How to Stay Healthy While Studying Abroad in Germany

How to Stay Healthy While Studying Abroad in Germany

Many of students leave things for the last minute, just like some really boring paper, but ones health is mandatory for studying better.

Busy days in Germany as you are joggling from one assignment to the other or carefree ones while you are having fun with friends will not leave you much time to think about your health, well, until the unfortunate happens and you need medical insurance. It’s a fact of life, many of students leave things for the last minute, just like some really boring paper, but ones health is mandatory for studying better and having to visit the doctor less. Having a healthy lifestyle and taking care of one’s body is the most important thing you should do for yourself to ensure that your studying and free time doesn’t get interrupted by catching an illness.

Here are some tips for students to ensure you stay healthy and illness free throughout your education.

DIET

Don’t skip breakfast – Without careful diet you can end up putting weight in just your first semester. One of the best ways to start you day energized and have a healthy diet is to eat a proper breakfast. Whether you have classes at the break of dawn or wake up at noon start you day with breakfast, one of the most important meals of the day.

Drink in moderation – Going out with friends and binge drinking is the student way, but you can still have fun if you drink moderately. This way you avoid the extra calories of alcohol and particularly beer and get rid of the hangover the next day as well as other negative things. Sure, blow of steam once in a while, but go overboard rarely for you own good as well as save financial reasons.

Drink water & limit sugar – Drinking enough water will help you boost you concentration and keep you from eating too much. Avoid sodas and other sugary drinks, because they have high concentration of sugar that is not healthy for a student. And while sodas may fill you up and prevent you from overeating they can fatten you up and cause tooth problems.

Cut the junk food – As a student you are always on a rush or sometimes just a little lazy to cook on your own or eat healthy at the student cafeteria far away. It’s understandable, but fast-food has been proven to be the worst offender when it comes to ruining one’s diet and health. Add vegetables and fruits to your daily diet. If you feel like you are not getting enough nutrition to stay healthy, get natural vitamins and mineral supplements.

Get insured – This way you can avoid food poisoning or other malnutrition related diseases. To avoid the worst an ideal solution can be to get insured. If you sign up for a health insurance plan if the worst happens you will receive top notch treatment at hospitals without draining your financially. Students are strapped for money most of the time, but for a small fee a month you can avoid hundreds if not thousands of charges for treatment. As a student you can find plans on great rates and at discounts and the main thing is that you need to get health insurance while you are studying in Germany. It is a requirement by the University as well as the German state you live at.

SLEEP

Stick to a schedule – Students are know for staying up late whether it be for studying or a night out. On the long run this will mess up your sleep schedule and cause troubles during the day. So try to get at least 7 hours of sleep and keep to a schedule. Try to go to bed at the same time and wake up at the same time. This ensures you get a good night’s sleep. Understand the impact of lack of sleep that can have on your body and mind and be mindful of how you sleep and your sleep schedule.

Take a nap – If you have some free time during the day take a short nap as it will do wonders for your energy levels. If you don’t take a nap close to bedtime or for too long it will do good for your body.

Avoid caffeine & eating before bed – Coffee, caffeinated drinks such as sodas and certain types of tea’s will get you alert right when you need to go to sleep. Drinking and eating before bedtime can also mess with your sleep and prevent you from getting a full night’s good sleep.

Don’t stay all night – Sometimes before an important exam or some assignment you may feel the need to stay up all night so you can study, but in face lack of sleep will reduce your concentration to perform well during the test the next day. If you must stay all night to study get at least a few hours of sleep before going to University so you can do well at the test.

EXERCISE

Warm up – To avoid muscle injury stretch and warm up before each exercise session. Simple stretching before and after the exercise can keep you pain free. Many Universities have gym facilities and equipment that you can use to exercise for free, so get a friend to keep each-other motivated and since it is free really you got nothing to lose, besides your belly.

Play a sport – Another great way to be physically active and stay in a good shape is to play a sport. Whatever game you like playing there will be a club at you host University, so take advantage of that and join your team. You may even get famous on the campus. All in all a great pastime, improve your physical stamina and you do something you enjoy.

Ride a bike – Riding a bike to and from University as well as around the city has two-fold advantage: you stay in shape and don’t pollute the air by using public transportation or a car. The road infrastructure in Germany is amazing and one of the best in Europe, so you will have clearly marked spaces for riding your bike in peace so take advantage of this.

Some other tips that can help you be a healthy and active student are to not pack your backpack too heavy to avoid back injury, don’t walk long distances on flip-flops as they don’t provide support your feet require. Wear sunscreen on sunny days to avoid sunburn and skin cancer and check that your medical insurance covers physicians in the place you study, so you don’t end up paying for medical checks if you are not properly insured. These were some of the tips that hopefully will make you a more a healthy and active student.