This week, I moved into Baylor University (AKA the school of my dreams). After four short hours of setting my room up, my family and I went to lunch followed by a trip to Heritage Creamery (A1, by the way), and then said our goodbyes.
The day continued as normal, but not for long). I got to go to a gathering at Magnolia just for the people in my building (S/O to Heritage House). However as time passed, I began to physically feel a little off. I figured I was simply dehydrated, since I had hardly drank any water that day. At the end of the gathering, we all went back to the dorm, and I began to feel worse. I was nauseous, achy, and definitely had a fever. (Of course this happened to me once my parents were back home). That first night alone was a sleepless one--I wasn’t even able to hold water down. This weekend was supposed to be meant for meeting new people, hanging out with my roommates, and just enjoying the college life before classes actually started. But instead, I wound up having to get two liters of fluid pumped into my body. All I could think the entire weekend was, “I’ve gotta get better before classes start.”
This recent catastrophe has inspired me to make a short list of how to keep yourself healthy...without Mom and Dad.
1. Take Vitamins
You can do this through Vitamin C (either through actual orange juice, or tablets--I take the NatreMade ones; they taste just like orange juice). Elderberry vitamins are actually really great for you as well, and they taste good!
2. Get Adequate Sleep
I get it, we’re in college now. Our lives are our own and we can do what we want. However, if you’re going out every night and staying up until the early hours of the morning with your new friends, you’re not going to feel very good after. Even if you’re staying in the library and studying until 2 a.m., it’s not good for you. The average adult needs at least seven to eight hours of sleep per night in order to wake up rested and ready to take on the day. If your average hours are closer to the three to five range, you are going to hate yourself in the morning.
3. Drink Enough Water
“Hydrate or Die-drate.” “Hydrate to Dominate.” “Clear pee is happy pee.” Hopefully you have heard at least one of these phrases. While they may bring a few laughs, they’re all so true. Water is one of the best things you can give to your body. It needs water to function properly. You should drink six to eight, eight-ounce glasses of water a day. So next time you’re in line for one of the many sodas the dining facilities offer, rethink and tell your body you love it, and go get some water (Penland’s got some awesome fruit-infused water right across from the soda machines). Thanks, Penland.
4. Fill Your Stomach With Healthy Food
Re-read that phrase. There's a difference between "good food" and "healthy food". All the college-kid trash that we love to indulge in may taste great in the moment, but will end up harming us later on (and freshman, you wanna avoid that freshman 15, don’t you?). A couple of examples are fresh fruits and vegetables, chicken, whole-grain foods, and yogurt. Your body will thank you for saving it from preservatives and lots of sugar.
Right now I’m sick. I would give anything to not be sick on the first weekend that I’m living on my own. In order to keep this from happening again. you can bet that I will be following my own advice, and looking up the advice of others. Being bedridden in college is not something you want to deal with.
Trust me.
