The life of college students is often described as late-night study sessions, parties, or even the occasional all-nighter. Between balancing school, work, friends, and a home life, it can be challenging to maintain a healthy lifestyle on top of it all. Prioritizing your well-being is essential not just for physical health, but it can improve academic performances and overall happiness.
While I have aimed to stay healthy throughout my four years in college, my friend and fellow Cal State Fullerton student, Kenzi Arnold, is an excellent example of the advantages a healthy lifestyle has for college students. Kenzi is a fourth year student at CSUF majoring in Child and Adolescent Studies. Throughout her four years, she has maintained a 4.0 GPA while working a job and training for her numerous Spartan and DEKA races. According to Arnold, she has a few important tips and routines that she practices to keep her on a routine and on the right track.
Her first tip is to get moving, incorporating any kind of physical activity during the day helps Kenzi stay motivated each day. That can look different depending on the person, can be going on a simple walk around your neighborhood, checking out the campus gym, taking a workout class, or finding a buddy or group to workout with. For Kenzi, she trains with a personal trainer and a group that helps her stay focused on her goals. Arnold says, “When I started training in a group, I felt the most supported and motivated, I was able to meet my goals while being surrounded by support.”
Another tip Kenzi uses to help her motivation is creating a sleep schedule. Sleep is often overlooked or sacrificed in college, but it is an important component for health and academic success. Kenzi implements a sleep schedule between Monday and Friday that allows her to wake up by 7:30 A.M. each morning. Kenzi says “Waking up early each morning is a commitment, but gets me up and going each day.”
The last tip Kenzi suggests for keeping a healthy lifestyle in college is prioritizing nutrition in your diet. Kenzi does not stick to a strict diet, but rather she plans her meals and chooses healthier alternatives to snacking. Eating three meals throughout the day helps the body stay energized. While it can be hard to make meals in college, it is important to find options that are right for you.
Kenzi recently used all of these methods to help her train and compete in her fourth spartan race in Anaheim, CA. The race consisted of running three miles though Angel’s Stadium with twenty obstacles mixed in the running. The weeks of training and preparing helped Kenzi train for the race while still maintaining her social college life. Remember, it is all about finding a balance!
