The start of the school year is similar to a New Year’s resolution; we make goals for ourselves, such as getting good grades or maintaining a productive schedule. While these goals, or resolutions, may be followed in the first few weeks of September, they gradually become inconsistent by the time October rolls around. With midterms coming up and things getting busy, it is inevitable for college students to fall out of their desired routines.Â
While it is okay to not be completely on track all the time, it is still important for us to maintain our school year goals as much as possible, adhering to our schedules and busy days.Â
Here is a realistic set of ways to be the healthiest you for the rest of the school year.
- Avoid Bedtime Procrastination
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I could’ve made this first tip the cliche “get 8 hours of sleep.” But as a college student, that is not always attainable. Sometimes, there are truly not enough hours in the day to attend lectures and clubs, study, eat, and shower. Â
Fortunately, something that is a little more attainable is avoiding bedtime procrastination.Â
Bedtime procrastination is delaying going to bed to make time for things that you didn’t get to do throughout the day, such as watching a show or FaceTiming friends. But most of the time, it’s downtime that is plainly doing nothing.
While sitting with your own thoughts or being on your phone is a nice break, don’t do it when you should be asleep. You will regret it in the morning! It is a bad habit to allow your body to get used to not getting enough sleep. Reserve those late nights when you have a paper due in the morning.Â
Even if it is past bedtime, some people tend to stay up even longer because they feel they have already wasted their time. But remind yourself that if you won’t be sleeping those eight hours, you can still try seven. Don’t fall into the trap of bedtime procrastination; just hit the hay!
- Exercise
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The seven-day-a-week workout routines of Pilates, the gym, and running that we see on Instagram are insane. It is just unrealistic to partake in such hardcore exercise daily. Keep in mind that the people who upload such videos are professional athletes and fitness trainers whose full-time job is to exercise. We, on the other hand, are full-time college students.Â
It is still critical to exercise, but prioritize quality over quantity. Work out “more” on the days that you have time, instead of squeezing in small increments every day. Try going to the gym or for a run on the days that line up with hair wash days. For me, that is normally twice a week. This way, you can dedicate more time during these specific days to exercise, followed by a shower, which we as girls know is a whole other time-consuming activity within itself!
- Walk
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I put walking in its own category because it is different from high-intensity exercise. In this case, walking serves as a quantity over quality. You should be walking quite a lot. In fact, you should want to, especially after attending a long lecture and sitting down for hours with tight muscles.
I instilled long walks in my daily routine because they are truly the greatest physical and mental activity that your body needs before moving on to the next task. When you trap yourself inside to study, you usually end up in a daze or getting distracted several times. Instead, simply standing up to stretch and moving around allows for a more productive study session.   Â
You can also incorporate walking when commuting. Refrain from taking the train or bus if the commute is just a 20-minute walk. A lot of the time, using your own two legs to get you to the destination is quicker than sitting in traffic.
- Eat three meals a day
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I know far too many people who say they only eat once or twice a day, whether it be because they don’t like the dining hall options or because they have limited time. However, our bodies need three meals a day alongside snacks to focus and have energy.Â
The reason why many college students do not eat proper meals is that they do not have the time to do so. Personally, sometimes going to the dining hall is out of the way. Therefore, I always bring a Ziploc bag or Tupperware container with me to pack food so I don’t have to worry about eating later in the day.Â
Treat eating the same way you would treat going to a lecture. Block out 45 minutes, or even 30 minutes, in your calendar to ensure you eat food or package it with you, especially for lunch and dinner.Â
Mornings are usually hectic, but still make sure to grab some toast or a banana to have something in your stomach after waking up. It is better than nothing!
I advise you to follow these tips and pick up where you left off just a month ago to continue being the healthiest you can be in college. You are guaranteed a positive outcome!