Eat Healthily

It may be a hard time to keep healthy when everyone is stressed, fatigued and wants to buy a takeaway, but, your body needs the vitamins and antioxidants to get back to a normal state. More importantly, healthy food can be SIMPLE and CHEAP. You can stock up on wholemeal rice and pasta to last for a while and these can create many easy and healthy dishes.

Buy your vegetables frozen because not only will they last for longer, they are usually cheaper, so it’s a win-win situation. Plus, remember pre-made sauces are full of calories and bad stuff so make them from scratch by using chopped tomatoes and adding the spices and extras you want to add your taste to the dish.

Even more importantly, we have some foods to ensure you survive your first week at university:

  • Eggs. Incredible, edible toxin destroyers, eggs pack heavy loads of cysteine, an amino acid that can break down toxins your body hasn't.
  • Nuts. Almonds and walnuts are high in protein and contain good fats – which keep your cold & flu symptoms at bay.
  • Blueberries. These will perk you up in no time and give your immune system the boost you need to keep fresher’s flu away!
  • Bananas. Bananas are brimming with potassium, a mineral lost by frequent urination when you drink.
  • Water. You need to replenish all the water you have lost during your night out. This is the most important to ensure you’re not dehydrated.

Time Management

Exercises does need a lot of discipline but once you have created a plan and routine you will get into habits of doing extra bits of exercise such as walking to class instead of taking the bus, taking the stairs instead of getting the lift. You need to take little steps in order to make progress. Planning is key in order to make the time you need to fit in the exercises that are essential to keep you healthy.

Once you get your new timetable you may think that you won’t have enough time to fit exercise in with all your other social activities. However, if you ensure you block out time each week to complete your exercise – whether it’s a fitness class or your own regime in the gym, you will be fine. You should be doing exercise 3-5 times per week, so, make sure you are doing exercise that you enjoy and then you won’t even find it hard to do!

HIIT is the Secret

When you are juggling your social life, uni work, and exercise, it may seem like an impossible mission. But, here is a little secret from us at Sport Aston. A HIIT workout can be as short as 10 minutes and can be just as good as or even better than your normal workout.

Why is it so good for you? It is high intensity so gets your heart rate working to its max straight away and can keep your metabolism working for longer. 

You can do a workout out of 8 sets of 20 seconds with only 10-second breaks - this can be varied with many different exercises to cover a whole body workout out. From treadmill sprints to Russian twists, the possibilities are endless and can be changed to what you want to work out that day. Keep up to date with our social sites for workout ideas or speak to one of our PT’s to get a personal training plan.