Pass or Fail? Energy Management Tips for College Students

Flipping through the television channels one recent Saturday, I landed on a college rugby match and had a wave of nostalgia. With more than a few years between now and my own university time, it's easy to remember the glowing memories and forget how hard it was to juggle my time and keep healthy habits. I had my share of poor sleep schedules and less-than-ideal ­food and beverage choices. Now, I'm older and hopefully wiser and have learned how to manage my energy levels through nutrition, strategic movement and sleep. At the Human Performance Institute, I work with "corporate athletes," or men and women required to perform at high levels under significant mental and physical demands -- not too dissimilar from college students. I help these corporate athletes develop energy management strategies, many of which are transferable to college life.

College offers a smorgasbord of opportunities, and having optimal energy levels allow students to enjoy the whole spectrum of college life. Human beings are multidimensional in that they operate in the mental, physical, emotional and spiritual realms. Operate too much in one and ignore the others, such as not balancing studying with physical activity and restorative sleep, is a recipe for low energy and sub-optimal performance.

Nutrition should not be taken as pass/fail. College offers latitude about what and when you eat, and no one's going to tell you to "eat your vegetables" or "time for dinner." To keep your energy levels up and avoid some common derailments, we recommend eating light and often -- about every three hours, but never more than four hours, to maintain blood glucose levels. Ideally, your breakfast, lunch and dinners are comprised of approximately 40 percent grains, 40 percent fruits and vegetables and 20 percent protein with a low-glycemic-snack in-between meals. A food's glycemic load is how much it will raise your blood sugar level after eating, and you want blood sugar levels steady so they don't dip and make you irritable or spike too much leading to an energy crash.

The vending machine with chips and candy can be very tempting, but opting for sustained-energy snacks won't make your blood sugar surge, only to crash later. Just like taking a test, your likelihood of success is higher when you're prepared, so plan ahead and stock up on portable snacks you can take to classes. The trick is to not let yourself get so hungry that the fried food is calling your name and making it hard to follow the 40/40/20 rule in the dining hall or when eating at a restaurant. When you're not famished, it's easier to head straight to the salad bar and resist less-healthy temptations. Hydration is essential (and I mean the water kind): Bring your water bottle to classes, and sip from it regularly throughout the day.

Raise your hand in class -- and the rest of your body. Movement focuses on increasing energy, while exercise is about increasing fitness levels. One of the downsides of classes, besides exams, is that sitting for long periods of time impairs circulation and can compromise cognitive function. To stay engaged, focused and energized, don't go more than 30 minutes without some stretches or small movements, and incorporate large movements, such as walking or standing up, every 90 minutes. You can do stretches and small movements in your chair to integrate movement: Pull your knee up to your chest, roll your shoulders or flex your feet. Remember when your teachers would tell you to "stop fidgeting?" Forget that advice, because even fidgeting moves blood around the body. The value of more intense exercise, from walking briskly to class to playing on a club team, is that the fitter you are, the more energetic you'll feel and the better you're likely to perform, even in high-stress situations -- for example, preparing for exams.

Sleep is a college requirement. Let's face it: It's tempting to stay up late. Or you may want to turn in at a reasonable time, but living in a dorm or with roommates in close quarters makes it difficult. Sleep is about quality as well as quantity, so you want to make your sleep area conducive to a good night's snooze. Be creative to make a peaceful sanctuary: noise-cancelling headphones, earplugs and eye masks can help. Whether you're an Olympic athlete or college student, having the same pre-bed routine and going to sleep in a cool, calm and dark place without electronic devices can help provide quality, restorative sleep. Of course, your sleep can't and isn't always so restful and restorative. Have you ever noticed track and field athletes at an event lying down wearing headphones and sunglasses? They're likely switching off to recover some energy and get psychologically and physically ready for the next event. Athletes always have a short nap in their back pocket for when their sleep is disrupted, and it's a great tactic to use when you pull an all-nighter or enjoy a late night event.

Every day is like a sporting event. As in the rugby match I was watching, between plays -- like between classes and study sessions -- it's important to regroup and recover your energy to be ready for the next burst of intensity. College is a significant time, so develop good energy management habits to make the most of it, and set yourself up for great habits in your next phase of life.

Low-Glycemic Snack Options:

-- Yogurt

-- Cheese sticks

-- Baby carrots and hummus

-- Trail mix with nuts and dried fruit

-- Peanut M&Ms

-- Apples

-- Clementines

-- Nuts

-- Air-popped popcorn

Chris Jordan, MS, CSCS, NSCA-CPT, ACSM HFI/APT, is the Director of Exercise Physiology at Johnson & Johnson's Human Performance Institute. He designed and implemented the movement/exercise components of the Corporate Athlete Course, including the widely-known 7-minute workout, and is responsible for the development and execution of all corporate fitness programming. As an experienced international keynote speaker and performance coach, he trains hundreds of corporate executives of FORTUNE 500 companies each year. Chris is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and Certified Personal Trainer through the National Strength and Conditioning Association and a Certified Health Fitness Specialist and Advanced Personal Trainer through the American College of Sports Medicine, and a Certified Performance Enhancement Specialist through the National Academy of Sports Medicine. He co-authored the peer-reviewed article "High-Intensity Circuit Training Using Body Weight" in the American College of Sports Medicine's Health & Fitness Journal, which led to the Gretchen Reynolds' blog "The Scientific 7-Minute Workout" in The New York Times and generated significant media coverage. Chris has been interviewed about the workout by ABC World News with Diane Sawyer, NPR, CNN, Sirius XM's Doctor Show, The Laura Ingraham Show, Men's Journal, Women's Health, Shape, and more.