A College Commuter’s 10 Tips To Staying Healthy

When you first think of the word “college”, what do you think? For me,

Parties.

“Everyone’s” favorite part.

Stress.

Before you go to college you hear everyone talking about how hard college classes are. You’re on your own and responsible for keeping track of 15-18 hours of coursework.

Poor.

Tuition? Yeah, you mean my life savings?

Unhealthy.

And unhealthy…how many people have talked to you about gaining that freshman 15? Because it’s easier and cheaper to go to the McDonald’s dollar menu vs. buying groceries and making a meal. Right?

I discussed my college experience at The University of Oklahoma in a different post, but when I transferred home it became a different type of college life. I was now in a different classification…I became a commuter. My school is about 45 minutes from my house, so I made my schedule where I only drive there on Tuesday and Thursdays. But i’m there ALL. DAY. After attending this school for 3 semesters, I came up with some tips of my own for trying to stay healthy.

1. Take your lunch.
   • Be nice to your body and pack lunch, dinner, and snacks that you know are nutritious. At the same time you’re saving money too! This semester i’m on campus from 11:30-9, so I bring a cooler filled with food and water.
2. Utilize your breaks.
   • I have a THREE HOUR break during the day on Tuesdays to sit around and do nothing. By utilizing my breaks, I become so efficient. I get my blog post done, I get my assignments done, I answer my e-mails, I have my Quiet Time, I exercise. I just try to do something.
3. Bring your laptop.
   • There is one class that I have at night where I am not interested one bit. This professor rambles and has the longest PowerPoint slides ever. I decided that if i’m already going to be playing around on my electronics i’ll just bring my laptop and blog or work on schoolwork instead of wasting time on Pinterest.
4. Check out that gym.
   • It’s free! And we’re in college, so we like free! You’re paying for it with that expensive tuition in case you forgot. Once class is over, go lift some weights. Walk a couple miles on the treadmill. Attend a group exercise class. I’ve been going during my 3 hour break to just walk on the treadmill and foam roll for 30-45 minutes. It’s a refreshing break from learning that’s for sure.
5. Wear workout clothes to class.
   • Some people don’t believe in this by saying “dress for success”, but let’s be realistic. If you’re sitting in classes all day the last thing you want is to be uncomfortable. Wear something you’re comfortable in, plus if you’re already wearing your leggings and tennis shoes then you’ll be more likely to hit the gym during your break or maybe before and after class.
6. Stand in between classes.
   • During the Fall semester, I was in 4 classes straight from 1:00-6:45PM. That is a LONG time to be sitting in a chair. I can barely handle that much sitting as it is, but I’ve now gotten into the habit of standing in the hallway up until the professor starts talking. Stretch your legs and give that booty a break.
7. Put a pillow and blanket in your car.
   • This is weird. I know. But I say if you’re exhausted who are you to deny yourself a nap? Instead of laying down in the middle of the business school, pull out your pillow and blanket and take a nap in your car. #commuterprobs
8. Buy the expensive parking pass.
   • If your school has a large amount of students that are commuters, then you know my pain when I say PARKING SUCKS. I don’t know if you knew this, but schools will sell about 3 passes for every 1 spot. Dumb right? With buying the expensive parking pass I’ve found that while I may have to drive around for a while, I can usually find something within decent walking distance eventually.
9. Take a refillable water bottle.
   • Now, I already said I pack a cooler for my long days at school. I’ll put about 2 water bottles in there and then fill up my camelbak before I leave. I’ve found that my school has water fountains all around, so once you finish all your water bottles, fill that camelbak up. We all know they up-charge water, so it’s a heck of a lot cheaper! Drink. Your. Water. even if you’re just sitting all day!!!!
10. Create a routine.
    • By now you should know I am a woman of routine. I thrive on routines. On occasion i’ll switch it up but if I have my routine of everything that I want/need to get done in a day planned out then I make sure to stay healthy – physically (hitting the gym), mentally (planning assignments), etc.

As you can see, being healthy doesn’t just pertain to physical health. It’s important to keep healthy emotionally, spiritually, and mentally too. I’m sure I could probably list some more as well, but these were the first 10 that came to mind when I was sitting in class yesterday and thought of this post.

Let’s stay healthy! Do you have any tips for what you do/did to stay healthy in college whether as a commuter or not?