It is officially that time of year. Mid- semester when the newness of all our fall classes starts to wear off and the exhaustion sets in. You can see it on the faces of every student you pass in the halls around this time of the year, and it’s not even finals time yet. While maintaining the crazy busy schedule that we all have, it is important that we try and make some time for ourselves so that we can maintain a healthy lifestyle. We only get one body and brain in our lifetime, and it is important to take care of it.

The first step to maintaining a healthy life style is to drink plenty of water. You should typically aim for about half of your body weight in ounces, but don’t stop there! Push for a new goal every day. If you’re not drinking enough water exhaustion will set in so much faster. Dehydration sets in before you even feel the effects.

The second step is to eat well balanced meals. This can be really hard to do on a college student budget, but with a little creativity, it can be done. If you are a carb lover, don’t stop reading here! I’m not telling you to cut carbs out because who doesn’t love carbs? It is just important to eat the carbs in moderation, and pair them with equal amounts, if not more, protein and vegetables portions. Another really important part of balancing your meals, is too not skip meals. I’m guilty of doing this because sometimes I just don’t feel hungry. But, it is important that you fuel your body anyway. Sometimes eating three meals a day that are healthy and balanced is too much for my appetite, so eating smaller portions for each meal helps me maintain healthy eating schedule.

The thirst step is to get some form of exercise. Sometimes this is hard to fit into your academic schedule. I am guilty of putting if off from time to time, but when I do fit it into my schedule I feel so much more energized and motivated throughout the day. If you don’t really enjoy an intense and challenging workout, that doesn’t mean you don’t need to exercise at all. A simple walk around your neighborhood, or one of the peaceful walking trails around town is all your body needs too reboot itself. I promise you that a simple walk is one of the best ways to reboot your brain during one of your study breaks.

The last step to maintaining a healthy lifestyle is to unplug from social media for an hour or more a day. We rely on social media for everything these days, and that can all be incredibly exhausting. Not to mention the negative effect of blue light on your eyes. I find that after being on my computer all day for school work my eyes are super tired. Shutting your phone off for an hour a day and setting that time aside for “you” time may be exactly what you need to relax after a long day. Being on social media all day can be very mentally exhausting, and it can be good to take a step back once and awhile.

These are just a few of the healthy lifestyle tips that I have found to work for me, I challenge you to give some of them a try and create your own healthy lifestyle routine. I think that you will find you have more energy throughout the day to do things you normally wouldn’t, as well as feel better about yourself and the healthy lifestyle you are living.

In sisterhood,

Ruth Garnas