During school, students are faced with a lot of stress—whether it’s from upcoming tests or finishing assignments—so it is easy for them to disregard their health at times. Without realizing the damage that they are doing to their bodies, the stress piles up and can impact students’ hormone balances and immune systems. 

Many people are aware of the dangers that they face when it comes to mistreating their bodies, but they still end up not taking good care of themselves; however, what they might not realize is that the way they treat our bodies affects their everyday lives.

Some ways that people mistreat their bodies are not getting enough sleep, having an unbalanced diet, and not drinking enough water.  According to the CDC, not drinking enough water will cause dehydration which leads to “unclear thinking, …mood change, [causing] your body to overheat, and lead to constipation and kidney stones.”

“Based on your activity level and temperature, the amount of water you should drink varies but it is recommended that you split your body weight in half and drink that many ounces of water,” said Lisa Johnson, Sports Medicine and Health teacher at Vista del Lago High School.

Not eating properly can be just as bad. “A bad diet can be unhealthy for your body and your brain. For example, eating a lot of sugars can affect the brain’s memory and learning functions,” as reported by “Frontiers for Young Minds”.

Other than mental issues, poor nutrition can also lead to weight gain, obesity, and other chronic issues. “I have been to a point where I haven’t felt great, where I’m eating sugar and drinking diet soda,s and I didn’t know any better until I started changing over time. Now that I have done all that, I feel amazing every day and I don’t want to go back,”  said Health and physical fitness teacher, Shawn Hunter.  “If I am eating clean food and staying away from sugar and drinking water I feel great, and I want to have that energy to teach my classes and play with my kids.” 

Johnson also takes great precaution with what she eats. “My meals are very balanced, but I will occasionally slip a little bit and allow myself to eat a small chocolate… [but] I haven’t eaten fast food for 3-5 years.”.

People taking care of their bodies should be their first priority, especially considering how it impacts their daily lives. Vista students have busy and stressful lives, but this is one thing that they can control: they physical health.