Heading back to college each fall means lots of exciting changes – new classes, a new dorm room, new roommates, and maybe even a new you! The best part of the start of a new year is that you have a clean slate, so you can make those changes to improve your health that you never got around to last year. Living healthier may be easier said than done, but with these tips on how to successfully stay fit, eat well, get inspired, and even relax, maintaining a healthy lifestyle will be (almost) as easy as 1-2-3(-4). So this year, don’t just make resolutions and forget about them one week later—stick to them and get the results you want!
1. Create a Workout Plan
Each year, I decide that I am going to work out more frequently, and each year I end up becoming so busy that I forget about my resolution as quickly as I made it! So what’s a girl to do with a busy schedule and an aversion to the treadmill keeping her away from the gym?
Schedule It
Whip out your trusty planner on Sunday night and look at your schedule for the week. Do you have a two-hour break between classes on Wednesdays? Or a class-free afternoon on Mondays? Find pockets of time and then pencil (or pen!) in a workout. Instead of sitting in the library for two hours between classes, bring your running shoes and workout clothes in your backpack and head to the gym to kill the time. Treat your scheduled workouts like an important appointment. Planning to work out at a certain time each day will help you to keep yourself accountable and help you stay fit!
Find a Workout Buddy
Let’s face it – getting yourself to go to the gym is often the hardest part of your workout. But if you plan to work out with a friend at a certain time each week, you’ll have someone to convince you to hop off the couch even if you’re feeling lazy.
Nicole Gartside from NYU swears that her workout buddies keep her active. “I love having a workout buddy because then there is someone to hold me accountable,” she says. “Oftentimes when I make plans to go to the gym on my own, I’ll blow it off or if I do go, I mess around on the machines for a little while. When you have someone to push you and to ensure you keep your plans, it’s much easier to get to the gym and actually work out.”
Get Out of the Gym
If you’re not a gym lover, it can be hard to leave your dorm room even when you’ve scheduled a workout. Harper Yi from The College of William and Mary admits that she is prone to eating her feelings and hates the treadmill. However, she’s found ways to stay active and healthy that don’t include heading to the gym.
“Find things that you enjoy!” she says. “Lots of ways to exercise don’t involve the gym at all. It could be walking across campus to see your friends a few times a week, or biking to the store instead of taking the bus, or playing frisbee for a half an hour. Working out doesn’t have to just be going to the gym.”
There are many ways to stay fit and active without spending time indoors at the gym, so try a few before you give up on staying fit altogether. Rachel Rondeau from UNC Chapel Hill recommends making a list of easy ways to add a workout to your normal, every day routine.
“I really hope to stay in shape this year,” she says. “One of my smaller health resolutions is to take the stairs as much as possible. I’ll be on the fifth floor of my dorm, so hopefully it’ll add up!”
2. Eat Healthier
Each year, I also resolve to eat healthier while I’m at school, a goal that seems to be nearly impossible once I actually get back to campus and am surrounded by heaping portions in the dining hall and greasy late-night fast food.
But this year, the following small changes will make that goal easier—and can help you keep the pounds off while also becoming a master chef!
Find a Healthy Eating Buddy
Just like working out, eating healthy is much easier when you have someone else to keep you accountable. Plus, you often mimic the eating habits of the person you eat your meals with, so deciding to eat healthy with a friend could help you make some serious changes in your diet! Schedule at least a few meals per week with your healthy eating bud to keep each other accountable.
Harper also suggests keeping yourself accountable by keeping a food diary or blog to document your health and fitness goals.
“I think a lot of people do one of those ‘just this once’ splurges and slip-ups, which are fine, until you realize you have those three times a day,” she says. “Some people write down everything they eat, just so that they can look back and see how their diet has improved, and take that extra second to think ‘is this something I’m going to be okay with writing down in my food diary?’ Some people like having a more public form of accountability and document their health and fitness goals on a blog. Others still decide to blog every meal they eat, as a way of challenging them to try new things, while staying away from unattractive, greasy, fatty foods – whatever works for you!”
Get Cookin’
Eating out at restaurants, in the cafeteria, or at fast food joints leaves you little control over what products you’re ingesting. Cooking your own food, however, is a great way to change your diet because you are able to control both the ingredients and the portion sizes of your meal. Even if you only start with cooking one or two meals per week for yourself, you’ll be learning important skills that you can keep with you for the rest of your life!
Look no further than the Internet for thousands of healthy recipes, healthy food blogs, and healthy cooking tips. Elizabeth Schmitt, a Mount Holyoke College collegiette, likes using Martha Stewart’s recipe website to plan out her healthy meal choices. “She has a ‘Light and Healthy’ section that has comfort foods and calorie-filled dishes slimmed down so you that can enjoy them without the guilt!”
Kelsey Damassa, a Boston College collegiette, is an avid healthy eater who swears by a few websites and cookbooks for inspiration. “I absolutely love the Whole Foods blog,” she says. “They have awesome recipes for everybody – no matter what the dietary restriction. I am a vegetarian, so I struggle to find recipes that are healthy and protein-rich. I also have a favorite healthy cookbook called The America’s Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook. It has recipes for everything and I have never made something I don’t like!”
Don’t have a kitchen? Try asking an older friend if you can use the kitchen in her apartment or house a couple of times each week. Or, just check out these five yummy, healthy HC-approved meals that require only a microwave to make! If you’re using the dining hall daily, make a habit of picking healthy sandwiches and salads instead of choosing greasy options.
Pack Healthy Snacks in Your Bag
If you have some healthy munchies readily on hand, it may help you resist temptation and put that bag of potato chips back on the shelf. Try packing Greek Yogurt, fresh fruit, cut up vegetables or even some popcorn in your backpack. Look for granola bars that have protein and fiber for a quick, yet filling on-the-go snack.
