Heading back to Harvard
My summer intern, Elizabeth, (pictured here) is heading back to school soon,
and we’re sharing her favorite HEALTH HACKS for surviving college.
Elizabeth not only attends a tough school, but she also rows ladies crew. And she manages to do it all within her Nutritional Style.(she’s a Flexible Vegetarian)
Elizabeth reached out to me many months ago to ask to intern for my company; it turns out that she and her pals at Harvard have read my book and follow me on social media and this blog.
I love that millennials are into their health!
(For a list of my upcoming speaking gigs this fall go here. Upcoming speaking gigs)
We thought an interview about back to school health, eating, fitness, and surviving college would be a fun way to wrap up our summer of working together.
Here’s my interview with Elizabeth, including some of coaching tips.. I’m going to miss you!
HT: Elizabeth, you’re row ladies crew at college, which means you’ve got to keep in great shape, attend practice, and get the grades (It’s Harvard, after all). Can you share your top hacks for staying healthy?
First of all, I drink a ton of water! I have to make sure I’m properly hydrated and ready for practice everyday. It’s a key part of my recovery.
I stay away from sodas. For me it’s an easy form of sugar to avoid and staying away from sugar in general helps me to preform at a higher level.
(HT note: sugar is inflammatory, and can cause energy fluctuations that are not productive to an athlete)
Second, I always eat breakfast no matter how busy my schedule gets. For me, skipping meals leads to low energy and over eating later. Breakfast can be the hardest one to squeeze in so sometimes I have to settle for protein bars as a meal replacement, but, if I have time, I make sure to stop at the dining hall.
Finally, I eat a lot of fruit and vegetables every day. I’m at an unfair advantage because I genuinely LOVE both so it’s easy to do. I think fruit is my favorite food! Fruits and vegetables are a part of every meal and fruits especially often settle my sugar cravings. But every now and then I have to just indulge in some delicious fro-yo, cookies, etc. It’s all about balance!
HT: How do you make sure you get enough sleep? We know how important that is to brain health, and performance.
Sleep is very important to me. I wake up between 6 and 6:30am, 4 to 5 days out of the week. Therefore I am typically in bed by 11pm (12 at the latest!). Then I try to make my day highly efficient, so I can afford to go to bed early.
The days I don’t get to bed early I always carve out time for at least a 20 minute nap. Often this isn’t by choice but from natural exhaustion!
HT: Any tips on your hair and all that water and sun exposure? How do you keep your long locks healthy?
I wear hats a lot to protect my skin and hair. However, I do end up doing a deep conditioning treatment roughly once a month anyway which works pretty well. Holli, you’ve taught me that coconut oil is great for your hair as well so I can’t wait to try that!
(HT: here’s that blog. Obsessed with Coconut Oil )
HT How do you maneuver around the cafeteria at Harvard?
Initially I found this very hard. I wanted to make smart, healthy choices but didn’t know what was in the hot foods and I wasn’t that excited by the salad bar.
As the year went on I started learning about things I could order in the cafeteria like black bean burgers and veggie patties.
(HT: great tip! Ask for something at your school!)
I’ve also learned salad hacks from my friends on how to make a really good and filling salad mix. This usually includes some mix of beans and grains (whatever is there that day) like chickpeas, peas, edamame, quinoa, wheat germ, all mixed together.
I used to top it off with a piece of chicken but now that I am vegetarian I look for other ways to get protein like tofu, eggs, yogurt and so on.
My meals can get a bit repetitive because there are not too many healthy options that I am interested in at school so I get out of the dining hall a couple times a week to visit my favorite restaurants in Harvard square like Life Alive (a vegan restaurant), B-goode (which has amazing salads), and Liquiteria (the best smoothies, acia bowls, and pb&j’s ever).
HT: Do you keep healthy snacks on hand?
To be honest, if I have too many snacks around I may just end up eating them because they’re there. I’m working on becoming a more intuitive eater (thanks to you!) but until then I don’t carry too many snacks around with me.
When I am at school I’ll usually have three full meals that keep me satisfied. I do however bring a bar to practice because I can be down at the boathouse for up to 5 hours at a time– so its important to get something in my body!
(HT: here are the healthy protein bars we recommend. Which nutrition bars are best?)
HT What about hydration? Please tell me that Harvard is BEYOND the colored sugar waters sold as energy drinks!
We are beyond those, thank gosh because I have never been a fan of the up and down sugar rush they create. I make sure to have a water bottle with me at all times during the day. I also get at least two glasses of water in at each meal.
(HT: Adding freshly squeezed oranges to your water bottle will add some natural electrolytes. Coconut water is also excellent for re-hydrating after sports, or drop some fresh berries in your water for natural fructose.)
HT Whats the BEST health hack you’ve learned over the years?
Balance! I went through a phase of wanting to put only the healthiest foods in my body possible. However, avoiding anything I labeled as “bad” would eventually catch up to me and I would eat a whole lot of it at once.
The more I listen to my body and eat according to what I am in the mood for, the healthier week I have.
I feel much better with a few treats here and there, rather than a HUGE cheat meal once a week that always left me feeling groggy and sick. Ugh.
I’ve also learned not to reach for “diet” products. Those foods leave me unsatisfied and I would eat more as a result, and at that point I could have just had what I really wanted in the first place!
SO, if you really want ice-cream, portion it out and have the real deal instead of a low fat or low calorie version.
It saves calories at the end of the day!
I make sure to control my portions; scoop some on a plate or into a bowl and then I put the rest away!
HT: Sounds great to me!
A BIG heartfelt thanks to Elizabeth, please join me in wishing her a fabulous year! Go Crimson!
Got your own health hacks for back to school? Want to share them with us?
Comment below.
(comments cut off on this blog after a few days… so do it today:)
