"Rome wasn't built in a day." How many times have we heard that expression? Although it's pretty annoying, it's also pretty true, especially when we relate it to a healthy lifestyle. You can't possibly change your life all at once, but if you make small changes, it's a lot easier to reach your goal. Living healthy requires keeping your body and mind healthy. With these tips in mind, you'll make some positive strides in your life.
Get enough sleep
Doctors recommend people in their teenage years to get eight to 10 hours of sleep per night. For most of us, that is completely impossible.Between parties and homework and relaxing with friends, sleeping for a solid eight hours is pretty rare. If you can't fit in the z's at night, try taking a quick nap in the afternoon. According to a study done by Johns Hopkins University, college students are most tired around 4 p.m. and between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m. If you have to stay up, take a 20-minute nap at those times. It will be enough time to leave you feeling refreshed and ready to tackle that econ paper. WARNING: Any longer and your little nap will leave you feeling disoriented and groggy, so set the alarm!
Eat fruit
Fruit has tons of great benefits. It has many vitamins and minerals that keeps you going throughout the day. Oranges help fight cancer, build strong bones and fight colds and the flu. Melons reduce the risk of cancer. Apples reduce cholesterol and keep your heart healthy. Obviously, these are all helpful to any college student. If you can actually find a good orange in TDR, you're set for life. WARNING: Watch out for fruits turned to juices. Yes, they do have some of the same effects, but they also have a ton of sugar, which counterbalances all the good effects of the real thing.
Drink water
I can't stress the benefits of drinking water enough. Your entire body depends on water to keep you healthy. Water clears your skin and keeps your body flushed of harmful toxins. It also keeps your blood clean and helps bring nutrients from your food to the rest of the body. Ideally, you should drink around 10 cups (8 oz. glasses) of water per day, but foods like fruits and vegetables are largely made up of water, so you don't need to be chugging bottles of Dasani all day to get your full 10 cups. WARNING: If you decide not to drink water, be prepared to suffer from dehydration, extreme exhaustion, unquenchable thirst and dizziness. The choice is yours.
Laugh
Who doesn't like to laugh? You'll enjoy laughing even more when you realize the health benefits. The main benefit of laughter is that it relieves stress. Stress impacts your body both physically and psychologically and can cause you to gain or lose weight, be tired all the time or suffer from depression. Laughter eases all of these negative impacts and helps relax you by stimulating endorphins in your brain. It also gives you more self-confidence - laughing makes you feel happy and relaxed, which makes you realize all the great things in your life. WARNING: It's fine to laugh with someone, but make sure you're not laughing at someone. Gaining personal enjoyment at someone else's expense is not funny at all.
Exercise
This is another big one, but it's not just so you can lose a few pounds. Exercising elevates your mood, makes you feel confident and strong and protects your muscles and bones from weakening. It also has great benefits for your heart, lungs and almost every other organ in your body. Most doctors recommend around 30 minutes to one hour of activity per day, but if you can't dedicate that time all at once, doing a little at a time still makes an impact. As long as your body is in motion, you're taking the right steps. WARNING: Remember - everything in moderation. Know your body's limits and don't push yourself too hard.
I'm sure a lot of us do these things without even thinking about them, but once we begin to consciously think about our everyday habits and how they affect us, we can make those lasting changes. Remember that little changes really add up and will lead to bigger changes in the future.
