seem like the only option. For first-year students especially, gaining weight is very common because of the many food offerings found on college campuses. Poor eating habits can also lead to lower grades, susceptibility to illness, and increased fatigue. That’s why eating a well-balanced diet is crucial to remaining healthy. When going into buffet-style dining, having a plan on what to eat can be helpful to navigate the many unhealthy options.
2. Stay physically active. College courses and extraarticular activities can be very time-consuming, and finding time for physical fitness can be challenging. Although finding time to exercise each day can reduce stress levels, help you stay and become fit, strengthen your muscles, reduce your risk of illnesses, and help you focus in the classroom. Here are a few ideas to get you moving when you’re not in the classroom: Walk to class or take the stairs instead of the elevator, ride a bike to and from your classes, play an intramural sport, take trips off campus to a park or forest, or simply use the gym membership that the university provides for you when on campus!
3. Get enough sleep. Though sleep is sometimes hard to come by as a college student, it is crucial to the college lifestyle. Sleep deprivation does not only affect students’ ability to stay awake during class but also how they perform in the classroom. Getting enough sleep for students helps with memory and motor skills that are needed for life in college. Getting 7-8 hours of quality sleep a night will maximize the brain’s functioning for the next day. Make sure to prioritize your nighttime routine as your day ends, so you can prepare yourself for the best sleep possible.
4. Engage in healthy relationships. Being able to create and maintain healthy and strong relationships with friends, family, and possibly significant others is important to the health of a college student. Being able to deal with conflict and communicating through it creates a more open path for the future. Always make time and keep in contact with those from home, whether it is your family or friends. Relationships in college can be tricky, especially with how many people you will meet, but keeping each one healthy is important for all parties involved.
5. Make time for your mental health. At this age, it can be easier to hide or mask your emotions because you don’t have someone constantly checking in on you like your parents did when you were home. There are a lot of things that are happening when you are at college that could take away from caring for yourself. Anyone struggling with their mental health should know that they are not alone, and it is actually very common among the college student population. Many universities are implementing mental health resources to make sure that all students get the right care that they may need.
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