College life is full of activity. Every day starts and ends with college students making new plans and trying to catch up with the earlier ones. Late-night gaming, partying, pulling all-nighters, and having fun with friends leave no time for them to take care of their health. Though all this mentioned above is part of the quintessential college experience, it should not happen at the cost of your mental and physical health. If it does, the negligent behavior results in many issues. Stress and anxiety, cold and flu, respiratory disease, skin issues, eating disorders, alcohol and drug abuse, etc., are the more prevalent ones. These physical and mental issues are detrimental to students’ cognitive and physical abilities. Therefore, college students need to adopt a healthy lifestyle to excel in their curricular and extracurricular activities. Below are the measures that they can take to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
- Take measures to prevent sexually transmitted diseases
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 20 million sexually transmitted diseases diagnosed every year are found in young people aged 15 to 24. The issue of STDs is very serious among college students who often neglect measures to prevent the spread of these diseases. Among the STDs, common ones are Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, Human Papillomavirus (HPV), and Syphilis. STDs can be a cause of various health issues.
Various antibiotics are available for treating STDs, but prevention is always better than treatment. So the question arises: how to prevent STDs?
Various preventive measures are available for college students, including condoms. They prevent contact between bodily fluids among partners. Vaccinations are another way to prevent diseases like hepatitis B and HPV. These vaccinations are easily available at health clinics, large pharmacies, and doctor’s clinics. Furthermore, experts advise not to have too many sex partners as this leads to an increased chance of getting an STD.
- Eat healthily
The concept of sustaining a healthy lifestyle is incomplete without a healthy diet. College students have more chances of gulping down junk food as it is more convenient. Missing your breakfast in a hurry and snatching a packet of unhealthy snacks from the nearby vending machine is too easy. But filling yourself up on chips and sugary snacks will not benefit your health. You need a healthy diet that ensures access to all the required nutrients.
A healthy diet also means that you don’t overdo any item that results in putting on extra weight. All college students must be careful of the portion size of what they eat. Even the most healthy food can be detrimental if you eat too much.
Moreover, when choosing food from the cafeteria or the local restaurant, ensure variety. Include meat, vegetables, lentils, meat, and poultry in your diet. The more variety you have, the lesser the chance to binge on one kind of food.
- Don’t overdo your commitments
With the zeal and energy of college life, you want to conquer the whole world, and twenty-four hours seem insufficient for an enthusiast. But in your endeavors to live your life to the fullest, you can easily overdo your commitments and make plans without considering your health and study routine. The result is late-night studying, eating, neglected health, and tired mornings.
Some students also take up part-time jobs, which makes matters worse. If working is your financial requirement, find a job that only requires a few hours of work. And plan your day considering your work, study, and personal life requirements.
- Drink plenty of water
Proper hydration ensures the vitality of your skin and organs. The stress-free way to stay hydrated is to carry a water bottle with you everywhere. Most importantly, don’t wait to feel the thirst before drinking water. This way, you will always remain partially hydrated. Avoid sweetened beverages and alcohol at college.
- Develop a dedicated routine
Developing a healthy lifestyle requires consistency and dedication. On the contrary, a college student’s life is far from consistent. They have distractions everywhere. They have to manage their studies, but at the same time, take part in social activities too. The infinite number of clubs, student unions, and activities with friends seldom help you stick to a dedicated routine. Nonetheless, having a routine provides structure to your life, making you more organized.
Spending your day according to a plan creates a sense of achievement. You can plan when to get up, clean your room, work out, and study. The more dedicated you are to your routine, the more you can combat the distractions.
- Stay active
Adding activity to your daily regime is the cardinal rule of developing a healthy lifestyle. But being active does not mean hitting the gym and doing a full workout session every day. Also, doing this might be unrealistic and impossible for busy college graduates. Instead, college graduates can start by doing a morning walk. Although it may seem like a small step, small efforts make a lot of difference.
Staying active helps you stay healthy physically and helps you with sleep, makes you more vigilant, and boosts your academic performance. Additionally, a short activity session added to your routine can relieve stress, which is reported in 82% of college students according to a survey.
- Study during the day
It is common for college students to study at night and attend college and other activities during the day. The result is sleep deprivation. Pulling up all-nighters must be an exception and not a norm, as it reflects poorly on your health. Moreover, you don’t have better retention and tend to forget things when studying at night, cannot focus on your class, and lose efficiency.
Have a balanced life, wake up early, and you will have more time during the day to complete your personal and study-related tasks. There is enough evidence to corroborate that your brain works better during the day. So, make better use of daylight and leave the night for sleeping and resting.
Conclusion
College time is probably the most dynamic time of one’s life, full of hustle and activity. From managing college assignments to taking part in non-curricular activities, the demands of college are often endless. In this activity, one aspect remains largely unaddressed: a chance to take care of your health. But developing a healthy lifestyle is not impossible. You can do so even with your studies and the rest of the social activities. You can incorporate habits that make you happier and healthier! The tips mentioned above can help streamline your thoughts and make you more inclined to develop a healthy lifestyle.
