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Staying healthy at uni: Campbell Property’s 10 Top Tips

Posted on 23rd March 2018 by Chloe Ward

It’s tricky to find a balance between having fun and keeping fit during your years as a student. Now we have all heard of the term “freshers 15”. So perhaps you are looking for some tips on how to battle the bulge, or maybe you are just looking for ways to improve your wellbeing. Luckily for you, we have compiled a list of 10 tips for staying healthy at uni…

Drink LOADS

And by this we mean water, not jaeger bombs. Studies have shown that a 2-3 litre intake of water per day increases brain function, aids weight loss and helps keep skin clear. Replenishing fluids after a night out is also the best way to kick a hangover.

Join a cheap gym

When it comes to joining a gym at uni, it’s really a no brainer. There are heaps of student deals and with lots of free time during the week, 2-3 sessions per week is an attainable goal. Taking regular exercise battles bulge, boosts serotonin and reduces guilt when an inevitable trip to Nandos arises.

Meal Prep

We all know how tempting it can be to just grab a double cheeseburger on the go, but preparing your meals in advance can ensure that you stay on track with getting in vital nutrients for the day, keeping you fuller for longer and keeping your calories in check as well as saving money!

Limit Takeaways

Dominos, chinese, indian, kebabs… the list of temptations are endless. However did you know that the average takeaway contains in excess of 1000 calories! Try limiting takeaways to one a month. This way you can savour the taste of your favourite fried chicken, while maintaining a healthier diet.

Alcohol

Alcohol is an inevitable part of student life, so why not switch up your high calorie cocktails for a vodka lime & soda. With 64 calories per drink, you can afford to splurge a little more! Also why not try an alcohol free night every once in a while, it’ll save on the pennies, waistline and laughing at the state of your friends can be surprisingly fun!

Buddy Up

It’s always easier to stay motivated when you are keeping fit with a friend! Find someone who is interested in staying active too. This will help to ensure that you make it to those early morning classes and avoid those sugary supermarket treats. Why not share a cheat meal/snack at the end of each week to reward yourselves and to have something to work towards.

Get your steps up

Uni can involve A LOT of sitting. From the lecture hall to the bus, library and then sofa after a long day. Leaving a few minutes early and walking to lectures or going for a walk in between study sessions can dramatically improve your energy. It will also affect your ability to concentrate and will burn a few extra calories. Calories that will probably be consumed in liquid form that night!

Get involved

At every University there are countless opportunities to get active. Through group sports, dance classes, cheerleading clubs, the list goes on… At the start of each academic year why not challenge yourself to try one new class, or join a group, helping to get fit but in a fun way! Perhaps plate spinning floats your boat, or preparing for a zombie apocalypse – there’s a society to suit all interests!

Boost your immune system

Sickness bugs and illness can often spread through a university campus like wildfire. Make sure you are taking the right steps to avoid catching the germs! Try eating plenty of colourful fruit and vegetables, as they provide a good source of vitamins, which can help to boost immunity. Looking into and taking a multivitamin is an easier way to top up your intake! Drinking water, exercising regularly and a sensible sleeping pattern are also factors to take into consideration…

Sleep Routine

It’s important to get a good amount of sleep each night, however there is definitely such a thing as too much sleep. Students can often fall into the habit of oversleeping, due to the amount of free time they have in the week. However try to stick to a sensible sleeping pattern to avoid feeling lethargic, groggy and out of sync. Typically, 8-10 hours suits the average person, so aim for establishing a routine that allows for this!

http://www.campbellproperty.co.uk/

Lovely Lunch Spots in Portsmouth

Posted on 23rd March 2018 by Chloe Ward

If you’re on the lookout for a new lunch spot, then look no further because we’ve put together a list of delicious places in Portsmouth where you can grab some grub…

The Garage Lounge

On the corner of Albert Road you will find The Garage Lounge, offering a selection of beautiful handmade cakes, sandwiches, soups & salads. The brunch menu is served between 7.30am and 3pm, boasting a selection of delicious fry ups, pancakes & coffees. The award winning independent cafe has a relaxed vibe, with vintage interiors & is the perfect place to kick back between lectures.

