Maintaining a healthy fitness and diet regime is not an easy task for the average college student. With the external pressures of studying for exams, doing homework, maintaining relationships, and attending extracurricular events, it can become difficult to prioritize health and well being. Here are 5 simple ways to improve your general health at Bucknell this semester:
1. Establish a routine
Try to get in the habit of establishing a daily routine to improve time-management. The best way to better manage your time is to develop daily or weekly schedules. Having a little consistency will ease your stress and motivate you to follow through with your commitments. Start with creating a simple to-do list and adding future events in your calendar.
2. Work out in the morning
Starting your day with a sweat sesh has some serious health benefits over leaving it until the evening. Researchers from Brigham Young University found that individuals who exercise in the morning consume fewer unnecessary calories, burn more fat, and more likely to be active throughout the day. Additionally, individuals that work out in the morning are more likely to make better food choices throughout the day. So kick start that metabolism with a kick ass morning workout.
3. Get 8 hours of sleep
Your brain cannot function to its fullest capacity without a good night’s sleep. Let’s face it: when you are sleep deprived, you are more likely to grab a bagel instead of oatmeal for breakfast. It’s a real phenomenon; individuals that do not get enough sleep are more likely to overeat carbohydrates and engage in impulsive eating. Researchers at Harvard Medical School found among sleep-deprived individuals lower inhibitions in the brain which indicated a tendency to overeat. Additionally, a study found in the American Journal of Critical Nutrition found that when people were sleep deprived, late-night snacking increased. Try to get 8-10 hours of sleep every night; if you can’t hit that quota then try to take a power nap sometime during the day.
4. Eat breakfast
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again — breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Skipping breakfast increases hunger, making people overeat and seek out snacks to compensate missing calories. In other words, neglecting to eat breakfast will make you #hangry and lead to impulsive eating later in the day. Early eating in the day keeps us from starving eating and jump starts the metabolism. Just make sure to eat a nutritious breakfast with some combination of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
5. Drink green tea
Yep, there is some truth to the Kardashians’ flat tummy-tea promotion of green tea on Instagram. Green tea is one of the healthiest drinks in the world, loaded with antioxidants and nutrients to benefit your body. As a source of caffeine, green tea can stimulate your brain and increase fat burning. It also contains antioxidants that may protect against cancer and many studies show that green tea drinkers have a lower risk of developing various types of cancer. It’s also 0 calories and super tasty so go get your green tea on!