Much love, Shaudeh Farjami

Time to be real. No one talks about the crucial internal battle of a college student: choosing whether to go out or stay in to focus on your fitness and wellness schedule. At the end of the day, prioritizing your well-being and health does not mean you need to sacrifice important elements of your 20s— having a good time and letting loose.

It took me until senior year of college to cultivate habits to balance my academic lifestyle, my social sphere, and well habits. I am a better, more well-rounded, happier, and more productive individual when I am doing everything in moderation. Who said a late night in Santa Monica and following through with your wellness schedule is impossible? This is what I wish I read in the beginning of college.

Stay on top of your gym and wellness routines while allowing yourself to indulge in the pleasures of your 20s. You shouldn’t have to sacrifice one value for the other. While rigid schedules and routines are important, so if living a spontaneous life.

First for foremost, identify your issue. You can’t solve your problem if you can’t put your finger on the problem. Do you lack gym motivation? Are you too tired in the morning? What’s the root of the problem when you struggle most to show up for yourself.

I remember the days freshman when I would wake up at 7:00 after a night out and walk 5 miles or sign up for a 6:30am yoga sculpt class at YogaBox Pacific Beach. Let’s be real: this is not a sustainable or long term schedule. Create habits that you can maintain long-term. At the ripe age of a senior in college, I can not wake up and do a cardio hit workout on a Saturday morning. However, I can hydrate after my evening in the town, wake up at a reasonable time, and follow my workout routine and lifestyle habits.

This is the mindset I have with myself when it comes to prioritizing my wellness goals and a social life. A significant part of wellness routine is being disciplined. The harsh truth: stop playing the victim and telling yourself these excusatory prophecies or saying “I can’t do it”. Adopt a work hard play hard mindset.

If you know me, I love a good night out with a great story. However, my disciplined habits have me in a choke hold. I rarely skip my 12-3-30 or Alexis Ren ab workout. Even if I do need a rest day, I am back up and running as soon as possible. I have put so much effort in showing up for myself, that these habits in ingrained into my mentality. I do it for myself.

Nonetheless you have to show up for yourself. As easy and fulfilling as it is to rot in better in the moment, you deserve better.

Here’s a situation I find myself in all too often as a 21 year old in Los Angeles. I want to go to happy hour for espresso martinis with the girls, but I don’t want to get nothing done the next day. I used to struggle with discipline, but discipline has become a habit now that I have practiced enough. The more I follow through and show up for myself the morning after, the more confident and eager I am to balance these two worlds. Go to the happy hour, and don’t let it stop you from a productive day. Now that I’ve cultivated a disciplined set of wellness habit, I am working on being okay with taking a day or two off because I know I am discipline enough to jump right back into my groove.

It’s so easy to overwork yourself after skipping a few fitness and wellness oriented days. Overworking your mind and your body will only set you back a few more days in the future. Start your routine from scratch and take advantage of the fresh start that the new day has to offer. It’s your clean slate.

Don’t take this advice wrong way. It’s okay to hold off on the espresso martinis one weekend and take a night for yourself, maybe even get ahead on that research paper due next week. “Letting lose” is not the top priority by any means. My point is, you shouldn’t hold back from living your 20s to the fullest because you feel bloated, you need to make a gym class in the morning, or assuming that the night won’t be worth it. Slip on the mini skirt, take the pictures, and enjoy your night. This period is way too short to let the little excuses keep your from enjoying your life.

Your 20s will fly by. By displaying discipline towards your habits and your lifestyle, you can maximize both spheres. Do not rob yourself of the spontaneous energy that this decade has to offer. Make the most of these few years, because you have all of your life ahead to be on a strict, inflexible schedule. This is the prime. The highest energy, the most fit, the most free version of yourself.

Take advantage of all the opportunities to grow and live. Make the memories, try new foods, meet new people, and soak in each and every moment of your 20s. This is your time to find yourself, and you won’t be able to if you hold yourself back from learning life lessons and building crucial habits now.

Allow yourself to take a hit and recover. Make mistakes that motivate you to never slip up like that again. This is the time. You can’t make these errors once your in the real world. Create habits and skills of balancing your academic, social, and wellness goals that you can carry into your post-graduate years. Time is fleeting, so put yourself out there before it’s too late. Here’s to senior year and experience every element in store.

Much love,

Shaudeh Farjami