Preparing for the transition between high school and college can seem stressful. There’s so much to do: campus visits and applications, purchasing all the items you need for the big move, researching your potential major at The College Board. The real challenges, however, begin their freshman year. Faced with tremendous lifestyle changes, new responsibilities, and a whole lot of schoolwork, many students do not develop healthy ways of handling their stress. These overwhelming feelings when starting college can often lead to increased weight. But with workout resolutions and solid nutrition habits, students can remedy their stresses.
Relaxing the Mind and Working the Body
Yoga has a long tradition of helping people reduce stress, increase their awareness and strengthen their bodies. By practicing yoga and meditation, students can develop a daily habit of handling study stress while also enjoying the benefits of yoga workouts. Just as an overload of assignments can induce stress and anxiety, too much weight lifting and running can damage the body. Hatha yoga, for instance, is not only as a stress reliever but is also good for healing and preventing injuries.
Keep Exercise Entertaining
Maintaining the same workout routine can quickly become dull and students might lose motivation to hit the gym or go for a run. By constantly changing what muscle groups are being worked and which exercises are performed, it becomes easier for people to sustain an interest in conditioning their bodies.
Iaam.com recommends that students try some more exciting workout routines like zumba or hip-hop dance classes. These types of exercises can be added to traditional weight lifting and cardio routines to keep students from losing the appeal of working out. Getting involved with school exercise classes can also help new freshman socialize and develop friendships with healthy-minded peers.
Eating Away From Home
For most students, the most adventurous part of going away to school is living on their own. But with this new adult freedom comes some important duties. Students need to watch what they eat and mom will not be there to set a nutritious plate. While education resources urge nutrition awareness, ultimately students are responsible for themselves.
Nutrition literature and food documentaries on the importance of healthy eating have become popular resources on keeping a good diet. While adults facing diseases, cholesterol struggles, high blood pressure and weight problems have an immediate motivation to change their lifestyle, many young students do not look ahead at where their diet will lead them. Even worse, most freshman do not understand that poor nutrition causes more stress. In addition to healthy food choices, Helium advocates that freshman incorporate fruit, nut and vegetable snacks in between meals in order to maintain their metabolism and stop overeating.
Alcohol Education
Many people jokingly point to alcohol consumption as the leading cause of the infamous freshman fifteen. While many articles point out the dangers of consuming too many calories from beer, it is paramount that students learn the more permanent effects of alcohol. According to College Drinking: Changing the Culture, a staggering 31% of college students abuse alcohol. When students develop a dependence on alcohol for handling study stress or rewarding their hard work at such a young age, they become far more likely to continue such habits and progress toward drinking problems. College students should always stick to healthy stress remedies when dealing with their tensions.
In College and Beyond
While freshman have a lot of lifestyle changes ahead of them, learning healthy stress tools can better prepare them for their schoolwork and keep the dreaded freshman fifteen from happening. Not only are these stress remedies and nutritious tips beneficial for students’ college years, but learning these habits early on can help students carry them throughout their lives, leading to better ways of handling life struggles and staying healthy.
-This post was a guest article written for The Rite Bite.
Tags: alcohol, college, dancing, diet, eating, Exercise, Exercise Benefits, Fitness, freshman fifteen, health, high school, losing weight, Nutrition, Physical Fitness, relax, relaxing, Setting Goals, stress, weight loss, weight loss tips, yoga