Ah, the pressures of college -all-nighters, coffee binges, and hangry snacks. We know how hard it can be to stay on top of your fitness game with all that's happening in a college student's jam-packed schedule.
As a college student, your days are packed with classes and activities that can leave you too exhausted to think about something as mundane as staying fit. When you're overwhelmed by all the demands placed on you during college life, turn to these 10 easy tips for staying fit and healthy at university.
With regular exercise, balanced nutrition habits, mental wellness practices, and more –you'll soon find yourself saying goodbye to unhealthy habits and hello to healthier (and maybe even happier!) days ahead!
Keeping healthy while in school is manageable (and enjoyable) if you use the right tips and tricks. In this post, we'll share 10 handy health-inspired ideas perfect for busy students who want to stay fit in college without sacrificing all their free time.
So strap on some comfy workout clothes, and let's get started - after one last episode of binge-watching Netflix.
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10 Healthy Tips to Stay Fit
You can take a few simple steps when finding time in your busy college schedule to stay active and fuel your body with healthy food. Here are 10 healthy tips to stay fit and on your toes.
1. Walk to Class
Walking to class is a great way to stay physically and mentally healthy. It provides an excellent cardio workout and can help you build muscle, improve balance and posture, and lower your stress levels.
Keeping track of how far you walk daily can be a valuable tool for measuring your progress. With a pedometer clipped to your waistband, monitoring the number of steps taken throughout the day is easy.
A recommended goal for most individuals should be aiming for 10,000 steps every 24 hours; however, this may vary depending on age and activity level.
To improve the results, you can add Pre-Workout Supplements to your routine to help you get energetic and add consistency to your little step toward fitness.
Related Article: 9 Ways To Up Your Steps: The Secret To Achieving Your Daily 10,000-Step Goal in 2023
2. Climb Stairs on Campus
Climbing stairs is a fantastic way to get in a great workout while improving your cardiovascular health. It engages the muscles in the back of the legs and buttocks, which can help you tone and strengthen these areas.
Step-ups are an appropriate substitute if you don’t have access to an actual set of stairs. Aim for completing 50 step-ups per day to reap the full benefits of this exercise. Not only will it improve your overall fitness level, but it's also a low-impact activity that won't put a lot of strain on your body.
3. Find Access to Fitness Classes
College students can take advantage of discounted gym memberships or fitness class packages offered by their recreational sports department. Additionally, online programs also offer reduced rates for various local fitness classes.
These classes can include aerobics, weight training, yoga, pilates, and more. With the help of these deals, students can stay fit and healthy without toiling the bank.
4. Learn a Few Moves
Bodyweight resistance exercises are the way to go to maximize your time and get stronger. These can be done in any living space and include simple movements such as squats, lunges, and push-ups.
As you progress, you can increase the intensity with weights like adjustable dumbbells that can contribute to any exercise. Doing a few reps of each exercise daily will help build muscle and boost overall fitness. Utilizing your body weight as resistance is a great way to improve strength without buying special equipment or leaving your home.
With just a few minutes dedicated each day to these exercises, you can quickly see improvement in strength and mobility.
5. Proper Diet
When hunger strikes while you're on the go, it can be challenging to make healthy snack choices. Instead of grabbing a bag of chips or candy from a vending machine, stock up on more nutritious options to provide the energy and nourishment your body needs.
Whole fruits like apples and bananas are easy to carry, as are protein bars and yogurt cups. String cheese is an excellent source of protein and calcium, making it a great addition to any snack routine.
These snacks provide essential nutrients without all the added calories of processed snacks. Eating nutrient-dense foods when you're busy and stressed is essential for sustained energy throughout the day.
6. Don't Skip Meals
Eating properly is essential for maintaining mental focus and energy levels to excel academically. When it's hard to find time for shopping and cooking, skipping meals might seem like an easy solution - however, this can lead to overindulging when hunger levels become too high.
An alternative that can provide rapid nutrition without taking a chunk out of your day is blending a protein shake in the Shaker Bottle and carrying it with you. This type of meal replacement offers an array of nutrients that can keep you satisfied until your next full meal.
Taking Multi-Vitamin Supplements to enhance energy and focus can also be convenient with a balanced diet.
