Hello, Science! + writing

As we enter the new year, everyone is thinking about how they can live better…including college students. You don’t have to create a difficult,multi-tiered resolution to see the results of living healthier. With a bit of planning and determination, college students can start the springsemester off on the right foot, enjoying more energy and clearer focus when classes resume.
Eat Better
Everyone has heard of the dreaded Freshman 15, but if you did put on a few pounds last semester, you don’t need to just be resigned to living with them and maybe adding to them. Universities are wising up about supplying nutritional, healthy food options for students. Plan to belly up to the salad bar more often next semester and skip the fried food steam tables. Use that little fridge for storing pre-cut veggies and fruits instead of left-over Chinese and Hot Pockets. Planning ahead by keeping easy-to-grab healthy snacks around will make eating better much easier once the semester really gears up.
Sleep Better
Pulling all-nighters is not a badge of honor, like some college students believe. Studies show that being consistently sleep deprived affects your brain and body even more than having several beers. It slows reaction times and blurs your ability to make good choices. Make an action plan for next semester now. Pull out that planner and prepare it for the upcoming semester. Block out your class and work schedules and then section off times for studying so that it isn’t left to the last minute, meaning that you will have to live on just a few hours of sleep a night.
Exercise Better
When you think of exercise, you may think of hours spent in the student rec center sweating away. And, while accessing the gym that you already pay for in your college fees is a smart idea, you can easily build more exercise into your day doing things you already do. Take the stairs instead of the elevator and walk to that class across campus instead of taking the bus. Find other ways to add steps to your daily life. Once you do this and recognize how much better you feel with those endorphins flying around in your system, you may find yourself scheduling time to get to the student rec center more often too.
Drink Better
No, I don’t mean switching to micro-brews. I mean, drink more water. Many students have switched from soda to energy drinks, thinking they are healthier, and that they will make up for the lack of sleep they get. But nothing can replace the benefits of drinking more water. It keeps you hydrated, which helps you think and feel better, since hydration is required to keep all of the cells of your body work at their optimum. It provides you with quality energy and mental clarity—the exact opposite of what caffeine offers in the form of jittery, spastic energy with a big crash at the end of it. Invest in a reusable water bottle that you can carry with you everywhere this coming semester. Fill it up at water fountains so that you are never without that life-giving H2O. An added benefit: you will save bucks that can be better spent on more important things.
Decompress Better
So, maybe you bought into the belief last semester that college students party to decompress. But that doesn’t mean you have to continue on that track in the coming months. In fact, partying isn’t decompressing…it’s hiding from the stress that has built up. Make a plan for decompressing in a healthier way in the New Year. Attend yoga classes at the rec center, take walks to clear your head, make time for friends who care about more than just clubbing. Learn to meditate. Once you engage in a different, smarter form of relaxation, you will soon realize how last semester’s form of decompression actually added stress to your life.
Jacqueline Myers has been guiding college students through the murky waters of writing and research for many years. And she can be your personal English instructor if you visit her on her blog Nitty-Gritty English: The complete site for tips, tricks and techniques for the UN-enthusiastic English student. Jacqueline is a proud member of the AEGC writing staff.