Evaluate your Health and Wellness

Taking SparkPeople quizzes and assessments is a fun way to test your knowledge on nutrition, quizzes, and health, and to learn more about yourself. Take two or more quizzes.

Visit definition of wellness to take a wellness assessment that evaluates your physical, social, emotional, environmental, and spiritual wellness dimensions.

What is sleep hygiene?

Sleep hygiene refers to the behaviors and habits that help us sleep and allow us to function better during our waking hours. One part of healthy sleep involves regulating our sleep-wake cycle, which is impacted by our biological clock and a substance our bodies produce called melatonin.

Consider the following questions about sleep:

• Why do we need sleep?
• What conflicts with our biological clocks?
• What prevents people from sleeping?

Write a reflection about what you can do to regulate your sleep-wake cycle.

Develop an Exercise Program

Sometimes getting started is the hardest part of being physically active. The important thing is to find activities you like to do, so you’ll stick with them. Watch the following video, which can help you understand how much activity you need to do on a regular basis and how you can get going on a sensible routine. The video includes personal stories from people—even busy people like you—who have discovered what works for them.

• List 3 physical activities that you enjoy doing or would like to try doing on a regular basis.
• Identify any special requirements or equipment you need before doing them (for example, gym membership, running shoes, etc.).
• Set a realistic, weekly exercise time goal for yourself (150 minutes or more per week is ideal, but start with what you can really do).
• Using a digital or printed calendar, plan and label the days of the week, times, and places that you plan to exercise. Specify the activity or activities that you intend to do. (For example: Monday, 6–7 a.m., 30 min on stationary bike, college gym; Wednesday, 2–3 p.m., 60 min speed-walking with Maya, Riverside Park; Saturday, 1–2 p.m, lift weights, college gym.)
• Track your progress for one week, recording the amount of time you actually exercised. If you engaged in any unplanned physical activities (say you ended up riding your bike to school instead of taking the bus), include those, too.
• Write about your experience in a short journal entry (1–2 pages) and reflect on what you learned:
  • What kinds of exercise did you engage in, and which did you enjoy the most?
  • What was your weekly time goal? Did you meet it?
  • What worked or didn’t work?
  • What might you need to change in order to make exercise a regular habit?

How are You Taking Care of Yourself?

College students are often so busy trying to keep up with course deadlines and life demands that they overlook their mental health needs. Taking time to rest and rejuvenate is especially important when you are stressed and challenging yourself. So, what are you doing to take care of yourself?