Health / Food & Drink

20/20 – Day 6: 20 excuses to move

Not everyone plays sport. Not everyone gets up from where they’re sat every hour to stretch.  Not everyone thinks to move around as much as they probably should.

Today’s 20/20 post contains simple excuses to get up and move. Because we all need to be active sometimes.

  1. When you make a phone call. Don’t just sit there, walk as you talk.
  2. Make a cup of tea or coffee. While waiting for the kettle to boil, walk around the room. If the room’s big enough, of course!
  3. Walk to town. Some walking wellbeing before the retail therapy.
  4. Jog to campus. Not suitable if you’re laden with books.
  5. Change position as you change task. Even if you’re due to continue working in the same place, give each task a physical break point as well as a mental one.  Not only does it get you out of your seat, it also separates the tasks you’re working on.
  6. Move when you lack inspiration. You don’t need to go very far.  Just move away from the space you were occupying.  Think of it as a reset button.  You may not need a total reboot, but you’d like to return to your default settings again.
  7. Get physical when you are tired. Jump up and down, spin around in circles, do something to wake yourself up again.
  8. When you need the toilet. Fair enough, you’ll move whether you like it or not.  But don’t wait, just use the excuse to get active. If you’re on campus, don’t automatically use the nearest convenience.  Walk to one further away.  Every step helps.
  9. Post a letter. There’s bound to be a postbox near to you. A quick walk to the postbox is a great excuse to move. Don’t wait until you’re going past it anyway.
  10. Get off bus one stop early. Walk the rest of your journey. I wouldn’t advise getting off one stop late.  I did that once and found that the next stop was 15 miles away!
  11. Use stairs, not the lift. For many of us, the automatic choice between taking the stairs and catching a lift is the lift option.  Each time you make tracks toward the lift, look for the stairs. If you want a challenge, try to beat the lift.  I expect you could most of the time.
  12. Cook from scratch. You won’t go far with a microwave meal. There aren’t many steps to the front door to collect that pizza you’ve just ordered.  By making your own food, you have to get active in the kitchen.  Okay, it’s not aerobics, but the movement will still do you good.
  13. Schedule it. What more excuse do you need? Once you schedule an activity it’s only a lack of willpower that can get in the way. I say ‘only’…
  14. When you’re thinking. Time spent exercising your mind can be time spent exercising your legs.  Every time you’re engaged in lengthy thought, get walking.
  15. Get up and dance! Music doesn’t have to be listened to in a sitting position.  Stand up, move about, you could even dance.  Although perhaps not in public.
  16. Move your phone away from you. Your phone is like another limb.  But it doesn’t need to live in your pocket all the time.  Put the phone on the other side of your room while you work on other things.  You’ll then get up and move every time you receive a message.  It could get annoying, but surely that’s more reason to ignore the phone or switch it off, rather than stick it back in your pocket again!
  17. Shower instead of bath. Easier on the environment, easier for you to get moving.
  18. Tidy!
  19. Set an alarm.  Every 20 or 30 minutes, set an alarm so you can walk around the room a couple times.  A simple alternative to scheduling the exercise.
  20. Stand/fidget as you work.  Sedentary work may not require much movement, but who said you had to sit down and stay perfectly still?  Get your fidget on!

Title image: original by tiffa130 (cc)  /  Bottom image: NeoGaboX (cc)

20/20 – Day 4: 20 healthy hints

February is National Heart Month. No matter how old you are, it’s never too early (or late) to take the state of your health seriously.

On Day 4 of the 20/20 series of posts, here are 20 healthy hints to get you started.

