Being in college, you have a greater workload than ever before; you’re not at home; there isn’t this great variety of food you can take out from the fridge or pantry; what’s in the cafeteria is all there is. It’s not just the diet, though, that you need to watch out for, which could be detrimental to your health. But, this needn’t be you. Instead, you could thrive and live a healthy lifestyle by following a few simple tips.

Walk 

Considering all the stairs on campus, this might seem like a no-brainer. There are many days when you have few classes, or the classes you have are right next to each other, maybe even in the same building. In that case, it is easy to just laze about in your dorm or in whatever hall you have your classes. The simple solution is to walk about. You don’t have to do stairs, but you need to get your body moving, and it will help you in the long run, though it may be a bit tedious at the moment.

Eat Plenty and Healthy

It’s easy to eat unhealthy food, especially when it comes to snacking. There is nothing wrong with having a bit of junk food now and then, but it should never be a regular thing you reach for when stressed. The cafeteria offers plenty of healthy options to satisfy you, and they have snacks as well. Take some fruit back to your dorm and snack on that when you feel like it. Or, if you cannot contain your urges for junk food, designate a day for that unhealthy food so that you have something to look forward to, a goal of sorts. It’s all about control, and when you control your diet and not the other way around, you will be better for it.

Sleep Early and Well

I know you have studying to do, but quite frankly, studying into the late hours of the night won’t do you any good. How much information will be retained in your mind when you’re exhausted or half asleep? Probably not a lot, and if you have to get up early for classes the next day, or anything else for that matter, a toll will be taken on your body and mind. Sometimes you might have to stay up later for studying, but most of the time you can turn off the lights and close your eyes. Stay off that phone. Do not scroll through social media or text anyone. If you go on your phone, chances are you will not sleep for a while. Just shut everything down and let your mind and body rest and recover, and you will feel refreshed tomorrow. 

Drink Plenty of Water

This is grade-school stuff, but you’d be surprised how many people don’t drink much water throughout the day. As a result, they feel weaker, more lethargic, and their quality of life goes down. Get a water bottle if you don’t have one, and keep it filled regularly, and take it with you wherever you go and drink up when you feel thirsty. Don’t put it off, and don’t substitute water for any other beverage, like coffee, or Gatorade, or anything like that. It will not give you what water gives you. 

Stay Off the Phone

You’ve all been told this to death, yet you continue to spend unbelievably long hours on your phones. You know the studies, you know it’s not good for you. So what else can I say? Stay off the phones. You don’t have to go cold turkey, but you could at least set a time limit on some of the apps. When your retention levels drop, when your attention levels drop, when your eyes start to hurt, when you lose track of time, when you’re trying to study but you just have to get on your phone for some reason, which is no reason, then maybe you’ll realize that it is bad for you and you need to slow things way down. 

Now that you know these things, I hope you have a happy and healthy college experience, and become the best version of you you can be.