College students usually struggle to find a balance between studying, extracurricular activities, and spending time with friends and family, among others. With that said, maintaining a healthy lifestyle is not usually a priority in this balance. However, living a healthier life does not have to be as overwhelming as it seems and can be improved with a few changes to your daily routine.
An essential part of maintaining a healthy lifestyle is being active. A hack that has helped me maintain myself on my feet is limiting the days I wear sandals to the university. This change seems insignificant, but I have found that when I wear tennis shoes or closed shoes instead of sandals or flats, I walk a lot faster and feel like I can walk longer distances in a shorter amount of time. Another small yet significant tip is to take the stairs instead of the elevator when you have the opportunity to do so. Something else you can modify is to time how long it takes for you to walk a certain distance in order to create awareness of your speed and challenge yourself to increase it. For example, if you know that it usually takes you 5 minutes to get to a specific building while walking at a relaxed pace, try to beat your time and shorten it to 4 minutes. The faster you get there, the more your heartbeat accelerates, and the amount of calories you’ll burn will increase. Even though these changes will help you be more active, the most important aspect when it comes to living “healthy” is making smart nutritional decisions.
Your body is your vessel, and just like cars need gasoline to run, we need the correct nutrients in order to keep our body functioning properly. An important tip that will make a positive change is to eat your fruits, don’t drink them. When you drink juices, some of its nutritional value is lost, including fiber, since most of it is found in it’s skin. Also, these juices usually have a ton of sugar, and an excess of sugar leads to blood sugar spikes. With this being said, try to limit yourself to drinking only water and coffee/tea. Another thing to take into consideration is that most people don’t drink the amount of water that they are supposed to according to their body type. You can find out how many daily ounces you’re supposed to drink by using this hydration calculator. If you download the Hydro Coach app, you can also keep track on how many ounces you have ingested and how many you need to go.
Since us college students are usually in a rush, it may be that we may not make the best decisions when it comes to picking our meals. A great way to avoid eating unhealthy meals is by meal prepping. If you’re always in a rush, I encourage you to take two hours out of your weekend to dedicate to meal prepping. It will save you a lot of time and money spent on either cooking or driving to buy food. If you have no other choice but to eat out on certain occasions, choose the healthier option. For example, in UPRM’s own cafeteria, you have the option to choose either the fried chicken or the grilled chicken for the same price.
I hope that some of these tips help you make positive changes that will let you live a healthier lifestyle!