Everyone wants to stay healthy and fit. It is especially important for young university students, who need a lot of strength and vitality to catch up with all the activities academic and social life offers them. However, it is not an easy task considering all their obligations with catching up with the deadlines, sitting up for their exams, writing Pro-Papers, conducting experiments and research, and completing a whole lot of other assignments. Now that they have stepped into their independent stage of life when parents are not there anymore to take care of their meals and doctor appointments, it is up to them to take charge of their own health and wellbeing.
In addition to a myriad of responsibilities and obligations, university life is also full of temptations, especially for the students who have only started their independent life and are ready to try everything being away from home. As a result, they end up acquiring harmful habits of spending sleepless nights, leading a sedentary lifestyle, overindulging in junk food and coffee on the go, and even harmful substances abuse. All of these lead to excess weight, obesity, problems with blood circulation, joints, heart, and other organs, indigestion, and consequently, stress, burnout, fatigue, cognitive impairments, and serious psychological disorders. Only the conscious realization of the link between all these issues can force a student to take decisive actions in regulating their own life and preventing negative consequences.
Luckily, some minor modifications of the lifestyle can instill healthy habits that will help you to stay away from various physical and mental illnesses and disorders. Our useful tips will help you to get started.
Get Enough of Sleep
Numerous home assignments, constant tests, and demanding professors make it impossible to go to bed early and get the needed eight hours of sleep. On the other hand, it is next to impossible to reject the invitation to parties that keep you up all night every Friday and Saturday. However, sufficient night sleep is a must for staying healthy physically and mentally.
Lack of rest slows down all the processes in your body, reducing the levels of energy, which causes declined cognitive abilities and consequently, leads to irritability, anxiety, depression, and other mental disorders. While you are sleeping, your body recovers and your brain recharges. As a result, metabolism gets normalized, memory improves, and mental clarity enhances. Naturally, such a refreshed state makes you more productive in your studies. Thus, it is very important to get your most required 7-9 hours of sleep per day instead of studying all night.
It is good to establish a regular sleeping schedule and make a habit of going to bed and waking up at the same time every day. It may seem hard at first, but when you get used to it, you will understand how beneficial such a pattern is to your productivity. Having received your full rest, you will be ready to finish all the work in the morning, before the classes.
If some pressing tasks still prevented you from going to bed before midnight, take a nap in the afternoon. Of course, it will not compensate for the lost 4 hours of healthy night sleep. Nevertheless, even a 15-minute nap during the day can be beneficial for your body and restore a good portion of your energy levels.
If you are still not sure if full night sleep is really needed, consider the fact that sleep deprivation has been scientifically proven to have a direct link to appetite increase. You do not want to gain a couple of extra pounds, do you?
Watch Your Diet
Generally, a proper diet is not only about maintaining an appropriate weight. It also concerns all the nutrients and vitamins necessary for your body and mind to function adequately. Skipped breakfast, coffee, and high-calorie snacks on the go, pizza delivered in the middle of the night, and nights out with friends in fast food restaurants are common eating preferences of university students. But if you want to stay healthy, you need to make everything on this list a taboo.
Never skip breakfast. It is the most important meal of the day that provides you with energy for the rest of the day, or at least until it is the time for lunch. Even if you are late for classes, make sure that you can have an energy bar, a banana, or a handful of nuts while you are getting there. Generally, healthy snacks must always be around so that you could have your dose of nourishment even when you are away from home.
By the by, make a habit of going to the grocery store once a week to stock your room with healthy products. Avoid foods high in calories, fats, and sugars, opting for the ones rich in carbs, proteins, vitamins, and other nutrients. You must always have granola, yogurt, eggs, fresh fruits and vegetables, wholegrain pasta, cereals, and nuts around. Check any dietary blog to know how to shop smart.
Eat regularly and do not skip meals. Having a substantial breakfast and a big portion for dinner is not the best option for your stomach. Generally, it is advisable to eat small-size servings but more frequently, about 5 times a day. So, make your meals regularly and do not skip them.
And please, do not eat when stressed, bored, or worried, while studying or watching TV, or just for company. Mindless eating when you are not really hungry will only add you a couple of extra pounds.
Drink Properly
A glass of beer or a cocktail in a company of friends once a week is good. However, do not overindulge in alcohol, which has a myriad of harmful effects even if you are not dependent. To start with, hangovers will not help you excel in your studies. On the contrary, you get slowed down cognitive functions and impaired abilities to perform a lot of actions. At the same time, alcohol does not have any nutritional value, contains high levels of calories, and decreases the organism’s ability to absorb nutrients and burn fat, which again brings you closer to excessive weight. It does not mean that you should bury your social life and quit drinking altogether; just keep it moderate.
Instead, drink a lot of water to keep hydrated during the day. This substance possesses truly magic properties and nourishes the body with all the necessary elements. It has a positive influence on your skin, complexion, nails, hair, joints, muscles, liver, and stomach. Water flushes your system, enhances energy levels, and improves sleep. A glass of water before every meal will also help to control your appetite and consequently, weight.
Be Physically Active
Regular exercise is one of the most important habits to develop if you want to stay fit and healthy. The sedentary lifestyle of a university student is detrimental to muscles, joints, blood circulation, and brain functioning. As a result, you gain extra weight, obtain numerous physical ailments, and get mental and cognitive impairments. To compensate for long hours of sitting at the lectures, in the library, and at home writing your countless essays, you need to devote several hours a day to physical exercises. Go to the gym regularly or join a sports team. If you are not much of a sportsperson or have some personal reasons for disliking gyms, you may indulge in a simple workout routine at home while watching an educational vlog or listening to a scientific podcast. Refrain from driving a car and using public transport. Instead, walk or cycle to classes or on other errands. Generally, try to move as much as you can. Your body and your mind will be grateful for your activeness.
Enjoy Your Life
Staying healthy means not only the absence of pain and full-fledged body functioning. Mental wellbeing is similarly important. Overwork and stress typical for many university students may cause a lot of serious psychological disorders. To avoid detrimental effects, you need to relax, destress, and recharge at least once in a while. Therefore, amidst all the responsibilities and obligations you have in the university, do not forget to have fun.
Devote sufficient time to your hobbies. Doing what you like to do and what brings you pleasure and satisfaction will give you positive emotions and let your mind have rest from the challenges of studying.
Spend time with family and friends. Socializing with people you like can fill you with positive emotions and new energy. Besides, it is a good opportunity to speak out whenever you feel overwhelmed.
Learn something new. Take an art class, visit a local museum, or go to a neighboring city at least once a month. Meet new people and make new friends. The flow of new ideas and thoughts is a perfect way to recharge and revitalize not to get stuck in everyday routine.
Take pleasure in whatever you do. Try to find the positive side in anything you are up to, even the most boring and challenging research paper you were assigned to write in a day. But do not sink too deep into all the university obligations. Just do not forget to have fun.
Keep Healthy!
However, in the middle of all the fun you get from life, do not forget about healthy habits of sufficient sleep, proper diet, drinking water, and keeping physically active. In addition to it all, listen to your body and never neglect it when it starts asking for help. Make medical tests, appointments with a physician and dentist to check a habitual routine every year. Go to see a doctor in case of the slightest sign of malady. Remember, that your health is in your own hands.
