While college is the opportunity for us to find our calling and form relationships with others that will last a lifetime, we sometimes get too wrapped up in all the chaos of our daily schedules.

When the work needs to get done, we sometimes overwork ourselves and completely forget that it’s 5 p.m. and still haven’t had a bite to eat. We can also find that we don't have time to workout whenever we want. However, there are some simple things to make sure that our bodies don’t lack the nutrients or energy needed in order for us to stay awake and healthy all day long. After finishing my first year of college (and actually getting sick a couple times throughout the year), I’ve thought of a couple ideas for trying to stay healthy while working hard to earn a degree.

1. Drink lots of water throughout the day

I know that I often forget to drink water and end up having only about 1-2 glasses a day (really unhealthy!). I learned that the easiest way to remember was to keep the water in front of me. Simply keep a large water bottle in front of you on the desk or wherever you are sitting as an easy way to stay hydrated. You can also add some sliced fruit like strawberries or lemons if you don't want to drink plain water all the time.

2. Spend some time outside

Getting some fresh air every once in a while and seeing the sunlight can definitely help refresh your mood and allow you to continue your work with a little less stress...even if it's just for 5 minutes.

3. Try replacing one cup of coffee for a cup of green tea

If you drink coffee regularly, try drinking a cup of green tea instead at least once a week. Green tea can help increase metabolism. It also has caffeine but not nearly as much as coffee. The caffeine in coffee can become addicting, eventually causing a need to drink large amounts of coffee to stay awake. Green tea is a healthier great-tasting alternative.

4. Keep healthy easy-to-eat snacks with you

Sometimes we don't have time before class to make lunch or between classes to go buy lunch and don't eat until the end of the day as a result. An easy solution is to pack several small snacks at night before going to sleep so that you can just grab them on the way out to class. That way even if you don't have any significant breaks between classes you can eat in the time between so that you don't run out of energy.

5. Try fasting

It may seem contradictory to my previous points of drinking and eating throughout the day, but research has proved that fasting has healthy benefits for the body. You can fast a few days or even just once a month on a day that's not too active. You can fast by eating a filling meal and drinking well early in the day, and then don't eat or drink anything at all until sunset. Intermittent fasting has been proven to help restore the immune system, reduce cholesterol levels, improve blood pressure, and reduce risk of diabetes. I recently fasted for the whole month of Ramadan and subsequently I feel a lot healthier. Fasting allows the body to be detoxified and at the same time makes us appreciate all the food that's always readily available to us.

I hope that you can benefit from these tips, and I will be using these as a reminder to myself as well. Remember to take care of yourself and stay healthy!