We are now in the midst of summer break. Like any summer, most students are probably out during the nights or lounging around the house for days on end. Even though it’s vacation, our common sense shouldn’t have to take a break, too. Here’s a list of what we tend to forget over this period, and how to avoid forgetting these activities.
1. Drink water. Whether you’re bar hopping every weekend or working out everyday, you have to drink water. It’s easy to become dehydrated because of the scorching temperatures. Try bringing a bottle of water with you every time you leave the house. You’ll be thankful that you did when at the end of the night you become best friends with the toilet after your friends kept saying you weren’t down to swig some Everclear.
2. Maintain a regular sleeping pattern. So maybe you haven’t had a regular sleeping pattern since elementary school when your mom forced you to sleep by 10 p.m. It’s important to start developing a healthy sleeping pattern as a college student, rather than later when you’re hitting close to 40 and look like you’re ready for retirement. Remember, it’s a recommended dose of eight hours. Try to sleep at a reasonable time. If you fell asleep at 5 a.m. after a long night of League of Legends and woke up eight hours later at 1 p.m., more than half of your day is already gone. And that doesn’t really help your quest for a regular sleeping pattern. Try waking up before 10 a.m. I know you can do it! You’ll notice you will have a lot more hours in the day, and you can become productive with all that time you’ve gained.
3. Maintain a healthy diet. Like the sleeping pattern, eating unhealthy foods is probably a bad habit you’ve had throughout your college career. Let’s face it: it’s pretty difficult to eat healthy all the time. You’re constantly out with friends, catching up over a lunch or dinner. You want to go eat some late night tacos after a night of drinking. Or you’re just sitting at home all day in front of the computer or TV, eating your third bag of Takis. However, eating healthy is a possible goal you should start working towards now. Start by incorporating lots of veggies in each meal, and be diverse in your options. If you only eat one vegetable, like carrots, that doesn’t mean you’re set for your veggie intake for the day. Different vegetables have different vitamins that will help give you energy. Also, start cutting down your food portions for every meal. I’m sorry to say, but life isn’t a buffet, so start rethinking on getting seconds or thirds.