9 Healthy Habits to Keep From the Summer
You’ve had an incredible summer and have actually developed some healthy habits. But, how do you keep those habits when you head back to school?
It’s easy to let those good habits slip when the early alarm rings, homework assignments pile up and the demands of life become overwhelming. Here are 9 good summer habits that are worth keeping during the school year and some tips to help you maintain them in your life.
Get adequate sleep
Even though you go to bed late and sleep in all morning, you’ve gotten into the habit of getting 8 to 10 hours of much needed sleep every night. How can you keep that up with all the demands of school? Know when you need to wake up in the morning once school starts and backtrack the number of hours you want to sleep every night. Give yourself 15 minutes to transition to bed and incorporate some of your other healthy habits into your night routine such as washing your face before you go to bed, and taking a break from your phone to spend time with God. As your list of tasks begin to stack up at the beginning of the school year, don’t procrastinate. Instead, plan ahead to ensure you accomplish the necessary tasks to allow for the sleep you need.
Take a break from your phone
You weren’t expecting it, but during the summer, you found yourself using your phone less. You weren’t concerned about what all your friends were doing. You found it easier to stay in the moment. Your phone is a huge time suck, not just social media, but aimless communication with your friends. Track how much time you spend on your phone in the summer and plan to spend less than that on your phone once you return to school. Develop a plan of when you will check your phone throughout the day, and keep a limit to the amount of time you use it.
Here’s a plan to consider: Begin your day by looking at your phone right before you head out the door, then look at it for 3 minutes between every class. Then, select 3 times in the evening to look at it for 10-15 minutes each time. Leave your phone in the kitchen overnight so it’s not in your bedroom. If you follow this plan, you’ll spent less than one hour on your phone each day, which you’ll find is plenty of time.
Spend time in God’s Word
With volunteering for VBS, attending your church’s youth retreat and summer mission trip, you found it very natural to spend a lot of time reading the Bible and devotional books, journaling and praying. Decide on a time each day to spend 10-15 minutes with God. You may need to do this with friends to hold you accountable, or by yourself so they aren’t a distraction. Some people like to spend time in God’s Word first thing in the morning, or as part of their bedtime routine. Right after school or during lunch are other great times. There are devotions, Bible apps and loads of podcasts that you can access right on your phone, so you don’t have to go far to spend time with the Lord.
Maintain a healthy face
With all the time outside, you’ve established the really good routine of washing your face every night before you go to bed to wash away all the sweat and sunscreen. A lot of people think that washing their face needs to be some elaborate process, but to keep this healthy habit during the school year, simplify. You don’t need to do anything fancy, just lather on some face wash and rinse with warm water. If you struggle with skin problems, add a moisturizer and acne cream. Another great habit you started during the summer is having a makeup free day, which can actually do wonders for your skin. Select at least one day a month to go without makeup during the school year. These are perfect days to stay at home and relax or catch up on homework.
Spend time with family
Your mom required you to have family dinners every night during the summer, and secretly you loved spending that time with your family. Plus, your summer vacation was an incredible opportunity to bond. As your school year schedules all come together, ask your parents if there’s a time during the week that everyone is home. It may not be for an evening meal, but perhaps lunch on Sunday, Saturday morning breakfast or a weekday snack. Help plan something unique your family can do during that time: play card games, try breakfast foods from a different country, enjoy a charcuterie board or snack on unusual candies. Make it simple, but memorable so your family will want to come together during that designated time.
Eat healthy foods
With all the fresh summer produce and extra time lounging around the house, your found yourself snacking on lots of healthy food. Resist the urge to fall back on junk food once your busy schedule kicks into gear. Take 10 minutes every weekend to package a dozen snacks for you to grab during the week ahead. Place humus in a Tupperware and have a bag of carrots to go with it. Place cut up apples in a bag to eat with peanut butter in a small storage container. Have granola ready to grab with a container of yogurt. Have cut up fresh fruits and vegetables on hand to make a quick fruit salad or to munch on while studying.
Spend time outside
Walks around the neighborhood with friends, pool and beach time with your family, riding your bike to and from work – summer is full of time outdoors. Incorporate that time into your school year by studying outside, riding your bike to school once a week or enjoying a periodic walk after dinner with your mom, best friend or boyfriend.
Save money
You’ve worked hard all summer and have actually saved most of your paychecks. But, once school starts, your hours will decrease and your friends will get back into a habit of heading out for fast food every afternoon after school.
At the end of summer, add up all the money you’ve saved. If there’s something big you want to spend it on, then have that in mind when you see your friends again so you can let them know that you have your heart set on something. Good friends will help you reach your goal. Then, have a plan for what you can do instead of spending your money.
For example, if your friends always go to Starbucks on Friday afternoon, suggest that you learn how to make the drinks yourself. Ask your mom if you can host at your house and go shopping for the supplies. Cozying up in your bedroom, basement or living room with your closest friends with your favorite drink is a great way to unwind after a long week.
Or maybe your friends go to the movies once a month. Suggest binge watching a few films at your house. You can even go all out and buy some delicious movie theater snacks from the grocery store for half the price of a movie ticket. If the movie you want to watch isn’t available on your streaming service, see if it’s available at your library. If your friends have to be in the know of the latest films, encourage them to create your own film instead.
Another option is to set aside a certain amount of money you can spend every week or month. Once that money is gone, you have to find something else to do so you don’t spend more than you’re supposed to. Having a budget is a really healthy habit.
Keep your room clean and organized
You spent tons of time in your room, so found yourself organizing and doing a deep clean. Or, maybe your mom required you to clean and purge. Either way, you’ve enjoyed the organized space. Once school starts, it’s easy to get back into the bad habit of throwing things on the floor, stuffing it under your bed or leaving it on your desk to deal with later. But all that clutter actually just leads to unnecessary stress and anxiety. You have enough of that during the school year, you don’t need to add any more.
Ask yourself what are three things you can do to make your organization easier to maintain. Perhaps it’s labeling your containers or color coding things in your closet or desk. Maybe it’s buying some different sized baskets or storage containers so everything has a place in your room. Make sure this is part of your back-to-school planning.
You may need to set a routine of cleaning your room (dusting and vacuuming) once a week. It’s okay to do this when it’s convenient for you, not when your mom needs you to. Perhaps Friday night or Wednesday afternoon works best for you, just let your mom know so she doesn’t nag you when she thinks it needs to be done.
Some summer habits are worth keeping all year round. Don’t sell yourself short by assuming you’ll be too busy or that you’ll just fall back into your old ways. God wants you to be healthy and happy!
