Finals are over. Papers are in. Projects are completed. The dorms are empty. We all know what this means: The end of the school year. Being as it is early May, it is strange that I am already done with my freshman year of college. After all, it is a mild 60 degrees outside–not my idea of summer. But still, here I am in my room at home, surrounded by suitcases that have yet to be unpacked.

I must admit that it is very weird to be home again: Suddenly my mother is around again, telling me that I’m going to bed too late and eating unhealthily and sleeping too late and not cleaning up enough. Though I of course hate to admit it, she’s right about a lot of these things. And, because she is right, I have decided to make this summer about getting really healthy. Now, this might seem like an odd statement to make. I am, after all, “Green Girl,” right? How unhealthy can I be?

Well, in the normal sense of “green,” I am very healthy. However, over the years I have come to associate the word “green” with a lot more than just its normal connotations of chemical-free, environmentally friendly life. Over the years, my mother and I have both struggled with things such as eating habits and exercise, with being outdoors enough, and with helping to keep our bodies in as good a shape as our minds and spirits. Though we have mastered being chemical-free, there is a lot more to being healthy.

So, this summer we’re going to try to finally fulfill this broader concept of green. And I thought to myself, if I’m coming out of college having gotten little exercise other than walking up and down the foreboding hill that Tufts is famous for, and having eaten relatively non-organic, unhealthy food, I bet that most of the rest of the college population is in the same boat. Not to mention that college totally skews our circadian rhythms. Here are my goals for the summer. My suggestion is that you take the ideas that you think would challenge you to be healthier and greener and see if you can meet them, too.

Firstly, I have to get a handle on my eating habits again. No more late night pizza deliveries or Ben and Jerry’s runs. I’m going to try to eat three healthy, organic meals a day, high in protein, enzymes, and vitamins and minerals, and low in carbs and fats. My mom and I got an interesting book, “The Enzyme Factor” by Hiromi Shinya, which is about a new diet that focuses on the role of enzymes in weight loss. We’re going to try it out. I’ll let you know how it goes! Also, sugar is my kryptonite. I’m going to try to cut out as much processed sugar as possible–it’s a completely unnecessary addition to my diet. And, as most college students can attest to, the addiction to coffee tends to grow as the year progresses. Caffeine goal for the summer: Cut down to one cup a day.

Second, I’m going to exercise a lot more. All through high school I played softball, and for a few years I played volleyball and was on swim team, so the lack of sports in college certainly was detrimental to my health. I’m determined to play a lot of tennis this summer and run as much as I can handle (I do hate running). The good news: I’ve already gone running three days in a row, which is encouraging for my exercise habits this summer. Other great ways to get exercise over the summer are bike riding, yoga or pilates and swimming. Anything that gets you outside! Especially if you live somewhere like the northeast, where the winter has been so long cold, and overcast, it’s important to get into that sunshine! Replenish that Vitamin D.

And finally, I’m going to get a handle on my sleep patterns. In the last month or so of school, my sleep got totally out of control. I was going to bed around 4 a.m. and waking up around 1 p.m., and my friends were doing the same. You’re just going to waste the day away if you sleep through the entire morning! Plus, you’ll miss out on even more sunshine. I know that I, for one, am seriously looking forward to as much outdoor time as possible.

So those are the goals, and you should try to fulfill all of them too: Eat healthy, get exercise, get sun and fix your sleep patterns.

Note to self: No better time to get green than the summer!