1. Exercise Daily.
As a college student, it’s easy to put off going to the gym when you have class in the morning, friends to catch up with in the afternoon, a problem set due in the evening, and Netflix to keep you company at night. I get it.
Real talk, though: the importance of exercise cannot be overstated. Exercise boosts your mood, sharpens your mental functions, improves your quality of sleep, strengthens your immune system, and even increases your life span. With the right diet and exercise regimen, not only will you feel great, but you’ll also have a killer body that’ll look great with anything you wear.
The Institute of Medicine recommends incorporating an hour of daily exercise into your life to maintain a healthy weight, a favorable body composition, and good cardiovascular health. Whether you’re doing single sport or a combination of physical activity—as long as you stay active in college, you’re golden.
2. Eat Right.
Diet and exercise go hand-in-hand, and healthy eating habits will give you the energy to perform inside the classroom and out. A simple path to a good diet? Aim for balance, cut the junk food, and drink lots and lots of water.
- Aim for Balance: Include a variety of different food groups in your diet—grains, proteins, vegetables, fruits, and dairy products. Eating balanced meals will help you get the nutrients your body needs. Also, remember to practice moderation in your diet: don’t overeat, eat only when you’re hungry, and stop when you’re full.
- Cut the Junk: You know what’s good for you and you know what’s not. While it’s perfectly fine to treat yourself every now and then, avoid eating too many foods that are high in sodium, sugar, or fat. If you find yourself snacking at every meal, try eating meals more regularly. You could also substitute sugary sweets for healthy snacks like fruits, nuts, veggie sticks, yogurt, granola bars, or lightly buttered popcorn.
- Drink H20: Drink water with every meal. Not only will you stay hydrated and feel fuller during the day, but you’ll also lose weight naturally by saving your body hundreds of calories from sugary drinks.
Anti-freshman 15, anyone?
3. Sleep Regularly.
Make sure to get at least 6—7 hours of quality sleep a day.
Doing so enhances your memory, heightens your mood, improves your performance in school, spurs creativity, sharpens your attention span, strengthens your immune system, burns calories, lowers stress, reenergizes you upon waking, and allows you to perform at your peak level during the day.
And although it may seem tempting to hole up in Lamont (while cracking open yet another Starbucks doubleshot expresso to stay awake), studies show that college students consistently overrate their ability to concentrate and perform academically when lacking sleep. Most students simply aren’t aware of the degree to which sleep deprivation impairs their ability to complete cognitive tasks successfully—which means it may be a better idea to rest up instead of trying to finish a paper over a long, sleepless night.
Remember also that your brain is still developing at this stage in your life. Sleep is the agent facilitates that growth. And since your brain is the most valuable piece of real estate you’ll ever own, it’s better to take care of yourself physically and mentally than to deal with the potential repercussions later on.
Enough said. Go catch up on those Z’s!
4. Build Quality Friendships.
Ever heard of the saying, “you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with”? This is because as social creatures, we are heavily influenced by the people around us.
Choose your friends carefully, and don’t get sucked in with people who are overly negative, cynical, or unkind.
If you find that someone is becoming an emotional drain on you, distance yourself and disengage. College is big enough that you have the luxury to do this. It’s not worth your time to hang out with them, because eventually they will drag you down to their own dark state.
Find friends who inspire you, love you, and value you as a person—but who will also be honest with you and challenge you to grow. Grab a meal with them, catch up with them over coffee, or invite them to an event you’re going to. Even just sending a text to reach out can go a long way!
5. Practice Mindfulness.
Mindfulness is “the intentional, accepting and non-judgmental focus of one’s attention on the emotions, thoughts and sensations occurring in the present moment.”
In other words, it’s all about being present in the moment.
Some things you could do to practice mindfulness:
Read more books. Listen to new music. Try unfamiliar foods. Meditate. Visit places you’ve never been to, start conversations with interesting people, or take a thought-provoking class with a cool professor.
And while you’re doing these things, focus on them. Think deeply about them. Ask yourself what you’ve learned from each experience and how you can apply that in your daily life. You will challenge your brain’s capacity to adapt to different situations, increase awareness of yourself, and better understand the world around you.
6. Live Offline.
In today’s tech-obsessed society, we often find it difficult to tear ourselves away from the lighted screens in our lives. Consider this: almost a quarter of Americans say that they’ve missed out on important life moments in their quest to capture and memorialize them for social media. Also consider that the average American accesses their phone 110 times a day and spends 21 hours a week on social media platforms. That’s huge!
The ubiquity of communications technology in our daily lives not only interferes with our quality of life, but also becomes addicting in a way that’s not necessarily good for us. So the next time you’re with company, turn your phone off. Limit your TV and internet usage. And only use social media when you have a clear purpose—not when you’re bored and looking for something to do.
Most of all, however, make it a habit to pay attention to how you’re spending your time. You’d be amazed at how quickly college flies by. Don’t miss out in real life for the sake of living vicariously through a lighted screen.
7. Last But Not Least…
Stick to it.
What’s most important is to remember that maintaining healthy habits is a lifestyle, not a New Year’s resolution that lasts for a few weeks before fizzling out.
The sooner you start taking care of yourself and living a healthy lifestyle, the better!