MORE than your ability to stay emotionally and mentally healthy while in school, it is important to remember to take care of your physical health. In the words of science, being physically healthy is what makes you stay functioning as a human being. 

Being a student makes you wary of the way you set your everyday routine—you might prioritize academics, research, or ample time to do your hobbies, but you might forget the most important thing: being physically fit. 

This might not be the standard or the priority of this generation, especially for those who seek academic validation but one could not process if they do not have the power (literally!) to continue doing what they have to be doing.

It might be something that’s not on your list while looking forward to high school since it may look a bit too much of a responsibility, but here are some pretty easy habits that will physically help you pull through high school:

Move in the morning.

It’s not necessary to jump up and down or do a full HIIT cardio workout in the morning, it just means that you should walk and move around for a bit. Jumpstart your day by harnessing all your energy early in the morning. 

If you can, it would also be advisable to do Yoga or Pilates, it does not require a lot of time or movements, but it does the job of keeping you in shape. This would also make you feel good about yourself, the level of endorphins that are released after moving in the morning is more than enough to keep you satisfied with yourself throughout the day. 

Moving around also gives you a sense of accomplishment and productivity, making you ecstatic with finishing a task on a perfect morning—it could even fire up your energy to be diligent the rest of the day.

Eat three times a day (even snacks if you can!)

Most students would be judged guilty of not eating the required number of meals that a person should consume to be able to get the necessary nutrients to function. There are several reasons why a student wouldn’t be able to fulfill eating three times a day (e.g. saving for something, not being used to fast foods, etc.) but it’s still a necessity. 

When you’re drowned in homework and readings that you need to submit the next day, food might not be a priority—but remember that if you don’t eat, you won’t have the energy to even wake up the next day. It might also be a case of ‘sleep looks better than food’ but going to bed on an empty stomach is also unadvised. 

Like the famous quote, “Food is the fuel of the body”, meaning you won’t start and go without it. It might be hard to break the habit of not eating, but for you to achieve your goals, you need to be physically nurtured.

Get plenty of sleep.

Now, after you nurture your body with fulfilling meals. You should then give it time to rest. Being a student means that you become a robot that studies 24/7 (more or less) but the truth is, you’re not a robot, you need to rest.

It’s also not easy to just get ‘plenty’ of sleep because backlogs just pile up one after the other, but having an organized schedule and good time management can save your life. Many health complications begin from sleep deprivation—it can affect you mentally and physically. 

More than that, the energy surge that you get once you wake up from a long sleep will help you be more productive and satisfied with your performance as a student. Once it becomes a habit, it becomes a default for your body, and voila! your sleeping schedule is fixed. 

Make reading a habit. 

A famous quote once said, “If you don’t like reading then you haven’t found the right book yet.” While this is true, you can always browse the big selection of genres of books that you think will fit you.

More than that, there are two main reasons why reading is a good habit to pull someone in the busy world of high school; (1) you get to absorb a variety of concepts depending on the book you chose, and you also get to expand your vocabulary, (2) most especially, you get to escape the stressful world for a while. 

You must get to escape for a while, and sometimes with everything you have to do, going out isn’t entirely an option—so you can get your escapade through reading books.

Stay hydrated.

Water does wonders. People think it’s a myth, but it’s not, it can help with your skin, headaches, digestion, and even your mood. You may pee more but the magic that water has will show its effects fast—you’ll be surprised with the results. 

If you start a habit of being hydrated, you’ll depend on water. There’s nothing better than the refreshing feeling you’ll get once you get that first sip of water after a long day of listening to endless lectures. It will be your relief in a world full of strangling responsibilities.

Organize everything (your room, your books, your stationery.)

Keeping things organized from the start will push you to continue being organized ‘till the end. No one can emphasize more how much it helps that everything is in its right place, everything will be so much better, and everything will feel like it’s in its right place. 

Your worries will be lessened with the thought that your surroundings are clean and tidy. Your safe space will continue to be your safe space because it won’t suffocate you with overwhelming thoughts. Looking around and seeing that the books are on the shelves, to-do lists are written properly, and your bed is made won’t overstimulate you compared to crumpled papers and textbooks that are under your bed. 

Furthermore, the organization of things will make you feel in control, it will also boost your productivity and self-satisfaction. It will trick your brain into thinking that not everything’s happening all at once.

Enjoy life while you’re a teenager.

Taking care of yourself also requires you to enjoy your life; go out in a park, go to the mall, eat out, have crushes, and laugh about things—what’s high school without letting loose every once in a while? Enjoy these four years with the thought that you could never go back to it, so you can live your life to the fullest as a teenager.

With reports from Ashley Kristieanne Ignacio