Welcome to Fall 2015!

The fall semester starts tomorrow and we are know what that means... studying, lack of sleep, pizza and declining activity levels. Wait, does it have to be like this? Absolutely not!  The key to staying healthy, active and on top of your studies is planning ahead.  

Studying tip:

• Identify when all your due dates will be (papers, quizzes, exams) and put them on one calendar.  If you note that some tests are on the same day, talk to your professor early for a possible date switch.  If you see some weeks are very heavy with assignments due, start early!  Set early dates for yourself so you are not scrambling to meet deadlines.  You all know how important your grades are in your junior and senior years.

Sleeping tip:

• Step aways from the mobil device an hour before you want to go to sleep.  If you are thinking late night studying will help, know that staring at the screen late into the evening effects your production of melatonin, a substance your body produce which induces rest/sleep.  The more screen time late into the evening, the lest restful sleep you have. The more tired you are, the poorer your focus will be for the next day.  If you are like I used to be, reading late into the night and also using my phone as my alarm, stop it! Go out and purchase an old school alarm clock so you have phone-free evening and morning.

Eating tip:

• You are all studying diet and nutrition.  It is important you learn how to maintain a 'healthy' diet (and the specifics can vary per person, e.g. vegan, vegetarian, omnivore, flexitarian) while busy and under stress.  Stress does not disappear when you are out of school, often it increases.  The key to keeping your diet balanced, moderate in less healthy foods/drinks, and full of variety is planning ahead.  Pack a breakfast, lunch and snack bag the night before.  If you arrive at school without food and reserves for the day you will inevitably head to the coffee shop and be tempted to grab a pastry or slice of pizza. Though these foods won't ruin your healthy lifestyle as every once in awhile foods, the patterns can start to make an impact over time.  If you know you have favorite snacks with you, you will be happy and fueled all day.

Activity tip:

• I understand the difficulty maintaining peak activity levels during the busy school year.  A great idea is to grab a fitness tracker watch or app for your phone.  Set a goal of steps, miles, or heart rate levels for the day and get moving. Walking from Burk Hall to the library and back is about a 1/2 mile.  Walking from Burk Hall to Trader Joes at the mall is about 1.5 miles. Take a walk around Lake Merced with a classmate and talk through some course material. Though these suggestions are not massive cardio activities, they are keeping your moving. Make sure to keep your steps to 10,000 a day during even the busy times. Exercise keeps your stress down, keeps your waist trim and therefore clears your head when you are feeling tired or overwhelmed.

Enjoy your fall 2015 semester and check out this blog around the newsletter release time for little blurbs or tips.  If you are interested in writing an entry about nutrition, health, research or a summary of our book club let me know!

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