I’m sure we’re all guilty of receiving a bunch of article notifications, finding the headline interesting, and ending up never reading it. Specifically, the articles that we tend to skip are the ones that help us implement improved lifestyle choices and healthy habits.
Here are a few highlights from the NYTimes Lifestyle section that aim to do just that.
(P.S. all FSU students, faculty, and staff have free NYT access! You can sign up here with your FSU email: NYT Activation)
⋆˚☆📰 News Highlight #1 📰⋆.˚
Can Walking Be My Whole Workout?
If there’s two things most college students have in common, it’s that we’re all busy and that we all walk.
It’s no secret that college students must walk a lot. Especially in Tallahassee, students have long walks to and from classes, friend’s apartments, organizations, and on campus events. With classes, clubs, jobs, and other commitments, it can be hard to have enough time and energy to fit in a workout. This article covers exactly what is needed to kill two birds with one stone and make walking your workout for those extra busy days!
(Though it’s important to note, walking alone won’t help with certain fitness goals, but it can certainly help to get your daily aerobic activity when you’re on the go!)
The article recommends increasing the intensity of daily waking, bursts of slow and fast walking, walking on different terrains, and even walking uphill (which won’t be a challenge to achieve in this hilly city). These changes will increase the intensity of your walks and help to create a new challenge that can help to get a better walk in.
Pro Tip: Feel free to add some wrist weights, vests, or resistance bands for muscle strengthening and stamina training!
🗞⋆˚☆ News Highlight #2 ⋆.˚🗞
7 Ways to Boost Your Gut Health
Living on your own in college can start a number of challenges for us students. One of the trickiest challenges can be making and preparing your own food. It can be so easy to stick to the same quick-frozen meals or eat out at local fast-food places. Of course, we all love our quick and easy options (which are great for late night studying or extra busy days), but it doesn’t fuel us in the long run. It’s so important to find ways to make efficient and cheap meals while prioritizing certain health goals. (follow according to your own needs and preferences of course).
This article recommends great ways to maintain gut health and avoid certain issues by prioritizing fiber, eating fermented foods, following a Mediterranean-style diet, keeping a regular morning routine, exercising regularly, going easy on drinks, and getting screened for certain diseases. It’s much easier to implement these health goals and habits when it’s laid out in a simple article like this one. Though it’s easy to fall into repetitive and unhealthy habits, this article shows simple ways to maintain long-term health. Of course, follow this advice according to your own needs and preferences!
⋆˚☆📰 News Highlight #3 📰⋆.˚
For Gen Z, ‘Little Treats’ Are Worth Going Over Budget
We all know and love a good sweet treat run with friends, especially after a busy or frustrating day. I’m a firm believer that the occasional treat, whether it be an item you’ve been eyeing, a small trinket, or a literal treat, is important to taking care of yourself and mental health.
Though the habit of small luxuries may seem counterintuitive, it’s important to celebrate little moments throughout your day to get through a seemingly boring or stressful week. Of course, everything should always be done in moderation; but if a large coffee from your favorite cafe is enough to keep you motivated for the day, there’s nothing wrong with a bit of spending here and there!
The “Treat Yo Self” and “Sweet Treat” mottos have truly taken over the spending habits for the better. Self-care comes in many different forms, which can include new books, concert tickets, bags, or fun treats. So, give yourself some grace when it comes to buying the occasional sweet treat. As they say, work hard, but also play hard!
🗞⋆˚☆ News Highlight #4 ⋆.˚🗞
How to Cut Down Your Screentime but Still Get Stuff Done
With everything becoming so highly digitalized, most of our days are spent in front of a screen. Our classes, jobs, and social lives are (usually) dependent on some form of screen. This can be tiring, mentally and physically, especially when you’re also using your screen as a form of entertainment. If you’re anything like me, you probably love scrolling through your phone but find it hard to get yourself to stop.
This article helps to give suggestions on how to cut back on screentime while still remaining productive throughout your day. Luckily, many Apple and Google products have different ways to set up routines, shortcuts, and automations that will save time in the long run. Specifically, I love setting morning and night routines on my phone to make sure my brightness dims at night, alarms are placed accordingly, and screen time limits are placed on the apps that I always click on.
Though routines and shortcuts can be tricky to use, this article breaks down easy ways to go through them with suggestions to shave some time on your daily screen usage!
⋆˚☆📰 News Highlight #5 📰⋆.˚
The Sleep Trends Experts Think You Should (and Shouldn’t) Try
If there’s one thing that can be tricky for all of us, especially college students, it’s trying to fall asleep and get a good night’s rest. It goes without saying that getting a proper 8 hours of sleep makes a huge difference throughout our day, which makes it so important to stick to a consistent sleep pattern. Thanks to different social media trends, there are plenty of different hacks to try to get good sleep. From mouth tapes to magnesium drinks, there are many ways to try to relax your body and mind based on your struggles.
This article goes over different popular methods for sleep, addressing which ones have been proven to work and improve sleep versus the ones that haven’t. It’s important to know that while some hacks might work for others, they might not work for you and vice versa. So, try and find different methods that best fit and comfort you. Experimenting with different sleep hacks is far more worth it than sacrificing precious sleep time!
A good rule of thumb is that mental exercises, off-screen hobbies, and general comfort can always help you to get those needed 8 hours of sleep. Sometimes obscure or complicated hacks aren’t needed!
🗞⋆˚☆ News Highlight #6 ⋆.˚🗞
9 ways to Take Care of Your Mental Health in 2026
One of the most important things you can do for yourself, and your body, is to take care of your mental health. Everyone has busy and stressful lives, and this is no different for the average college student. Making sure that you’re well rested and calm is imperative to staying physically well and healthy.
This article highlights many doable and easy ways to take care of yourself. Walking, or being outdoors in general, spending time with friends, giving yourself grace, and sleeping are only some of the ways you can take care of yourself. Though it might seem obvious and simple, sometimes we really do forget to talk with loved ones and make plans with friends when caught up in the moment of chaos and stress.
The New York Times Lifestyle section offers a whole bunch of articles regarding wellness and healthy habits to implement. These are just a few that, I believe, could make a big difference in the life of a busy college student!
Disclaimer: This blog post was prepared by an undergraduate student. The opinions expressed in this article are to provide helpful advice and encourage students to utilize a shared resource, The New York Times subscription.
Written by Cassandra Torres, Student Engagement Assistant
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