Whether you’re looking for new ways to stay healthy during the holidays or prepping some New Year’s resolutions, sleep, steps, meditation, and fitness are four great places to start. By carving out some extra time during the week for these wellness goals—and with the help of BetterYou as your healthy habits companion—you can improve your physical and mental health and take your academic performance to the next level.

Sleep

Your sleep habits are one of the biggest predictors of academic success. Less sleep interrupts your brain’s ability to fix and consolidate memories, causing you to put in harder work but not do as well. On the flip side, getting more Zs will sharpen your academic performance (plus it has tons of other mental benefits).

Quick Tip:

Setting a consistent wake up time is often easier than adjusting your bedtime. Focus on getting up at the same time every day and, with some friendly nudges from BetterBot, you’ll be one step closer to seriously improving your sleep hygiene.

Steps

You don’t need to rack up 10,000 steps every day to get benefits from walking. Getting any sort of movement during the day is a surefire way to boost your mood and reduce stress. Plus, studies show that even half of the recommended amount of weekly activity reduces risk of depression. 

Quick Tip:

Taking a stroll is a great way to decompress from the noise and distractions of your day, but sometimes it’s a lot easier to get up and go with some tunes. Schedule a small block of time during the week for your walk, throw on your favorite jams, and those step numbers will start climbing. And don’t forget to send a steps challenge to a BetterYou buddy!

Meditation

Meditation has lots of interesting positive effects on our brains. After establishing a meditation practice, the amygdala (the brain’s fight or flight center) shrinks while the prefrontal cortex (the area responsible for helping us make decisions and concentrate) thickens. This all helps us be less reactive and more focused during our day to day. Definitely handy traits to have when it comes to the stress of college.

Quick Tip:

Finding a place to meditate isn’t always easy, but check if your college has dedicated meditation rooms or some quieter areas in the library. Try to make that place your go-to for meditation—no studying allowed there! Once you’ve found your space, be sure to set it in your BetterYou meditation goal. 

Fitness

A boosted immune system, improved sleep, reduced stress—there are tons of reasons to work a bit of fitness time into your weekly schedule. But did you know that fitness can also directly benefit your academic performance? It’s true! Better cardiovascular health means more oxygen getting to your brain. More oxygen getting to your brain means that little thought machine will work more efficiently.

Quick Tip:

There’s no one right way to work out. Whether you enjoy hitting the gym, doing a quick weightless routine in your dorm room, or heading to a weekly workout class, you’ll reap the benefits of fitness by scheduling any type of exercise. With BetterYou, you can track your progress by setting a specific workout location or using a ton of different workout apps. 

About BetterYou

BetterYou is a healthy habits companion that helps people find more time in the day for their wellness through a no-touch solution rooted in behavior design. BetterYou automatically logs your progress, sends friendly nudges if you’re a bit off track, and even doles out rewards like gift cards for your progress. And it’s FREE for Sacramento State students, staff, and faculty!