This time of year can be quite stressful for those that are taking exams. With long revision sessions and the stress of taking exams, our body can become run down making us more susceptible the common cold and other ailments. Our eating habits are also not always the best when revising .We want to maximise study time and therefore want to be able to grab something quickly meaning the nutritional value will be less of a consideration. We also tend to opt for sugary and fatty foods such as crisps and chocolate as snacks. Whilst these will give us energy to keep us going they will only provide us with short sharp boosts of energy which will then be followed by a ‘slump’ making us feel tired, restless and your concentration levels will be poor, all spelling a recipe for disaster in helping us get the grades we want.
Why not try the advice below to help you on your way to achieving the grades you deserve.
- Got a sweet tooth? Why not opt for dried fruit such as apricots, dates or cranberries. These are packed full of vitamins and minerals including fibre which will help you maintain a healthy gut and keep you fuller for longer. This snack will satisfy your sweet tooth and provide you will energy to help maintain your concentration levels.
- Top up your five a day with carrot and celery sticks dipped in hummus. This is quick, cheap and easy to prepare. Hummus is a good source of insoluble fibre which will keep us fuller for longer and provides us with slow releasing energy.
- Short sharp bursts of revision are best. We tend to not take a much in if we are sitting reading for hours. Why not split your revision sessions up by going for a short walk. This will help keep your mind active.
- Vary your revision methods. Continuously reading text will become boring and monotonous. You could try making bullet point notes, recording yourself and replaying it back or perhaps make mind maps/flow diagrams.