In college, free time is precious. By all means you need to spend most of it relaxing, having fun, and well, partying. But before you get ready for your night out, make sure you are as prepared food wise as possible. Oh, and have you worked out today? What about yesterday? Leave time for these things! Put yourself and your health first.
*time is considered free time after your first responsibilities have been taken care of. (i.e. class, schoolwork, and your job)*
1. Prepare meals and snacks: You know you're going to be busy all week, and most likely crave something over the weekend without having the desire to cook an entire meal. Meal prep is the PERFECT way to spend your free time! You're going to eat, so have it ready for yourself. Eating becomes such a smaller chore when it's already ready for you dig in. Plus, you can think about what you have ready for you in the fridge when you get home and be excited for it all day, which is a great feeling, especially while sitting in a boring lecture hall.
2. Exercise! Have a couple hours in between classes? Do something good for your body and head to the gym! Pack some workout clothes in your bag just in case you end up having some built up energy during the day. It's best to workout during the day while you are alert. If you end up going home after classes, take a nap, and whatever else, you'll feel a lot more sluggish and won't be as likely to get out of bed and work up a sweat. As a side note, an excuse a lot of students (mostly girls) give, is that after working out, "I won't have enough time to get ready after". This is THE struggle. I promise it isn't the end of the world if you get to your next class with a little less makeup than you had on before, and comfy clothes on. You will feel so much better working out than not. If that doesn't work for you, pack your makeup, deodorant (either way), body wipes, and a change of clothes. As far as hair goes, start rocking a hat, or invest in some dry shampoo.
3. Rest: Rest is just as important as exercise. Your body needs it! College students get the least amount of sleep compared to any other age group, and perhaps need it the most. If you stayed up until 4am studying, had class at 10am, and a test at 2pm, get home and get in bed afterwards!! In this instance, sleep is more important than exercise. If you don't feel alert or awake enough to work out (and you actually didn't get enough sleep last night, you're not just being lazy), take a nap instead. If you wake up feeling rested and ready for a workout, go for it by all means!
4. College is hard- It's so important to give your body what it needs to take on this crazy lifetsyle. A healthy diet and consistent exercise will do more for you than you would think.