While away from home and caught up in so many activities, it’s easy to forget the importance of your wellbeing. So, here are a few important reminders to make your daily routine a little bit more health conscious:
Eat Breakfast
With crazy schedules and late nights, students often find themselves skipping the most important meal of the day, which will keep them from absorbing material as well in class and having energy, making them feel ravenous for the rest of the day. Keep some yogurt, nuts, and granola bars in your room for a quick and healthy meal on the go to start your day right.
Sneak in Exercise
No time for the gym today? No time for the gym this week? In college, dragging yourself to the elliptical may seem like the last thing you want to do and easiest thing to cut out of your schedule. Take your study breaks by taking a lap around the library, doing a couple sets of push-ups and sit-ups, or going for a walk outside. You’ll refresh your brain, boost your metabolism, and ignite your energy.
Wear Layers
This may seem completely obvious, but if you really look around, the amount of students strolling across campus in freezing temperatures without a hat, gloves, scarf, or even a thick coat is pretty sizable. Just because your mother isn’t here to yell at you to remember to bundle up, doesn’t mean you don’t need to! A few extra warm items will help prevent a terrible cold that could throw off your schedule for weeks.
Cool it on the caffeine
Probably the most abused drug on college campuses, caffeine permeates Northwestern culture, powering students through late nights and early (and really rough) mornings. Without knowing it, you are probably acquiring a caffeine dependency as well as a tolerance, needing increasing amounts to stay equally awake. Try to limit yourself to two cups a day, and rely on more natural forms of rebooting your energy, such as water or exercise.
So yes, college can be crazy and exhausting, but don’t forget to take care of yourself every once in a while!