If you frequently find yourself ordering your fourth cup of coffee before that afternoon class, you’re probably not a health nut.
A 2006 study conducted by the University of Georgia’s exercise psychology laboratory in Athens, Ga. showed that more than 90 percent of people who eat healthy foods and exercise regularly are more energized during the day… without caffeine.
“If a student is spending all of their time studying and they’re not taking time for fitness or recreation, that affects the organic systems of the body in negative ways,” said Dennis Munroe, director of physical education at the University.
According to Munroe, the key to living a healthy, fatigue-free lifestyle is balance.
“If there’s any magic bullet to achieving more energy, I would say it’s being careful of how you use your leisure time, being organized with your academic needs, and not overloading yourself academically so that you have some time devoted to physical activities,” Munroe said. “A student who doesn’t find time or make time for these things, in the end, I think, is less successful.”
If you’re one of those students who always has a mind to exercise but somehow never feels up to it, do what more than 5,000 other University students do: Register for a physical education class.
“When you take a PE class for credit, whether it’s yoga or step aerobics or tennis, it’s like any other class: You have a day and a time when you have to be there, and you can’t just blow it off,” said Munroe.
As important as exercising is to any healthy and energetic lifestyle, sleeping is just as important. According to the National Sleep Foundation, most people need between seven and nine hours of sleep every night to keep their energy up all day.
“It’s really different for everyone. Bill Clinton slept three hours every night when he was president, and that worked for him,” said David Pettit at the Eugene Sleep Disorder Center. “I know someone who sleeps 10 hours every day. You have to figure out what works for you.”
Pettit said it’s more important to have a routine sleeping pattern than to focus on the exact number of hours you sleep every night.
The National Sleep Association stresses that coffee, soda and energy drinks are not substitutes to sleep. According to a study conducted by Harvard Medical School, people who regularly drink more than six 8-oz. cups of coffee every day are at risk for dangerously increased and irregular heart rates, as well as higher blood pressure.
If you’re not ready to quit caffeine cold turkey, wean yourself off with green tea, said Holly Brown at Kiva, an organic grocery store in Eugene.
“It’s still caffeine, but it’s healthy and it has a lot of antioxidants,” she said.
When Brown needs an energy boost, she drinks Yerba Mate, an herbal drink similar to green tea, or a juice containing spirulina, a blue-green algae rich in nutrients.
The most all-natural liquid energizer, however, is water. The University Health Center recommends students drink at least eight glasses of water every day to prevent fatigue. Those who exercise vigorously should drink even more.
University Health Center Director Tom Ryan says the reason why so many students run into so many energy peaks and drops throughout the week may be because of poor diets consisting of foods devoid in nutrients, like candy or fast food.
“It’s important to have fibers and proteins in your diet for energy,” said Ryan. Sugary foods, he said, can lend temporary energy spurts but will slow you down later. Fatty foods slow the stomach and will take away energy.
Many students also make the mistake of skipping breakfast, an important meal for students who need energy all day.
“A lot of people like to sleep a little bit longer and then run out the door, but it’s a good idea to eat something,” said Ryan. He recommended that students eat yogurt, fruit, or high-fiber cereal.
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