Active Life Style
Taking care of your physical health is key to maintaining your well-being. This does not necessarily mean you must be doing rigorous exercise. Focus on healthy and fun activities that get you moving regularly! There is no “one size fits all” method of being active.
- The Canada Heart and Stroke Foundation recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity per week, in bouts of 10 minutes or more.
- Exercise increases endorphins, dopamine, adrenaline and endocannabinoid – these are all brain chemicals associated with feeling happy, confident, and capable. You may even experience less anxiety and stress, and even less physical pain.
- Be creative with low impact activities that do not require a full gym set up and that you can do at home such as yoga, low impact workouts, walking, cycling, using stairs, chores, doing stretching or riding your stationary bike while watching TV.
- As blood flow increases with exercise, your brain is exposed to more oxygen and nutrients.
- Regular exercise over time increases the volume of the hippocampus, a key part of the brain’s
Sleep
Sleep, like physical activity, is founded on what your body needs to perform at its optimum. The general consensus is that 7 to 9 hours per night is ideal. The human body likes routine, do, during the school year, it is beneficial to go to bed around the same time most nights. Studying all night reduces the quality of your work and has lasting effects on your mental health, especially anxiety and depression.
Remember – sleep deprivation is a form of torture!
- Sleep helps the newly encoded information in your short-term memory to be integrated into the long-term knowledge networks.
- A short nap, less than 30 minutes, during the day can help certain people. This type of nap provides a significant benefit for improved alertness and performance without leaving you feeling groggy or interfering with nighttime sleep.
- Unplug from technology abut 60 minutes before going to bed because it suppresses the release of the sleep-inducing hormone melatonin, and makes it more difficult to fall asleep.
Nutrition
Good nutrition provides fuel for your brain and body. This is an ideal time to experiment with simple nutritious meals. Fresh fruits and vegetables are a great source of vitamins and minerals. Salads, sandwiches and soups are easy to make and can be packed with what your body needs to thrive.
- Eat three to four regular well-balanced meals.
- Prepare healthy snacks such as fruit, salads, nuts, cheese, vegetables in advance. The Canada Food Guide has many examples.
- Make healthier food options more appealing with herbs and spices.
- Avoid sugary drinks and keep your caffeine intake to the minimum.
- Try low-budget, healthy meal options.
