As a college student, it can be hard to maintain a healthy lifestyle. With the immense stress that comes from attending to demanding schoolwork, keeping up with a social calendar, and trying to communicate with others off campus about work and other things, prioritizing ourselves seems to fall to the bottom of the list. I’ve been in college for almost half a year and have hardly figured it out, but in the last few months, I have picked up some quick tips that are making me a healthier person.
1.) A stocked fridge
The best thing to keep me eating well is to have a fridge and freezer full of healthy foods that taste amazing. Some of my recent favorites have been blueberries and almond milk, clementines, and microwave edamame. Eating well gets much easier with these snacks around.
2.) Weekly workouts
I found that holding myself to a daily workout schedule did nothing except stress me out, lead me to feel like a failure, and (ultimately) stop me from working out. Switching to a weekly workout helped me to meet an attainable goal and actually made me workout more than I was before.
3.) Variety in workouts
I had religiously been using workout videos since the beginning of the pandemic. While amazing, sometimes watching a perfectly-toned workout goddess demonstrate can be a little demoralizing. Since then, I have taken to Pinterest and other places to find circuit workouts I can do. You get to work at your own pace and listen to the music that hypes you up: a great balance.
4.) Take a class for yourself
As a young college student, it can feel like you’re drowning in distribution requirements and never get a moment to do any of the things you truly enjoy. This semester, I chose to take a dance class for fun; it’s been one of the best decisions I’ve made at school WashU. Twice a week, I get to dance with my friends (none of us are particularly good) and goof around. Take it pass-fail, and give something a try.
5.) Walk around
With the weather getting nicer, the best thing for me is just to be outdoors and moving around. I love going on an afternoon walk/run and exploring campus; it also offers a welcome break from the monotony of studying in my room all night. While these tips are great to hear, it’s also important to remember why eating healthy, working out, etc. are choices we make. In such a socially heated environment, it can be easy to start doing something for the sake of others seeing us do it. As a person, I have found that it is best to recenter and make sure that every decision that I make in this vein is for myself, not for the likes of others.