WRFH/Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM - The Healing Hour: Staying Healthy in College

Episode Date: February 23, 2024

In today's episode, we talk about practical ways to stay healthy in college.

Hello and welcome to the Healing Hour where we bring you your weekly dose of healing. I'm your host, Adriana Azarian. And I'm your co-host, Erica Kaiba. And today we're going to be talking to you about staying healthy in college. This is a tricky subject. Yes, it is. So if you are in college, if you know someone in college, or if you just have an all-around busy life like a college student, this is for you.

So tell us, Adriana, what do we do? Where do we start? college is a hard time for staying healthy Erica because you have a lot of schoolwork and a lot of friends and maybe a job and you have an extracurriculars you just have a lot to balance out so you also have to make up time to focus on yourself so there's a lot of aspects to this you've got nutrition you've got exercise you got mental health so why don't we start with nutrition what are the main things to keep in mind your goal into college, what kind of food choices are you going to be making? Well, Erica, the kind of food choices you're going to make are not the ones that I made when I was a freshman in college. The freshman 15 is real for those of you out there who are curious. It is very real.

Eat all the pizza in the cafeteria. I think for a lot of college students, it's very tempting to go on a high-carb diet. Yes. It's the most convenient oftentimes. grabbing a sandwich from the grab and go, getting pizza at the cafeteria, getting pasta, it tastes good. But it's not going to serve your body the nutrients that it needs. So I think it's really important to remember to eat your vegetables and your fruits, which sounds very, you know, we always hear this, but really half of your plate should consist of vegetables or fruits. So really utilizing

the salad bar? The salad bar is really good. Also cooked vegetables are very, very good. Also cooked vegetables are a very good option. If you're not really a salad person, you're not sure how to season it. There are options. There's always going to be options at the cafeteria. And I try to make it a goal to have at least a fruit or a vegetable at every meal because it's not realistic all the time to say, I'm going to have half my plate be vegetables, a quarter be protein and a quarter of the ratio is. Try to eat as many whole foods as you can. Yes. And get those vitamins. preferably from a source that grew out of the ground. Oh, definitely.

Yeah. I think protein is also really important. People often overlook, they think, oh, I'm eating fruits and vegetables. I'm in good condition, but protein keeps you full longer and healthy fats. So I like peanut butter. I keep multiple jars of it at a time. I think it's good for students to also go shopping if they can and buying things like peanut butter, you know, like smaller for, like apples.

Just things you can kind of take with you snack on throughout the day. It's tempting to go for the Cheez-It's. I love Cheez-Itzits, for the record. I will die on that hill. But I also know that Eritreant-Dense food is going to serve me in the long run. So when you're going shopping, you know, find what's on sale. Trail mix is a great option. Not so great.

Yeah, eggs. If you buy a bunch of eggs, hard-boil them. instant snack. Yeah, meal prepping is really good. Meal like Sunday night boil like six eggs, eight eggs, whatever, how many you're going to eat during the week

and have those on hand. And it makes it much more convenient to eat healthy whole foods when they're prepared in advance. So protein's very important. And if we just revisit the cafeteria, I remember in my freshman year, I would often get burgers

and console myself with the fact that I was eating protein. However, if you are given the choice, between meat that has been not fried and cooked in a reasonable non-greasy way versus something that is more deep fried that might be very delicious, but it's still fried. Choose the healthy option. It will certainly be better. Yeah.

And I mean, I don't say you can't have fried food from time to time. But, yeah, definitely try most the time to eat what's going to make you feel your best. Yes. How about carbs? How do we feel about carbs? I'm a big carb fan. Everyone should be eating carbs. Obviously, there are some people who lower their intake of carbs because it makes them feel

better. If it works for you, I say go for it. But especially as a college student, when your brain is functioning off of carbohydrates and you're also on the move pretty often, you've got to get those carbs. But just make sure that you're balancing it out with protein, fat. And fiber is very important, too, for making you feel satisfied during your meals. I will say, though, that carb-heavy foods tend to burn away quicker and leave you feeling hungry sooner. So they're great, and you should eat carbs, and carbs are wonderful.

But make sure that you're eating protein. Oh, yeah. Because that's going to keep you full for longer. And also make sure that you're also getting carbs from fruits and vegetables, like we mentioned before. Absolutely. And fruits and vegetables are also good for fiber. One of the greatest temptations of the cafeteria is the dessert section. The dessert section.

And that beautiful, beautiful soft serve. So true. That is unlimited. It's so true. But you do not have to pay for. Adriana, what do we do? Oh, my goodness. Okay.

So I used to have dessert every single night. The reason why I was always having dessert was because I was not eating enough protein. And so when you don't eat enough protein, it makes you have more cravings. It makes your blood sugar spike and you're kind of always on the cycle of spiking and crashing. And it's not a fun experience. So the more that I was eating protein, the less that I was craving sugary foods and the more satisfied I was at meals that I didn't feel like I needed to have something extra to add on to them. You should not cut out desserts if they make you happy. But you also shouldn't be eating them all the time because, you know, that sugar is inflammatory and you don't want to be eating it too much of it too often.

