With college being the first time that students are away from their families, they start learning what it is to actually be an adult. The many responsibilities that come with adulthood are continuously being learned. One of these is how to be healthy and avoid the hassle of doctor visits.
One step of being a healthy individual is to eat healthily. Yes, this can be hard especially since college has a crazy pattern of classes, work and sleep. A person should have three meals that consist of protein, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy. Snacks should be limited and avoid eating them right before going to sleep.
Another thing that should be avoided is the sugary drinks that are essential to college students, like energy drinks, pop and Frappuccinos. For healthful drinks water is a must, by adding fruit into the water it makes for a splash of flavor. If you just can’t quite caffeine, switching to tea is a healthier option.
Exercise is an important part of a daily routine for anyone that wants to remain or be healthy. Moderate exercise of 30 minutes for five days a week is recommended. By scheduling this into your routine it will help lose or maintain weight and improve mental illness by instilling self-confidence and reducing stress. At UWM students can use that Klotsche Center for free with the use of their student ID. The hours of operation are Monday-Thursday from 6:00 a.m.-11:00 p.m., Friday from 6:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m., Saturday from 10:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m., and Sunday from 8:00 a.m.-11:00 p.m.
Being healthy isn’t just about physical health, it has a lot to do with mental health too. By planning out the week or day there is a reduction of stress and improvement of mental health. This planning allows for a person to see how much time they have for various activities throughout the day. By sticking to a schedule that maps out time for work, fun, and sleep a person is guaranteed to be less stressed since they’ll know how the day will go for them.
Sleep is an important factor in maintaining good mental health since it replenishes a person. When people are asleep, problems become nonexistent and forgotten. Emotions are better in check since there is better control over them when a person is well rested. As a college student this can be hard since the amount of homework is tremendous, but by getting to bed an extra 10 minutes will greatly improve a person’s mental health.
By starting to or continuing these quick tips a person will be better able to maintain both physical and mental health. With good health, a person will be able to improve their own selves by gaining self-confidence, which will make life better in general.