6 Easy Ways To Get On The Healthy Train

By Francine Fluetsch on April 16, 2015

Do you want to be healthier this spring? Many people want to be, but don’t really know where to start, or are worried that they will have to undergo some drastic, life altering routine to achieve their goal.

I’m here to tell you that you can start getting healthy without really having to change much of your everyday life. Here are 6 easy tips for your journey to getting healthier.

1. Don’t skip breakfast.

You just woke up to find that your alarm didn’t go off. “I’m going to be late!” you say as you quickly pull on some pants and rush out the door, skipping the most important meal of the day: breakfast!

We all have mornings like this, so you need to be prepared ahead of time so you don’t go really long without eating. Buy some healthy on-the-go snacks that you can quickly grab and take along with you for those days that start off in a rush.

I’d recommend things like applesauce crushers (don’t need a spoon and they aren’t messy), bananas, apples, granola bars (some are healthier than others so read the labels), or anything else you like that is fast and easy, yet will still be a good food item to start your day with.

For the days you don’t have to rush out the door, pair your breakfast choice with a bowl of fruit, a source of protein like an omelet, and some juice and water.

2. Pack a lunch the night before.

A lot of students don’t have time in the morning to pack a lunch, so packing it the night before will be a time saver, and will also let you make healthy choices for your future self.

Getting lunch at the school cafes every day can be challenging if you want to be healthy, and can also be expensive if you don’t have a meal plan! Sure, they have some healthy options, but bringing your own lunch is the way to go in my opinion.

I usually pack myself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich (protein packed and filling), a fruit of some sort (usually cuties or grapes, though the grapes can get mushy if they are in your bag for a while), and a small piece of dark chocolate to sooth my sweet tooth craving.

Remember that being healthy is a lifestyle, not a “I’ll do this for a bit and then be done” kind of thing. Everything is okay in moderation, so if you have a sweet tooth, don’t cut it out completely, that will only lead you to binging on it later. Moderate your intake, but don’t deprive yourself.

3. Drink more water.

This one might seem obvious, but most people don’t drink enough water. The best way to tell is by the color of your pee. If it is anything other than clear or close to clear, you aren’t drinking enough.

This article gives you six of the many health benefits of drinking water, including how good it is for your skin as well as how it helps your kidneys and with controlling calories.

What I usually do is fill up my reusable water bottle before school, and aim to have finished it before I get home. Making little goals like this will help you stay conscious of the need to quench your thirst, even when you don’t really think you are thirsty.

4. Walk to class.

Exercise to some is such a burden, and if you’re like me, lying on the couch and watching Netflix seems much more appealing. The simple solution to getting some movement in your day? Walking to all of your classes.

Don’t take the bus, and don’t ask your friend for a ride–really make it your goal to use your own two feet to get around the campus and back home. It may not seem like much, but moving a little is better than not at all.

5. Find fun ways to exercise.

If you want to up your exercise game, find some fun ways to do it if you hate the gym. My roommate and I had a spontaneous sword fight with water bottles yesterday, and after bouncing around and thwacking each other as if we were in a real duel, we came out pretty tired. We were exercising without even realizing it!

Dancing is a great alternative as well, or going swimming with your friends. My suggestion would be to try out multiple methods, so you can see which one appeals to you most.

Trying out different things will also prevent you from getting bored. The less it seems like exercise and more like fun, the more likely you will be to stick with it.

6. Learn to cook simple and healthy meals.

A large reason college kids tend to be more on the unhealthy side is because cooking takes time and effort. Why wait around in the kitchen for forever when you could easily cruise by Panda Express and pick up dinner?

While getting take-out shouldn’t be totally cut from your routine, I’d try and opt for cooking 5 to 6 times a week, and then having a fun eat out day once a week. This will save you money and will help you get on track to being healthy.

If time is not something you have a lot of, consider prepping meals the night before, or cooking in the morning after finishing breakfast, so your meal will be ready to go when you get home and you are hungry.

A quick Google search will allow you to locate hundreds of fast and healthy recipes that you can try. Maybe make double the recipe so you’ll have leftovers to save for a rainy day. You could even colab with your roommates and work out who will cook on given days, so you’ll always get healthy meals but won’t always have to do the cooking.

These are just a few suggestions, but remember, where there’s a will, there is a way, and when you step back and think about it, getting healthy is not as complicated as we all think it is!

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