What do we do with that? I would suggest get the desserts that you really like. You know, like don't feel like, okay, I'm still. hungry, they have a mediocre cake or like mediocre pie, whatever. I'm just going to go get that because it looks good. No, get if you're going to get dessert, you should get something that you really enjoy because you're going to be more satisfied that way. You're not going to overeat all the sugar that maybe you're not enjoying that much. Yes. Yes. Yeah. If it's an occasional thing, I feel like you get more pleasure out of it than if it's an everyday thing. That's really true.

And one thing to ask yourself, I think. This is something that was true for. me if you are hitting up the dessert area frequently. Am I doing it because I want the dessert, or am I doing it because it's a coping mechanism and I'm stressed and the sugar makes me feel happy? Let's talk about that more. Coping mechanisms. What are some alternatives? Physical exercise is a big one. I would say time in nature is really good. Going for a walk, I mean, that's exercise, but that's not strenuous exercise. That's really good. That's really. really good for mental health. Sunshine. Do not underestimate the importance of sunshine. Vitamin D.

Especially in Michigan, when there is no sun in the wintertime. When there is sun, get it, because you need that vitamin D so bad. Yes. So bad. And we're both from Minnesota, so I think we can say this. Yes, we're qualified. Yes. Other healthy coping mechanisms that are not sugar.

Deep breathing exercises is something that I've discovered lately. I have an app that helps me to breathe, and there's different breathing patterns you can follow. So one of them is breathing in for five seconds, holding for five seconds, breathing out for five seconds, and then holding for five seconds. I believe it's called the box method. And it's really good for regulating your nervous system. So when you're really stressed or anxious or things like that, breathing exercises are really good for helping your body and your mind reset. Yes, definitely sounds like a great response to stress. Yes. Another thing, if you are homesick slash missing people because you've been in your room studying all day, call your family, hang out with your friends.

Spend time with the people that you love. That is much better than turning to food for that emotional need that is not being met. Yes, so true. I think a lot of times people who turn to food for comfort, it's because they're not happy with other aspects of their lives. Yes, very true. So finding joy and other things besides food, activities, hobbies, if you like sketching, get a sketchbook. Prayer is a good Kobe mechanism. You can't forget about the spiritual side of things. The body and the soul both affect each other very much. So something is out of line with the body.

It's going to affect the soul. Something's out of line with the soul. It often affects the body. Erica, how do you personally keep physically fit in college? I try to do at least a small workout every day But these can be micro workouts So this is like I could go down to the gym of my dorm For 20 minutes and alternate between light strength training

And ab workouts Or maybe doing leg exercises Keep the leg strong So maybe later in the week I can do cardio, go running I love that I love that you like what you said micro workouts Because it's consistency

It's quality over quantity. I definitely do feel like that's important for workouts. It's a sustainable, sustainable thing. Because I think people will think, oh, workouts have to be like an hour-long session where you're sweating and you're in pain. But you're able to keep that up and you enjoy it and it keeps you in shape and everything. Yeah. And I definitely find that it gives me a source of happiness every day just getting in there and being able to move my body and work. off that extra stress. It really works.

So at least having a small dose of that every day. I find it's very helpful. You know what I think is also really important is sleep. Oh, yes. We don't talk about sleep enough as college. We don't get enough sleep as college students. No, I really believe seven to eight hours of sleep is like the goal. But it does not seem realistic for a lot of college students.

I think sometimes if you cannot. get seven to eight hours of sleep, it's good to prioritize quality sleep. So if it's only like five or six hours, like maybe it's not the healthiest, but try to maximize the quality of sleep that you're getting in that time. So maybe you don't do, like you don't write a paper before you go to bed because if you're looking at your laptop screen, that's not going to help you fall asleep. Right. Deep breathing before you go to bed. Yeah. Be very helpful. Stretching. Yes. Really good. And if you're limited to not getting many hours of sleep at night because you have to stay up and wake up early, naps throughout the day can help. Yeah, even like a 20-minute nap can make a big difference.

But sleep is just really important for mental health for cortisol levels because you're already stressed. You don't need more stress. Your body's going to be under stress if you're not sleeping enough. I really would recommend trying to get as much sleep as you possibly can because, yes, academics are important, but your body and your health are also extremely far more important. If, you know, having a B instead of an A means you also are a happier, healthier person, that might be worth it in the long run. I honestly feel like getting enough sleep can be the difference between a B and an A sometimes because you're more awake and you're more present in your classes. That's true.

And I feel like we might be tempted to say, well, okay, how am I supposed to get more sleep if I have so much reading and so many people? papers, if you're getting three to four hours of sleep a night and you're miserable and you can't pay attention in classes, I feel like doesn't something have to change? Just so that you are existing as a happier person on the day to day. Do it for you. Oh, yeah. There can be changes made to the schedule if you look hard into it. And I have had to do this before. Oh, yeah. You've got to prioritize yourself to some degree. And your health. And prioritize the things that that you do, the amount of scrolling. We were going to bring up scrolling at some point.

