Karina has written another blog for you all today marking her FOURTH since the start of the semester! If you’re having trouble staying healthy in college, listen to what Karina has to say!
Hi everyone!
This week I will be talking about maintaining a healthy lifestyle in college. I’ll be talking about diet, exercise and sleep.
I know we are talking about college here; it’s the place where you have the freedom to do whatever you want whenever you want. You can always come up with numerous reasons as for not going to the gym, having that extra cookie, or staying up a little too late. However, it is important to understand how those activities can affect you. Now that I am nearing the end of my college education I realized that I should have made some major changes in my lifestyle throughout my college experience.
Lets start with eating breakfast! Eating breakfast is extremely important to get you going for a long day of classes. It nourishes your body and it is the first fuel your body gets after it was a long night of studying and sleeping. As a college student who might have 8 am classes, I understand why you would rather snooze for ten more minutes instead of eating some breakfast, but even eating a banana or an apple can help jumpstart your day. Starting off the morning with some food is a good step in ensuring a productive day.
Lunch is another issue. A lot of times we might decide to skip on lunch whether it is for naps before our next class, or because we might want to study a little more for an exam. Doing so can cause a drop in energy throughout the day. Running on an empty tank is difficult and can cause you to be distracted in class. Another effect is that you might over indulge for dinner. This can create an unhealthy eating cycle. By eating a lot at night you may begin to feel sleepy making you unable to effectively study. Over eating for one meal is also something to be weary of because your body may try to hold on to those calories if you’re not eating enough throughout the day. All those calories add up and you know what they say about the freshman fifteen!
Colby Sawyer Swimming Pool
Sleep is crucial for success. It is important that we have a proper sleeping schedule that allows us to get at least six hours of sleep. You might have a lot of work or want to hang out with your friends, or even party, but if you are constantly getting less than 6 hours a sleep a night, it can be detrimental to your health and subsequently your academics. While this seems like an impossible task, it is critical for proper brain development and retention of information for classes. You also need sleep to recharge for the next day. If for example, we sleep for only a couple of hours one night, make sure that you account for the sleep you lost. I advise you all to go to bed a little earlier on an exam day. Not only will you be awake and ready, but also if you wake up early enough, you can go over the material one more time.
Lastly, exercise is another area that college students struggle to make time for. The typical objections are that we don’t have the time, we could take a nap and prepare for studying, or the weather is too rainy and cold for us to walk to the gym. There is this general avoidance of the gym and working out. However, making time, even for 30 minutes, three times a week, helps release tension and stress. It can leave you feeling more energetic and have a positive impact on your attitude. It can also be very fun. You can grab a friend and go on a run, or play sports in the gym. After you workout you might feel a little better and more positive, which can help you complete that assignment you have been working on, or focus more on studying in general.
Make sure to drink plenty of water and do your best to avoid junk foods!
Karina Belberksha, Cohort 2