Francesca Fitness: How to Balance a Healthy Lifestyle with School

April to June is known to many teenagers as the season of terror. We have all of our exams and trying to deal with revision along side trying to improve your health or lose weight can sometimes feel like too much to handle. So, to save you the extra stress, I'm going to share with you how I organize my weeks and days to fit in with school/revision and my healthy lifestyle.

First things First 

Always put your school work first for these weeks/months. Because with your workouts, you have the rest of the year to workout and get back on track, taking a break can also be good for your body to really recover. Whereas with your exams, you really only want to have to take them once and then there over. So, don't worry too much about working out as often as you may have done before because you will be tired already from stress and the additional workload, you don't want to completely exhaust yourself.  You can always get right back on track after.

To organize myself, I bought a cork board and white board so I can clearly plan my week and individual days. You obviously don't have to buy these, you could simply write your plan down in a notebook or on you phone. Personally, every day in my week is very different so I need to plan each day individually. Every Sunday evening I plan out when I need/can study, workout and what I'm going to be doing (running or otherwise) on my pin board. Then, every morning I write a timetable for myself, including the exact times I'll be studying, what I'll be studying, my workouts and time to relax. This means when I get home I'm organized and have time to do everything I need to do.

Diet

Most students tend to put on a couple pounds during this period because of stress and stress eating. To prevent overeating while studying, keep a bottle of water next to you because a lot of the time when you think you're hungry while studying you're actually more likely to be a) bored or b) thristy so keep hydrated while working hard. Or as a small snack to keep you full, have a piece of fruit, carrot sticks or some nuts and raisins. But do not be tempted to get the crisps, chocolate and sweets out because although you think it's "just once" over the weeks it will add up and you'll end up feeling rubbish about yourself. I also find that my concentration levels shorten when I snack on junk foods because of the spikes in my sugar levels.

Workouts

You'll need to establish how many times and how you will workout during your week. This will vary depending on your work load, what your health goals are and your personal preference. I'd recommend having at least 1-3 rest days so your body can recover and you can have days when you don't need to worry about working out and focus on your studies.
Also try to figure out what workouts you'll be doing; are you going to be running, going to the gym or doing a at home workout? This will save you the hassle of deciding day by day so you save time and get in the right type of workouts to suit your goals.
How long will your workouts take? This again can keep you on track for the rest of the day so you don't over run (pun not intended!). But remember, some days you may be lacking motivation or energy so they may take longer, so be realistic.
Personally, every Monday my school runs a Fitness Club or Athletics Club so I can fit in an hour run or workout at school and use their equipment. If your school has a gym or similar extra curricular activities consider attending them. This can save time you time so when you get home you can just focus on school work. You could also go with friends to motivate and cheer each other on.
Exercise can help relieve stress and anxiety so don't just forget about being active. It is important for your healthy to fit and active throughout the year, however it is understandable that it can be difficult to balance studies and exercising.

School work and Revision

Take advantage of your lessons and school revision lessons. I can not stress enough how important it is to really focus and work in the lessons you have. When in class you have so many more resources to help you, your teachers, past papers and the school exercise books are the best things to help you during this time. Your teachers know what you need to know and are always more than happy to help you.
On your timetable mentioned in First Things First, write down what subject/s you're going to revise each day and what topic from each as well as how long for. Try to get hold of past papers from your exam boards and test your self. See what you actually learned so you know what you need to revise next time.Prioritize what you need to revise, if you have a test, homework, manage your time so you're never left behind.
To give myself a break while studying, for every 50 minutes I'm sat down or studying and try to do ten minutes of exercise or movement. Nothing too much, just walking up and down the stairs a couple times or completing some small exercise routines I concocted. This keeps you active and gives you a break to regain focus. 

Ta'day! You're sorted! Good luck with your exams and don't try to get too anxious about them, you've got the rest of your life to recover!