Campus Crunches: How To Stay Fit In College

Tips to Stay Fit During College

One of the challenges that college students struggle with on a regular basis is staying fit. Many students view exercising as a distraction from their studies, but exercising can actually improve your study habits. Here are some can’t miss tips!

Yes, you can stay fit during college…

According to a study by Michigan State University, active students generally have higher grade point averages than other students.

But how can you find the time? With a full course load, it can be difficult to work in your daily or even weekly workout routine you enjoyed before college. Luckily, there are plenty of ways you can stay in shape without sacrificing your grades.

Campus Crunches: How to Stay Fit During CollegePrepare Your Meals in Advance

Most college students don’t have time to cook a healthy breakfast every morning before class. Rather than relying on fast food or Pop-Tarts each morning, set aside a couple of hours at the beginning of the week to cook enough healthy food to last you for the entire week.

Consider making oatmeal bars, frozen smoothie packets, healthy casseroles, or other foods that are easy to make in bulk and easy to eat on the go. Divide the food into portions and store them in individual containers.

Not only will you rely less on unhealthy fast food or packaged snacks, if your food is already prepared, then you have more time to get ready for the day or go to the gym in the mornings.

Plan Your Fast Food Meals

Full-time students are usually away from their living space during lunch and dinner, so they have to resort to campus dining or fast food. Most fast food items are unhealthy, but you can find a few smart options at any restaurant.

Examine the online menus from your favorite restaurants in your spare time so that you can know what healthy options are available to you. Even just cutting out soda in favor of water could be a great step toward fostering healthy habits from day to day.

Exercise While You Study

It may sound impossible to study and exercise at the same time, but many students are able to pull it off successfully. While in class, record audio files of your professor’s lectures and put them onto your phone.

Then, you can listen to the audio files while running on a treadmill at the gym or taking a long walk around campus. This is especially effective for auditory learners and for courses that require memorization.

You can also get creative and combine exercising with the study. For example, you could do yoga while flipping through flashcards. Make a study drill out of your stretching, such as holding a strenuous pose until you can memorize the information on a card. With a little creativity, you could make your study sessions into workouts. This way, you could lose weight while gaining good grades at the same time!

Enroll in Online Classes

Online classes offer a lot of flexibility, especially for full-time students. Instead of limiting you to sitting in a classroom, online degrees give you the opportunity to choose a learning environment that works best for you. Just because the class is online doesn’t mean you have to stay indoors.

Go outdoors and breathe the fresh air while working on your computer.

Being outdoors can be conducive to the learning process, and it can also keep you active. Instead of plopping down on a bench outside your dorm, you could even pick a location you need to hike to study each day. Obviously, make sure that the place is safe for your computer and has Wi-Fi if needed.

Alter Your Daily Routes

Fit small increments of exercise into your daily travels. Instead of walking directly to the buildings, you need to get to, take a long way around. If you’re ever early to class, take a stroll through the different levels of the building.

Use the stairs instead of the elevator. It may seem like you don’t have time for these detours, but you just might find that you don’t need to be in a rush all the time anyway. And the exercise will make you more awake and alert for making better use of the time you have.

Wrap-Up

It’s easy to neglect your exercise routine when you have so much on your plate.

Exercising can seem like a hassle or a distraction when you have so many classes to worry about, but you don’t have to abandon your physical health to preserve your grades.

It takes time and effort, but the work you put into developing a healthy routine will pay off in the long run.

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