Top tips for staying healthy at uni

Staying healthy at Uni might be at the bottom of the pile of priorities alongside your studies, but from one student to another, it can really improve your quality of life. What with how fast paced Uni life can be, it’s completely understandable that getting your five a day every day is not realistic. Especially in first year! It’s all about making small, manageable changes that can make big differences. No need for complete lifestyle overhauls. As a now seasoned third year, here are my top tips on making these changes to maintain a healthy lifestyle at Uni.

Diet

This is possibly the biggest factor contributing to your health not just in Uni, but in life in general. But at Uni, it’s very easy to fall into a habit of unhealthy eating. You’re getting your first taste of independence living away from home with income from Student Finance. Many students fall into the takeaway trap, where others fall into a pesto pasta trap. We’ve all been there! Honestly, in first year, I couldn’t even confidently tell you what I ate on a regular basis. All I know for sure is that it was a lot of Buldak noodles (sorry Mum).

Now I’m not saying that takeaways or pesto pasta is bad, it’s just bad when had all the time. Everything in moderation: this is one of my biggest top tips for staying healthy at Uni. A full day at Uni can really tire you out, and a cheeky takeaway here and there is perfectly fine occasionally. And if pesto pasta is an easy, quick and convenient meal for you, that’s perfectly fine too!

It’s all about finding what works for you. I personally have allocated myself one takeaway a week, and the rest of the days I persevere to make balanced meals with at least one green vegetable. Even with these small targets, I struggle. But restrictive diets are not realistic, and could even be damaging, particularly on demanding days at Uni.

I would also totally recommend meal prepping. I am still finding my feet with this one. Even if it’s just chopping up some vegetables to store in the fridge or marinating some chicken to put in the freezer. This will make you so much more motivated to cook – it makes the whole process much easier and way more convenient! Make extra portions where you can, to freeze for later in the week – future you will be very grateful when those deadlines hit.

Another big tip for staying healthy at Uni is to not overcomplicate it. Uni can be a lot: deadlines, social life, career prospects etc. take up so much already. Like I said, make small changes where you can. Restrictive diets are not maintainable, but manageable changes like aiming for X amount of protein each day are. Don’t be too strict on yourself!

Hydration and caffeine

I know many students across the world rely on caffeine to get through their degrees. It would be unrealistic to suggest cutting it out completely. But my top tip here would be to try to limit using it to when it’s needed as a boost. Late nights and energy drops are inevitable. Try to only crack open the can of Monster when you really need to.

Another big top tip for staying healthy at Uni is keeping yourself hydrated by investing in a durable reusable water bottle. I had a big plastic one when I first moved in and never used it. But then I bought a Stanley tumbler, which keeps water ice cold. That, and its eye watering price has really kept me consistent in drinking more than enough water every day.

Lecture theatres or seminar rooms can also get very warm, so I would 100% recommend bringing water to keep cool. Dehydration throughout a full Uni day is something I would not wish on my worst enemy!

Movement and fitness

Uni is a good time to find what it is you would like to commit to fitness wise. There are so many opportunities to get involved within Uni sports societies. Or even city fitness initiatives like running groups. Gyms are also aplenty in most Uni cities, alongside no shortage of walking routes through picturesque parks.

My top tip here would be to find a form of fitness you enjoy and can commit to. If you like it, you’re more likely to stick to it.

I really enjoyed netball in school and have pursued it throughout my life, including at Uni. But I found it hard to commit to a session plus matches every week, so I have swapped netball for ensuring I get my 10k steps in every day. I find this easier as my Uni city is very walkable and I can easily slot it into my routine where netball was much harder to allocate time to.

Even just short bursts of low intensity exercise can make a difference. Avoiding being completely sedentary at Uni is crucial in staying healthy.

Sleep

This is another one I am also struggling to get the hang of, even as a third year. Sleep is so important to our health, and Uni is notorious for ruining sleep schedules. My top tip here is to avoid all nighters as much as possible! They are so draining and can result in a negative long-term impact on your sleep schedule and productivity. I have had my fair share of all nighters, even in Sixth Form, and I would recommend avoiding at all costs.

If you’re anything like me and struggle with your sleep schedule, I’d also recommend aiming for consistency in waking up rather than going to bed. I find this will make me more tired by the end of the day, anyway, encouraging me to go to bed earlier.

Try not to get into a regular habit of sleeping late, waking up late and missing lectures. This is a very easy cycle to fall into that is very hard to break.

Mental health

Mental health is just as important as physical health. Please remember to take some time for yourself at Uni – do something that makes you happy. Whether that be reading, a movie night with friends or baking, build that downtime into your week. I find that timetabling out your downtime makes you feel less guilty for taking that time out anyways. Everyone is different, but when I don’t organise my time, I definitely feel more guilty for relaxing when I feel like I should be doing something productive.

Don’t isolate yourself when things get overwhelming, reach out to friends, family or student support. You will find that many of your peers will be going through similar things!

Work-life balance

Another one that I think many people, not just Uni students, struggle with. But at Uni, burnout, especially in your final two years, is very common. To avoid this and instead maintain a healthy work-life balance, I would suggest using tools like to do lists and calendars to stay on top of deadlines, so stress doesn’t pile up. Break bigger tasks into smaller chunks to make them more manageable.

This is especially helpful in years where career prospects start looming. Juggling application deadlines and assignment deadlines is difficult. Expecting to keep it all organised just in your brain is impossible. I would suggest making use of your Reminders, Notes and Calendar app. These apps have been very helpful for me in trying to maintain a healthy work-life balance at uni.

So, those are a few of my top tips for staying healthy at Uni. If there’s anything I want you to take away from this article, it’s that staying healthy doesn’t have to be complicated. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Make changes where you can here and there. First year is basically a write off as you’re finding your feet still. But the two years after that (or more), I would suggest finding little ways to become a little healthier over time. It can be very rewarding! I struggle with a lot of these myself, even as a third year. But I’m learning to take it step by step and make those little changes and set targets that are realistic. I’m sure our future selves will thank us for attempting to be healthy whilst at Uni!