This topic is so close to my heart – probably because like everyone I find it hard to balance being a student with my football passion. Which is how I have come up with these 11 Healthy Student Lifestyle Secrets. This is based on my own personal challenges and circumstances but is relevant to any student juggling study with life.

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Have a healthy attitude to socializing

I’m putting this first on the list because a recent event at our student residence has put this at the top of the agenda. If you know me well, you know that I don’t drink or do anything that would compromise my health. But this is also true for anything that would jeopardize my football career, placement at university or visa. The important things that keep me in the country.

I mentioned the event at the residence. Of course, there are some shenanigans when you first move into university. But some people will take it too far. Don’t be that person. A few just have to learn the hard way that the police will get involved and the university will be notified.

Here’s my tip: find like-minded people to hang with. This is working for me and means I can still have friends and go out socially without compromising my healthy lifestyle choices. And hey, no judgement on the freshies at the Residence – they are fresh out of high school after all.

Create the ideal sleeping environment

Again, this ranks very high on my healthy lifestyle list. I cannot function as a student or a footballer without sleep. When I moved to the new residence, I was uncomfortably shocked to discover that in the middle of a scorching hot Madrid summer, there was no aircon! It took two sleepless nights before I bit the bullet and went out to buy a floor fan. My best purchase this year without any exaggeration.

Whatever it is in your dorm room or residence that is impacting the quality of your sleep: fix it now. I cannot stress this enough. Understandably, this is harder if you are sharing your room. Because I come and go at all hours, I’m fortunate enough to have a private room, but I’ve frequently had to share with up to five other students at different times in my life, so I know what that is like.

Go on a friend-finding mission

You can’t spend all your time in your room. If you are doing that it is a sign that you aren’t coping. Likewise, I can’t spend all my time hanging with the football team. My previous team had an average age of 28 (I was 18). Most were married with children and loads of football experience. With a new residence, there’s a whole batch of new people to get to know. So, despite an already pretty hectic social life, I will try to join in where I can. Even though I am challenged with being the only non-native Spanish speaker here, this is the best way for me to push outside the comfort zone (and improve my Spanish in the process). Find a group that will do the same for you.

Join things, sign up, be present

Despite it all, I’ve just volunteered to be the class representative (inspired by the awesome work of our class reps last year). In the past I’ve joined the IE Culinary Club, I’ve played in futsal competitions and so on.

Get organized and measure your progress

You can tell I am so passionate about this topic. The juggle, meeting my goals, arriving on time. These are very important for me. If I miss my carpool at the station, I have no way of getting to training (last year they once fined me for the whole car being late. There were four people and I had to pay the fine for each one). And we know that you can’t miss class.

The hardest one of all: healthy eating while living on campus

If you live in a residence, then you are at the mercy of the dining hall. I just try to steer myself toward the healthier choices that come with the menu, but TBH, it’s never that great. Worse, my training schedule is demanding, and I finish at 10:30 pm which means I never make it home for dinner and don’t end up eating until 11:00pm. Which for Spain is not that unusual. Thankfully, the dining staff will put my meals aside (it took some negotiation as this didn’t come with the standard package). They made me agree that if they put a meal aside, that I would eat it. Sometimes the club puts on a BBQ or orders burgers, or we go out after training, so those days are challenging in a different way!

Exercise – stretching and recovery – for the ultimate healthy student lifestyle

Because I am a footballer (soccer player), I don’t need to worry about getting enough exercise. Even on the holidays I trained with a professional football team in my home country (Australia). But doing the proper stretching and recovery is hard. I ALWAYS make sure I don’t go to bed until I’ve used the roller or done my stretching routine. Other recovery actions I do might be taking a cold/hot shower (alternating) or getting into the swimming pool. There is the ice bath which the club sometimes has available (I love it and highly recommend it to avoid injuries). My previous residence had a sauna, so I used that too. I recently started with Red Light Therapy.

Skincare, the one habit I absolutely can’t skip

I struggle with acne breakouts, and I have been seeing a dermatologist. So, my skin care routine is essential to avoid a flare up. I need to ensure that I take other precautions as well, including using sunscreen, moisturizer and washing carefully.

Be a healthy student by booking medical appointments every year

For preventative health, the good news is you only need to do this once a year. This is my routine every summer:

• Doctor: flu-shot
• Dermatologist: blood test and if needed, prescription medication
• Dentist: annual check-up (Argh, I may need braces)
• Optometrist: This summer I discovered I need glasses for classroom work. For football I have been prescribed contacts.
• Others as needed: physiotherapist, massage, facials. Some of these are provided by the club, others I use occasionally.

Connectedness with family is a healthy lifestyle need: reach out often

If you are living far from home as I am then you can’t just go and visit your parents or brother or dog whenever you want to. In fact, for 2.5 years, from the age of 16 years, I didn’t see my family because of family COVID. One word: Messenger.

Bring mindfulness and quiet time into your healthy student lifestyle

Basically, if things aren’t working out you may need extra help. The most important thing is not to try and deal with it on your own. I also find prayer works well and I try to keep a regular prayer habit. It’s great to know that not everything is in your control and to focus on the things that are.

A healthy student takes care of the basics

This is not an exhaustive list, but there is one other thing that I think is non-negotiable and that is to take care of the basics. For me, the basics that I never miss are showering, cleaning my teeth after meals and flossing at least once a day. And then there is hydration – I always have a bottle of water at my fingertips. Some days, that might be all you can manage!

So that’s my ‘starter’ healthy student lifestyle list

I’ve only really tackled the ‘tip of the iceberg’ – there is so much more! However, if you aren’t an athlete or involved in regular sport, I’m sure you can see the benefits of having a routine. Being intentional and deliberate about following a healthy lifestyle plan, even if you are a student, is a daily discipline.

This blog is all about building a healthy student lifestyle.