Healthy College Lifestyle: Investing in Yourself

It is easy for college students for people to become consumed in their lifestyles and forget to take care of the one thing they are stuck with for the rest of their lives--their body.

Face

Taking care of your face not only helps you feel better about yourself, it increases your confidence.

• Wash your face twice a day. We've all heard some acne treating systems can cause your skin to become addicted.  However, there are some face washes that are not like that. I personally use Le Meiux. Target's generic brand works pretty well. Many of my hall mates and friends use Cetaphil.
• Use a face mask once a week and exfoliate once a week.  It is possible to over-exfoliate so do not do it everyday and it is not recommended more than 3 times a week. Be sure to moisturize after.
• MOISTURIZE! It is very important to moisturize your face because washing your face will dry it out. 
• Use sunscreen. Walking around the sunny campus over time can be detrimental to your skin. Use sunscreen to protect your skin from the damaging rays.

Body

• Eat well (see other posts). Drink plenty of water (a good place to start is half of your body weight in ounces). 
• Wash your hands because it can prevent sickness.  
• Take the vitamins supplements for the vitamins you don't get enough of from your diet, it will protect your immune system. 
• Exercise for 30 minutes a day. This does not necessarily mean you must go to the gym. Take your dog on a longer walk. Run up and down your stairs. Do push ups, sit ups, or lift light dumbbells while watching television.

Mind

• Make sure you are getting a good amount of sleep every night to protect your mind and immune system.  Also try to stick with a regular sleep schedule.
• Wake up at least 45 minutes before whatever you have to do to give your mind time to fully awaken.
• Take study breaks. Over studying may cause you trouble in remembering the things you have studied. Studying too much at one time can also hard on your eyes. Every few minutes remember to gaze at something 10-30 feet away for 10 seconds.
• Understand that it is okay to take a day off. Take a day to treat yourself (read a book, go shopping, go out to eat). Do something that takes your mind off of everything you have to do for a few hours. With too much stress, you will not perform at optimal level.

Healthy College Lifestyle: Clean Eating

I have heard that people do not eat because the food does not taste as good.  I believe that the opposite is true.  Healthy food tastes good, sometimes even better than junk food.

Clean eating IS NOT the same thing as dieting.  I am not a supporter of diets. A lot of people who diet are looking a long term solution using a short-term inconvenience. Soon after a diet is complete, they go back to their old habits gaining back the weight (sometimes more) they just lost.  People are also more likely to cheat on diets, limiting the outcome.

Clean eating IS watching what you eat and how much you eat.  This is not a blanket statement to start calorie counting (be sure to talk to your physician about changing your dietary habits).  However, if you know too much sodium causes you to bloat, consider reducing your sodium intake.  Many people will also blankly cut fat from their diet.  Polyunsaturated fat is not bad for you but Trans fats are terrible for you.  So before you change your diet, do your research, take a nutrition class, or read a book about it.

Clean eating IS NOT 3 squared meals a day.  Many nutritionists recommend 5-6 small meals a day.  Having 3 larger meals causes you to eat more at one time which is hard on the digestion system.  5-6 small meals also prevent unnecessary snacking.

Clean eating IS eliminating processed foods. Processed foods are EVERYWHERE and they are cheaper than organic foods.  Look for foods without any extra additives.

• BREAD: By definition, bread is processed. This does not mean stop eating bread because your body needs some of the nutrients bread has.  Instead of white bread, eat whole wheat or multi-grain breads.
• MEAT (if you eat it): Look for meat that comes from farm-raised animals and have been not been fed GM (genetically modified) food.
• FRUITS and VEGETABLES: A vast majority of fruits and vegetables on the markets are not genetically modified however you want to look for organic fruits and vegetables because they will contain as few natural pesticides as possible.  Be sure to thoroughly rinse your produce before consumption.

Clean eating IS NOT falling for the "gluten-free" marketing trap.  Unless you have a gluten allergy, eliminating gluten from your diet, because of the process of removing gluten from food, can also eliminate other vital nutrients to your health.  Gluten is a protein typically found in wheat.  Many products advertised as "gluten-free" should not include gluten naturally.

Healthy College Lifestyle: Thank Yous

A healthy lifestyle in college is not nearly as hard as people make it seem.  This post will give you five reasons why there is no better time to start living healthy than in college.

1.  Your wallet will thank you.  Cutting down on the amount of fast food you eat saves money in the long run. A trip to the grocery store may seem to have high up front costs but if you spend $6 plus dollars a day at the end of the week you've already spent at least $42.

2. Your keyboard will thank you.  I know personally I have spent plenty of mornings, a few afternoons, and several evenings in the Student Union with food trying to finish an assignment.  My keyboard has seen a spill, some dropped crumbs, and several greasy fingerprints.  Since reducing my fast food intake, my computer has not been subjected to such messy environments.

3. Your face will thank you.  Ever get those pesky stress pimples? Ever want to blame them on your makeup brushes? STOP.  If you eat a lot of greasy food, the toxins have to leave your body somehow.   Does your face get blotchy? Try drinking more water, and less coffee.  (My rule of thumb is drinking at least double the amount of clear liquids to anything else I drink).

4. Your body will thank you.  When you eat healthy, you have more energy, you sleep better, and you are less likely to get sick.

5. Your mind will thank you.  Sometimes in college you feel like you never get a break. I have found that when I cook it gives me 45+ minutes of me time. Use that time to watch Netflix, listen to music, or whatever you do to relax.

Healthy College Lifestyle pt. 1

College is the best time to begin a healthy lifestyle.  I am starting a new series this month on living healthy.  It is not easy but it is worth it.

At some colleges (like mine), the student union is full of fast-food restaurants and a few places to get healthy options at an ultra-high price. Read more to get the best for your dollar and your body.

1. Cooking more will give you 2-3 meals for the price of one. It is hard to make time but you can eat the left overs for lunch the next day.

2. Go grocery shopping. Understand that eating on campus is not really saving you money.  Grocery shopping may seem like it is expensive because it is takes time and you pay upfront.  I would challenge you to calculate how much you spend on fast food for two weeks and compare the costs of one trip to the grocery store.  When I took this challenge it cost about the same amount for me to get a little more food including time spent as well as gas money.

3. Drink more water.  A case of water at the grocery store costs the same amount of money as two 20oz sodas on my campus.

4. Schedule gym time. Working out is proven to increase memory and help you to sleep better at night.  I am not saying go to the gym everyday. Try twice a week and see how it makes you feel and increase from there. 

5. Regularly see your physician.  I cannot recommend a rapid change in dietary habits or how much to work out but your doctor can suggest a regiment to help improve things like your immune system.

6. WASH YOUR HANDS.  College is full of germs, bacteria, and the latest strand of the flu. Keeping up with bodily hygiene helps prevent some sicknesses you could be getting.