‘Hullfire’ Draft Article – Issue 02/10/2012

Hannah Smith, Student Id – 201007805

The realities of being a student

A study has found that students' lifestyles are likely to lead to increased levels of fast-food consumption.  In this blog article, I reflect on the importance of maintaining routine and regularity within your student life despite the pressures to engage in a frivolous and irresponsible lifestyle.

Our student days are coined as ‘the greatest days of our lives’; people often regard students as living the ‘champagne lifestyle’, allowing them boundless independence with limited responsibilities. Our innocent minds are molded by the sights and sounds of the lecture theater, the SU bar, and the four walls of the Brynmor Jones Library.  Many students enter University expecting good times, friendship and a good sense of direction.  However, they soon find out that University comes with challenges and stresses because of the great demands and expectations that are put on the importance of education. Thus, it is very important for the 'future of tomorrow' to manage a proper routine and, most importantly, maintain it. Takeaways, alcohol, late nights, television... the stereotypical student lifestyle is hardly a template for healthy living. Yet I think it is necessary to fit a healthy lifestyle in with socializing and studying. Like many students who have moved away from University for the first time, first year student Tony Roberts, (who studies criminology), is finding it difficult to eat healthily at university and claims to have already gained 11lbs. "It is just the way of life I have adopted whilst at uni," he explains. "I would say I am overindulging in everything – most of it relating to alcohol, which ends up with the consumption of a pizza and garlic bread at the end of most evenings. All this having had dinner as well.".

A lack of exercise also contributes to such results also. Dr Catriona Davis-McCabe, a chartered counselling psychologist at Teesside University, says that for many students, underlying psychological reasons are to blame for their putting on weight. "Issues with food and binge-eating can be triggered when a student comes to university," she says. "Research shows the increased stress and anxiety of studying at university, and the major life changes associated with university, can lead students to use different coping strategies. Food can be seen as a way of coping with stress and other negative emotions." For many students struggling to live within a limited budget, a lack of money may be seen as a barrier to leading a healthy lifestyle. But although super-foods and gym membership may be beyond the typical student loan, healthy foods and exercise need not be.

  Yet I believe there are many ways to have a healthy diet without spending too much. Planning your meals ahead can help you reduce food waste, and sticking to a list when shopping helps you avoid buying things you don't need. Also, cooking bigger amounts is generally cheaper. So it's better to cook bigger batches and put the rest in the freezer, or take turns with your housemates when cooking dinner.