The Southsea Deli

Newly opened, The Southsea Deli can also be found on Albert Road, and is in fact just across the road from The Garage Lounge. Each day they serve one freshly made vegan salad option, one vegetarian and one meat, satisfying all dietary requirements. You can also pick yourself up a mixture of fresh olives, chocolate avocado pots & fresh produce, all locally sourced. With a couple of cosy tables, pop in here with a pal or grab lunch on the move.

Parade Tea Rooms

Against the beautiful backdrop of Southsea Seafront, Parade Tea Rooms serves breakfast, lunch and high tea everyday. However the main attraction is certainly the ever changing selection of cakes and pastries made in-house. With high tea you can even enjoy champagne or prosecco, perfect for those lecture free afternoons!

Bread Addiction

Bread lovers will LOVE Bread Addiction. From sourdough to pumpkin seed loaf, spelt bread to rye – the options are extensive and you may just become addicted. Choose your filling from a varied list ranging from different meats, cheeses & salad items. They offer a brunch menu on the weekends, so if you don’t fancy lunch here, perhaps a more leisurely Saturday morning visit would suit you better. They are even serving up freshly made hot cross buns. Just in time for Easter!

Unami Street Food

If you’re a fan of all things meat, Umami is for you! Located on Elm Grove, just opposite our Kingsway House apartments. Whether you fancy a platter of chicken, a juicy burger or a lamb pitta, this place has you covered with a wide selection of ethnic street-food style mains and sides. And don’t worry if you’re a veggie, falafel is on the menu!

Belle Isle

The Belle Isle’s famous loaded nachos are the perfect cure for those less-than-fresh days after a heavy night! Located on Osborne Road (just a stone’s throw away from the seafront), the locally run bistro is perfect for a drink, a light lunch or a huge feast. Its relaxed atmosphere will leave you wanting to make it your staple hangout.

Circolo

If you’re a fan a proper Italian pizza, traditional pasta dishes and mouth-watering antipasti platters, Circolo is the place for you. Found on The Osborne Road in Southsea, Circolo is perfect for getting a group of mates together for a slap up meal and drink. With an affordable menu and trendy interiors, there’s no reason why this couldn’t be your new mid-week lunch spot.

http://www.campbellproperty.co.uk/

5 Reasons why you’ll love renting with Campbell Property

Posted on 23rd March 2018 by Chloe Ward

Still looking for a property next year? Or perhaps you’ve already reserved a property with us and would like to be reminded of what you can look forward to this September! Here are just 5 reasons why you’ll love renting with Campbell Property…

All bills are included

Yep, that’s right – all gas, water, electricity and wifi are included in the rental cost. This means that you and your friends can spend time bickering over who didn’t load the dishwasher correctly, instead of having to work out the bills at the end of each month.

Interiors

Although you may have grown fond of the off-beige walls and questionably stained carpets in halls, you might just prefer the boutique interiors of our properties. With plenty of colour, wall art and soft cream carpets – we’re pretty sure you’ll feel right at home.

No deposit

Fancy keeping hold of your cash? With our no deposit scheme, this ensures just that. If you have a UK-based guarantor we do not require a deposit, but instead simply ask for a £250 holding fee which is then taken off the first instalment of your rental payments. Helping you to secure a student property without breaking the bank!

Locations

Our properties can be found in the heart of every student city. Kingsway House in Portsmouth can be found just off trendy Albert Road and is also only a 10 minute walk to the uni Library. Bishops Blackall School is just a 10 minute walk from the city centre and University. While The Park in Sheffield runs a free shuttle bus into town every hour. Meaning you can hit that snooze button and still make it to lectures!

