The dreaded “Freshers 15″… the notion that when you first go to university you will return home 15 pounds heavier. It’s unsurprising really; the alcohol, the late nights, the takeaways, it really is a recipe for disaster. But this doesn’t have to be the case. Here are 15 tips that will help you live a healthier lifestyle, fresher or not.

#1. Walk

Even if you are a bit of a gym-o-phobic, there is still no reason as to why you can’t get as least some exercise in during your day. Doing something small like walking to university or walking to the shops, instead of driving or getting the bus, can really help- all those steps add up!

#2. Be smart with alcohol

I’m not going to sit here and tell you not to drink…because that would be ridiculous #DownItFresher. But when you are drinking, try to be smart with your choice of alcohol. Things like beer or cider are very calorific, there is a crazy 250 calories in a bottle of Kopparberg, whereas a shot of vodka only has 55 calories.

#3. Go diet

When you are ordering alcohol with a mixer, try asking for the diet version, instead of full fat. You could be saving almost 150 calories per drink!

#4. Hydrate

This is especially important after alcohol and almost goes with saying. When you get in after a night of drinking try and chug as much water as possible. If you can down a pint of beer- you can down a pint of water! Sipping water throughout the day will keep you feeling full of energy and stop you from snacking on sugary snacks.

#5. Join a gym

If there is anything that motivates students more…it’s money. If you know that you are paying for a gym membership every month, it could well motivate you to actually go! And no excuses with it being too expensive. Some commercial gyms charge as little as £2.50/week- you’d spend more on a pint!

#6. Get a workout buddy

If you are a little worried about stepping into a gym, going with another person can make it much less daunting. You will also be able to motivate each other and it makes it much harder to slack off!

#7. Join a society

If the gym isn’t for you why not try joining an AU society! There are so many sports to choose from and not only will it get you fitter, but it’s a great way to make friends.

#8. Don’t buy crap

The easiest way to cut down on crap, is not to buy it! If you fill your cupboards with tempation then it makes it so much harder to eat well. Normally if I am craving chocolate but don’t have any it, I will be too lazy to go out and buy some, so will settle for something else instead.

#9. The “apple rule”

I saw this online and I thought it was a really good idea. Quite often most of us eat because we are bored, or we are watching TV etc. When you feel like reaching for a snack, think to yourself “would I eat an apple right now?”. If the case if no, then you are probably not really hungry and are just eating for the sake of it.

#10. Buy pizza from the supermarket instead

Whilst I am not condoning an all-pizza-diet, there are times when pizza is a necessity. If you really are desperate for a takeaway, always try and buy from the supermarket instead. A dominos veggie pizza has 1,653 calories, whereas an ASDA veggie pizza only has almost half the calories- 842- and is tons cheaper!

#11. Stir fries

Stir fries are a literally a god send for students. I mentioned this in the post I wrote last year about healthy eating as a student. Stir fries are an amazing way to get in your protein, carbs and veggies in a quick, easy and cheap way. Just watch out for sugary stir fry sauces.

#12. Buy frozen

Nope I don’t mean pizzas…I mean vegetables. This year I have decided to buy way more frozen items because not only are they much cheaper, but it stops me wasting so much fresh food. This way, it means you always have vegetables in, so no excuses for not eating your greens!

#13. Take a packed lunch

Whilst it may be easy to nip into a food outlet on campus and buy a sandwich for lunch, it will be far cheaper, healthier and probably tastier to bring your own. Even if you aren’t a culinary expert, just pack your own sandwiches in wholemeal bread with a good protein source and lots of veg!

#14. Sleep sleep sleep

I’m sure that most uni students won’t need any encouragement to stay in bed. But believe it or not, your 4am-1pm sleep is doing you no where near as much good as an 11pm-8am sleep would! Sleep is honestly one of the most important things for both your physical and mental health. When you are tired, everything seems to get on top of you more and your basic bodily functions start to suffer.

#15. Prioritise!

Instead of saying “I don’t have time to do this” say “this is not a priority for me at the moment”. This really changes your way of thinking and will help you to stop making excuses for things. Is watching Netflix in your PJs really a  priority?

I hope these tips were useful, if you want any more info check out my post about eating healthy at university which shows some easy meal ideas. Also check out my IG: @dionnelifts where I post loads of easy meal ideas!

Bye for now x