This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Clemson chapter.
- Make meatless Monday a thing! Just one day per week without meat may reduce your risk of cancer, heart disease, diabetes and obesity. Health benefits aside, it can also decrease your weekly budget, minimize water usage, reduce greenhouse gases and overall fuel dependence.
- 2/30 Rule. For every two hours you spend watching TV, do 30 minutes of exercise. This goes to show just how small of a time commitment exercise and getting in shape can be.
- When you wake up, drink a glass of warm water with lemon and cayenne pepper. The lemons and cayenne pepper act as immune boosters and have detoxification properties. The lemon juice itself aids with digestion and destroys bacteria. The pepper increases your metabolism and helps regulate blood sugar, to list a couple of the benefits. Overall, the drink is a winner!
- Don’t skip yearly doctors’ appointments. Even if you feel fine, it’s important to make time for them. Some health complications have zero symptoms that are visible to the human eye, so it’s better to be safe than sorry.
- Use SPF everyday. Although the sun is good for your daily dose of Vitamin D, it’s important to block out the harmful UV rays. Not only does SPF minimize sunburn, it lowers the risk of skin cancer, prevents premature aging and enhances the overall health of your skin. So even when it is snowing outside, rub on some sunscreen! Your skin will thank you.
- Make your home a place you want to be. Going home after a long day to a clean, comfortable, cozy atmosphere is very beneficial to our mental health. It also gives us something to look forward to when the stresses of a day in the life of a college student are at an all time high.
- Use YouTube for free exercise videos. If you don’t have access to a free gym, or just don’t have time to go, YouTube is a great alternative. It’s free, fun and quick.
- Avoid tanning beds. Besides the obvious risk of skin cancer, it’s possible to get sunburn in a tanning bed, as well as an increased risk of developing cataracts and corneal burns in your eyes.
- SLEEP! Sleeping is the brain’s way of recharging so that our minds are ready to tackle the next day. If you’ve skimped on your sleep at one point or another, you probably noticed that it caused you to zone out as well as have mood swings throughout the day. On a more serious note, sleep plays a crucial role in tissue repair, immune function and growth.
- Complete regular mental health checkups. This can help detect warning signs of ailments, such as depression and anxiety, in order to treat them before they get too serious.
- Always wear your seatbelt. This one is pretty self-explanatory.
- Floss everyday. Brushing cleans the surface of your teeth, however, flossing cleans the gaps (where most bacteria hide). Without flossing, you’re much more likely to have plaque build-up, which can lead to cavities, tooth decay and gum disease.
- For every 20 minutes you look at a computer screen, look away for 20 seconds. As college students, we spend countless hours each day on our computers. Although this technology makes our lives easier in a lot of ways, it really hurts our eyes. So just 20 seconds staring at something without a screen can make a huge difference.
