Maintaining both a healthy body and mind
By Matt von Boecklin
If you thought that exercise was the only way to stay healthy, think again. You don't have to run four miles a day, but you may need to get an extra hour of sleep and skip the curly fries at dinner.
The inconsistencies of a college student's schedule are not friendly to a body's well-being.
"It's a huge change, coming (to college)," Dr. Jeanne Zeamba, health educator and director of the Wellness Center, said. "Your eating schedule, your sleeping schedule, your social schedule, your exercise schedule, everything switches." But that's an understatement.
According to the John Hopkins Institute, some of the top factors that influence student health are sleep, diet, alcohol, and stress. The recommended amount of sleep for people ages 18-24 is eight to nine hours each night. That amount is very rarely accomplished by the average college student. Most students admit to getting only five to six hours maximum.
The Wellness Center acknowledges that sleep affects mood, stress levels, and the mind's ability to absorb information. In short, more sleep equals a more fulfilled day.
But diet is just as important. As the Food Guide Pyramid dictates, every day meals should include grains, fruits, vegetables, and proteins. But in college, eating can become more than just a refueling activity.
Ann Selkowitz Litt is the author of "The College Student's Guide to Eating Well on Campus." She claims that social eating, like late night trips to Jack in the Box, and emotional eating, such as celebratory meals and ice cream pints after a bad day, add unneeded calories almost without the student knowing it.
Kendall Doherty, a forward on the women's soccer team, says that one of her keys to a healthy day is to "Eat three meals a day, and make them well-balanced. Three meals a day is very important, not just for sports but for everyday life."
Alcohol also impacts the body in highly aggravating ways. As Litt claims in "The College Student's Guide to Eating Well on Campus," alcohol adds many extra calories and leads to rapid weight gain. Though some may not know it, most hard alcohol has roughly the same amount of calories as a beer.
Alcohol also prevents a student from getting proper rest. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, "Alcohol consumption can induce sleep disorders by disrupting the sequence and duration of sleep states and by altering total sleep time as well as the time required to fall asleep (i.e. sleep latency)."
Last but not least, comes stress. Here on campus, The Wellness Center can help someone cope with stress immensely. It carries a wealth of brochures and pamphlets with suggestions about dealing with stress.
Zeamba recommends making time for relaxation. She says it's important to make time for yourself to escape the daily pressure of student life.
Going for walks, listening to music, taking baths, and reading for pleasure are also soothing activities that can help relieve stress. According to the Wellness Center, exercise can play a huge role as well, since aerobic exercise has been proven to reduce anxiety up to 50 percent for the average student. Working through big tasks by breaking them into smaller, more manageable tasks is a good way to alleviate stress also.
Whether you're a sports star or just the average Joe, it's important to maintain a healthy lifestyle by eating right, working out, and getting plenty of rest.
Contact Matt von Boecklin at (408) 551-1918 or mvonboecklin@scu.edu