By Kate Leo
I have always been the type of person to put school work first and not let anything get in my way until I completed what I needed for the day. When I was younger, this strategy was great because it taught me to be self-disciplined and motivated as I got more homework. However, as I got older, I have found that this habit prevents me from sometimes taking care of myself, like taking time to exercise. Working out became lower and lower on my priority list as my homework and to-do list became bigger and bigger.
In high school, I was in such a routine with school for the first half of the day, tennis practice right after, and homework time at night. But freshman year of college with no set schedule, I let myself make excuses that I didn’t have time. This statement is quite the opposite; we actually have more time in college. I just have to recognize it and work productively. Instead of deciding each day whether I had time to workout or not, I started to look at my week beforehand and write down in my agenda when I was going to exercise. Having a set time in my planner made me more disciplined to set the time aside.
I am finding myself finally believe the statement that taking mind breaks by exercising actually helps you work more efficiently than sitting down all at once. Working out makes your body more alert and energized due to the ATP production over a longer period of time. More oxygen is also delivered throughout the body at a faster rate, and more oxygen means more energy. Finally, exercise causes your body to produce endorphins, which is a natural chemical that increases happiness; this happiness also increases work productivity.
It doesn’t matter what type of exercise you do, the purpose is for you to get up and moving. I find the elliptical is a good cardio workout, but I also enjoy just walking around the block to clear my head. Being outside in a natural environment even for just twenty minutes has shown to “lower stress, blood pressure, and increase mental health” (Ducharme). Setting time aside in advance helps you to exercise regularly and in turn increase productivity and focus. It doesn’t matter what you do; any type of physical activity will encourage a healthier life.
Sources:
https://time.com/5539942/green-space-health-wellness/ https://www.huffpost.com/entry/exercise-productivity_b_2005463?guccounter=1&guce_referrer= aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAKsU_asCV3He2iLrL73a-s BDH2qb7xFkCfOYCRCetOweTGsduMaDnzetAob687sgW19MG37ynTLpqDnWyPEre-5Nb_5SF jVMuiiGe6cX7aJvs-Vn-1q4reHyVrgvNedDYnef4aDXaFmzu5FAM2cpDuNeKPoU3foofTdptv_gy VKQ
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