Those things that are obvious but you don’t consider enough.
The importance of nutrition, sleep and exercise
You are a student. At an age where you must take responsibility for yourself. Your deadlines seem to have appeared out of nowhere. You are trying to keep up with your readings and your social life. You have errands to run. You start forgetting to do the obvious — looking after your health and wellbeing.
Some of us can relate to this reality of occupying your time with university and forgetting to recognise the importance of nutrition, exercise and sleep. Yet, these things will enhance your experience with university, it’s all a matter of planning and finding what is most effective for you.
Let’s start with nutrition, a fundamental part of human existence. Good nutrition can help prevent disease and promote good health. We need to “eat smart to be smart” and have our 3 three meals a day. There are six categories of nutrients:
1. Proteins supply amino acids to build and maintain healthy body tissue. According to BBC Good Food, the best sources of protein are eggs, milk, seafood, nuts, seeds, beans — and for our meat lovers — pork, chicken and turkey.
2. Fats supply energy and transport nutrients — omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are considered essential for the body. However, overconsumption can lead to weight gain. It is all about balance. You can find healthy fat in avocado, tofu, nuts, fish, eggs, linseed oil and dark chocolate!!!
3. Carbohydrates are the main source of energy for your body and should be the main daily intake; according to the National Health Service (NHS) it should be a third of the food we eat. Carbohydrates can be found in potatoes, bread, rice, pasta, cereals.
4. Fibre is a type of complex carbohydrate that supports your digestive health system. It is found in plant-based foods such fruits and legumes, but also in nuts and wholegrains.
5. Vitamins and minerals. Vitamins are required in the body in small amount for regulating metabolism and maintaining normal growth/function. It is found that minerals are vital as they are the building blocks that make up muscle, tissue and bones. They are also important for your hormones and oxygen transport. You can find minerals in nuts, beans and lentils, dark leafy greens, seeds, yoghurt and more.
6. Water is so vital! It regulates your body temperature, transports nutrients to your cells and removes waste materials from your body. Make sure you’re drinking regularly!
It is important to look after your nutrition as what you eat inevitably effects your mental and physical health. Improving your nutrition increases brain function. Research found that those with high quality diets perform better in exams.
Check out Yummly, a great app and website that gives you recipes and shopping lists. You can customise to your food preferences, cooking skills, budget and time. Literally type in the ingredients you have in your cupboards and fridge then watch how Yummly finds you a recipe that you can use to create a quick meal!
I don’t know about you but sometimes I am just not in the mood to do my squats…or my planks…or my lunges… or any exercise if I’m honest. According to The Independent, 1 in 3 adults are not getting enough exercise. Exercise is beneficial not only for your physical health but also for your mental health.
It is known to help reduce anxiety and stress reduction. It also has an antidepressant effect. The aerobic exercise often boosts endorphins and other vital neurotransmitters like dopamine which are part of your natural reward system; it makes you feel good!
It also impacts your educational performance as it improves your attention, learning and memory. Research has found that it also increases brain plasticity. This is your brain creating more neural pathways and connections which are involved in learning.
It is all good and well knowing the benefits, but this may not be motivating enough. Due to coronavirus, it is even more difficult to stay motivated and active. Brittne Jackson, an Instagram fitness model says only 5% of her workout is at the gym, the rest is at home using everyday resources. Utilise what you have at home or maybe go for a walk.
You’ve eaten healthily, you’ve done your exercise, now it’s time to rest — something you had more time for but hated when you were younger, and now as you’re older you appreciate so much more. Along with nutrition and exercise, good sleep is one of the pillars of good health.
As students we tend to pull all-nighters to finish assignments. We enjoy the great night life of Leeds. Or you just can’t sleep. However, having good sleep can help improve concentration and productivity as well as your emotions and social interactions.
A way to tackle bad sleeping habits is using apps such as Sleep Time. It analyses your sleeping pattern and learns to wake you up during the moment of your light sleep phase for “ultimate revitalization”. It also offers sounds such as gentle waves and rainforest storms. Having a regular sleeping schedule can help too. Journaling before you sleep has been found to beneficial. Find things to calm your mind such as mediation, there are also plenty of apps to use, I recommend Headspace. And the final tip is to log out an hour before you sleep, use your devices less — the bright lights are keeping you awake.
Nutrition, exercise and sleep are fundamental to the human existence, they are so obvious yet it is evident we don’t consider them enough. Exercise, Eat well and Sleep well — Look after yourself.
To keep everyone’s spirits up, the Health & Wellbeing team will be sending out a weekly newsletter. As well as blogs, mini podcasts and other online resources, we’ll be converting some of our workshops to online content. Sign up here if you are interested!
