Revision has begun! It is incredibly important to stay physically and mentally healthy so that you can achieve the best possible results in your exams. Here are our top revision tips on staying healthy!
Revision tips – diet
- Get in your 5-a-day. Eat fresh or dried fruit while you’re revising or as snacks.
- Don’t forget to eat! Your body needs calories to function. Carbs are your friends.
- Don’t have too much caffeine, it will give you short energy bursts rather than long ones which will make you less productive during the day. You may also find it harder to sleep which will ruin your productivity over the forthcoming days.
Before your exam, eat a good breakfast! Try eating superfoods, such as blueberries, that stimulate brain activity. Or, energy rich foods, like bananas. I always each porridge and a banana before an exam for long lasting energy, especially if the exam is 3 hours long!
Revision tips – exercise
Remember to exercise regulary. It is a great way to increase blood flow around your body and improve your concentration. Exercise releases the hormone serotonin which actually makes you feel happier – needed after a long day of revising indoors. It will also tire you out so you get a more restful sleep.
You can exercise a lot of different ways, many of which can be done in your own home. During a revision break, doing some simple stretching will clear your head and get you prepared for the rest of your learning. For a long session try bodyweight exercises: squats, tricep dips, push ups, core work etc. There are lots of free apps that can guide you through a workout e.g. Popsugar Fitness and Nike Training Club (visit your app store for more ideas). If you have access to the gym, don’t feel guilty about getting out of the house and getting sweaty.
Revision tips – stress
Don’t let revision get the better of you. It is very important to manage it correctly.
- Revision timetable: don’t set yourself too much work per day. If you keep not achieving your work load for the day, you will feel demotivated. If your timetable is not working, don’t be afraid to change it.
- Breaks: research has shown that the most productive way of working is to work for 45 mins then rest for 15. But do whatever works for you. Make sure you are not just watching the clock count down, remember the quality of your work is important. During your break, do not do an activity that has no stopping stimulus, such as scrolling down Instagram or Facebook. Try reading a chapter of a book, practicing a musical instrument or, exercising.
- Sleep: get 8-10 hours of sleep per night. If you struggle to switch off, you could try meditating before you get into bed or switching off all electronic devices so you are not thinking about anything other than sleep.
- Rewards: you’ve done all this revision, so you should reward yourself with something you enjoy. Try to keep up your hobbies, see your friends in the evening or just watch a little TV. Anything to remind you that exams are just a couple of months long, after that you have all of summer to relax.
If you’re struggling to memorise a topic, don’t spend hours stressing over it, book a one-to-one support session with one of our tutors and get your revision back on track.
Good luck with the revision.
Written by Anastasia K.