The 60-hour workweek that accompanies earning your PhD doesn’t exactly encourage a healthy lifestyle.
Pairing up with anesthetist and freelance writer Nick Angelis, author of “How to succeed in Anesthesia School,” and his wife, nutritionist Melanie Angelis, author of the upcoming “Grecian Garden,” we put together the following 10 tips in order to drive home an important point: the maintenance or re-establishment of good health is an important component of your journey in earning your doctorate degree. For when it comes to leading a healthy lifestyle, falling off the bandwagon at this point in your career could set the wrong tone for many years.
- Exercise everyday. Your body needs attention, be it from hitting the gym or taking a long walk. Engaging friendships that encourage an active lifestyle will help. For your busiest days, Nick recommends wrapping up a day with some stretching, “A few simple yoga stretches before bed release stress while keeping muscles loose, especially if you've been sitting at a desk all day."
- Pack a lunch. By preparing your own meals you will find yourself eating healthier more often. Taking in fewer calories might be the difference in maintaining bodyweight rather then gaining it.
- Eat nutrient-dense snacks. Opt to nibble on foods high in fiber or protein. Even fattier foods make for a better choice than high-carb foods, which leave you feeling drowsy. Melanie says, “Full fat yogurt and similar products will keep you satiated longer.”
- Schedule work and play. Undertaking a heavy workload will require you to stay focused. Schedule your work, plan for relaxation time each day, and stay in the rhythm, says Melanie.
- Limit caffeine. Reducing your dependence on energy drinks will allow you to rely on it more during the times you need it most. Furthermore, manipulating your diet and exercise routine in place of caffeine can be equally effective, and it has added health benefits.
- Sleep! “Change your routine to get better sleep. Don't study in the bedroom unless reading that boring research paper puts you to sleep every night,” says Nick.
- Go low-carb during the day. Avoiding carbohydrate-heavy meals means also avoiding the drowsiness that accompanies sudden shifts in glucose levels.
- Eat raw fruit and vegetables. Nick credited the inherent antioxidants and enzymes within these two food groups to his strong health while in school. “[They] kept me healthier than my classmates [when] we were exposed to all sorts of new germs at our clinical sites.”
- Go pro…biotic. Probiotics help promote a healthy digestive system and can help you to avoid stomach problems.
- Avoid eating before bed. Doing so can affect the quality of your night’s sleep and even leave you extra drowsy in the morning.
When it comes to diet and exercise, there are an infinite number of ways to do it right. Help your fellow scientists by sharing what works best for you in a comment below.
