I have the worst immune system. I mean THE WORST. Within the first two months of school this year, I had been sick not once, not twice, but FOUR times. It didn’t help that I wasn’t eating well and never felt like going to the gym. I was also terrified of the Freshman 15 and my mental health was suffering. But, I’ve perservered. Here are some tips I have for staying healthy in college!
1. Don’t purchase snacks. If I buy a bag of popcorn, the whole thing will be gone by the end of the night. It seems simple, but if I don’t buy it, I won’t eat it and therefore will not feel guilty after eating it. If you don’t have them, you won’t eat them. It’s simple, but it’s effective.
2. Take advantage of the workout classes at Sumers. They are a great way to work out, especially if you have no idea what you’re doing or are intimidated by all the people who seem like they know what they’re doing. There are classes for everyone to enjoy, and sometimes Sumers has competitions where you can win things as an incentive – definitely something to try!
3. Drink emergen-c on a regular basis and take vitamins. Again, very simple, but very effective. I drink emergen-c at least once a week and take vitamins every day. I’ll admit, I didn’t think it would work, but it has helped tremendously. Now, when I get sick, I only stay sick for a day or two instead of a week, and I get sick far less often.
4. Stop eating junk food. As a chocoholic, this one was really difficult for me…and I’ll admit that I do not stick to this one often. However, if you simply cut out a little of the junk food you eat, it will make you feel much better…and you won’t break out as much. I typically try to get my chocolate fix in smaller portions, like eating a few Hershey’s kisses instead of an entire bag of brownie brittle.
5. Walk instead of taking the circ and the elevator. I live in the Village and have many classes in the art school. Needless to say I used to take the circ often. However, now that I am not taking the circ I climb at least 6 flights of stairs a day and walk at least 3 miles a day. It’s super simple and will make you feel much better.
6. Take time for yourself. Yes, FOMO is real, but take care of yourself! If you don’t feel like you want to go out – don’t! I promise you will not miss much and you’ll feel better after you take care of yourself. I always take a few hours on Sunday to do a facemask and watch netflix to decompress from the week and get ready for the next.
Stay healthy!