You might not want to add another responsibility to your already hectic lifestyle. But sometimes preserving your mental and physical health is more important than any college assignment. No matter how many hours we have left in the day, it’s important that we set aside even a few minutes to build a healthier routine.
1. Eat breakfast.
How can a crucial part of the day also be something that almost all of us skip? It’s easy to forget about the most important meal of the day while you’re running out of the house. Breakfast helps to boost your metabolism and gives you the proper energy and nutrition you’ll need to focus on the day. If we skip breakfast, we’re most likely to feel exhausted, less focused and have more cravings. Starting your day with a healthy breakfast is essential, even if it’s a nutritious breakfast bar to sustain you until lunchtime.
2. Walk anywhere and everywhere.
New York City has many methods of transportation that it’s easy to opt for the fastest and most convenient way. Walking is only really considered an option when the destination is a block or two away and the weather is absolutely perfect. With the beautiful and sunny spring days slowly approaching, this is the perfect time to make walking an enjoyable habit and less of a nightmare.
Try and get more steps into your day, even if it’s just walking to the coffee shop instead of ordering Postmates or walking ten blocks instead of riding the subway for one stop. Walking is a great way to burn a few extra calories and get out of the sedentary lifestyle.
3. Meditate.
After a stressful day of classes and work, most of us just want to lay in bed and forget about everything. But, before we get comfortable in our beds we should set aside at least 10 full minutes to peacefully meditate and reflect. Find a relaxing spot, play a meditation playlist, turn off the lights, inhale, exhale and imagine your worries floating far, far away.
4. Sleep.
Although it may not be easy to close our textbooks the night before an exam, losing sleep over it won’t help us in the long run. It’s typical for college students to pull endless all-nighters and with that comes some unfortunate drawbacks. We’re most likely to fall asleep during class. We can’t focus and our bodies feel completely weak. According to the National Institutes of Health, adults receive on average seven hours of sleep. But even if we can’t strive for seven to nine hours of sleep, close the books and get some rest.
5. Drink water.
We all like celebrating on Friday nights for surviving another stressful week. Of course, we’re going to treat ourselves with a few drinks but one of those drinks should be a glass of water. Water helps to regulate the body's functions, flushes out bacteria and toxins, and keeps our skin glowing. A fair game to play is to get a drink of water after every drink you order at the bar.
These five health tips aren’t even that scary! Although it may take some time to incorporate them into our daily routines, it is incredibly important to treat our bodies like temples. The more good things we put in, the more good things will come out.
