Physical Health

Physical Health

Your body’s the only place you have to live, so take care of it

Just as important as keeping a healthy mind during your time in college is maintaining your physical wellness. The typical college lifestyle can put a tremendous strain on the body. It’s a big change from high school, and many freshmen aren’t ready for the responsibility of looking after themselves. The greasy cafeteria food, late-night study sessions and germ-infested bathrooms of college life all add up, and many students fall into the pit of constantly feeling crappy.



Exercise


Exercise
Staying fit in college

There is more to physical health than just eating right. Exercise is also a vital component of any healthy lifestyle. Unfortunately, for many college students, it’s hard to fit in time to exercise with so much schoolwork and so many social distractions. Many students live a sedentary lifestyle, only venturing out of their dorm rooms to go to class. This is particularly true for female students, whom statistics show to be much less physically active than their male counterparts.




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A Complete Workout
Fulfilling your fitness needs

Every well-rounded workout consists of three distinct elements: aerobic exercise, strength training and flexibility training. Many students choose to spend extra time in one particular area, but no workout is complete unless time is spent on each of the three separate aspects.

Aerobic Exercise

Any motion that gets your heart pumping and makes you take faster, deeper breaths is considered to be aerobic. Aerobic exercise is commonly referred to as cardio. Jogging and biking are two common forms of aerobic exercise. Running up stairs, jumping jacks and even dancing are other great ways to work out your heart and lungs. Ideally, you’ll spend between one and two hours a week on cardio. Don’t do it all at once. Instead, spread it out over three or four separate workouts.


Sleep
Your mom is right - you probably aren’t getting enough

It’s very common for college students to struggle with their sleep patterns. In fact, the average college student is twice as likely to suffer from inadequate sleep as is a member of the general population. In total, less than 15 percent of college students report that they’re consistently well-rested. Even more disturbing is the fact that recent studies have shown that the amount of sleep the average college student gets is decreasing every year.

Are You Getting Enough Sleep?

College students are more active than most other demographics, so they need a lot of sleep. Seven to nine hours per night is needed by most, but few get this much. Many students only get six hours of sleep or less per night.


Hygiene
Staying so fresh, so clean

College campuses (and dorms in particular) can be quite filthy places. Germs are everywhere, spreading with ease through cramped lecture halls, public bathrooms, cafeterias and shared laboratories, causing a wide range of illnesses.

The control and prevention of disease is a social problem, not a personal one. Good hygiene is an obligation you have to society. We all have to take part to ensure the health of those around us. College students are generally among the healthiest people in society. Unfortunately, this can lead many to feel a sense of invincibility. Even if you aren’t worried about getting sick, be sure to consider those of us who are more vulnerable to disease the next time you decide to leave the bathroom without washing your hands.

Sickness
The most common illnesses on campus

College campuses are, in many ways, an excellent breeding ground for diseases. Students’ immune systems are compromised due to lack of sleep, unhealthy eating habits and stress. Plus, communal living and eating and crowded classrooms and bars make the likelihood of coming into contact with germs pretty much inevitable!

You can minimize your chances of contracting a viral or bacterial infection in two easy ways. First, get plenty of sleep. Second, practice good hygiene. Wash your hands frequently, never share eating utensils and keep your distance from any person who is showing signs of illness.

Personal Safety
Staying safe on campus

College should be a time for broadening your horizons and opening yourself to new ideas and experiences. The freedom and excitement that college offers leads many students to gain a sense of limitless potential (which is good) and invincibility (which can be problematic). Unfortunately, there are over 75,000 crimes committed every year on college campuses across the nation, and violent crimes, including assault and rape, are not uncommon. It’s important that all students form practical strategies for staying safe in college.

Campus safety is an issue at all colleges. The good news is that if you take the right precautions and make good decisions, you can help ensure that you remain safe, and you can free your mind to focus on other things, like your academics and social life. The following strategies can help you stay safe on campus:

Violence and Abuse
Escaping physical and emotional abuse

Abuse is defined as a means of exerting power and control over a partner in an intimate relationship. There are two basic forms of abuse: physical and emotional. Abuse can penetrate any relationship, from long-term marriages to casual high-school dating. Although both males and females can be abusive, abuse by males is more common and is usually more severe. Somewhere in the range of 25 percent of all college students have experienced abuse in the context of a dating relationship (statistics aren’t exact because most abuse goes unreported).

Physical Abuse

Physical abuse is defined as the use of physical force with the intent of injuring another person. Examples include:
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