Physical Health

STUDENT WELLBEING
PHYSICAL HEALTH

Physical Health refers to the wellbeing of our body. It is linked to your physical activity levels, diet, nutrition, sleep cycle and level of consumption of alcohol, drugs or cigarettes.

Whilst at university, it can be a challenge to look after your physical wellbeing as you have full timetables, are preparing for exams, assessments or placement. Free time can often be dedicated to tasks that support good physical health. It is important to recognise that in order to stay healthy you need to take care of your body and your mind.

When we are busy, it is easy to just grab a chocolate bar, a coffee or a take-away, but these are not good for your health in large amounts. If you are concerned about your physical health, there are many things you could do. Student Support can help guide you, should you need it.

Here are some useful tips to learn how to be healthy, stay active and eat well whilst balancing university life:

Get physical

There are many ways in which you can stay physically active, including working out at home, running, going to the gym, yoga (online or classes), going for a walk or participating in a sport you enjoy.

There are many events involving physical activity being held virtually or around the city. Some of the these are detailed in the links below:

Healthwise

Ormeau parkrun

Run Through Virtual Marathon

Healthy eating

Having a healthy and balanced diet with a wide variety of foods in the right proportions and right amounts is necessary to maintain good health and body weight.

Some useful guides are:

The Eatwell Guide by NHS.

Enjoy Healthy Eating – a PHA leaflet providing delicious food habits to maintain a healthy diet:

Sleep well

Sleeping habits may change for people for reasons such as location change or additional work commitments. Feeling stressed or worried can lead to poor sleep. When our bodies do not get enough sleep, it can have an effect on all areas of our minds and body. It can cause a lack of concentration and poor diet, as we try to increase energy with sugar consumption, which can lead to mood swings. A healthy body requires regular sleep and enough hours for our minds to be re-energised.

Have a look at tips given by NHS for maintaining sleep patterns: How to get to sleep

Tips for better sleep at college would help you to develop good sleep habits during college.

Avoid drugs and alcohol

Consuming excessive amounts of alcohol can have a negative effect on your mental and physical health. Follow the UK Chief Medical Officers’ low risk drinking guidelines here

Here are some tips to stay safe from spiking

Take a short self-assessment quiz to check if your alcohol intake is affecting your health click here.