Alright ENC, the summer is coming up and many of us have transitioned into what I call “gym mode” or “summer body mode.” We have decided that to look great in our polka-dot bikinis and walk around with our six-pack abs, we must take positive action.

Let’s face it: We all want to look our best. For some of us, college has hit us a little harder than others, but we pick up and move on.

It is very important to stay healthy and exercise, but with last-minute projects, finals and end of the year planning, we lose our focus and routine. We feel stressed and worn out, and the last thing we should do is starve our bodies of proper nutrients.

There are many unhealthy ways to lose weight, but there are some healthy ways, too. As we go about this last month at ENC, do your best to keep hydrated, incorporate different kinds of exercise into your routine, stick to a healthy diet, and get plenty of rest.

Fun and relaxation are key to staying healthy. Plan a study break walk on Wolly Beach with a few friends or a drive over to Sweet Frog for a healthy frozen yogurt. This will give you a mental break and reduce your stress.

Don’t let yourself get rundown. It’s very easy to put off all the big last-minute projects and instead play video games or scroll through Instagram. This can result in the dreaded “all-nighter,” which almost never produces your best work. Try to dedicate a couple of hours each day to focusing on your studies, especially those research papers that you should not put off until the last minute.

However, you can’t work all the time. Limit time spent on schoolwork and be sure to give yourself time to sleep and exercise. This way, you have less of a chance of getting sick, which we all want to avoid during finals week.

Eating healthy in the caf and Dugout can be tough to do, but we need to keep our immune systems healthy as we go through this stressful time, so grab a salad once a day instead of a slice of pizza. Your brain and body will thank you, and you will push through the hardest time of the year.