Health and Fitness: Taking care of your mind, body and soul while in school

Header image for Interrobang article CREDIT: MELISSA NOVACASKA
Starting school again can be overwhelming, but making the time to take care of your mind, body and soul will help you have a positive and less stressful year.

Take a deep breath in while you count to seven, now exhale as you count to eight. Do this as many times as you need to, eyes closed or open and then focus carefully on these important strategies for optimal health and wellness while attending school at Fanshawe.

Even if you are great at dealing with change and a new environment, we are all prone to stress and life getting in the way of taking care of ourselves.

The fact is that taking care of yourself as number one is what is going to help you defend those stressors and even prevent them from happening in the first place.

Begin by taking a look at your schedule. Keep all your scheduled items in one place, meaning all on one calendar and not one in your phone, one on the wall at home, one in a book in your bag, etc. When you have all of your life in one spot it is much easier to make a plan.

Once you see the gaps, enter in the times when you will work out, exercise, take a stretch break, etc. Set alarms on your phone if you have to and stick to it. If you have to make a workout shorter or need to split it into two or three sessions in a day, do it.

Try not to skip it unless you are very ill, which hopefully doesn’t happen because you are taking such good care of yourself.

“Eating right” and “college student” just don’t seem to match very well, but I know you are different and your will power is second to none, right?

Kidding aside, the best piece of advice I can give to a new or returning student is similar to the above, make a plan and stick to it.

If you are mostly consuming on campus food, go around to each food place and make a list of the healthy options that you like (if you are not sure, the Wellness and Fitness Centre will have an updated list on or before Sept. 5). Write in your meal plan into your calendar for at least a few days at a time.

Focus first on lots of fruits and vegetables, lean meats or high protein plants like beans, nuts, and seeds, milk or foods high in calcium and magnesium, whole grains (oats, quinoa, barley, rye, wheat, etc.,) and some whole grain products (processed foods made with whole grains and little other ingredients like sugar and salt), healthy fats (plant based) and lots of water. Water yourself like you are a tropical plant trying to survive in the dessert. Don’t buy junk food you don’t need or can’t afford. If you can buy a bag of chips for a couple bucks, then you can afford an apple for 40 cents.

Another key factor to reaching full Zen status as a college student is to get regular sleep. Aim for at least seven to nine hours each night and try to stick to going to bed at the same time and getting up at the same time. Don’t stay up until 2 a.m. binge watching Netflix or trying to memorize your notes.

Your brain needs sleep too. If you go out or have a late night here or there, still get up at roughly the same time and then take a short nap or go to bed a bit earlier the next night.

If you are stressed and having trouble sleeping, try practicing mindfulness or meditation (if you need help with this, the Yoga instructors at the Wellness and Fitness Centre will get you started).

Last, but not least, do something for your spirit / soul / inner peace. Find something that makes you happy that has nothing to do with school or work. Try something new, find a club, or get back to an old hobby and set aside a little time each week for it. Set yourself up so that you realistically can stick to it and make sure it’s something that is uplifting, even just for those moments while you are doing it.