A handful of nuts, such as almonds or cashews, can add a satisfying punch of protein and healthy fats to help keep you awake during class. Many brands, such as Emerald Nuts and Planters, make 100-calorie packs of nuts or trail mix—perfect for a portion-controlled snack!
Whether you need a pick-me-up between classes or a late-night study snack, stocking up on nutritious eats will help you satisfy your hunger cravings so you don’t have to resort to a greasy, unhealthy snack instead.
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3. Chillax
Put a copy of your weekly schedule on the wall in your dorm room. Take a deep breath as you take note of all of your activities. Then look for white spaces (free time!) in your schedule and take note. This is your time for a little something we call relaxation! Just like scheduling your workouts, making a set time for relaxation can help you ensure that you actually take those much-needed breaks.
Make Time For Relaxation
Collegiettes often run on hyper speed—if we’re not in class, we’re working for the school newspaper or practicing with our soccer team or planning a community service event or running a meeting for the Italian club. It’s no wonder that when we crawl into bed at the end of a long day, we’re exhausted! So this year, pledge to take some time to relax. I know, I know, easier said than done. But if you write some chill time into your schedule, you’ll be much more likely to take a deep breath and leave your to do list behind for an hour.
As you relax, close your eyes and think about something that calms you down. Then take a few deep breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth. As you exhale, your muscles will automatically relax and you’ll feel calm, cool and collected.
Find A New Band
Remember those leisurely summer days in high school when you made mixed CDs of your new favorite bands for your friends? There’s nothing better than discovering new music, so take some time to look up that band that keeps coming up on your Pandora account. Download their new CD and enjoy it!
Read a Book for Fun
Yes, that’s right. I didn’t say read a book for class. I said read a book for fun. Still haven’t devoured 50 Shades of Grey? Now’s the time. In love with mystery novels? Keep a few new ones in your desk drawer for those times when you need to escape reality for a little while.
Kelsey’s ideal form of relaxation is lighting some candles in her room and cuddling up with a good book or magazine. “I don’t get to read for fun very often, so I definitely appreciate when I can take an hour to relax in this way,” she says.
If reading doesn’t help you relax, sit down and think about the times when you have felt truly relaxed in your life. Then make an effort to work just a few of those things into your daily routine.
Hannah Orenstein, an NYU collegiette, makes sure to work writing into her schedule because it allows her to de-stress. “Writing is the easiest way for me to get my thoughts out and work through stressful situations,” she says. “I always carry a journal in my purse. It’s such a relaxing way for me to unwind. Even on days when I’m so busy that I don’t have time to see friends, I find that taking a few minutes to write about my day takes my stress level down a notch.”
Kelsey Mulvey, a Boston University collegiette, uses yoga and Pilates to help her relax. “From having two internships, to seeing my friends whenever I can, along with a ton of other responsibilities, I’m more busy in the summer than I am at school,” she says. “I try to take one yoga class a week just to calm down.”
Whatever your relaxation techniques may be, make sure to take the time to stay active and to relax – downtime can be just as important for your body as fitness!
4. Get Inspired
We all have those days when we feel blah, uninspired and lazy. But part of living a healthy life is learning to find inspiration and motivation daily, no matter what the circumstances may be!
Create a Pin-spiration Board
Still haven’t joined the Pinterest fad? Well, now’s the time. Pinterest isn’t just great for procrastination – it can also help you get inspired! Many women now have “Pinspiration” boards, which are boards with pins of quotes, pictures and people who inspire them. If you’re having a bad day, simply open up your Pinspiration board and peruse it for an automatic pick-me-up!
Kelsey M. swears by Pinterest for her daily dose of career motivation. “I want to work in the fashion industry, so I mostly use it to express my style in home, beauty, and fashion,” she says. “My love for Pinterest is definitely useful for my blossoming career because I’m basically making a brand for myself, and so are other pinners!”
Kelsey D. also uses Pinterest to help her brainstorm during her internship. “Pinterest inspires me creatively,” she says. “In fact, I have been interning at an advertising agency and I frequently use Pinterest when I am brainstorming for a new campaign. I have come up with many ideas by looking at various pinboards and creating my own ‘Pin-spiration’ boards.”
Put Quotes on Your Desk
Have a quote that you absolutely love? Put it somewhere visible, like on your desk or on your bathroom mirror. That way, you’ll be able to see it often and be reminded that you are awesome and that you can do great things!
Go on an Informational Interview
This may sound like your mother’s advice, but heading out on an informational interview may just inspire you to change your life. What is an informational interview? It’s a meeting where you ask for career and life advice rather than employment.
If you’ve always thought that your English professor has had the coolest life, ask her if you can take her out for a cup of coffee. People love to talk about themselves and she will probably be flattered that you asked. Informational interviews are a great way to learn about different career paths, to make connections and to get inspired!
Shaye Winer, a Fashion Institute of Technology collegiette, went on an informational interview after learning about them in class, and found herself inspired to jump into career opportunities. “I scheduled an informational interview with a founder of a popular blog and came prepared with a bunch of questions,” she says. “She really inspired me to jump in and make my mark on the city right away. The words that she told me made me want to take NYC by storm and not wait for my time, but rather create my own time now. She ignited so much drive within me, and while she gave me advice for my career, the advice she gave me on jumping into the field really created a strong foundation for me during my first year in New York!”
There’s no better time than the present to start living in a more healthy and well-rounded way! So take the advice of your fellow collegiettes and hit the ground running (no pun intended). Stay fit, eat healthy, take time to relax and find ways to stay inspired, and you’ll have the best year yet!