Life, School, Friends, Gym… How to Fit it All In

September 30, 2022

Written by Sarah Yoder, Graphic Designer

With the hustle and bustle of everyday life, mustering up motivation and finding time in your schedule to keep up physical fitness can be quite challenging. Now try adding collegiate academics into that mix. It often seems extremely difficult, almost impossible, to keep up with everything that needs to be done, let alone get a workout and consistent exercise in. For those who are just beginning their college experience (or even students who have been in school previously) and want to learn how to balance their health and fitness while in college, below are several valuable and informative tips!

Structure a schedule, prioritize, and take it one day at a time.

While this may sound like some cheesy advice you’ve heard from your mom or teacher already, creating a prioritized schedule and focusing on what needs to get done each day truly is a game-changer. This is especially true when it comes to trying to find extra time outside of classes and homework for additional activities such as exercising, hanging out with friends, and taking care of yourself.
The amount of time you have during each day, week, and month is a known quantity. This is an extremely helpful factor when creating a schedule. It is often easy to prioritize school/academics in your schedule, as it is required. Knowing this, continue to organize all of your activities, events, and things that need to get done by importance. Taking it one step further, create a time-based schedule, so you know exactly how much time you have to spend on each activity. Doing this will allow you to better complete what you want to get accomplished each day, ultimately helping you to stay on top of your goals.

Boost your physical health and body through balance and moderation.

Setting aside time to move your body and exercise will be a huge, beneficial factor in your overall health. Also, just as important is a nutritious diet, getting suitable rest, and doing everything with balance. Doing “all things in moderation” has proven time and again to help boost your overall mood, performance, mental health, mental activity, and more. It may be tricky to navigate all of these things at once while in college, but the more you practice healthy habits, the easier it becomes!

A 20–30-minute workout is better than no workout at all.

With a tight schedule, time is often of the essence and seems to be quickly fleeting. It is a common myth that if you’re not able to devote at least one hour, or more, to working out or exercising, then there is no point in doing it all. Conversely, as little as 20-30 minutes of physical activity is quite ideal- especially for college students! By plugging these short but effective workout times into your structured schedule, you may begin to realize that maintaining and working toward your fitness goals is easily doable, even when you are primarily focused on academics.
Think of short exercise sessions like depositing money into a bank savings account: while the given amount may be small, it is the continuous contribution and consistency that eventually starts to build up, making you stronger and “wealthier” physically.
More specifically, if you’re unsure about how to go about planning these shorter workouts or what you should do, a good tip is to focus on intensity, frequency, and type. By incorporating higher-intensity workouts, full-body exercises, and compound movements into your daily exercise routine you will be off to a great start.

Maximize your time by combining friends and fitness.

Want to catch up with friends but need to burn off some energy? Combining your social life with fitness is a clever way to utilize your time and is easy to do with all of the great opportunities, activities, events, and facilities on campus. Take them climbing at the rock wall, sign up with your besties for a free group exercise class, hit a lift session together, or even try your hands at racquetball and break a sweat at LaHaye Rec & Fit! Or perhaps you want a close-knit community that also appreciates sports and athletics as you do. Campus Recreation offers a multitude of Intramural sports and teams that you can be a part of. Maybe you and your friends are more outdoor enthusiasts, in which case, take a hike and explore at Hydaway Outdoor Center. Whatever you prefer, be sure to check out all your fantastic options and include your friends the next time you want to exercise!