It’s easy to say, “I’m young” and not care about eating right, or exercising, or doing anything productive or caring what people think. Heck, I do it all the time. Saying “I’m young, I have time” is my easy way out of things that require too much effort at the moment.
Should I go to the gym or should I watch another episode of Grey’s? I’ll watch Grey’s, I’m fine, I’ll just go to the gym another time. Hey, I’m young, my metabolism is stellar.
Should I have a salad instead of chicken tenders and fries again? Nah, I’ve got plenty of years to eat healthily, I’ll have the fries this time.
These daily choices between healthy and easy are a part of our lives we don’t really care to think about. Maybe we’re uneducated, maybe we’re just ignorant. But whatever it is, we need to start caring… Like, yesterday.
The habits that we begin in college carry over into our adult lives, and as any adult I’m sure will tell you, your college self is probably going to be your fittest, most malleable self. As it very well should be. You have “free” access to a gym, tons of food choices at meals, lots of time to rest as well as be social… There’s no reason for us not to be in our best shape, all of the tools are basically given to us, it can’t get much easier.
But why are we still not taking advantage of all that they give us? We should really, really be caring about our health. We should be happy, up to average health standards (at least) and energized, ready to take on this life.
But we aren’t. We don’t, because salads are boring and bread is delicious and binge drinking beer is more fun than going on a run and you’ll miss something crazy if you go to bed early. Our social lives and our laziness have clouded our judgment in taking care of ourselves, and now is the time to turn it around.
It really can be easy, though. It doesn’t have to be a burden to care about your health. It’s not uncool to be fit and make good choices. Here are three quick, easy things to care about: the health of your mind, body and soul. Really, it’s that simple. Keeping that in your mind everyday will make you feel better overall.
With the health of your mind, keep reading. Keep writing, listening to music, talking about your feelings. Keep challenging yourself and letting go. Relax and be free. You may not notice it, but with an active mind, you will feel happier and more energetic and excited about things. All it takes is one small switch a day- instead of watching TV or a movie, go for a walk outside with a friend and talk. Instead of playing on your phone before bed, read a book. Especially in college life it is easy to get stressed, which can lead to mental breakdowns (drunk or sober) and a plethora of other health conditions. Give yourself a break.
I think the hardest is taking care of your body because even if you think something is good for you, it most likely isn’t. Be careful what you eat and drink. Those things you’re not supposed to do or have (you know which ones are your guilty pleasure), do them in moderation. Actively choose healthy food that energizes you and has nutritious value, it not only helps you survive one day, it is for the long run. What you do to your body now, will affect your future health. Seriously, it will. You can’t wait forever. Go to the gym. It only takes 30 minutes a day. Keep your heart pumping and keep your forehead sweating, keep yourself running to reach your goals and challenging yourself physically. It matters. You look and feel better in every single way. Trust me.
Finally, take care of your soul. Surround yourself with good people and places. Think positive thoughts and love as much as you can. Life is short. Be happy and live fully. Cliches, but it’s all true and you know it.
I believe that once you start caring about your health, a lot of your problems will fade away and you will have unlocked a happy, active, energetic part of you you probably didn’t know you had. Then it will become a (healthy) addiction. Something you are passionate about: yourself.
As much as we want to deny it, college life will end someday and we will be real, working adults (at least, that’s the goal) with lots more problems and lots more to care about. So if we can do one thing for ourselves right now, it’s to care about our health to prevent future weight gain, disease, fatigue and low morale. It’s time to put to rest the “I’m young” excuse for our laziness and be responsible for our own health.