  1. Eat breakfast. It’s so easy, so tempting, to skip breakfast. Some may try not to skip, but resort to eating ‘on the go’ with sugary breakfast bars and other quick snacks.  Give your body a boost
  2. Buy goodies that last. If you crave treats, buy something to last.  Munching a 1,000-calorie, 2-mouthful dessert will last a few seconds. It may be delicious, but such a short-lived treat won’t keep you satisfied for long. If you have to find something bad for you, make sure you can enjoy it over a longer period of time.  Same content, longer lasting.  If you’re going to feel guilty, make it worthwhile.
  3. Think “little and often”. A little food, a little exercise, a little further, etc.
  4. Walk regularly. Briskly, if possible. Who needs to pay for costly gym services when all you want to do is remain healthy?  Walking is free and fantastic!
  5. Find time for a couple of fruit snacks a day. Take an apple out with you, grab a banana for a quick boost, find easy ways to get some fruit into your diet.
  6. Have a side-salad with your meal. You only need to buy a bag of salad leaves and dump some next to your meal.  I don’t even put dressing on.  One of the quickest ways to get another portion of veg inside you!
  7. Think 5-a-day as a minimum. It’s best you get at least five portions of fruit and vegetables.  When you reach five, try for more.  Up your game.
  8. Always find time to relax. Whatever works for you.  Deliberately doing nothing is not the same as wasting time.  Make your relaxation count.
  9. Don’t isolate yourself for too long. With important work to do, it’s easy to forget about the rest of the world around you.  Hours pass and you’ve been stuck in the same place without thinking about it.  Even if you need to get back to the work soon, be sure to take a break, get some fresh air, and think about something else.
  10. Stay hydrated. If you’re thirsty, it’s too late!  I tend not to worry too much about suggestions to drink ‘eight cups a day’ or ‘at least two litres of water’.  But I do listen to my body and I do regularly drink throughout the day.  Have some water with you wherever you go so you’re never left wanting.
  11. Step away from anger. We all need to let our emotions out to stay healthy.  But many situations don’t need to cause our emotions to run high in the first place.  If you’re able to move away, do so before your blood boils.
  12. Smile. It’s simple and we should do it as often as possible.
  13. Brush your teeth twice a day. It’s easy to forget in the morning.  If you have forgotten, you could munch on some cinnamon sticks!
  14. Don’t rush food. You’ll eat more before your body tells you it’s had enough and fast eating encourages indigestion.
  15. Don’t drink beyond your control. You can still enjoy yourself and be careful at the same time.
  16. Learn to let go. Some things aren’t worth stressing over.  If it’s not all that important, leave it.  If it’s outside your control, leave it.
  17. Cook from scratch. You’ll know what you’re eating then.  And you may even get some brief exercise in the kitchen, walking from cupboard to cupboard!
  18. Think ‘baby steps’ rather than ‘all or nothing’. Similar to ‘little and often’, you’re more likely to make a positive change if you take it slowly and appreciate each small success as part of a bigger goal.
  19. Allow yourself to be decadent sometimes. Total restriction will only make you crave stuff more.
  20. Stretch and move occasionally to avoid aches and stiffness. Get your joints moving, even while you work.  Play a sport if you’ve got the drive to go the whole hog.

What do you do to help your health?  Leave a comment and let us know your tips!

Title image: original by tiffa130 (cc)  /  Bottom image: annia316 (cc)

Enjoy yourself without getting drunk

Some students won’t want to follow the tips below.  I know at least one person who is usually grateful for the advice posts I publish, but who’ll look at this post and think, “Are you mad?  My purpose for going out is to get drunk!”

photo by Matt Dinnery

photo by Matt Dinnery

But not everyone enjoys the prospect of going out and getting drunk.  Some want to enjoy themselves and get carried away.  It happens.  Some even think student drinking is a necessary evil.

Drinking alcohol isn’t ‘necessary’.  It doesn’t have to be evil either.

If you do want to have fun (and even a drink or two…or three) without getting slaughtered, read on!  If you’d rather keep getting drunk, enjoying memorable nights that you don’t remember, you can look away now. But there’s no harm in considering it, is there? 🙂

