Online High School Classes and Your Health

Being an online high school student is no reason for one to ignore healthy personal habits. There is the temptation to simply stay in front of the computer and focus on one’s lessons. However, staying in tip top physical shape can also enable you to be in tip top shape mentally. Also, a slew of illnesses (cancer, heart disease and stroke) are actual lifestyle disease, where stress, an improper diet and lack of exercise and sleep are known to be the culprits.

In an online high school program, you don’t need to move around to transfer from one classroom to the other. However, there are still ways to ensure that you are a healthy virtual high school student. Here are some suggestions:

• Eat well, eat right. Eat a balanced diet supplemented by vitamins and minerals.
  • Choose fruits, vegetables and food that promote health. Stay away from processed foods. The right diet will help provide fuel and energy for you throughout the day.
  • Have smaller, more frequent meals. Instead of three heavy meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner), schedule more frequent, yet lighter, meals throughout the day.
  • Load up on liquids. The brain needs plenty of water for it to function as it should. It is made up of over 80 percent of water, after all. To help, have a pitcher of water on hand and close to you while you have your lessons.
  • Eat at the designated areas. NEVER succumb to the temptation of eating in front of your computer while you are doing your lessons. Chances are, you will lose track of just how much you are eating. Endeavour to spend mealtimes in the dining area. It will also help to have your family with you so that together, you can relax and enjoy a good meal.
• Avoid pulling all-nighters. Get enough sleep! Lack of sleep can contribute to poor memory and academic performance, as well as an inability to focus on the lesson at hand. Manage your time throughout the allotted number of days in a semester. Take note of assignments, projects and tests early on so that you can start working on that paper or reviewing that lesson way ahead of time. This way, you will not be pressured to forgo sleep just to ensure that you turn in your project on time. If you find yourself lacking sleep, take a power nap to give your brain a quick break.
• Get plenty of exercise. Get up from out of your chair and get moving! Stretch! It is highly inadvisable for you to stay in one position for prolonged periods of time. Getting up from time to time actually jostles the circulation Schedule time for you to walk around your block or in the park. Better yet, join a local gym where you can sweat it out. Get involved with a sport or if you don’t have one, try learning a new sport.
• Practice healthy computer habits. Follow the 20-20-20 rule, where for every 20 minutes, you should rest your eyes by staring at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. This will rest the eyes and prevent unnecessary strain on them.
• Make regular trips to the doctor. Pencil in regular check-ups with your doctor and dentist. Don’t wait until you start feeling a list of symptoms. Having regular visits with your doctor and dentist will help prevent bigger health problems from cropping up since these are detected early and intervention is promptly made.
• Set aside time for play. Decompress from the stresses brought about by your online high school studies by taking time to play. This may come in the form of your favourite sport, or indulging in a particular hobby or activity.