15 Healthy HabitsIt’s true that, loosed from the constraints of family life, some students are apt to fling themselves into a completely different lifestyle with unchecked hedonism. Cheap booze, fast food, late nights and lie-ins are just some of the less-than-healthy aspects associated with student culture.
On top of this, students don’t have the basic shopping, cooking and budgeting skills to organize a healthy routine. So how can you establish healthy habits early on? Get started with our 15 Healthy Habits and see how your life will change! |
1. Replace empty-calorie soft drinks with water.
The health benefits of water are endless. Water flushes out unnecessary toxins in the body, gives you healthy skin, improves productivity, increases production of blood and muscle cells, can help boost your metabolism, helps digestion and metabolic functions, and the list goes on and on. Drink water to become a better you. 2. Get enough exercise. Researchers found that students who exercised at least 3 days a week were more likely to report better physical health, as well as greater happiness, than those who did not exercise. They were also more likely to report using their time productively. 3. Eat at regular times and try not to skip meals. 4. Stick to Whole Foods Whole foods are foods grown from the earth; It means nothing processed or packaged. Its important that the majority of your calories come from these whole foods so your feeding your body with nutrients vs. the unhealthy options stacked on supermarket shelves. Stay in the produce section of the market and stick to whole foods if you want to feel good, be fit, and stay happy. 5. Watch the size of your portions. Its important to properly portion your meals with healthy options. Each plate should contain some sort of protein, veggies, and a complex carbs like sweet potato or white rice. Without having correct portions, overeating will inevitably occur and that will also cause you to gain weight whether the food is healthy or not. So track what your eating and make sure to have the proper amounts. 6. Always choose healthier option. When your eating out or preparing a packaged food, always choose the healthier option. However its better to avoid eating out as much as possible and prepare your meals at home so you know exactly whats going into your food. Many restaurants use all sorts of extra ingredients and additives that you can do without. Try it and see how your body will transform to both feel and look better. 7. Keep an eye on your alcohol consumption. Not only can excess drinking lead to health problems, but beer and alcohol are high in calories and can cause weight gain. (Why do you think it's called a beer belly?) 8. Avoid smoking. Although cigarettes may suppress the appetite, smoking can make exercise and even normal activity such as walking across campus or climbing stairs more difficult — not to mention causing heart and lung problems and increasing your risk of cancer.Many smokers who quit find they have more energy, so battle the extra pounds by exercising. You can avoid gaining weight and increase your chances of quitting if you do. If you want to stop smoking, you don't have to go it alone. Someone at your student health center can direct you to smoking-cessation programs and give you the tips and support you need to quit. 9. Get enough sleep. Recent studies have linked getting enough sleep to maintaining a healthy weight. Sleep is also a great way to manage the stress that can prompt overeating. So make sleep a priority, and try to work in a regular 7 or 8 hours each night. 10. Recognize that your body is your own, no matter what shape or size it comes in. Try to focus on how strong and healthy your body is and the things it can do, not what's wrong with it or what you feel you want to change about it. If you're worried about your weight or size, check with your doctor to verify that things are OK. But it's no one's business but your own what your body is like — ultimately, you have to be happy with yourself. 11. Satisfy cravings with healthier approaches. If you're crazy for chocolate, try a hot chocolate drink instead of a chocolate bar. An 8-ounce mug of hot chocolate has only 140 calories and 3 grams of fat. The average chocolate bar, on the other hand, has 230 calories and 13 grams of fat. Substitute nonfat frozen yogurt or sorbet for ice cream. If you're craving savory munchies, snack on baked tortilla chips instead of regular corn chips and pair them with salsa instead of sour cream. Or satisfy salt cravings with pretzels instead of chips. 12. Reduce screen time. One reason people get less exercise these days is because of an increase in "screen time" — the amount of time spent watching TV, looking at the computer, using mobile devices, or playing video games. Limit recreational screen time to less than 2 hours per day. If you're with friends at the mall, you're getting more exercise than if you're texting them from your room. 13. Eat 5 servings of fruits and veggies a day. Fruits and veggies are about more than just vitamins and minerals. They're also packed with fiber, which means they fill you up. And when you fill up on fruits and veggies, you're less likely to overeat. 14. Pause and "take 5" before you reach for food. Too often, we rush through the day without really checking in with ourselves. We're so stressed, overscheduled, and plugged-in that we lose out on time to reflect. Instead of eating when you get in the door, take a few minutes to transition from one part of your day to another. Go over the things that happened that day. Acknowledge how they made you feel: Happy? Grateful? Excited? Angry? Worried? Jealous? Left out? 15. Stay away from fad diets — you might lose a few pounds temporarily, but if you don't focus on changing your habits, you'll probably just gain it back when you go back to your usual way of eating. |