Living Essex : staying healthy

As a student – many of you will have less than ten hours of contact time a week which means there is NO excuse for not getting plenty of exercise. There are loads of options available to you. You can join the very affordable gym at the Colchester Campus (about £50 per year – almost the same price as one month in most private gyms!) or one of the many sports clubs designed to suit all tastes and run by the students and the SU. For the students based at Southend there are discounts at the local sports centre.

Alternatively, if you’re really broke, and don’t want to join up to a club you can always make the most of the beautiful green campus in Colchester or the seaside location of Southend by jogging or running around or along it! This is great for your health as not only are you exercising but you’re breathing in loads of good old fresh air at the same time (your mum would be very proud!). Just one thing to remember though – watch out for the wildlife!

It's difficult to always eat healthily – but living off a student diet of rice and pasta is a good start! If it's possible, try to have wholemeal pasta, bread and rice as this is much better for you then the white stuff. Also try to make sure you do eat plenty of fruit and veg (you should aim to eat at least five portions a day) – although it is hard (and quite expensive) to always have fresh stuff – frozen and canned still do the job (and last much longer before going off)! If you do go for the fresh option – remember that it is always cheaper to buy the fruit and veg that is in season at the time. You also need to make sure that you're eating some protein-rich foods such as meat, fish, eggs and pulses.