Double Beds

So long to stingy single beds, and hello to doubles in all of our rooms in every city! There’s nothing better than star-fishing after a busy day, having the ultimate lie-in after a late night, or just be able to watch a movie and have room for your Dominos too.

http://www.campbellproperty.co.uk/

There are 6 types of housemate, which one are you?

Posted on 21st March 2018 by Chloe Ward

They say you never really know someone until you live with them, and chances are you’re going to come across each of these types of housemate during your time at uni. In fact, you might even be one of them…

Clean Freak

Left a cup out on the side? Failed to change the loo roll? Kitchen bin overflowing? Yep, you’ll definitely be hearing from the houses’ clean freak about that. They’re the ones stressing over spilt cocktails at pre-drinks, muddy shoes on the carpet and unscraped food in the dishwasher. But if they’re happy to do it, who are we to complain?

Hermit

You might catch a glimpse of the house hermit once, maybe twice a week at a push. It will be late on a Friday night and they have just realised it’s been 5 whole days without food. They stock red bull in their bedroom and live predominantly on packet noodles. You’re not sure which subject they are studying, because they have never been spotted at a lecture. The house hermit looks like they could use a hot shower, and perhaps a journey into the sunlight ASAP.

Michelin Star Chef

Now there’s always that one guy or gal who honestly thinks they are competing in the Masterchef semi-finals when cooking dinner. 3 courses, 37 different ingredients and 4 hours later dinner is served, while the kitchen looks like a bomb has just hit. You go to grab your saucepan for your baked beans but, oh, the pan is already in use – bubbling away to create a red wine reduction you are told. Reaching for the frying pan instead, and – what’s that, a venison steak is gently frying, benefiting from the non-stick pan you bought merely two weeks ago. Chinese take-away it is then.

Party Animal

Can usually be found on the sofa, having not made it up to bed the night before. The houses’ party animal is notorious for attending every big club night of the week without fail. They are also best mates with the bouncers, the chicken shop guys know their order and they sometimes get them helping serve other customers for banter. If you’re looking for a wild night, look no further than the party animal.

Obsessive Studier

This is the person that stresses you out the most. They lie about not doing the reading (they’ve read it 4 times), they’ve always started their essays super early and work a 9-5 shift in the library – probably clocking in more hours than the librarian herself. They listen to Classic FM, dress in comfortable yet practical outfits for optimum studying and eat a well balanced diet, instead of downing Lucozade Orange and Custard Creams at 2am the day before the deadline like the rest of us.

Health Nut

WE GET IT. You like the gym. The house health nut is potentially the most annoying of them all. Stacks of protein on top of the fridge, gross smelling green smoothies and too much chicken to be healthily consumed by one person. They’re up at the crack of dawn to get to their bootcamp class, constantly in workout clothes and just love to tell you about their new PBs. We’ll just stick to Prosecco and Tangfastics thanks.

http://www.campbellproperty.co.uk/

How To Be Most Productive

Posted on 20th February 201713th June 2017 by Jessica Cullimore

Being productive is hard, especially at Uni, given most of us don’t have more than around 20 hours of contact time a week! This leaves us with a lot of free time, which never really feels free due to the amount of independent work we “should” be doing. We’ve compiled some key areas you could focus on to be your most productive self, while still leaving time for having fun and being lazy (I mean we are still students…)

Your productive time

Working at the right times during the day is really important to be your most efficient. Most people already know if they’re a morning or an evening person, but it can be a bit more complex than that. A great way to figure out when your best hours for productivity are, is to pay attention to the way you’re working for the next week or so. When you’re having one of those moments where you’re whizzing through your workload effortlessly, take a moment and jot down the time of day and see if you can notice any patterns emerging. For example I work great in the mornings and evenings, but in the middle of the day I always notice my productivity dropping.

