Tips for a healthy lifestyle

As a graduate assistant in the Graduate Student Services Office for the Belk College of Business, I have the opportunity to attend some of the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce events in order to promote our graduate programs. At these events not only do I get to interact with individuals in the Charlotte metro area business community, but also listen to inspirational messages from community leaders.

A couple of weeks ago, I attended a Chamber event in the Ballantyne area. The topic for that particular luncheon was living a healthy lifestyle in a stressful corporate world. The "corporate athlete" exhibits almost the same traits as the student-athlete or professional athlete. And in order to maximize his/her performance, the corporate athlete needs to experience a balanced lifestyle which includes but it's not limited to exercising and healthy nutrition. As a current MBA student and future corporate athlete myself, this was an extremely useful lesson to learn early on.

Jennifer Brunelli, MS RD LDN, former swimmer at University of South Carolina and currently Sports Dietitian for the Carolinas Healthcare System, delivered a very motivational message. Even just a few weeks into our new year's resolutions, we tend to slip away from our commitments with ourselves. Jennifer challenged us to change our way of thinking about our new year's resolutions and gave us a series of "easy" steps that will help us break the failing cycle and succeed in our "living a healthy lifestyle" endeavors:

1. Be realistic in the resolutions and goals you are trying to accomplish
2. Make it easier on yourself to follow through with your plan (sign up for a closer gym, plan and prepare your meals ahead of time)
3. Take baby steps and do not do too much too soon (make one change in your diet now, then make the rest one at a time)
4. Hold yourself accountable by telling others about your goals and plans and writing them down
5. Create a strong support system of family and friends who will help you through the hard times

Do you have any other tips that might help in our commitments to live a healthier lifestyle?

Back to reality...

It is January 9, 2013...first day of classes! After three weeks of a much needed vacation, I am back to the reality of being a graduate student: 4 classes, an internship, graduate assistant work, and hopefully some time for extracurricular activities. As I look over the course syllabi, I'm trying not to get too overwhelmed by the amount of coursework material due this semester. But before I know it...the semester will be over; so, I have to make the best of it!

The holiday break gave me an opportunity to relax and catch up on some lost sleep, enjoy the time with my family and friends along with some amazing Romanian food, and read my books I've started earlier in the fall semester before the craziness kicked in. It was a time of reflection on a year that just ended, with the ups and downs and the lessons learned, as well as the upcoming year, with new resolutions and goals I want to attain. Whenever I am at home for the holidays, I tend to be worry-free. However, as soon as I made it back to Charlotte, it was back to being a responsible adult.

As the classes are about to start, I look forward to getting to know my professors and my new classmates, gaining new skills and valuable knowledge, and taking advantage of the opportunities I'll encounter this semester.

I'm ready for another semester of fun and coffee! Are you ready?