What a feeling; we’ve finally gotten to the final stretch of school ‒ but of course, there’s still finals left, blocking our way to our two months of blissful relaxation. As we desperately try to cram in whatever’s left of the textbook, or make up for the countless hours of procrastination that has accumulated over the past five months, we often forget that unlike our hardened will and fiery spirit, our body has certain barriers holding it back. Some may think that discarding your health in order to keep up with the tiny fluctuations in your grades is worthwhile, but deep down the undeniable truth is that, similar to studying, your body gives back what it gets. So how do you keep your mind and body in its tip-top shape during these crucial times?

As common as it is for a high-schooler to proclaim that ‘sleep is for the weak’, all human beings between 14 and 18 need to understand that there’s a reason we spend 25-30 years of our lifetime in our beds. No matter how many times it’s been told to us, it’s very important to listen to the advice: eight hours is the minimum, and any less would compromise brain function you need for the next day. At night, the hippocampus in your brain files away what you’ve picked up during the day as short-term memories into your long-term memory. It also regulates and recalibrates the numerous hormonal processes that keep you going. When you throw away a few hours of shut-eye, you not only feel worse when confronted with sunlight, you have to work harder to grasp at concepts you thought were cemented in your head the day before. So yes, while less sleep does make you look more admirable, it also makes you increasingly unintelligent.

You are what you eat. As any biology student would know, the monomers that form the macromolecules essential for life are derived from whatever your body absorbs through its intestinal walls. But if all you’re eating are sugars and fats, your body starts to lack the materials needed to make you grow, and more importantly for the average student, it starts to slip up when the brain begins demanding 20% of all the energy generated through what you consume. The incessant chatter of your sugar-packed brain makes it hard to concentrate ‒ which is immediately punctuated by the sluggish low you feel when the glucose leaves your system. Eating a balanced diet of greens, meats, and fruits helps you prevent any illnesses still lurking around during the cold weather, as well as lets you power through the numerous pages of worksheets, lab write-ups, and textbooks. It keeps you fuller for longer, and stops you from getting sick; all things that take up precious time that can be used for review.

When you’re studying, the last thing you want to hear are the words physical activity. But taking a few minutes to get some fresh air and stretch for a bit is something that can’t be left out of your day. It’s been proven that exercise increases the blood oxygen levels and increases heart rate. There’s also an increase in beneficial hormones such as cortisol and dopamine, which leads to less anxiety and higher processing capabilities. Exercising can also create new neural pathways that connect the different sections of the brain together, allowing for better transmission of information from one region to the next. Nothing too extreme needs to be done; some light aerobic activity can stimulate all of these natural processes, and raise your focus and productivity.

All of these things are easily achievable, yet we deny our body these simple privileges in order to regain our sense of self- achievement. When you stop to think about it, normal maintenance of the body can make it go a long way, and with the end so near, a little can certainly go a very long way for your GPA.