College is, without a doubt, one of the most exciting times of your life.

New friends, new places, and new ways of thinking. You’re exposed to an entirely different way of life and it can be a bit overwhelming at first as you try to settle into your niche and start discovering who you are, all the while trying to keep up with school work and friends. Trust me, I’ve been there!

College is one of the biggest balancing acts you’ll ever go through and there are a bunch of different aspects that I could write pages and pages on, but today, I’m going to talk about health.

While we all are different, here are some of the things I’ve picked up during my time in college in terms of maintaining my own personal version of health:

1. Take a health/nutritional science class.

Most of us entering college are vulnerable when it comes to our self-confidence and knowledge of the world. I’d say the majority of the time we’re only exposed to one misleading face of health: thinness. It splatters the covers of magazines we see at the grocery store and subtly screams at us from actors in movies. We’re groomed and conditioned to associate a smaller body with health and fitness and beauty and being loved and sought after and NO.

Stop this way of thinking!

Open up your mind to the fact that health is so much more than your weight. You need to dissociate the two words of “skinny” and health from each other. Throw them from your mind and feel how liberating it is! Health classes give you a more holistic view of health and learning about things such as vitamins, cholesterol, bone density, mental well-being, and how the small things work together to bring about your definition of “health”. For me, taking a nutritional science class my freshman year helped keep me from falling into the trap of focusing on thinness as the main indicator of health and becoming obsessed with the pursuit of it,

2. Surround yourself with positive people who don’t judge or belittle you.

Don’t put up with people who don’t love you just the way you are. We all know those people who make you feel shitty about yourself, whether it be based on your body image, intelligence, religious views, etc. You don’t have time for them! Surround yourself with people who don’t put you down and who you genuinely like. College isn’t like high school. You aren’t trapped in a small bubble and friend group. When you get to college, you’re going to be surrounded by wonderful people who will become your best friends. My friend Kelty is a great example of this. She’s an absolute gem and I could go on and on about her fantastic qualities. Since I’m trying to keep it short, feel free to check out the guest post she did for me called “Never Merely Pretty”. You’ll instantly see what I mean. Love you, Kelt!

3. Find a workout body.

Working out doesn’t have to be a drag. Find a workout buddy and go explore new trails, play a sport, hit up the gym, etc. Have fun with it and start incorporating exercise with your daily life in an enjoyable way!

4. Don’t be intimidated to lift weights.

Friends. TRUST ME. No one cares if you’re sweaty and lifting heavy things.

I know a lot of girls get self-conscious when they’re in the weight room with big beefy guys who have muscles the size of friggin’ King Kong, but in all honestly, they probably don’t care if your hair is up in a messy ponytail or that you’re face is red from the badass cardio you just did. They’re too intent on their workout to notice you and don’t think anything of it. I’ve bench pressed/spotted with my enourmous 6’4 rowing friend, Ryan, before and no one even batted an eye, nor did he feel like it was weird. I repeat, NO ONE CARES.

Lifting weights in no way make you more “manly” or less feminine and it’s essential in helping you maintain a healthy bone density and improving your quality of life now and in the future. Go lift!

5. Fill up your dorm room/kitchen with healthy snacks!

Personally, I have a very out of sight, out of mind view when it comes to food. If I have healthy snack options surrounding me,  I automatically go for them instead of stuffing my face with potato chips every night while I study. Here are some of my favorite snack foods:

6. Finally, health isn’t an all-or-nothing thing. 

Yes, I exercise and eat right, but there are plenty of times where I don’t. Late night pizza with friends and eating straight out of pints of ice cream while watching Netflix occur regularly for me. I don’t workout when my body is tired and oftentimes, I skip the gym in favor of going out dancing and partying with my friends. It’s part of my college experience and I wouldn’t trade those times for the world. Your mental health and happiness is just as essential, if not more, than your physical health. Take care of yourself, but don’t restrict or confine yourself from living. 

 

So there ya have it! Some quick and dirty tips that have made all the difference for me. Hope your week is going splendidly, loves! 

Christine