Living a healthy lifestyle: this is one of those things – like cleaning one’s dorm room or paying attention in class – that we all know we should do but seldom pay much thought to or put into practice in our daily lives. How many times have you promised yourself that you will exercise today or not eat a midnight snack, but then decided, whether consciously or subconsciously, to completely ignore that small nagging voice in the back of your head when the time came to put words into action? If your answer to that is “more times than I can count,” then rest assured that you are not alone. Given how incredibly busy the students at KAIST are, it is understandable that an activity seemingly as superfluous as daily exercise will not rank all too highly on many people’s list of priorities.

So what exactly does a healthy lifestyle consist of? Well, the answer is self-evident: sufficient sleep, regular meals and a balanced diet, frequent exercise, no smoking and alcohol consumption (or at least a minimization thereof), and the list goes on. Considering all this, let us imagine a hypothetical individual – let us call him Bob – who somehow manages to put all these ideas into practice. Bob wakes up at 6 a.m. to begin the day with his morning exercise, which consists of a short run around the school campus. Afterwards, he showers and then proceeds to eat breakfast before moving on to his day filled with classes, studying, and various other activities. Of course, Bob remembers to eat healthy foods so that means no quick meals at Lotteria or the convenience store. At night, Bob visits the gym for more exercise, politely refuses any offers from friends to order food or go out drinking, before going to sleep at around midnight. Sound impossible? It probably is.

While such a lifestyle may be considered ideal in certain respects, it is potentially beyond reach for many of us. One may not always have the time to eat a proper lunch due to class schedules, and never going out with friends for a few drinks can leave one feeling left out. Perhaps there is so much work to do that the only way to manage it all is to sacrifice sleep. However, one doesn’t necessarily have to resort to such extremes for an increase in the quality of life. Making a few small changes can be enough to engender a tangible difference.

The notion of eating breakfast is one that seems foreign to many of us at KAIST, as if breakfast is a meal eaten only by gods in myths and legends. According to many health professionals however, breakfast is the most important meal of the day with multiple benefits. It should suffice to say that eating breakfast is, indeed, good for you. The most common excuse for skipping breakfast is that one simply does not have the time to go out of their way to set off on a journey to the cafeteria in the morning. And perhaps that is true. Yet, I am sure everyone can spare five minutes to have a glass of milk and a slice of bread or a bowl of cereal in the dorm room.

Regular exercise could be something that requires a little more effort. According to the American Heart Association, the recommended amount of exercise for maintaining good health is 150 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic activity per week and moderate to high intensity muscle strengthening activity at least twice a week. The good news, just walking from the dorm to the various buildings on campus, which everyone does on a daily basis, is enough to have that first part more or less covered. The challenge then, is finding not only the time but also the willpower to fulfill the second requirement. Going to the gym with a friend or joining a sports club may definitely help, but it ultimately comes down to the individual to take initiative. Even if you cannot keep it up at first, remember, everyone has to start somewhere and something is better than nothing.

There is a myriad of other small things one can do to help stay healthy. For instance, taking the stairs instead of the elevator or walking short distances instead of taking a cab could be options. Perhaps all it takes is to pay oneself a little more attention and exercise a small amount of self-control.

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