Work space

It may seem a bit obvious, but a clear space really does equal a clear mind. If you are struggling to push everything around to create a patch of space to sit on your bed with your laptop, this I’m sure will most likely not result in you bashing out that essay in record time. Try and keep a routine of keeping your desk (if you can’t face tidying your entire room) clear of mess, so you can always sit down and concentrate when you need to. Don’t use tidying your room an excuse not to do your essay though…we’ve all done it. Anything can be better than writing that dreaded 3000-word essay.

Exercise

The release of serotonin will reduce your stress levels, giving you a better mindset to work in. The increase of blood flow to your brain will also make you more alert and energised, ready to tackle that pile of reading you need to get through. It’s great to exercise first thing in the morning, but it’s even better when you’re feeling drained and stressed to perk you up again.

Music

It’s been scientifically proven that listening to music increases productivity so if you don’t do it already, maybe you should try.

This list from the Telegraph of the best music for every kind of work is really handy: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2016/06/02/this-is-the-kind-of-music-you-should-listen-to-at-work/

However if you still find it distracting just don’t bother. I can only really listen to music when the work I’m doing requires minimal brain effort (which isn’t very often!)

Do the most boring stuff first so you don’t keep dreading it

Obviously you should always do the most urgent bits of work first, but if you’re struggling to prioritise your workload you should always start with the bits you want to do the least. If you keep putting them off it’ll seem harder and harder in your head until you end up with no time and a mega stressed student. (I think we can all relate to this…)

Avoid your phone

Yes I know the group Whatsapp is blowing up and you need to stay involved, but having your phone next to you is a massive killer of productivity. Just move it to the other side of the room and only allow yourself to check it every half an hour. You’ll be amazed at how much quicker you’ll blast through your workload.

Get out

Some people swear they can only work in the library, but why not mix it up and try a local café or even a park if the weather’s nice. I personally hate the library, so when I’m feeling too stuffed up in my room I’ll head to a friend’s house to sit and work together. This is especially great if you’re on the same course, because you can work together, discuss ideas, and normally complete work a lot quicker. Divide and conquer!

Plan the night before

Ok this is a tough one for you spontaneous types, but just because it’s written down, it doesn’t mean it’s set in stone. If you make a list of the things you’ll like to do the next day before you go to sleep, you’ll be able to wake up and just jump into it. Don’t feel guilty if you only tick one thing off though, the fact that you wrote it down makes you conscious it needs doing, and the more you get into the habit, the better you’ll know how much you’ll realistically get done in a day.

Do not disturb sign

If you find your housemates barging into your room at all hours of the day ruins your productive flow, just try a sign on your door to make sure they understand you need to be alone for a bit.

We love this cute one from Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/275600414/do-not-disturb-signpersonaliseddoor?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=do%20not%20disturb%20sign&ref=sr_gallery_4

Don’t multitask

Multitasking is the killer of productivity. Pick one thing you’re going to do, such as reading a paper, and eliminate all other distractions. Switching between tasks will stop you getting into that great work zone, and it’ll take you twice as long to get everything done. This doesn’t mean you can’t take breaks, it just means you should use the breaks to relax, not start doing something else like your laundry.

Bribe yourself with a reward

If you’re doing some really hard questions for a tutorial and it’s taking forever, why not try to motivate yourself with a reward? I love doing this and it really works well, especially during revision season. For example I’ll say once I’ve finished 3 questions I’m allowed to watch another episode of Prison Break on Netflix for the 100^th time. Then when I’ve done another 3 I can have a bit of chocolate. It motivates you to work quickly and efficiently, which is really key for ultimate productivity.

Make time for doing what you enjoy the most

Being at Uni isn’t just about doing the work, so make sure you don’t forget that. By working productively you’ll give yourself more time to do the things you love. Go see your friends, go on a mental night out, or watch an episode or two of Netflix (guilty). Make sure to keep a good balance between Uni work and Uni life, you’ll stay engaged when you do need to bash out some coursework.

Good luck!