- Summer meant loads of time to get
outdoors and be active. So what has your
workout schedule looked like lately?
A. You’re deep into preseason training, so
it’s mile repeats and gym time for you. Once
the season officially starts, Coach will keep
you active. Daily.
B. It depends. Sometimes you’ll sneak in
a run or shoot hoops with your bro. Lots
of times, though, you’ll do some YouTube
Pilates or yoga in your room. It’s good for
the body and the soul.
C. Um, does walking from algebra to biology
to English lit count?
YOUR MINI REPORT CARD
Not only does exercising clear your head and
release feel-good hormones in your body
(runner’s high is no lie), vigorous workouts
have been linked to higher GPAs. And years
of research have proven girls who play sports
are more likely to succeed than babes who
voluntarily bench themselves. Team sports
not your thing? Put daily sweat seshes on
your calendar to reap plenty of rewards.
- You and your three besties have teamed
up to work together on a bio project. When
it comes to getting down to business, they...
A. Each power up their laptops and start
flipping through PowerPoint presentations.
Now that those are done, you girls are going
to work on a video to really wow the teacher.
B. Are sort of split. Emma and Maddy are
happy to help with the poster, but Olivia
keeps reminiscing about the summer
(“Do you guys remember how epic Rachel's
Fourth of July pool party was?”).
C. Are hard to wrangle. Everyone’s super busy
with jobs and BFs this year, so you’re left to
wrestle the assignment alone. Ugh.
YOUR MINI REPORT CARD
Fact: The kinds of friends you surround
yourself with majorly influence your behav-
ior. If your girls understand the importance
of getting good grades, they’re more likely
to support you on the straight ‘n’ narrow
(even when it gets tough).
- Last year you struggled big time in
Mandarin. You’re set to take it again this
year, meaning you’ve already...
A. Asked your parents for a tutor. Plus,
you’ve been reviewing your notes weekly to
help you polish your pronunciations.
B. Flipped through your text from last year
to jog your memory of key vocab words.
Hopefully, it’ll all come back to you.
C. Faced the fact that foreign languages just
aren’t your strong suit. No one’s perfect!
YOUR MINI REPORT CARD
Being born with it isn’t everything, but
believing you’re bad at a subject *can* hold
you back. Working hard and asking for help
is key to finding success in something that
seems painfully tough. While not
everyone is going to get straight A’s in
every class, speaking up as soon as you’re
in over your head will ensure you don’t fall
behind the minute a course kicks off.- You’re basically ravenous by the time
school ends. When it comes to your stand-
ard post-school snack, you...
A. Refuel the right way. An apple with pea-
nut butter and water never, ever fails you.
B. Eh, it depends. Sometimes you’re a slice
and soda gal (hey, it’s the student council
special), but most of the time, you’re happy
with a DIY yogurt parfait.
C. Hit up McDonald’s with your besties. Well,
not daily. Sometimes you stop at Starbucks
for Frapps and cake pops.
YOUR MINI REPORT CARD
It might be tempting to catch up with
friends over fries (again), but a recent study
linked eating fast food with depression
(yikes!). Also, a sugar- and fat-laden snack
can make you sleepy (hence the term food
coma). Instead, fill up on good-for-you treats
that will keep you energized before long
study sessions or sports. It truly makes a diff.- It's only been a couple weeks, but the
Sunday scaries are already striking. As you
ponder Monday morning, you’re feeling...
A. So stressed. You’re taking on a serious
workload this year, so no surprise you
already barely have a moment to relax.
B. Excited. Even though you have a couple
tough classes, this week (and, well, this
whole year, really) is looking pretty promis-
ing. What can you say? You’re an optimist.
C. Dread. Your classes can all be summed
up in one word: hard. Is it still too warm
outside to fake the flu?
YOUR MINI REPORT CARD
Learning how to look on the sunny side and
manage stress is critical, especially as you
get older. So before you freak out or get
totally flustered, take a few deep breaths
to quiet your cacophonous thoughts. Then
jot down a few things you’re excited about
this year. (Got nothing? Write down what
you’re grateful for instead—it’ll help, too.)
Realizing you have the power to change
or even banish a bad mood is a biggie. This
year is going to be A-OK, we promise.GL AUGUST | SEPTEMBER 2019 55SLOW YOUR ROLL
You might be on the fast track to a
stellar GPA—if you don’t crash and
burn first. Putting tons of pressure
on yourself to be perfect is never
healthy, so cut yourself some slack
every now and then. Make time to
relax and do something outside of
work once in a while...and don’t
think of every grade as the one that
will utterly make or break the rest of
your life. A little balance, babe, and
you’re sure to do brilliantly—all while
staying sane.READY, SET, SLAY
You know that getting good grades
is important, but you’re not going to
freak if you falter on one test. This
kind of balance is key for staying
motivated all year long. Keep the
momentum going no matter what by
setting a couple of achievable goals
for yourself, like volunteering weekly
or learning to play an instrument.
Pursuing what you’re passionate
about (and not just what falls in your
lap) will take you from well-rounded
to total standout.FIND YOUR GROOVE
You’re just not that into school—but
perhaps you haven't found your
thing. Be wary that your lack of
enthusiasm is starting to show, from
the indifferent way you approach
assignments to your crew of equally
bored buds. Here’s the good news:
It’s not too late to change your ways
so that you get the most out of the
classroom. Start by signing up for a
club or class that sounds super fun (if
you’re having a good time, it won’t
feel like work). Then, tackle your
procrastination patterns by really
sticking to deadlines. Make an effort
to talk with your teachers to map
out a plan for staying on top of it all.life
MOSTLY A’sMOSTLY B’sMOSTLY C’s