7. Watch Beverage Calories
Drinking sugary sodas and high-calorie fruit drinks can add up to calories quickly, so it's best to opt for healthier beverage choices such as water and unsweetened tea.
To stay adequately hydrated, your health requires drinking 8-10 glasses of water daily, especially on hot days or after exercising. It is better to take Fat Burners Supplements for quicker calorie burn.
While alcohol is notorious for its high-calorie content, avoiding sweetened drinks is a great way to reduce overall calorie intake and keep your diet balanced.
8. Avoid Stressful Eating
Adjusting to living independently can be a challenging experience, and it's not uncommon for people to turn to food as a form of comfort in these times. Emotional eating is often triggered by stress, which makes us feel like we need the temporary pleasure or distraction that comes with indulging in something delicious.
Reaching out to someone when feeling overwhelmed or anxious is essential to avoid this unhealthy coping mechanism. Connecting with friends and family can provide emotional support during difficult moments and can act as a distraction from thoughts of comfort-eating.
Alternatively, going for a walk or engaging in another activity (like reading) can be a more productive way of dealing with challenging emotions.
9. Avoid Fat Diets
It is essential to be wary of diets that promise rapid results, as they often involve extreme restrictions or a lack of essential nutrients. A balanced lifestyle with appropriate nutrition and regular physical activity is essential to ensure long-term health and wellness.
This lifestyle helps promote lasting positive changes in both body and mind. Eating various healthy foods from each food group can help provide the body with all the necessary nutrients for proper functioning.
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10. Find a Fitness Buddy
Exercising with a companion can be a great way to stay motivated and increase your chances of success. Having someone to share the experience with is more enjoyable, and having an accountability partner will help you stick to your fitness routine.
Finding someone whose schedule matches yours – such as a colleague or roommate – you'll have a better chance of committing to regular exercise.
Furthermore, your workout will be more fun with another person, and the increased motivation of having someone by your side can make all the difference in reaching your fitness goals.
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FAQs
1. What are the recommended exercises for college students?
Determine a schedule that fits with your lifestyle: take a break from your desk every thirty minutes, get out of the house occasionally for outdoor activities, and make exercise a part of your daily routines. Choose from team sports like basketball or soccer to solo activities like running or swimming. Pick whatever works best for you and commit -- then, viola, you’re on the fast track to staying fit.
2. How to stay fit in college?
Start by keeping healthy snacks around your dorm room to stay energized. Fibrous and protein-rich snacks are great for short-term energy boosts and can help keep you full for longer periods.
Eating breakfast is essential—it kickstarts metabolism for the day. Exercise can also be helpful—try using an exercise app or going for a morning jog. Finally, H2O should be your go-to beverage as much as possible.
3. How to increase physical activity in college students?
From little changes like taking the stairs instead of the elevator or playing a pickup game at the rec center during lunch to big ones like scheduling your classes around long walks or workouts at the gym, there’s something for everyone to try out. Letting yourself move around will not only give you that little bit of energy boost you need.
4. What does lack of exercise cause in college students?
Lack of exercise in college is a huge problem. Many students face severe consequences such as the increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, mental fatigue, weight gain, and depression, putting them at higher risk for chronic illnesses.
Even something as simple as forgetting to take steps throughout the day can add up to significant health deficiencies in the future.
Conclusion
Life for students can be quite challenging and demanding, considering the on-campus routine and the external pressure of studies, but one can still maintain health.
There are 10 simple and healthy ways you can adopt to ensure fitness, wellness, and good health, like walking to class, climbing stairs, finding access to fitness classes or gyms, learning a few moves, getting a proper diet, avoiding skipping meals, watching beverage calories, avoiding stressful eating, avoiding fat diets and finding a fitness buddy.
These 10 tips can help you find your way to a fit and feisty life in college and enjoy a fun routine with all ingredients added to the 12-hour day schedule. Get on now!
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Article Sources
- Watanabe-Ito, Masako, et al. ‘Promoting Healthy Eating Habits for College Students Through Creating Dietary Diaries via a Smartphone App and Social Media Interaction: Online Survey Study’. JMIR MHealth and UHealth, vol. 8, no. 3, Mar. 2020, p. e17613. PubMed Central, https://doi.org/10.2196/17613.
