Now, I’m no health guru. In fact, I’m pretty much always on the lookout for more ways to be healthier and more productive. In this eternal search, I’ve read a lot of articles, watched a lot of videos, and spent a truly ungodly amount of time scrolling on Tumblr.
Unfortunately, pretty much every source has something different to say, and many of them contradict themselves. Does BMI matter? Should you exercise in the morning or at night? What foods are secretly terrible for you?
A lot of these are pretty big questions, and they all have conflicting answers, and likely conflicting interests behinds those opinions. So, I decided to stay away from the big and the obvious, and stick to some of the smaller commonalities I have seen in a lot of these sources. And, luckily for you, I weeded through and put them together so that you don’t have to!
So, here are a five small health tips that I think we can pretty much all agree are steps in the right direction.
1. Drink Enough Water
There are a lot of opinions of just how much water you should drink, and whether it should be tailored to your height, weight, and all those other details. But one thing that the health science community as a whole largely agrees on is that people rarely drink enough water.
So, starting off with the classic eight servings of eight ounces could be a great place to start. After that, just listen to your body; it usually knows what it needs. Depending on your specific body chemistry, as well as the demands you put on your body during your average day, your water needs can be very different than everyone else’s. So, if you feel thirsty, drink more. Get used to listening to your body and adjust your water intake accordingly.
2. Have a Regular Sleep Schedule
I know as a college student, this one kind of sucks. I’m definitely the kind of person who usually doesn’t feel alive until 9 o’clock at the earliest. But this is one tip that even I can’t ignore the benefits of. Setting a regular bedtime and wake up time is so good not just for your overall rest time and quality of rest, it’s also great for regulating your whole day. It’s so much easier to figure out the best times to eat, clean, study, and relax if you have firm sleep times to bracket everything.
3. Spend More Time with People
Okay, since I’m also an introvert, so I absolutely get the need for alone time. But even as the kind of person who most enjoys hanging out with me, myself, and I, spending time with people you like is a great way to feel better mentally, emotionally and therefore, physically. Staying caught up in your own head is one of the best ways to not move forward with all the little things life requires. It’s good to get out of your head and focus on someone else. Friends, if they’re the right kind of friends anyway, can also be great examples or support for making healthier choices.
4. Spend More Time Outside
The last point leads a bit into this one. Getting out of your head often requires getting out of your usual places. Now, this isn’t my favorite tip since I personally love spending time in my dorm. I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve lost count of how many meetings with friends and acquaintances that I begged out of last minute because just staying in my dorm felt so much better.
But, I’ll also be the first to admit that when my friends finally do root me out of my hidey-hole, I almost immediately feel better. So step out, spend time in nature. Breathing in fresh air and taking a walk can usually make a crappy day look up a bit. But even if you aren’t the type to pick up an outdoor hobby or activity of any kind, you can still enjoy the benefits of the outdoors with the simple tools of a blanket, a convenient patch of grass, and a good book.
5. Reward Yourself for Reaching Small Goals
The final tip is to prepare little rewards for yourself. And I’m not talking about buying those shoes you’ve been wanting when you finally pass your math class. I’m talking small things you can do on a daily basis without breaking the bank. Maybe reward yourself for eating Brussel sprouts with an episode of your favorite show. Have a hot cup of tea waiting after finishing your school reading for the day. The key is to find ways to reward yourself that make you healthier mentally and emotionally as well as physically. So maybe don’t pull out the Ben & Jerry’s as a reward. Well, not always anyway.