As I was sitting down to write about what it means to be healthy, I realized that I really didn’t have it all figured out like I thought I did. To preach to you guys what it means to be healthy would just be pretentious and dishonest of me. However, what I can say is that I make an effort to be healthy every day, but sometimes, that effort just doesn’t seem like enough. Life just seems to get in the way and sometimes it feels as if I’m drowning in a pool of responsibilities that leaves little to no time to be as healthy as I want to be. I am here to tell you that it’s okay to feel this way. As long as you are conscious about your health, there is no reason to voluntarily put yourself down if you feel like your efforts at being healthy aren’t making any difference at all. Every little effort you make is making a difference even if you do not see external results right away. Everything takes time and being patient is key.
One of the most influential parts of being healthy, especially in college, has manifested in my newfound passion for cooking food. As a freshman last year, living in a dorm made it next to impossible to create healthy foods for myself as the cafeteria was really the only option for everyday food. However, having a kitchen this year in my apartment has opened up this whole new realm of food and nutrition that I didn’t even know existed. It has helped me become more aware of calories, fat content, nutritional value, and fueling my body with foods that will make me feel healthy in my own skin. But let's be honest -- when do we really find ourselves adhering to a strict nutritional diet every day of our lives? Maybe a few times out of the week we find ourselves opening the freezer door and taking out that Ben and Jerry’s at 1 a.m. and that’s okay.
“I just don’t have time to exercise” is an excuse I constantly hear from others around me. While this is a viable reason, especially when taking into consideration the hectic demands of college life, there are always ways to slip in an unexpected work out. In addition to trying to go to the gym five days a week, I’ve recently started walking to school. While I’m only a seven minute drive away, those seven minutes can take up to 45 minutes while walking. Most of my friends think I’m crazy for opting out of taking the bus and involving myself in more walking than I have to, but I find it mentally liberating. Being in class all day can be rough. There’s barely any access to sun and I find myself constantly restless with the endless inactivity. Just adding in this extra 45 minutes of walking really makes a difference toward my mental wellbeing. It allows me a certain amount of time where I’m alone with my thoughts and can mentally prepare for the day ahead of me. However, some days I wake up an hour before class with a disgruntled attitude and no motivation to walk to class. Some days, I can’t muster up the energy to sweat it out over dumbbells and I’ve come to realize that it’s totally okay.
Because, let’s face it. Being completely healthy in college is next to impossible. As much as you love the idea of meal-prepping all your lunches for the week or waking up at five a.m. to hit the gym before everyone else does, sometimes you need to take a break and realize that the acceptance of not being the picture of perfect health is actually a sign that your mind is healthy. Once we become obsessive over health, maintaining a healthy lifestyle starts to become something we dread more and more because of all these expectations and restrictions we’ve created for ourselves. It’s all about balance. Pack a snack of hummus and carrots instead of buying that bag of chips. But at night, when you’re out to dinner celebrating your friend’s birthday, don’t feel guilty about indulging in a piece of cake. When you only have one hour in between class and you’re mentally exhausted, but you just have to get that gym session in, take a step back and realize your priorities. Skipping leg day once that week is not going to mean all your hard work will be destroyed. It just means you will have one extra hour to either take a nap, recharge, or just have some quality ‘me-time’. Life is stressful as it is. Allow yourself to not be perfect all the time, and accept the fact that it’s totally okay! We’re all trying to figure out that healthy balance, and giving yourself some breathing room is definitely essential especially in the hustle and bustle of everyday college life.
