The day-to-day demands of college life can be a bit hectic; students have to squeeze in studying, classwork, homework, and meetings into their schedule and at the same time, find time to maintain a social life. As such, it is common for many students to forget about their health.
Staying healthy tips for college students
1. Eat a balanced diet
Eating right is essential if you wish to stay healthy. It enables you to maintain a healthy weight, boost your immunity and improve your overall wellbeing. A balanced diet might seem impossible for many students owing to their limited budgets. In addition, most students prefer eating in cafeterias and fast food restaurants, thus limiting their choices of meals to the menu options being offered. However, it is possible to make adjustments to ensure that your diet is healthy. For instance, you should ensure that you always take your breakfast. Also, you should ensure that you do not skip meals at whatever cost, regardless of how busy your schedule might be. Finally, ensure that you include plenty of fruits and vegetables in your diet; these are a healthy alternative for your late-night cravings.
2. Avoid sugary drinks and caffeine
Caffeine is a student’s best friend, especially when they need to do some late-night studying. However, taking coffee, tea, energy drinks, soda, or other caffeinated drinks might prove harmful in the long run. The drinks contain a mix of sugar and caffeine which can give you energy in the short-term, but end up crashing after some time. Therefore, you should avoid these drinks and instead substitute with high-fibre and high-protein foods.
3. Exercise regularly
routine exercising is an absolute requirement for living a healthy lifestyle. Exercising improves blood circulation and other body processes. Exercising doesn’t necessarily mean going to the gym or scheduling workout sessions every so often. You could simply engage in simple activities such as walking to class, jogging, or taking up physical fitness classes. You could also participate in sports as this enables to not only exercise, but also have fun.
4. Get enough rest
Getting enough sleep or rest might seem untenable for many students. A tight study schedule might force you to pull all-nighters on most weekdays, especially when exams are just around the corner. On the other hand, you may feel the need to stay up late partying during the weekends. If this becomes a habit, sleep deprivation might set in and lead to a series of health issues ranging from weight gain or loss, headaches, fatigue, and reduced brain function. For this reason, you must ensure that you get at least eight hours of sleep every day. Avoid drinking or eating before bedtime. In addition, you should try to rest by taking a short nap during the day.
5. Stay hydrated
Drinking plenty of water helps to replenish your body and keep you energetic through the day. In addition, water keeps you from overeating and boost your concentration.
6. Get immunized
Immunization is a great way of preventing some of the common infectious ailments such as the flu. Many colleges offer screening services as well as shots for some of these diseases for free or at a subsidized cost – you should take advantage of any such services. If your college doesn’t provide for this, you should still try to get your shots no matter how expensive it might seem – it is much cheaper in the long run.
7. Get medical insurance
Medical insurance could be either a private or through a statutory social security scheme. With your Ehic card, you can access medical treatment at a reduced cost or free of charge in respective member states.
