Now that it's time for school to start back, bad habits easily fall back into their old routines. We don’t have as much time to go for a run, or work out. We will lose a lot of sleep. Our healthy eating habits are going to decline. And of course, we are going to become stressed. There are many things you can do to save yourself from being unhealthy and stressed out. Just because you might not have time to make a healthy meal every day, doesn’t mean you still cant eat right. Although there will be long days and nights of studying, doesn’t mean you have to skip your 30 minutes of cardio. Here are some tips on how to stay healthy and stress-free.
1. Meal-Prep Healthy Meals.
Once or twice a week, cook food in bulk. Make two or three different types of meals then put them in plastic containers to keep in the fridge. If you can spend two or three hours every Sunday to cook food for the whole week, it will save you a lot of time during the week. You won't have to worry about cooking and what to eat for dinner. If you have long days at campus, bring your lunch. If you have a healthy lunch with you, you won't be so drawn to grabbing a cheeseburger before class. Also, bring healthy snacks such as granola, nuts, cheese sticks and fruit. If you can eat snacks throughout the day and keep yourself from starving you wont crave bad food and you wont binge-eat.
2. Don’t Stress-Eat
This is a big one that everyone should stay away from. It is more of a habit than a want, to get junk food for late-night study sessions. Most of the time, we aren’t even hungry. We just like having something there to snack on whenever we get tired of studying. This is where you will easily gain weight. Stop putting in eight packets of sugar in your coffee (me) and stop eating a family-sized bag of Doritos in one sitting, (also me). Hate to say it, but don’t snack during study sessions unless you absolutely need food and it is healthy.
3. Find At Least 30 Minutes To Exercise.
Most people would rather eat or sleep whenever they get stressed. But working out is an awesome way to relieve some stress. Not only will it clear your mind, it will help you stay healthy. If you allot half an hour to go for a run or even just go on a walk, it will increase your energy and help clear your mind. I have found that the more I sweat and the harder I work out, the clearer my mind becomes and the less I worry. Regardless, if that works for everyone, it is worth a shot. What is there to lose?
4. Don’t Dedicate Your Whole Life To School
As much as this sounds like a bad influence, it is true. Do not only think about school. Remember you are in college, and as hard as it is to believe; this is most free time you will ever have in your life. Whenever you get a job, you may not get a weekend off--you may not be done with your whole day by 1 p.m. You have to go still have fun and enjoy yourself. If you only focus on school and grades you will get burnt out very quick. Make plans to do something fun and school-free at least once a week. You have to get your mind off the books for a few hours at least for one day.
5. Relationships
This is probably the most important factor to staying healthy. You have to have a healthy body, of course, but also a healthy mind. Make sure you have very close friends you can lean on when things get tough. Sometimes, being in college can be so stressful and you can tend to feel very alone. Everyone needs a friend or someone to talk to, to keep their mind clear and someone to vent to. It is so important to have healthy relationships with other people. In college you will meet and interact with a huge group of diverse people. It is important to learn how to talk to people you haven’t met and learn how to create relationships and bonds. Most importantly, it is the time to find the relationships you will have forever. Whether it is with a significant other or close friends, one should always have a few strong, healthy relationships.
