5 Steps To Becoming One Of The Healthiest Colleges In The U.S.

5 Steps To Becoming One Of The Healthiest Colleges In The U.S. image via fluxbuzz.com Using those healthy colleges as our examples, let’s compile a list of how to get your college to be healthy, so you’ll definitely make the charts next year! Here we go. 1) Dining halls What is cooking in your dining hall? Considering that most students eat there for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, it is very important that what is being served is health conscious. Some schools, like UC Santa Cruz, offer one day a week where the dining hall doesn’t serve any meat. This saves a lot of water and shows students how to make other healthy choices. Clemson University, the first college in the article on the healthy list, “is also committed to providing meals that feature fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein, making it that much easier to maintain a healthy diet.” If college dining halls offer nutritional information, it will make students more aware of what they are eating, and help them come to an understanding of what portions they should be having of which foods. Locally sourced produce is another way that your university can get healthy. Fresh fruits and veggies from your school’s garden or from local venders will keep things nice and fresh, and you’ll know exactly where they are coming from. These local foods tend to be organic as well, so you don’t have to worry about pesticides. If your school is not providing you with these food options, make it happen! All students want to be healthy, they just need a little help. http://www.zencollegelife.com 2) Get active Another thing that is offered by those healthy colleges on that handy dandy list are ways to get active. Healthy schools offer a wellness center, that is a given, but they also provide students with fun ways to get active and make it feel less like a chore and more like fun. Things like fitness classes, personal trainers, intramural sports, and outdoor excursions are all steps in the healthy direction. This offers a multitude of ways for students to stay fit that will reach out to a bigger audience than just a gym will. Giving students challenges to always walk to class or to work out a certain amount of hours to get a prize are both great motivators as well for those students who just need an extra push to get started. 3) Overall health Healthy schools need to provide information on all aspects of health. For example, Penn State “provides resources and education on sexual health, smoking cessation, drugs and alcohol, fitness and nutrition, and eating disorders.” It is important for students to know how things are affecting their bodies, and to have a place where they feel safe asking questions and getting answers. Some of the schools even provide help with sleeping problems, since this is a common thing that students have trouble with and not getting enough sleep can really tear down your health. Having counselors and safe environments to take care of your metal health is extremely important, because you should never feel alone. Healthy schools also tend to provide free health screenings for some STD’s, and provide condoms and information on safe sex to help promote healthy relationships. http://www.tintup.com 4) Dealing with stress All college students feel stressed, and that’s where healthy schools can come into play. Like at the University of Iowa, it is important for students to have access to different “learning styles, motivation and goal setting, tips for managing ADHD, test anxiety management, and time management.” Especially for new students or students who are switching majors and have added stress, having these resources available would allow them to find an outlet for the stress and a solution for their worries, so they can stay on track without having to stay awake all night worrying about everything they have to do. Some schools even bring animals in around midterms and finals, so students can go pet some fluffy dogs and rabbits (or whatever animals are available) to de-stress before the test. It’s crazy how much that actually helps! 5) A good community A school community that strives together thrives together. Having a school that is invested in helping students meet new people will see better results in the healthy department. Having good influences around you who are eating well and getting active will give you the mindset of doing the same. Schools that host events where many students will attend and mingle will be able to build a community and therefore be able to promote healthy living to all the students and their friends. It’s awesome what a little teamwork can do. Now you know what you have to do, so make it count. Ban together with your fellow classmates and help show your school why getting healthy is the way to go. Who knows, maybe your school will be on the healthy list next year.