Changes to daily routine

RUNucbar

In September, I'll be starting the new semester which means my daily routine will have to change. I don't yet know what my new timetable is but I do know it will be different every day and, chances are, I will have a lecture or seminar right at the time I am used to eating or exercising. In the past at uni, I was on campus almost 12 hours on a Monday due to how my timetable worked out as there was not enough time to go home between lectures and other days I have nothing at all, just independent study.

With my days each running to a different schedule, how to I maintain the discipline? Do I just eat at a different time every day, and exercise at different times? Do I try and find a time that will be the same across the whole week and change my lunchtime? Plus, the early starts and very long days often have me reaching for the coffee and snacks to keep me going. I can't bring my own coffee as it will not stay hot all day so how to I stay on track though the energy lows?

tofuligan

Big questions!

First, this will sound crazy, but I quit caffeine after my first year of college and everything got easier. I was pulling massive credit loads, but it was better to just be tired when I was tired. Giving up caffeine let me sleep better, put my digestive system on track, and made me feel like I had a true rhythm to my days (despite often being on campus 6am-10pm).

As far as energy lows, my trick was to eat when I was hungry but NEVER what I was craving. Make sure there's always nuts in your purse or fresh apples in your backpack. Energy lows often came from going too long without calories, or from sugar and carb crashes. Taking B and D vitamins also helped me a lot.

I'd recommend having an exercise goal like 5x/wk or 150min/wk, so you can get creative about what that looks like from day to day. You'll still have a concrete goal, but one day maybe that just means going up all the stairs you can find during a 20min break; the next day maybe it's a real stint at the gym.

LazSommer

don't grow up and have kids