Yes. I often find myself saying, I don't have enough time for this. I don't have enough time for that. And then I see my screen time. And I realize that every day I had a lot of time that I wasted. So here's two tips for that. Number one, putting your phone on black and white, like when you put the colors on black and white, that's really helpful.

Because your brain isn't as addicted to it as the bright colors. Yes. I've also temporarily deleted Instagram. Yes, tell us about that. Yes, so I realized that I was spending way too much time on Instagram. I was not present with the people who I loved. And I had Instagram for many years, and I just don't want to waste any more time. So I have decided to temporarily disable my accounts, and I am much happier for it.

And I think I'm probably going to end up deleting it. Because, yes, I learned a lot actually about, like, how, and wellness from Instagram, but I wasn't actually applying it if I was spending all my time on Instagram. So, you know, some people don't have that problem, and that's great. Social media can be a really great thing and a really good learning tool and a good way to connect with people. But if you're spending too much time on it, cut back or cut it out altogether because, again, your health and your happiness come first. If someone isn't quite ready to cut it out but wants to minimize their time with baby steps, what would you recommend?

recommend. So you can put time limits on. I just ended up ignoring them. So it didn't work for me, but for some people, that can be helpful. Another thing that I was doing for a time that actually helped me was I would delete it during the week and then I would have it on Sundays only, because then I would only be limited to a few hours on Sunday instead of several hours throughout the week. You could also turn off your notifications that you're less inclined whenever you get a message to open it. And whatever you do, if you're, if you're going to click on a message just to check what's up and go off, do not click the search bar where all the recommendations that are tailored to

your preferences show up, you are not getting off. No, so true. I think a lot of times we view social media as a replacement for community. I think that's part of the reason why we're so addicted to it is because we're made for community and we mistake it like psychologically i don't even know we mistake it for being a community when it's not really it's just a bunch of pictures and videos so why do you think we do that speaking not from a psychological perspective but just speculating so yeah um i think that we're just kind of inclined to being curious about what other people are doing and trying to learn more and social

media is a great tool for learning you know it used to be that you would be with people like your family and close people and you are always observing them and working closely with them. But now we're more individualistic society, if that makes sense. But I think we still crave that community. And so social media has become a replacement for that. That's my theory.

And part of it is bright, I think at least it's bright, it's colorful, it's appealing, and it's an instant dopamine rush. If you're just scrolling through content, this is the same concept with YouTube shorts and a lot of other social media internet things. Oh, yeah. And a lot of real world things.

I mean, say you want a journal that takes time. You have to gather your thoughts. Instagram, you don't have to do that. And I think part of the reason why I gave it up was because I actually wanted lasting happiness and lasting satisfaction. A slower way of getting more stable happiness instead of constant toward dopamine spurt. I love that image of stable happiness. Thank you. That's what we're all trying to achieve, isn't it?

It's so true. And we often go about it the wrong way. And that's what healing is about. It's finding redirection. So a good way then to find your community is spend time with your friends. Yes. Extracurriculars are really great for this, I think, because you're with people you have a lot of common interests with dorm living, I think is great, especially the first few years of college. Obviously, you know, once you get a little bit further in, it makes sense why you'd want to go. Because you've already found your community at that point. But it's really important to find your community while you're earlier on in your college career. Yes.

A piece of advice that I was given before coming to college was when you're in freshman year, when you're just getting into college, say yes to every invitation that you possibly can to go do social things with people. Because the time to really meet as many people as you can is right at the start. And I feel like it definitely helped me meet and connect with a lot of different people. Really? And I think that it's important to keep doing that and going out and meeting new people throughout college. That's kind of what college is about and part of what makes college really fun. I think it can be kind of scary, especially for introverts like me, because you feel awkward a lot of times.

Oh, definitely. But one of the best pieces of advice that I've received was embrace the awkward. If you forget someone's name, embrace it. If you say something awkward, just embrace it. Because everyone feels awkward. Everyone feels awkward and uncomfortable. We're just all hiding it from each other. Yes.

No one knows that you feel awkward probably. Right. Just fake it till you make it. Be confident. Like actually be confident. Stand up straight with your shoulders back, as our friend Jordan Peterson once said. Yes. Gotta love that, man.

He should come on our show. He should go on our show. Dr. Peterson, if you're out there, join our show. Come on our show. We'd love to have you. But yeah, overall, I think it's really important to focus on your physical health with nutrition and exercise and sleep. Your mental health with spending time with friends having good habits that aren't just giving you instant dopamine rushes. How about the spiritual side of it?

Yeah. Having a community with a religious group is really good. particularly because that's usually your religious beliefs are the things that you hold most dear to you so having a community of people who share that is a very great source of comfort at least i know it has been for us i agree i've found that too so that would be a good way to promote spiritual and emotional and social health and all that volunteering can be great because you meet new people get to see different sides of humanity for sure. We hope this has helped you to find some ways to heal and become the best, healthiest version of yourself in college. You've been listening to The Healing Hour.

With your host, Adriana Azarian, and your co-host Erica Kaiba. Join us next week. And if you have any questions about healing that you want us to talk about on air, you can email your dose of healing at gmail.com. That's all lowercase, your dose of healing at email.com. Thanks for listening and we hope to see you next week.