College is the best four years, and the busiest four years.
Whether it’s the all-nighters or the mediocre dining hall food, lots of people struggle to maintain a healthy and holistic lifestyle during college. If this is you, your daughter, or your friend, don’t worry! Like any point in life, making time to care for your body is both important, and possible!
Here are ten great ways to incorporate an active and healthy lifestyle into your college routine without taking away from the fun of the adventure!
Find a reliable workout buddy. Getting yourself out the door is always easier when you look forward to where you’re going – find a great workout buddy who has similar goals to you, and set up at least four or five days a week that work for you both to keep consistent! Plus, chatting to your friend and pushing each other along will make the time pass faster (win!).
Control what you can control. There’s always going to be things that come out of nowhere and stress you out, whether it’s family drama or a paper that you forgot was due this week, not next. That being said, there’s nothing stopping you from preparing yourself and taking control of your own life. Make sure you get enough sleep (8-9 hours), try to eat plenty of vegetables (mom, is that you?) and manage your time to ensure you’ve got a balance between work and rest to de-stress.
Explore the city around you. If you’ve relocated to a new city for college, a great way to simply soak up the outdoors is to see what’s out there! Whether it’s a hike in LA or walking tour in Manhattan, there are countless things to see in every new city! Invite some friends along, wear some comfortable shoes, and just explore!
Look into all the clubs and classes nearby. Jump online and scour through a list of all the potential clubs on campus, or look into your school gym class schedule. If your school doesn’t offer gym classes that suit your taste, have a look locally! A lot of workout hubs will offer college student discounts that are great deals and great opportunities to try something new!
Wear activewear to class. If you know that you prefer to workout in the afternoon, but sometimes you find yourself hitting the 3pm motivational slump, try wearing active wear to class during the day. Oftentimes the hardest part about getting yourself outside is lacing up and taking that first step – if you’re already dressed and ready to go, then the hardest part is behind you!
Don’t wash your hair at night. For the early-birds, this one is a super easy but super effective trick. Consciously don’t wash your hair before you go to sleep at night if it’s dirty. Why? Because if you’re going to have to wake up early and wash your hair before class, you might as well stick it up and work out first, right? No more “I would work out, but I just washed my hair!” for you!
Create a dorm room friendly workout circuit. Sometimes, all you have is half an hour – that’s okay! Save time walking to the local gym or park by getting your blood pumping in your room! Lay down a yoga mat and work it out – of course it’s less exciting than adventuring outside, but having a handy backup for when you just need to do something is always a great idea.
Try HIIT to save time. As therapeutic and relaxing as a long walk can be, sometimes that hour and a half is simply not possible with our busy schedules. On these days, try a new HIIT workout! HIIT stands for High Intensity Interval Training, which essentially means you work hard, but not for long. With plenty of customizable versions online, and many not needing any equipment, you can find a spot on the grass and get a great workout in, in not a lot of time.
Walk around campus. This one may seem a little bit counter-productive, but leaving your room a little bit earlier to walk to class will give you more hours outside each week, and a more peaceful way of getting around and experiencing your college campus!
Keep busy. It’s a simple, yet effective method: busy yourself with things that excite you and give you somewhere to be, and your active lifestyle will come naturally! The key to living an active lifestyle, in college or later in life, is creating habits that excite you and ignite your passions. If you can do this, then you can live the lifestyle you want – naturally.