I want to make some big changes in my life to avoid health problems.

When I was five years old, my mother put me into a soccer recreational program for the first time.

This ended up dictating the course of my life for a while, as I ended up playing competitive club soccer when I was eleven years old, and we would head out on the weekends to go to games across the Mid-Atlantic region.

Sometimes, too, we played in tournaments where we’d have to spend the weekend in Hershey or Ocean City, which were exciting adventures that broke up the monotony of daily life and school.

But when I got into high school, varsity soccer became my life for a bit, but it was only for a season. I no longer played club soccer and focused on my writing and school, and by the time I went to college in New York, I’d already established really bad habits for my body.

I spend a ton of time at a desk or in bed, and when the COVID-19 pandemic hit and I left New York City, my habits got worse.

I was spending way too much time horizontal, and I didn’t even get a desk until 2021, when I was forced to due to the fact I had a virtual Critical Language Scholarship program for Bengali and knew I was going to have to have a desk for such an intensive program.

My biggest wakeup call was in the summer of 2023 when I went to the doctor and realized I had gained eleven pounds.

I was still a healthy weight, but that was a massive shock for me. Some of this I know is due to birth control, but it made me realize how terrible my habits are becoming.

Here’s what I’ve been doing as a full-time graduate student also working multiple jobs to try and stay healthy.

Switching Up My Diet for Healthier Alternatives

One of my biggest and greatest purchases at the beginning of graduate school was a salad container to take to school. I found mine on Amazon, but it has a separate section for the greens and then the wet items, preventing the food from getting soggy throughout the day.

There’s also a cute little container that houses the salad dressing, which I make myself in order avoid having to buy my own. My current rotation for salad dressing is a simple Kirkland balsamic vinaigrette from Costco, and sometimes I mixed it with a little bit of Trader Joe’s olive oil, hummus, and lemon juice.

I’ve mastered the art of making a really good salad full of fruit and random veggies, and even my mother has complimented how I’ve upped my salad game in the past year.

Despite the salads, I’ve been trying to incorporate more nuts and whole yogurt into my diet. I drink a ton of tea throughout the day without sugar or cream, so I decided to try out how to make smoothies with a whole yogurt base in order to get a more filling drink into my body.

Nuts have been another way to snack without putting absolutely crap into my body these days, so I’ve been buying the little nut packs at Costco for when I’m at school.

I never eat out anymore, especially considering I started making coffee at home, too, when I think I’m going to be tired throughout the day. Before I used to buy so many random little things from the vending machines, which meant I have been spending a ton of money on what is essentially junk food.

If I know the food I’ve packed isn’t enough for the day, I typically try to throw in an apple or a pear to snack on later.

Trying to Move My Body More Throughout the Day

As I mentioned before, one of my biggest problems throughout COVID has been the fact I’ve spent a lot of my time with my body in a sedentary position.

What I’ve done to try and combat my many issues is that I stacked all of my classes and on-campus jobs so that when I’m on campus, I don’t have to go anywhere else. I work remotely during the rest of the week, and when I’m at home, I have a dedicated thirty minutes throughout the days in order to make sure that I get my exercise time in.

When it comes to jobs, I work as a freelancer, Graduate Assistant, and as an intern at the publishing arm of the Smithsonian enterprises.

This also merges with my healthy eating habits, as I started gardening about two years back as a form of self-therapy.

I grow a lot of my own vegetables and herbs, which means I spend a portion of my off days gardening, which keeps my body moving when nothing else will. I try to schedule in breaks from my work flows to try and get my body out of the sitting position at my desk, as I feel like I can feel myself rotting.

The benefit to all of this is that I also get like fresh basil and sage to add into my salads, or banana peppers to pickle and eat later.

Walking Across Campus During Breaks

This is actually a new hobby for me, but when I’ve been on my breaks during class and work, I’ve actually been making it a point to go and park in the lot that’s farthest from where I need to be.

Thankfully I feel safe enough on campus to walk back at night, and so in well-lit areas and buildings I take my time trying to get back to my car. There are also always people around.

But even in broad daylight, I try to take the steps whenever I can, if I’m not carrying a heavy load, just to try and knock out some of my exercise for the day.

My campus has a ton of hills, and I’ve been embracing that fact. Living in a place that isn’t walkable forces you to adapt, especially considering I spent my undergrad in New York City and would easily walk to places if I wanted something to do.

Just by walking to the library and back adds a nice 3,000 step boost to my overall walking for the day, making me a bit closer to my goals even though I know I’m going to go home and crash instead of doing stretches or yoga.

Finally: I try to limit my coffee.

This might be a controversial take, but I don’t drink coffee every single day. I know some fellow students who are constantly chugging a coffee in order to get through the day, and that is seriously unhealthy because of the amount of sugar and caffeine being consumed.

I really believe in work life balances when it comes to being a student and a worker, and I go to bed at a reasonable time each hour. I know I can’t be pushing my body beyond its limits, because if I did that, I would be sacrificing my mental health as well.

So limiting my coffee actually is a lesson in trying to live a balanced life. I know we’re not made to work and push our limits, which has made me ultimately a happier person and more productive actually in the long run.

I can participate and class and get through the day without sacrificing my physical and mental health. That doesn’t mean I cut coffee out completely though—there are definitely days that I end up needing a cheap cup of Cafe Bustelo before I head out to school.

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