Five Areas to Improve to Make College the Best And Healthiest Four Years
College campuses are infamous for being toxic zones of drinking, drugs and bad nutrition. College kids fall into horrifying health habits that are then glorified in pop culture as just a part of the college experience. It’s the best booze and pizza filled four years of our lives right? We’re here to tell you that’s bullshit. 2017 is the year of taking care, and saying hasta la vista to the worst parts of the college experience. Here are four common shit college student’s habits, and ways to fix them:
- Coffee instead of sleep
Drinking 8 cups of coffee instead of getting your 8 hours of sleep is the ultimate college stereotype – and it is SO bad for you. A cup of coffee a day won’t kill you; in fact, there may be some health benefits linked to it. But, similar to vodka, moderation is key. After your morning mug, switch to water with lemon and mint to keep you energized and alert for the rest of the day. Or, if you aren’t bougie enough to have lemon slices and mint leaves stocked in your kitchen, chew some gum.
Or what if, instead of finding ways to keep yourself awake, you just get an adequate amount of sleep in the first place? Pulling all-nighters is another super-common stereotype in the college world. There is literally never a school-related reason to stay up all night. Try setting up a rewards system to motivate yourself to get your work done on time. If you work on a paper for an hour each night of the week, promise to take yourself to the movies and splurge for a bucket of popcorn.
- Being too broke for lunch
College kids love to talk about how poor they are. Social commentary on the overwhelming debt of a generation is one thing, but claiming you’re so poor you can’t eat is another. Times are tough for a lot of students, but eating a healthy diet doesn’t have to be expensive. Start clipping coupons from the local newspapers and keeping track of the deals at grocery stores near campus. With that information, make meal plans for yourself each week. Buying in bulk and preparing large dishes all at once to eat throughout the week is another great way to make a little go a long way.
- Reckless Sex
The hook-up culture of college is easy to get swept up in, and the idea that if you don’t hook up with someone on a night out you’ve failed is pervasive. This doesn’t really make any goddamn sense. If you are truly going out to swap spit (and/or other fluids) with another person before leaving with a vague excuse, there are other issues that need to be worked out. The person swapping spit with you is a real live whole human being with feelings and needs, and rather than seeing hook-ups as conquests, try viewing your hook-ups as whole human beings with feelings instead! We know it’s crazy, but you can do it!
On that same note, stop letting guys pressure you into having sex without a condom on. You know what’s worse than mono? Chlamydia.
- Nights Out
A lot of people skip dinner before going out, either to avoid the extra calories or to make it easier to get drunker faster. Imbibing with an empty stomach can cause some serious problems later on – think blacking out 30 minutes into the pregame. Plus, it gives you less opportunity to enjoy more tasty drinks. Eating proteins and healthy fats (i.e., a chicken sandwich with guacamole) will slow the absorption of alcohol into your blood, and make for a night of safer and happier drinking.
Every once in a while, you may need a break from the blaring EDM shit storm inside the party. Smoking a drunk cigarette here and there seems harmless, but it can easily turn into a lot of drunk cigarettes, and then a lot of sober cigarettes. If you really feel the need to be one of the cool kids hunched over your cig outside in the freezing cold…just don’t. YouTube an anti-smoking ad and think about the weird seventh grade science teacher who taught you about peer pressure.
- Unnecessary Snacking
Spending ungodly amounts of money on Marshall Street food or getting drunk snacks delivered via GrubHub after a night out is a staple at Syracuse. It’s also a quick way to lose all of your money. Bar cover + drinks + drunk food = you, but poorer. The next time you’re at the grocery store, hit the frozen food section. There, you can stock up on easy-to-microwave snacks that are probably healthier than what you would be ordering, as well as cheaper, and just as delicious. Plus, if you already have the snacks at home, you won’t have the problem of falling asleep before the delivery guy can make it to your house.