To achieve a healthy life, you need to care for our mind, body, and spirit. If any of these three areas is consistently lacking or forgotten about, you will not be at your optimal level of health.
It can be challenging to maintain a healthy lifestyle as a student – with exams, assignments, and extracurricular activities; you may be inclined to give priority to your studies as opposed to your health. However, with a few simple changes in your diet, sleep, and exercise habits it will become easier to lead a healthy lifestyle that promotes the well being of both your physical and mental health!
Here are our top tips to keep you healthy:
EAT A BALANCED DIET
We know that a lot of students really struggle with eating, especially if they live away from home and are limited to the food they can consume. This is totally understandable and we know how hard it can be to make healthy choices. If you’re trying to eat healthy, a few simple tips are:
- Drink plenty of water
- Eat a balance of meat/protein, whole grains, fruit and vegetables daily
- Don’t skip breakfast. Eat something for breakfast everyday
- Avoid eating just because you’re bored or stressed
- Eat regular meals
- Eat appropriate sized meal portions for your age/height/activity level
- Stay away from junk foods or eat only occasionally
Download this eBook for tips on how to shop, cook and stay healthy on a budget.
Stay Healthy On A Budget Cookbook
EXERCISE
Exercising regularly is part of having a healthy lifestyle. Physical activity helps build a strong body and mind. People, who exercise in conjunction with eating a balanced diet, benefit from a healthy physique, a mind that can think more clearly and are more likely to have less stress.
Doing physical activity releases endorphins, a chemical your body produces, that gives you a good feeling. Physical activity is also an effective way to manage moods and is a really good lifestyle choice to improve your overall wellbeing.
Check our workouts to do if you’re living at home
SLEEP
To function properly, your body and mind need a minimum of eight hours of sleep each night. Sleep is important as it improves your alertness and concentration and is the only part of the day where your body gets a chance to fully recuperate, recover and heal.
Getting enough sleep will also help increase your energy levels to help you get through the day. Some tips for getting a good night’s sleep include:
- Have a routine for going to bed, e.g. having a shower, getting into your PJ’s, having a warm drink etc.
- Close the blinds or curtains before you go to bed and minimize any light sources in the bedroom.
- Turn off the TV and if you need to have music to help you sleep, make sure you keep the volume down.
- Turn off your phone.
MEDITATE
Meditation is proof that it doesn’t take a ton of time to do a mind and body good. Just a few minutes of quieting your mind can help relieve stress. Other benefits include a boost in compassion and emotional stability. The best part? Its benefits continue even when we’re not meditating—consider it the gift (to yourself) that keeps on giving. To get started, all you need is a few minutes each day. Later you may want to work up to 10, 20, or 30 minutes. You can find one of many meditation options in a book or CD, online, or in a class. Or you can try some suggestions below. If one doesn't work, stay calm...and try another.
Sneak some meditation into day-to-day life with these 10 awesome techniques.
SHARE THE LOAD
To be a healthy person, you need to have people around you that you can talk to about what’s happening for you, to talk to about your problems rather than dealing with them alone or not dealing with them at all. If you feel stressed or overwhelmed, it helps to speak with someone you trust. Although it might seem obvious to you, those around may not always realise what you are going through so it’s sometimes important to let someone know.
LEARN TO SAY ‘NO’
Learn to pick and choose which things you will say "yes" to and which things you will not. Protect yourself by not allowing yourself to take on every request or opportunity that comes your way. It is okay to decline a request for a favor. Saying "no" does not mean you are bad, self-centered, or uncaring. Learn skills of assertiveness so that you can feel more confident and have effective ways of saying "no."
PLAY
Another important part of having a healthy lifestyle is remembering to “play”. Just taking time to laugh, have fun and being around people who make you feel good is part of having balance in your life. Take time to learn about what makes you feel good and remember to include some of those things in your day.
YOU MATTER
Taking care of yourself means counting yourself in. You matter, you absolutely do. And your quality of life suffers when you neglect yourself. You lose a sense of your priorities, and you end up grasping for solutions just to keep your head above water. Maybe you think that taking care of yourself is selfish. This is a common misconception that is patently untrue.
Being caught up in your own stress doesn’t serve you or anyone else. Commit to taking care of you for you, for your quality of life, so you can live with a full and open heart. Here is the paradox: When you take good care of yourself, you get out of your own way. You are less self-focused. You aren’t captured by your needs, dramas, and obsessions.
Start with you, and you will experience great freedom in being open, peaceful, and awake to your life and everyone in it.
"To keep the body in good health is a duty, otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear". Buddha