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11 • Engaging in a Healthy Lifestyle

STUDENT PROFILE
"My freshman year of college, I started at a pretty big university. I had what some call “social anxiety” and
even cried before getting out the car on my first day. That year was a struggle for me, and I constantly had
to fight with myself to step out of my comfort zone in order to succeed. I knew that if I made positive
changes to my life then I would easily succeed in school. I joined a group of students who were a support
system for me during my first year of college. Together we studied together and even worked out together.
It helped me be more involved on my campus and less worried. Being connected with other students has
taught me a lot of ways to cope with common problems many students face.
"My first advice would be first and foremost, always make sure you are being kind to yourself. It’s not
advisable to work 40 hours a week and also try to be a full time student. You need to set up a realistic home
and school life so that way you are balanced with your assignments and other responsibilities. You need to
give your body and your brain time to rest so you can absorb as much as you want to without restrictions. I
found it useful to start working out to make sure that I’m dedicating the time I should be to myself and not
working myself until exhaustion. Little things like exercise, yoga and meditation can do amazing things for
your body as well as your mind. If you take care of your body, your body will take care of you."
–Felicia Santiago, Delgado Community College

About this Chapter
This chapter explores the many ways your health is impacted by your lifestyle choices. The goal of this material
is to help you do the following:
•
•
•
•
•

Describe actions you can take to improve your physical health.
Identify ways to maintain and enhance your emotional health.
Understand mental health risks and warning signs.
Articulate reasons and ways to maintain healthy relationships.
Outline steps you can take to be more safety conscious.

Recent headlines were buzzing with news about a 17-year-old boy who lost his eyesight because of a poor diet.
While the boy ate enough food and his weight was considered normal, when doctors investigated, they
discovered he didn’t eat enough nutrient-rich food. A self-described picky eater, the teen’s daily diet consisted
of sausage, deli ham, white bread, Pringles, and french fries. His food choices led to numerous nutritional
1
deficiencies of several essential vitamins and minerals, causing nutritional optic neuropathy.
Have you heard the saying “you are what you eat”? If so, likely a parent or someone who loves you said it while
coaxing you to eat your vegetables. Are we really what we eat, and what does this phrase actually mean? While
the example of the boy who lost his vision may be extreme, the food we eat does impact our physical and
mental health. What’s at the end of our fork can keep us healthy or eventually make us sick. Every 27 days, our
2
skin replaces itself and our body makes new cells from the food we eat. And according to Dr. Libby Weaver,
every three months we completely rebuild and replace our blood supply. What you eat becomes you.
It’s not only what you eat that impacts your health but also how much you exercise, how effectively you deal
with stress, how well you sleep, your work habits, and even your relationships—these things all have an impact
on your well-being.
There are two primary reasons we become unhealthy. First, we do not deliver enough nutrients for our cells to
operate properly, and second, our cells are bombarded with too many toxins. Keeping it simple, good health is
1 Harrison, Warburton, Lux, and Atan. Blindness caused by a junk food diet. Annals of Intern Med. September 3, 2019.
2 https://www.webmd.com/beauty/cosmetic-procedures-overview-skin#1

Access for free at openstax.org

11.1 • Taking Care of Your Physical Health

proper nutrients in, toxins out. Toxins come from a host of sources—certain foods, the environment, stressful
relationships, smoking, vaping, and alcohol and drug use. And if we don’t sleep and exercise enough, toxins
can hang around long enough to cause us harm.
As a first-year college student you will make many choices without parental oversight, including the food you
eat and the way you take care of your body and brain. Some choices put you on a path to health, and other
choices can lead you down a path toward illness. There is a strong connection between success in college and
your ability to stay healthy.
Health is more than a strong body that doesn’t get sick. Health also includes your overall sense of well-being
(mental, emotional) and healthy relationships. Good health is about making positive choices in all of these
areas, and avoiding destructive choices. It’s about learning to be smart, to set boundaries, to watch out for
your safety, and to take care of the one body that will carry you through life.
While health and wellness are often interchanged, it is important to differentiate the two concepts.Health is a
state of physical, mental, and social well-being, while wellness is a process through which people become
aware of and make choices toward a healthy and fulfilling life.

11.1 Taking Care of Your Physical Health
Estimated completion time: 26 minutes.
Questions to consider:
•
•
•
•
•

What is healthy eating?
Why is it important to stay hydrated?
How important is exercise to a healthy body?
Are you getting enough sleep to be healthy?
What are toxins, and how can they affect your health?

You have one body. Treat it well so as to maximize its ability to serve you throughout your life. Often physical
health gets moved to the bottom of the priority list when we are busy. Taking care of your physical health
doesn’t mean six-pack abs or training for a marathon. It means honoring your physical needs so your body can
function properly, feeding your cells the nutrients that will keep your body working well your entire life, and
minimizing exposure to toxins to reduce your risk of disease.

