Eat, Eat, Eat!

For college students everywhere, April marks the time of year when all of the essays, projects, etc., that were assigned in the beginning of the semester, and you should have been working on, are due.  I know for myself that my new home will become the library because of pending research projects all due the week before final exams.  With the amount of time I spend in the library I always have an issue…forgetting to eat.  I’ll begin my work in early afternoon and end my night around 11PM completely skipping dinner.  Or, and since moving off campus this happens more regularly, I’ll be too settled at the library and decide the 10 minute walk to my house for sustenance and losing my prime table isn’t worth it.

 

BUT now I’m learning that you cannot forget to eat when overloaded with coursework because your brain needs food to function.  Blaming your paper for giving you a headache? Stop and grab a snack, then when you sit back down your ideas may start flowing and your paper will be done in no time.

One thing I always forget is that when doing something mentally active, it takes energy just like a physical workout.  When I was little and playing soccer, the team moms would bring the players oranges, or some type of snack, to have during our 10-minute halftime break to refuel our energy to go back out to the field and play our best.  

Here are essential things to do so you don’t look like this:

• bring multiple snacks if planning to be there for hours on end

• complex carbohydrates help supply your brain with energy so think fruits
• your brain needs protein to conserve the energy, for an easy snack put some high protein cereal in a baggie, nuts are a good choice as well

• bring a bottled drink with you

• it’s hydration people! Food may give you energy but the body needs to stay hydrated to function and no one likes to constantly get up to go to the water fountain

• water is your best option, but green tea is known to be linked to increasing mental alertness

• coffee, coffee, coffee

• some people are against caffeine, I however am not.  Pulling an all-nighter? Most libraries have a coffee shop on the first floor so shoot for a venti (large), it should last you all night

 
** do make sure to keep hydrated with water

• take breaks! 
• your brain gets tired of staring at a paper or screen for hours, so it’s okay to get up and walk outside, or go on Facebook/Twitter/Pinterest/Youtube – just don’t let it distract you for too long! ;]

Happy Studying!