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Throughout life, health is hands down the most important priority of them all. Without your health, it’s pretty tough to function on anything else. On a smaller scale, keeping yourself healthy is most specifically important when you jet off to college.

Your parents won’t always be on your back to take those vitamins or eat those veggies. At least not when you’re off the phone. So the responsibility to take care of yourself is entirely up to you.

Exercise

Counteract against that Freshmen 15! Head to your fitness center or go for a run on the track. If you’re not a fan of working out alone, get a gym buddy. If that’s not motivating enough, sign up for a yoga, kickboxing or spinning class!

Still not a huge fan of the gym? A great way to trick your mind into exercising is joining a sports team. You don’t necessarily have to endure intense tryouts to do this. Most colleges have extracurricular teams that play amongst each other just for fun!

There’s a whole variety of co-ed leagues outside of your college teams: kickball, softball, soccer… you name it, they exist somewhere on campus!

If your sport of choice doesn’t exist, now is the perfect opportunity to create one and promote it on campus. Not only is this a great way to exercise and have fun, you’ll meet more people on campus (Now, that’s a home run right there)!

In addition, exercise helps build energy, which is a necessity when you study long hours for those midterms and finals.

Mental Health

Exercising is not only important for the body, it’s important for the mind. Endorphins are neurotransmitters produced by the pituitary gland and hypothalamus during exercise. These neurotransmitters resemble opiates and their abilities to produce analgesia (pain-killing feeling) and happiness.

Statistics show most mental disorders develop between the ages of 18 and 24. This is the prime time when you’re most likely be attending college.

Watch Your Intake

Undoubtedly, eating right is another step to keeping a healthy physique. Developing these habits now to enforce a well-balanced diet is key.

It’s difficult when you’re studying long hours in the night. You might be tempted to order pizza or grab fast food but that’s never a good call. Not in the long run anyway.

Consider what you are putting into your body. Eating late at night lowers your metabolism, which makes it easier to put on that weight.

Shop and bulk up your place with healthier goodies. Even if you indulge in a healthy midnight snack, you might not feel as bad in the morning.

Healthy Studying

Also, eventually hitting the 21-year mark makes it exciting to drink. Students tend to overdrink, if they have the chance. Yes, we’ve seen Animal House and Van Wilder (great movies) – we’ve seen the fraternity parties, we get it. But overdoing it, definitely packs on those unwanted pounds (in addition to a laundry list of not-so-good consequences).

At the risk of sounding reminiscent of your parents, take care of your body. These are pivotal years of your life that make up your well being physically and mentally, so be wise. You can still fully-experience fun while following the above tips!

Related posts:

1. How to Eat Healthy While at College
2. Could Your Health Be Impacting Your High-School Grades?
3. Can You Avoid the Freshman Fifteen?

My College Guide