By Lauren Harrell
In college, I have realized that it is difficult to find (and maintain) an exercise routine. With classes, homework, extracurricular activities, and time with friends, it seems that exercise is an afterthought. However, being active is crucial to physical, mental, and emotional health. By choosing to be physically active, your focus, mood, stress, and anxiety may improve. Exercise may even contribute to be better sleep. All of these factors can influence your success and happiness in college. Here are some ideas to help you get in a routine of exercising in college.
· Choose to walk. Instead of taking the bus, leave a few minutes earlier and enjoy the walk to class.
· Take your gym clothes with you. It serves as a reminder to follow through on your goal of exercising. I have found that if I have my gym clothes with me or I am already wearing them, it is much easier to fit exercise in to my day.
· Multitask. While you are exercising, you can listen to videos or reading for your class.
· Take advantage of exercise classes offered by campus recreation. Do you have difficulty planning your workout? Take out the planning by going to an exercise class. Classes range from 20 minutes to an hour.
· Sign up for an exercise class for credit. Maybe you took a physical education class, because it was required. However, your university likely offers other exercise classes that you can take as an elective and for credit! This allows you to have exercise scheduled in your week that you can’t easily skip. Also, it may just boost your GPA!
· Ask a friend to join. You will both be able to hold each other accountable. Plus it makes exercising much more fun!
· Get involved in an extracurricular activity. Join a fitness club, dance team, or try an intramural sport. Another way to be held accountable as well as a way to meet new people and make new friends!
· Do what is best for you. If you have two tests tomorrow or you aren’t feeling well, give yourself the day off.
Ultimately, find what works for you and just do your best! You’ve got this!
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