Now that the highly anticipated feast of the harvest is over and forgotten about, the extra calories consumed still linger. As much as we all enjoy the gluttonous and lethargic behavior that the recent holiday feast encouraged, now it’s back to school and you can almost see the light. Just past the one, giant obstacle: finals.
These dooming, dreaded exams suck up our time, energy, and willpower, and our healthy lifestyles can fly out the window. Research and experience tell you that eating healthy, working out and sticking to a normal sleep schedule always result in more energy—but during finals the extra three hours studying are imperative for your grade. You show up groggy to a 9 am exam, pour out last night’s work on paper, and crawl back into bed afterwards.
But this year is different. With a little rearranging of your schedule, faith in your health, and some HerCampus tips, you will make the most of what your body can do.
1) Mass meals.
Set aside a couple hours on the weekend, and cook a handful of meals at a time. My favorite is to cook 5-6 chicken breasts in the oven, make a potful of brown rice, and steam a head of broccoli all at once. All of this energy- giving, healthy essentials will last about a week in the refrigerator, so when you don’t have time one night to cook, throw a plate of your pre-cooked options in the microwave and eat up during a library break. Cheaper, faster, and healthier than Little John’s!
2) Gym with friends.
Finals are a time when everyone is on his or her own schedule; so it’s easy pre-arrange a time to meet up with your most energetic friends to workout together. Sedative and secluded studying calls for social interaction at one point or another so what better way to spend that than at the gym energizing yourself, instead of the helpless, hourly Facebook check-up.
3) Stick to your normal sleep schedule.
Sleep is imperative to your energy levels, arguably more so than food or exercise. You’re in the home stretch; don’t jeopardize all the hard work you’ve done by procrastinating the last round of studying. Some of us can run fine on four hours, others need eight. Whatever your personal need may be, stick to that, because messing with your internal clock at this time of the school year will only make you more tired.