How to Keep Your Health a Priority While Studying for the Bar Exam

Your bar exam study schedule can really take a toll on you physically. One of the key ways to keep pace with the grueling schedule and finish strong is to make your health and wellness a priority.

Staying physically healthy helps you stay mentally healthy. It is certainly harder during a pandemic to get regular exercise and take care of yourself, but that doesn't mean it's not a priority during bar prep.

Here are a few tips to help you maintain your energy and keep a clear mind throughout bar prep.

1. Take Regular Breaks. Studies have shown that taking short breaks every 45 minutes to an hour can lead to increased productivity and sustained periods of mental clarity. Set a timer and plan to get up for a 5-10 minute walk every hour to get your blood flowing and to stretch your legs.

2. Surround Yourself with Healthy Food Choices. You don't need us to tell you that eating healthy foods throughout the day will lead to more energy and better overall performance. But here's the problem: although we make plans to eat healthy meals, it's easy to get stressed or feel crunched for time-- which leads to making convenient but bad food choices. Get out in front of this problem by dedicating one or two nights to making your meals for the week, and stocking your study area with healthy snacks.

3. Exercise--And Get Creative If You Have To. No surprises here: we all know exercising regularly is good for us. But we've found that lots of test takers will scrap all forms of exercise because they don't have long periods of time to dedicate to it. Remember, though, that "exercising" doesn't need to be a 2-hour trip to the gym. Go for a 20 to 30 minute walk at lunch. Bike to your study spot instead of driving. Reviewing flash cards? Do it on the go with a friend while taking a walk around town. Any movement during the day, even short bursts, will give you a huge advantage. 

4. Make Your Health a Scheduling Priority. You'll only get the benefits of the above tips if you make your health a priority in your schedule. It's easy to swap out that trip to the gym or healthy meal for an extra cram session--but remember that staying balanced will serve you better in the long run. Block off time in your daily schedule to take care of yourself and guard it.