Healthy Eating
While it’s not the only thing that contributes to great health, what you eat makes a huge difference. We have
37 trillion cells in our body. The only way they function optimally is with good nutrition. As a college student,
you will be surrounded by temptations to eat poorly or even to overeat. It’s now up to you to make wise
choices in the face of these temptations. Your dining hall is likely full of many healthy foods and just as many

11 • Engaging in a Healthy Lifestyle

STUDENT PROFILE

"My freshman year of college, I started at a pretty big university. I had what some call “social anxiety” and

even cried before getting out the car on my first day. That year was a struggle for me, and I constantly had

to fight with myself to step out of my comfort zone in order to succeed. I knew that if I made positive

changes to my life then I would easily succeed in school. I joined a group of students who were a support

system for me during my first year of college. Together we studied together and even worked out together.

It helped me be more involved on my campus and less worried. Being connected with other students has

taught me a lot of ways to cope with common problems many students face.

"My first advice would be first and foremost, always make sure you are being kind to yourself. It’s not

advisable to work 40 hours a week and also try to be a full time student. You need to set up a realistic home

and school life so that way you are balanced with your assignments and other responsibilities. You need to

give your body and your brain time to rest so you can absorb as much as you want to without restrictions. I

found it useful to start working out to make sure that I’m dedicating the time I should be to myself and not

working myself until exhaustion. Little things like exercise, yoga and meditation can do amazing things for

your body as well as your mind. If you take care of your body, your body will take care of you."

–Felicia Santiago, Delgado Community College

About this Chapter

This chapter explores the many ways your health is impacted by your lifestyle choices. The goal of this material

is to help you do the following:

•

Describe actions you can take to improve your physical health.

Identify ways to maintain and enhance your emotional health.

Understand mental health risks and warning signs.

Articulate reasons and ways to maintain healthy relationships.

Outline steps you can take to be more safety conscious.

Recent headlines were buzzing with news about a 17-year-old boy who lost his eyesight because of a poor diet.

While the boy ate enough food and his weight was considered normal, when doctors investigated, they

discovered he didn’t eat enough nutrient-rich food. A self-described picky eater, the teen’s daily diet consisted

of sausage, deli ham, white bread, Pringles, and french fries. His food choices led to numerous nutritional

1

deficiencies of several essential vitamins and minerals, causing nutritional optic neuropathy.

Have you heard the saying “you are what you eat”? If so, likely a parent or someone who loves you said it while

coaxing you to eat your vegetables. Are we really what we eat, and what does this phrase actually mean? While

the example of the boy who lost his vision may be extreme, the food we eat does impact our physical and

mental health. What’s at the end of our fork can keep us healthy or eventually make us sick. Every 27 days, our

2

skin replaces itself and our body makes new cells from the food we eat. And according to Dr. Libby Weaver,

every three months we completely rebuild and replace our blood supply. What you eat becomes you.

It’s not only what you eat that impacts your health but also how much you exercise, how effectively you deal

with stress, how well you sleep, your work habits, and even your relationships—these things all have an impact

on your well-being.

There are two primary reasons we become unhealthy. First, we do not deliver enough nutrients for our cells to

operate properly, and second, our cells are bombarded with too many toxins. Keeping it simple, good health is

1 Harrison, Warburton, Lux, and Atan. Blindness caused by a junk food diet. Annals of Intern Med. September 3, 2019.

2 https://www.webmd.com/beauty/cosmetic-procedures-overview-skin#1

Access for free at openstax.org

11.1 • Taking Care of Your Physical Health

proper nutrients in, toxins out. Toxins come from a host of sources—certain foods, the environment, stressful

relationships, smoking, vaping, and alcohol and drug use. And if we don’t sleep and exercise enough, toxins

can hang around long enough to cause us harm.

As a first-year college student you will make many choices without parental oversight, including the food you

eat and the way you take care of your body and brain. Some choices put you on a path to health, and other

choices can lead you down a path toward illness. There is a strong connection between success in college and

your ability to stay healthy.

Health is more than a strong body that doesn’t get sick. Health also includes your overall sense of well-being

(mental, emotional) and healthy relationships. Good health is about making positive choices in all of these

areas, and avoiding destructive choices. It’s about learning to be smart, to set boundaries, to watch out for

your safety, and to take care of the one body that will carry you through life.

While health and wellness are often interchanged, it is important to differentiate the two concepts.Health is a

state of physical, mental, and social well-being, while wellness is a process through which people become

aware of and make choices toward a healthy and fulfilling life.

11.1 Taking Care of Your Physical Health

Estimated completion time: 26 minutes.

Questions to consider:

•

What is healthy eating?

Why is it important to stay hydrated?

How important is exercise to a healthy body?

Are you getting enough sleep to be healthy?

What are toxins, and how can they affect your health?

You have one body. Treat it well so as to maximize its ability to serve you throughout your life. Often physical

health gets moved to the bottom of the priority list when we are busy. Taking care of your physical health

doesn’t mean six-pack abs or training for a marathon. It means honoring your physical needs so your body can

function properly, feeding your cells the nutrients that will keep your body working well your entire life, and

minimizing exposure to toxins to reduce your risk of disease.

Healthy Eating

While it’s not the only thing that contributes to great health, what you eat makes a huge difference. We have

37 trillion cells in our body. The only way they function optimally is with good nutrition. As a college student,

you will be surrounded by temptations to eat poorly or even to overeat. It’s now up to you to make wise

choices in the face of these temptations. Your dining hall is likely full of many healthy foods and just as many