Exercise Tips for Students | Finding the Time to Workout

Finding the Time to Train as a Student - Exercise Tips and how to Stay in Shape

Being a student often means having a lot on your plate. You might be working while attending classes and trying to find time to hit the gym. It can be tough to manage everything, and your fitness and health might start to suffer as a result. If you're struggling to find a way to balance everything, there are some things you can do to make it easier.

How can working out benefit a student?

Working out as a student has many health benefits such as helping to lose weight, gain muscle, body tone or improve overall well being, but you may not know is that it can actually help you to perform better mentally at college and university.

A study by UCL showed that working out and exercise, including strength training, strengthened memory, improved concentration, improved mood and increased energy levels.

"Research shows that physical exercise releases proteins in the brain that can actually help improve your memory and increase your cognitive performance. This is because the hippocampus, the area of our brain that is involved with retaining information is incredibly responsive to these proteins"  - UCL.AC.UK - https://www.ucl.ac.uk/students/news/ - Javier Bautista’s PHD

As a quick brief be sure to

- Schedule your workouts into your day like you would any task.
- Find a workout buddy who can help motivate you.
- Start small with just a few minutes of exercise each day.
- Find an activity that you enjoy and stick with it.
- Consider joining fitness classes with brings social well being improvements 
- Target major muscle groups for quick calorific burns
- Plan ahead, create a workout routine, to do list or follow a fitness program
- If it helps to stay motivated use fitness professionals like a personal trainer

Here are a few more tips to help you fit in the time to get active.

Start your day Dressed for Fitness

Studies have indicated that what you wear can help impact your motivation to complete a task. By identifying your obstacles and creating a plan to overcome them, you set yourself up for success.

It then goes without saying on the days you plan to work out or visit the gym, try wearing your gym clothes at the start of the day so you have no excuse not to visit the gym.

Get fit with a Gym Buddy

Having a workout buddy has a lot of benefits. For example, you'll be more likely to show up when you know someone is counting on you. A training partner will also push you to do your best, helping you to meet your goals such as weight loss, staying fit, improving your physical performance. Seeing them perform well can give you the motivation to do better, improving your fitness routine. Find a friend you can go with and get training together!

The gym is a social place, and it can be a great place to meet like minded people and workout, supercharging your physical activity whilst having a chat.

Make a Great Fitness Plan

It's always a good idea to have a plan before heading to the gym. This way, you can make the most of your time there and be more likely to stick to your workout routine. If you're not sure how to programme your workouts, you can always ask the help of a personal trainer, join our classes or try the many free workouts we have available. Having a plan will help you see progress and reach your results faster.

We have a great article on How to Make the Perfect Fitness Plan

Set yourself some goals and start off slow

Having goals is a terrific way to maintain your motivation, but it's critical not to set yourself up for discouragement.

Make certain you're not setting demanding goals that are not achievable and make sure your goals are realistic with the time constraints you have.

When you go to the gym, remind yourself of the progress you've made and the goals you want to achieve, this should give you satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment keeping you motivated.

Fit in some activity during the day

If your really struggling to find the time, being active doesn't always mean going to the gym. If you can't make it to the gym, try incorporating more movement into your day-to-day routine.

There are a lot of ways to stay active throughout the day, even if you're stuck indoors. Take the long walk rather than the shortcut, walk the stairs instead of taking the elevator. Adding more movement into your day can help you stay fit and healthy.

If all else fails consider a personal trainer

Yes a personal trainer costs money which isn't the best thing on a student budget, but if your really struggling to find the motivation, a personal trainer can give this too you.

They will be able to create a personalized plan to help you achieve your fitness goals, as well as giving you tips on how to use the equipment and providing other support. You'll be able to avoid all the guesswork in trying to reach your goals and can get started on smashing them quickly!

Conclusion

Trying to stay in shape as a student with a busy schedule can seem like a juggling act, but the results are often worth it and it can even help give you mental focus to perform better at college whilst giving you the healthier lifestyle that comes with exercising regularly

The benefits of working out in general are numerous and this is no different as a student. The physical benefits include a healthy weight, improved mood, reduced stress, decreased risk of heart disease and increased longevity. The mental benefits include increased self-confidence, improved memory, lower risk of depression and increased creativity.

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