Although this blog was originally intended for ex-athletes, I hope some of you reading this are not. As I continued to write throughout the semester, I began to realize how working out in a new environment, like college, is something that many people have and will struggle with. I want everyone to strive to live a healthy lifestyle, even though it is something that oftentimes is hard to do. From the lack of healthy food options to the overwhelming amount of people at the gym, and even the amount of new responsibilities gained, I was naive to think that being both mentally and physically healthy in college was going to be easy. My journey at Penn State has definitely not been easy so far, but I am finally starting to adjust to it. But enough about me, I want to be able to give a last, influential blog post for you all. 

 

I want to be able to end our time together on a positive note. If you have been a reader thus far, you will see that I like to kind of incorporate a list into my blog posts and I plan on doing that until the very end. This time I want to hit on what I think are the three vital parts of staying healthy;  mental, nutritional, and physical. As I only have three weeks left in the semester, I would say I have learned quite a lot about the importance of all these things. It is vital to make sure you are prioritizing all of these things, not just one. So down below, I have given a few small tips to                                                                                                                                                                                                    

 

Mental Health: You should prioritize your mental health over everything. In college first, you are a person, then a student, then anything else in your life. If you need someone to talk to, your college has many resources, take advantage of them!

 

Nutritional Health: I know everyone has heard of the Freshmen 15, and I did not understand how that could happen so quickly. But once I got here, I could see how easy it could be to fall down that path. In college, you are choosing the amount of food you eat, and a lot of time those options are not the most nutritional. You have to make sure you are getting in every aspect of nutrition like fruits, vegetables, grains, and protein. It may take a little work to find those good in college, but I promise you it is worth it. 

Physical health: I’ve talked about a lot of the importance of working out in a previous blog post and that for sure is important. But making sure you are not sick is just as important as well. Taking your vitamins and drinking plenty of water is a way to avoid disease and coughs. If you feel yourself getting sick, try to take medication that would combat it for it is super hard to recover from sickness in college.  

 

Before you all pass on this knowledge to your friends, I want to give a PSA that in no way am I a healthy expert or personal trainer, being healthy is just something I am passionate about. This blog was simply about me passing on knowledge through stories of my successes and failures here in college. Maybe some of my advice did not apply to you and maybe it helped change your life, I truthfully have no idea. I am just honored that you even chose to read my blog and I hope you enjoyed our time together as I did. Until next semester:)

People were not joking about the amount of responsibilities you gain when you get to college. From laundry, homework, cleaning, keeping healthy, class, grocery shopping, having a social life, etc. it feels like there is a never-ending list. For someone who is on their own for the first time, it is a lot to stay on top of. It might even seem impossible to complete all of these tasks. I definitely thought it was. During those first few weeks of college, I was completely lost and felt pushed to my limits. I fell behind on a lot of my duties and the stress and anxiety from it was all-consuming, which only pushed me further behind, truly leading me on a downward spiral.

After getting some help from a wellness counselor here at Penn State, they helped me create a routine. Not trying to sound dramatic, but this changed my life. They stressed to me how important it is that I plan my weeks ahead and get into habits that benefit my life. They showed me how to set aside time for both my needs and wants. They also educated me on how crucial it is to have small daily habits to gain that sense of accomplishment we often need to stay motivated throughout the day. Since most of my readers are first years, down below I have given some tips on how to create a routine that will work for you and hopefully, it can benefit you as much as it had me: 

 

Make lists: In order to have a good routine, you have to be able to know everything you want to get done both daily and weekly. The best way to keep track of that is simply writing it down. Whether it is a to-do list, habit tracker, or calendar, keeping all your tasks organized in one location will serve as a constant reminder to get things completed. Even if it is something like brushing your teeth or making your bed, implementing this into the task list will allow you to do something simple to cross off slowly making it into a habit every day. 

Set intentions you can complete: Stay realistic when setting your goals. If something is too out of reach, reword it to something that is actually justifiable. For example do not make a goal to not do school work on Sunday, if you know you have an exam on Monday. Instead rework the goal to just doing 2 hours of review on Sunday, making you set aside time the weeks prior to start studying. 

 

Consistency is crucial: Making goals and sticking with them is the hardest but most rewarding part of a routine. When a simple thing like making your bed or doing laundry on Sunday becomes a habit, it feels amazing. The same thing can happen with something like working out, if continue to do it every day, it will become something you naturally enjoy and expect to do. 

 

Keep it balanced: A routine should provide you with a sense of calmness and stability within your life. If it is at all causing you any stress, reevaluate. Are you putting too much on your plate? Have you given time to relax and be with yourself? If not, take a step back and make sure this routine is improving your life not regressing it. 

I will never stop recommending a routine for it truly made me a happier and more productive person. I recognized how valuable my time is so by planning, I am now able to do all of the things I both need and want to do. Working out has become implemented in my daily routine I always have time set aside for the gym, whether. I pray that this post has helped you recognize the benefits of a routine, and I hope you fall in love with your new routine just like I have.