Helpful Student Health Tips

At Fastweb, we get it. Students are busy. Amongst a challenging curriculum, exciting social life and personal commitments, sometimes it can be difficult to remember to take care of yourself. But, without your health, none of your other activities are possible. That’s why it’s so important to develop great habits now that you can follow for a lifetime. Check out the following ten health tips to ensure you stay at the top of your game through the remainder of this semester and beyond. Here's what you should do to stay healthy: 1. Eat Right This can seem difficult in college but, when broken down, is a bit more attainable. Try to follow some simple principles like: always eat breakfast, never skip meals and snack regularly to avoid hunger. Balance your meals by ensuring you have the proper amounts of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, dairy and proteins while leaving sugary and fatty foods by the wayside. 2. Exercise Keeping your body healthy and in shape is important. It doesn't have to be extreme either! Walk to your classes, take a class that involves physical fitness or check out the student facilities your campus offers for students to utilize. 3. Get Enough Sleep It can be difficult to ensure you’re getting enough sleep when you've got a huge load of class work, piled on top of all your other commitments or when your friends are staying out all night partying. But getting enough sleep can really improve your overall health and wellness. For college students, experts recommend seven to nine hours nightly. In addition, try to stick to a sleep schedule so that you can stay well-rested throughout the day. So stay asleep, turn off the lights and all of your electronic devices. Also, try not to eat or drink caffeinated beverages near bedtime. 4. Wash Your Hands It’s so easy for students to spread germs to one another and not washing your hands makes it even easier to do so! Hand washing is such a simple way to prevent germs from spreading from many illnesses. Wash your hands throughout the day but especially before mealtime, when you've been around people that are sick and whenever you touch your eyes, nose or mouth. 5. Don’t Smoke Even smoking occasionally can put your life at risk. Do we really need to elaborate? If you’d like help quitting, your student health center has many programs that can assist you. 6. Avoid Caffeine and Sugary Drinks Foods that are high in protein and fiber are way better for you in the long run since caffeinated and sugary drinks seems like a great choice for studying until you crash later on. 7. Get a Flu Shot It’s always better to be safe than sorry and getting a flu shot is no exception. It’s one of the easiest ways to avoid illness. Trust us, come flu season, you’ll be happy you did. 8. Drink Lots of Water Staying hydrated will give you more energy throughout the day, reinvigorates your body, stops you from overeating and aids in concentration. It also helps prevent those pesky headaches so fill up your water bottle daily. Remember to reuse a refillable bottle rather than wasting plastic, which is bad for the environment! 9. Relax It’s all too easy to get stressed but being overly stressed can cause a variety of health issues. Make sure to give yourself plenty of breaks, maintain a healthy routine on a daily basis and always have time to do activities that are low-stress like hobbies, hanging out with friends and exercising. 10. Avoid Tanning and Wear Sunscreen The beach is relaxing and fun and we’re not saying to avoid it all together, just lather up in sunscreen to avoid the unhealthy side effects that come along with it. Reapply every two to three hours to make sure you’re fully protected. Make sure you avoid harmful tanning salon beds because putting yourself at risk for skin cancer is definitely not worth the risk of a little color. If you feel you must have some summer glow, try a healthier alternative of a sunless tanner. There are plenty of realistic looking options out there that don’t have the deadly cancerous side effects!

What other health tips would you share with students?