The notorious freshmen fifteen isn’t just limited to freshmen, and it doesn’t always stop at fifteen. Healthy foods tend to be more expensive than junk food. To be honest, there are a lot of advantages to eating junk food. It’s a lot easier and faster to throw a couple hot dogs in the microwave than it is to prepare pasta, soup, and a salad. Unfortunately, although many of these meals are cheap and tasty, they aren’t very nutritious.
The point of these suggestions isn’t to give you ripped abs. Instead they are to help to feel more healthy. And it isn’t just about diet: it’s about lifestyle.
Decide to be Healthy: It’s hard to be healthy with four midterms throughout the week. Being healthy is more than simply doing healthy things. You must make a conscious decision to do healthy, eat healthy, think healthy, and be healthy. Your effort to be healthy should be comparable to your efforts to do well in school or to learn a musical instrument. You’ll have to set aside a little time to cook, a little more time to exercise, and some time to relax. The trick isn’t getting the desire to do it, but scheduling your time so that you can complete your goals.
Diet: I know I said that being healthy isn’t about a good diet, but I lied. At least I’m correcting myself pretty quickly. Many students know the path between their bed and the library much better than the path between their bed and the fridge. Instead of a good breakfast, they eat a bag of Mike and Ike. For lunch they snag a Pepsi from the vending machine. Students frequently go all out for dinner, buying a whole hamburger and fries. Keeping an eye on what goes into your body is a great way to be healthier. Eating foods like yogurt or eggs are often good for increasing your energy levels throughout the day. Keep a healthy balance of grains, fruits, vegetables, and produce in your life.
Physical Activity: Note I didn’t say exercise (although a good workout works wonders). Incorporating physical activity doesn’t always mean going to the gym or running a few laps around the track. It may mean leaving your car keys home and walking to school in the morning. Try taking the stairs instead of the elevator. This has helped me a lot in semesters past. This semester, however, I wanted to try to work in some actual exercise into my routine. I took a .5-credit jogging class. Every day I went to class and the TA set us loose to jog. It gave me a set hour where all I had to do was jog. I haven’t noticed a tremendous difference in my physical appearance, but I certainly feel healthier now throughout the day. For next semester I added beginning weight training to my classes.
Meditation: Part of being healthy involves having time to think. In many eastern religions, meditation is used extensively to help people organize their thoughts and relax their minds. Sometimes mediation is combined with exercises such as yoga or T’ai chi ch’uan. Other people like to study sacred texts like the Bible, Torah, Book of Mormon, Śruti, or Qur’an. Whether your “you” time means performing some ancient form of meditative exercise or reading the teachings of Laozi (Taoism), the time you take can often help you sort out and feel at peace with life.
About the Writer
Derek Gurr is a student intern for MyCollegesandCareers.com. My Colleges and Careers has helped people of all ages determine if an online education is right for them and helps them choose online courses that will help them reach their goals. The site even helps students find online MBA programs to fit their needs.
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