When one is admitted to a college or a university, he is expected to keep up with all the related tasks, activities and happenings. The primary concerns of students are to study, learn and accomplish all the projects, coursework and papers as assigned by their respective professors and instructors.

While doing all these, students, however, should not take for granted one very important thing – their health. Why? It is because their bodies are their main capital for their studies. Without a healthy body, it would be much harder for a student to keep up with everyday activities in school. It would also be much harder for a student to burn the midnight candle without having a healthy body. He or she would eventually succumb to sickness brought by fatigue. But how can students stay healthy at university or college?

To stay healthy at college, students should consider five main matters – food, drink, sleep, exercise, and health habits.

1. FoodThe university may not be the best place to develop and hone one’s cooking skills, but that should not preclude students to take for granted eating healthy foods. Sometimes, the problem is not about eating healthy foods, but when to eat them. Students may become too busy or embroiled with their current activities – like studying late night for a next-day exam – that they tend to forget that they a stomach to feed and brain to keep on running. Missing a meal is definitely not good for a student’s health.As a silent rule, students should be aware of what they are eating. Not all foods are healthy and they could even cause some serious health problems as a student progresses through his or her studies.
2. DrinksHydration is very important in a student’s quest for a healthy body. Keeping oneself promptly and properly hydrated will allow his or her bodily functions to work on their optimal levels. Likewise, a properly hydrated individual is less likely to get sick and could cope with stress much better. Also, hydration flushes out toxins accumulated in a student’s body.Students, however, should not confuse hydration with alcoholic drinks as well as sugary beverages. Alcohols are discouraged as they may bring more harm than intended.
3. SleepGetting enough sleep could be problematic for university or college students. They usually have to stay up late at night to finish their assignments or projects or to prepare for an upcoming exam. Sometimes, students have to deal with noisy and unruly neighbours, roommates or dorm-mates – who could disrupt the peace and quiet with their loud chats, shouts, music, TV shows and other wild activities.Sleep is vital to keeping healthy. Not only that it recharges the body for the next day, it also helps students absorb, retain and store necessary short-term information learned during the day. Likewise, sleep flushes out the toxins in the brain accumulated during the day.
4. ExerciseFor many busy university students, having time for exercise is next to impossible. They know that exercise is very needed if they want to stay healthy. Exercising regularly will give them energy and a clear mind. The problem, however, is that they don’t have enough time to bring themselves to the gym, play formal sports or jog around the neighbourhood. The other problem is that some students have become too lazy to do some exercise.Students, however, does not have to go to gym to work out and stay healthy. Walking or biking to the campus is good way to exercise without thinking that it is one. A few good climb on campus stairs could also help bring up some sweat. Likewise, students don’t really have to play sports to exercise. Sports is a good way to exercise, but students could also do so by engaging in activities like hiking, mountain climbing, cycling or even martial arts.
5. Health habitsMany unhealthy habits could completely offset the effects of good health habits. Vices like smoking, heavy drinking as well as using drugs and doing self-abuses would render any healthy gains ineffective.Likewise, dirty rooms, bad hygiene and risky activities present a great hurdle to students’ quest to become healthy individuals.

For the best, students should develop healthy habits like taking good care of one’s body, cleaning up their rooms regularly, taking vitamins and other healthy supplements and avoiding bad substances that may damage their physical and mental health.