By Ellie Colenso
Tenzing are proud to produce a product which is kind to our mind, body and the planet. As a part-time Zing team member and a full-time student in Central London, I wanted to put together some top tips on how we can all try to translate this ethos into our daily lives. Since moving to the city, Tenzing’s message has inspired me to make easy (and cheap) changes: to make the most of student life; whilst caring for our mind, body and most definitely the planet.
Firstly, although it may be tempting to subsist on quick pasta meals and not much else; I believe one of the best ways to take care of our bodies is via what we consume. Ultimately, nourishing food does not have to be tasteless (and it is great compensation for the not-so-healthy cheesy chips after a night out). Cooking from scratch is the cheapest option. I seek inspiration for my on-the-go lunches and dinners from Instagram accounts, such as One Pound Meals, The Happy Pear, Melissa Hemsley, Venetia Falconer and apps such as BBC Good Food. But, if you’re short on time and money, Planet Organic also offers a student discount: bringing the price of a healthy on-the-go lunch to less than £5.
Secondly, caring for your mind, which is rather essential for completing a degree and fundamental in keeping a clear perspective on life. Countless psychological studies have suggested that physical exercise appears to be one of the most effective ways of ventilating the stress response in a health-promoting manner (1). Grab a can of Tenzing to give you the natural boost and head for a run up Primrose Hill or through Hampstead Heath and reap the endorphin rewards. If you, like me, need some social motivation to get you running try out London City Runners which is one of the city’s biggest free running clubs, welcoming all abilities. Otherwise, London is renowned for its array of luxurious boutique gyms and the swanky classes they offer, however student budgets rarely stretch to such treats. Luckily, there is also a great number of more affordable classes, such as the The Stress Project in Islington, who offer £2 yoga classes! In addition, keep an eye out for deals such as F45’s £20 for a week!
Lastly, I must mention Tenzing’s passion about recognising the planet’s value and how we should respect our place here. Even students can be mindful of this. For example, simply bringing a re-usable coffee cup to university cafés makes a huge difference and tends to involve a discount too. In addition, I would recommend apps such as OLIO, where you can pick up surplus food (for free!!!!) from neighbours and nearby cafes. And if you’re even more passionate about issues such as food waste, I would encourage you to check out charities such as Food Cycle where you spend a few hours cooking up a meal for the local community using food which would have otherwise been thrown away from supermarkets. I often do this on a free Sunday; you can also take any leftovers home!
(1) Everly, G.S. and Lating, J.M., 2019. Physical exercise and the human stress response. In A Clinical Guide to the Treatment of the Human Stress Response (pp. 397-423). Springer, New York, NY.