  • Read one of my previous posts about alcohol, “18 Tips to Tame the Spirits“.
  • Sing along to the music.  Dance to it. Let the music take you!
  • If you feel happier socialising with a drink in your hands, make it a soft drink.
  • Mirror others. If everyone around you is going crazy, go crazy with them!  It doesn’t matter if you’re the only sober one.  Nobody will care or notice by this point.
  • Don’t feel guilty by not drinking alcohol.  If you plan to be completely sober, don’t worry about how you’ll look.  Just decline alcohol and any mild attempts to pressure you into having “just one”.  Friends are unlikely to keep on at you all night, so ride it out.
  • Have an excuse ready. If you can’t be bothered to argue, say something like you’ve had to take headache tablets so you can’t drink alcohol, or you’ve got important work to do early the next morning.  So long as it’s believable, not subject to question, and not the same excuse you give every time, you’ll probably be fine.
  • To be sure it’s alcohol-free, buy the drinks yourself. Alternatively, help get the drinks in when someone else buys a round.  Some people, even friends, can’t resist spiking a drink with more than you asked for.  Bypass that and be in control of your drink from the moment it’s handed over the bar.
  • Don’t talk about how much or little you usually drink.  As soon as that line of questioning starts, it’s like a negotiation.  If anyone asks you, politely explain that you aren’t drinking tonight.  If they insist on questioning beyond that, I’d question how good a friend they really are…
  • Don’t race.  If you have a drink in your hand, you don’t have to drink it quickly.  Sip it slowly.  You don’t have to accept a drink every time it’s a new round (and you don’t have to be involved in a round of drinks anyway, if that’s easier).  If you’ve still got a drink in your hand, decline another.  You can’t exactly be accused of not drinking! And even if you’re bought another drink against your wishes, you don’t have to drink it…
  • Don’t talk about drinking habits (yours or others) while you’re out. The more you bring attention to it, the more it becomes an issue.
  • Go for low alcohol. Have a shandy, a non-alcoholic cocktail, or a drink with a very little alcohol content.  You’re taking it slow that night…nothing wrong with that!
  • Eat plenty food and drink plenty water before (and during) an outing. Without food and water, you’ll probably get drunk quickly.  So have a proper meal and stay hydrated for the sake of your body, as well as your alcohol levels.
  • There are more non-drinking students than you think.  Today, you’re likely to find at least a few teetotalers at uni.  There may be loads.  You’re certainly not on your own if you don’t drink at all.  So don’t sweat it.
  • Don’t speak up! Don’t tell people you’re not going to drink.  Don’t tell them you’re not going to drink much.  Don’t tell them anything about how much you may or may not drink.  It’s nothing to do with them and it’s just starting a conversation about it.  Don’t go there.
  • Most people don’t care. A certain amount of worry is given to alcohol consumption at uni.  But many people say they don’t really think about how much other people want to drink.  The few people who do like to pile on the pressure give everyone else a bad name.
photo by Matt Dinnery

photo by Matt Dinnery

You Are Remarkable

This week is Nightline Awareness Week (16-23 November).

Now, before you start shouting that there’s a week for just about anything these days, I think it’s important to mention Nightline.

Nightline is a support service, run by students, helping other students.  In times of difficulty, whatever the problem, however they feel, students can ring up and talk to other students on the end of the line who are happy to listen.  They don’t have the answers, but they are there to provide you with emotional support and a willingness to listen…no matter what it’s about.

Sometimes all a person needs is the chance to let out their emotions.  Being at university, you’re surrounded by so many other people, but you may still feel alone.  Nightline provides an anonymous service that gives you the chance to connect with someone, no matter what you want to talk about.  Don’t worry, you won’t be judged.

There are currently 33 participating Nightline members up and down the country, with more coming to the service soon.  If you want to find your Nightline, check their website for details.

How does it help to talk about problems and feelings? Student Mental Health Practitioner and Counsellor, Mark Goulborne, explains why here.  And he says something that every one of us should bear in mind as we go about our daily life:

Remember we are born with no expectations on us other than survival….every single additional thing we achieve is remarkable – not expected. You are remarkable.

That’s why it’s important to mention Nightline.  Universities are getting into the swing of things.  Nottingham is giving out free hugs, York has a quiz and is giving away freebies (like cake…always good!), and Sheffield is doing some Speed Dating!  It’s all good fun and worth celebrating the wonderful service that Nightline provides.

If you aren’t feeling remarkable and you want to speak, in confidence, about whatever you want to get off your chest, get in touch with your Nightline.