There are many ways to stay healthy. Here are a few tips on how to have a healthier lifestyle as a student.
Pursuing good grades, extracurricular commitments and maintaining an active social life can make it difficult for students to keep up on their personal health and wellness, that is until a pesky illness latches on and stops you right in your tracks.
There are many ways to stay healthy, and mainly it requires changes to the stereotypical student lifestyle of pot noodles and no sleep. Here are a few tips on how to have a healthier lifestyle as a student:
Turn Up The Beet With A Garden Party
That’s right, it’s time to put away the microwave meals. Even though they may seem cheap, they have a serious lack of nutrients, which are essential for all aspects in life (including maintaining a solid fist pumping form at SU event nights!).
Vegetables such as broccoli, spinach, cabbage and leafy greens are easy to prepare, readily available and super cheap! It is also recommended to look out for vegetables with bold colours such as tomatoes, avocado and kale as they contain high levels of phytonutrients, helping to keep disease afar and leave you feeling refreshed.
Not a fan of vegetables? Do not fear! Fruits such as blueberries, grapes, apples (with skin) and oranges are also high in phytonutrients, making it a fantastic alternative snack to super noodles.
Don’t Resist Rest, Take A Snooze
Sleep is incredibly important as it helps to maintain a healthy mind. It is understandable that a majority of students may have an irregular sleeping pattern, whether it’s due to staying out all night or requiring to do an emergency all-nighter study session.
Improving quality of sleep can make a world of a difference even if you haven’t been able to sleep that long. You can do this by using black out blinds to prevent light entering the room, turning off all electricals to reduce noise and light or having a small bed time snack which help to shift your body into sleep mode: chamomile tea, milk or oatmeal.
Avoid A Wine About Hangovers
Indulging in the student life also means a lot of partying, however you can still have a great time without consuming masses of calories by binging out on beer (which contains 154 calories a can by the way).
You can miss out on the hangovers, which can disrupt your studying and daily routine. Drink water in between alcoholic drinks when you are out in order to keep yourself hydrated and to prevent the chances of hangovers the next day.
In addition, there is a common misconception that tonic water is the same as carbonated water, however it actually contains a lot of calories and sugar. For a healthier alternative, use carbonated water with a squeeze of either lemon or lime as a mixer to give your drink a healthy and sugar free boost.
Start Your Day With A Snap Crackle And Pop
Often described as the most important meal of the day, having breakfast every day raises your concentration levels which can improve your grades in the long run and allows you to have higher energy reserves for the forthcoming day.
If you regularly miss breakfast and find yourself feeling groggy and bogged down in your morning lectures, it is probably due to the lack of energy and lack of food in your stomach! Have a healthy breakfast to avoid this. Whole wheat cereals, porridge oats, avocado toast with egg are amongst the most nutritious food you can eat in the morning.
Run Forest Run!
As obvious as it sounds, regular exercise is an essential part to healthy living. It provides benefits that overlap with other areas of living a healthy life. Excercise helps you to have a better-quality of sleep, manage your stress levels, encourages social interaction, and helps to establish a routine. You don’t need to sign up to an expensive gym membership to exercise, simply going for a morning jog will leave you feeling refreshed and energised.
Under Pressure
University students are constantly bombarded with the stresses of life such as deadlines and school work, it is no surprise then, that they are labelled as a high-risk group for depression. Part of living a healthier life is looking after your mental health and keep yourself happy.
Ensure that you have ways to alleviate stress by giving yourself time to relax with hobbies, whether you like to paint or write music, liberating yourself from tension allows you to have a more focused perspective in life.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help if you find yourself in a crisis, the Students’ Union has a variety of helpful resources you can utilise such as the Advice Centre.
If you feel like you are struggling to find people to hang out with, getting involved with clubs and societies allows you to meet various new people with similar interests to you and experience your hobbies in a social environment.
Lastly, the most important tip to healthy living as a student, is to assert yourself. Don’t let anyone else make health and wellness decisions for you that you are not comfortable with.