How to keep healthy whilst at uni

We’re now into October, freshers and the adjusting period is coming to an end, and reality is setting in. I know you’re asking yourself how to keep healthy whilst at uni, so don’t worry, I’ve got you covered.

1. Plan your week

On Sunday evening, sit down with your planner and your timetable (this could be your phone or a physical planner) and write down EVERYTHING.

I’m talking anything from 5 minute meetings, lectures, work, etc.

If your planner has a feature where you can see the overview of the week, USE IT.

Why is this helpful?

Doing this allows you to see everything that is happening for the week and when, which allows you to see when you have free time.

Once you can see where you have this free time, you can plan.

On Sunday evening, once you have wrote down EVERYTHING that is happening that week, carve out the time you can workout.

Examples:

Whatever time you have, and wherever you can squeeze in a workout, even if it’s 10 minutes, do it.

And planning your week ahead also means that you have time to spend with your friends, even if uni is getting extremely busy!

2. Plan your day

Once you have planned your week, you can start planning your day.

This usually is best to do the night before each day, because things change as the week goes on, life happens and has to move around, so we can just adjust.

From planning your week, you know the general times of everything and the places you have to be.

Now is the time to go in and plan your day hour to hour.

I’m talking what time you’re waking up, working out, showering, leaving for the bus / driving, etc.

Doing this is going to help you SO much in being productive, because once you have these times blocked in, you know that you can actually fit these things into your day, and everything becomes less stressful.

Example:

• 6:30am wake up
• 7:40am workout
• 8:15am shower + get ready
• 9:15am bus to uni + podcast
• 10am-12pm uni workshop
• 12pm lunch
• 1-1:30pm post blog post
• 1:30pm blog
• 2:30pm walk to bus stop and go home

You get the gist…

Planning your day out like this gives you something to work towards.

If you HATE doing a certain part of uni, just know that it is only blocked in for a certain amount of time. It is not your full day and doesn’t define your full day.

You have things blocked in that you will enjoy and look forward to in your day.

3. Quick workouts

Quick workouts are going to be your best friend when you get really busy with uni work everyday.

YouTube is going to be your n01 when it comes to workouts!

I don’t know what I would have done if I didn’t have YouTube.

There are millions of free, quick and intense workouts on there, whether you want Pilates, yoga, weights, skipping, etc.

Choose a workout that YOU enjoy, there could be multiple, and make time for them during the week.

Make use of walking to your lectures. Maybe you take the longer route, maybe you get off the bus a stop early and walk further to your campus. Movement is movement.

My favourite YouTube workouts

4. Sleep

A big part of staying healthy whilst at uni, is all about sleep.

I know that in uni, you’re staying out late with your friends (I mean I didn’t but I know some people do lol), and your sleep can be sacrificed sometimes.

But sleep will not only be helpful for your physical health, it will also be helpful for your mental health too.

Getting enough sleep will mean you have enough energy to give to your uni work, as well as working out, as well as friends, family, etc.

Just think the more / better sleep you get, the more energy you have to give for everything in your day.

Tips to getting a better sleep

Have a nighttime routine (wind down before bed)

• Plan your day for tomorrow. Planning your day the night before will reduce stress, because you aren’t waking up wondering what is happening today, you already know.
• Get into pjs. This little habit will become a signal to your brain that you are winding down and getting ready to sleep.
• Do your skincare (shower if you like night showers). Take everything off from the day, so you can start fresh tomorrow).
• Have a warm (decaffeinated) drink. Having a warm drink, especially some sort of tea before you go to bed is cosy and will get you ready for sleep.
• Read / tv show. The key here is to not be doom scrolling on TikTok and keeping your brain alert and distracted. Reading or watching something with no distractions can lower the amount of mental chatter going on in your head.

5. Food and eating

Remember that sometimes at uni, days can be very stressful and time can be very limited.

If you need to grab something considered ‘unhealthy’ for lunch, then so be it.

Do not be hard on yourself, you need to eat, and if that is the only thing accessible to you, then you are still fuelling your body!

Staying healthy whilst at uni, especially in terms of food, can be hard, so here’s some of my tips.

Tips to help you eat healthy / balanced at uni

• Cook larger meals so you have leftovers. Leftovers were my BEST FRIEND during uni. It is very rare that I went out and bought something to eat for lunch. (This also helps you save money)
• Bring fruit to snack on throughout the day. Not only is fruit the better option, it also means that you aren’t going to have a massive crash during the day.
• Don’t restrict yourself. The more you restrict, the more you will want it. Allow yourself to have anything you want, and eat intuitively. This will stop you from bingeing. If you’re craving something, have it, but make sure you have carbs, proteins, and fats in your meal to keep you full and satisfied. It’s not about what you can take away from your meal, it’s about what you can add.
• Make sure you give yourself time to eat. Very often it’s easy to fill your schedule to keep you busy at uni, but you need to make sure that you are remembering, and taking the time to sit down and eat.

6. Journal

Keeping healthy whilst at uni doesn’t always have to do with physical health.

Your mental health is just as, if not more, important as your physical health.

Uni can be very very hard, I won’t sugar coat it. And I’m not just talking about the stressful workload.

I am talking about making new friends, feeling like you don’t belong, feeling like you aren’t good enough, struggling to find your way, feeling like the new kid again, being a small fish in a large pond.

There is a lot of excitement around uni, but you don’t hear the difficult things about uni as much.

I hope me saying these things can make anyone going through those things, feel comfort and as though you are not alone.

Why does journaling help?

• Reduces stress. Getting everything out on paper can feel like there’s a weight lifted off your shoulders.
• Helps you manage your emotions. Journaling can help you see things more clearly, and allows you to manage your emotions on certain situations. You will know what makes you feel certain ways, and you will be able to manage situations better in the future.
• Allows you to capture good memories too. We forget that journaling can be about writing happy memories and feelings too. They are so good to look back on, especially when you are feeling down and want to read something uplifting.
• You can work through your problems. Sometimes after writing you may have the answer you are looking for. Or you may realise something that you didn’t realise before, because you are working through the problem in depth by writing everything down.

Thank you for reading <3

I hope this post was useful in helping you to keep healthy whilst at uni!

I know it can be hard, and it is a huge adjustment, but just do what makes you feel good!

Don’t worry too much about keeping as healthy as you can be, or staying in the smallest body, because you are growing up, and learning and evolving!

Don’t miss my latest blog post!

Autumn TV shows to watch on Netflix