Avoiding sickness is the number one piece of advice I have for staying healthy. Yes, I know. This is pretty obvious and seems like it goes without saying, but so many people do not take the simplest steps to avoid getting sick, and that greatly impacts your health. Looking at the obvious reasons why this would impact your health, the first is that it makes you feel under the weather, and often that comes with body aches, headaches, fevers, and sore throats. Secondary impacts of these symptoms are things like being unable to exercise, lacking concentration, and losing nutrition because of eating less (this often happens to me when I am sick because I lose my appetite). All of these make you less healthy and can even have long-term impacts if you do not deal with your sickness correctly.

But my issue is that people do not seem to try to prevent sickness. They go around not caring if they become ill. This was obvious to me this past week when it became freezing up here in State College. The 65-degree weather the week before had everyone breaking out their shorts and T-shirts, but obviously, in whipping winds and 20-degree weather like we had this past week, shorts and a T-shirt are not acceptable. I then ask, why did I see multiple people walking outside in this outfit while I was walking in sweats, a sweatshirt, and a massive coat, still freezing to death? As a kid, and even now, I still hear my mom yelling at me to make sure I am wearing enough before I go outside on a cold day, and yes it’s annoying, and sometimes I did not/do not listen to her advice, that fact of the matter is that we really should follow it. But why should we follow this again?

Being cold lowers the immune system of the body, making your chances of getting sick increase. It also makes it harder to recover from sickness if you are battling one while being in the freezing cold wearing nothing. So seriously, don’t be that person. I understand doing it in 6^th grade. We all did it. But now we should understand that it is important to be healthy, and putting yourself in an unnecessarily risky situation for getting sick only serves to harm you.

Let’s face it. As college students, we are exposed to the topic of alcohol even before we step on campus. It just goes to show how big of a thing it is in college. Whether it was the educational courses mandated to be completed before the start of the first semester, or the supplementary classes during the first week to further improve education, we were prepared for its large influence on the college experience. However, the fact that Penn State has all of these educational and preparational courses for freshman students shows that they know the large role of alcohol on campus, but instead of removing it, they have decided to better educate in an effort to keep students safe. While some people may look at this as dangerous because it does not prohibit the use of alcohol, I would argue that it is actually better and safer, making students healthier in the process.

Why do I think this? Well, unless you are always making a concerted effort to avoid seeing or touching alcohol in your life, then you will experience it at some point. Whether that is in college or afterward at an office Christmas party. And by no means do you ever have to drink it, but the fact o the matter is that many people do. So, is it better for a college to deprive people of alcohol experience, where they can learn limits and its effects, and let them figure this out later in life? Or, is it better for college to educate students on the dangers of alcohol so they are knowledgeable and prepared? And yes, I know, college students typically act like fools when they are under the influence, but in reality, it is going to happen whether the school likes it or not, so they might as well make the students informed.

This plays into health because the more informed you are, the safer you will be when drinking. Alcohol, when consumed irresponsibly, is certainly bad for your health. It makes you hungover and tired, adds extra calories into your diet, and makes your body have a harder time healing. So, while yes you may go a little crazy with it sometimes, keep in mind alcohol’s effects on the body if you are really devoted to your health.

There is something about nice days that brightens my mood and creates a great day. They make me happy and excited, causing me to forget any stress or pressing issues on my mind. These past two days have made me recognize how much I appreciate the effects of nice days. Coming off of winter and the grey, cold, and outright nasty weather, I have never felt happier to see a 70-degree day and sunlight. However, I noticed the beneficial effects of these days on my mood, and ultimately, my health. I had two important quizzes this week that I did not feel very confident about. I had the pressing stress of having to figure out math which I did not understand plaguing my mind. Yet, when I walked outside on Wednesday, I immediately relaxed and began to feel that these quizzes were manageable.

What exactly this relaxing feeling was from, I cannot be sure, but I attributed it to the sunshine, warm air, and overall good auras of the day. And I also think a big portion of this feeling was because I simply spent time outside.

Too many people, in my opinion, spend too much time indoors, out of the sun. This has to be bad for your health. Not only are you lacking Vitamin D but you are also losing out on the joys of experiencing a nice day. There are, however, even more health benefits from spending time outdoors.

According to Sharp.com, spending time outside lowers blood pressure, reduces stress, improves our mood, helps us focus, and even helps the body heal faster (sharp.com). All of these combined can have a large impact on someone’s health. I think the lowering stress part is the most noticeable benefit, and it is also the most important because stress actually can take years off of your life or even give you a heart attack.

The large benefits from spending time outside should encourage everyone to make an effort to get out. It is nicer than being cooped up inside, and it is always something I appreciate doing. If you are someone who cares about your health, but maybe you are a video game connoisseur or spend all of your time studying in your dorm room, I encourage you to take the time to get outside. A little goes a long way.

https://www.sharp.com/health-news/5-ways-being-outdoors-can-make-you-healthier-and-happier.cfm

Once you get into the habit of going to the gym often, it is a tough one to break. However, I am currently on a break from the gym, and I feel like I may be going insane!

For me, the gym is a huge stress reliever and it helps me clear my mind and focus better when I get back to work. But in the last two weeks, I have not been able to go because of a jam-packed schedule paired with having a sickness for a few days. And boy can I feel the effects.

Not only do I constantly think about wanting to go to the gym, stressing the effects of each additional day off, but I also have lost a key stress-relieving tactic in a week filled with exams and grade postings. I also feel the effect on my energy. I have been very tired and lacking motivation the past week and a half, and I do not think it is a coincidence that this change happened during this break from working out. The main issue with this break from the gym is that it is involuntary. Sometimes people take voluntary breaks for a week or two to give their bodies rest, but for me, my break is entirely forced from lack of time, making me an unwilling participant in a rest week.

But you should not write off rest weeks as some horrible thing just because I am experiencing one which I do not want to be in. Rest weeks really can have a benefit to the body. When you are completely burnt out, whether that is from school, life, or the gym, it can be good to take a rest week and let your mind have a break with the extra amount of time in your day. Also, the added recovery to your muscles can make you come back to the gym even stronger than before as long as a correct diet is upheld over the break. So seriously, if you need a rest week, take it.

My situation, on the other hand, is a rest week (more like 2 weeks) that I would not like to have. So I suggest to you if you are stuck with a jammed schedule where you think you may have to take an unwanted rest week, try to find a way around it. I wish I could, but my stubbornness to waking up at 6:00 and going to bed at 2:00 makes it an impossible task as of right now.