I was a very active kid growing up. I started dancing at the age of five and began competitive swim in early elementary school. Having organized activities that I loved kept me fit and active throughout my childhood and into high school, but I did not realize that maintaining that level of fitness would be much harder when I got to college.
Suddenly, my college days were filled with attending difficult lectures, meeting new friends, getting involved in various clubs, and studying to do well in class. I tried to work out as much as I could, but due to my sporadic and chaotic schedule as a first-year student, I was always frustrated with the amount of time I was actually able to spend working out. I was constantly tired because I no longer had a consistent way of being active to destress. Even worse, I consistently felt groggy when I was at the gym because I was not as fit in comparison to when I was in high school.
In talking to friends and other peers at TCU, I know that I am not the only one who has had to redefine fitness and what that looks like as a busy college student, so I wanted to share a few things I have learned along the way.
1) Don’t beat yourself down.
This is a piece of advice that is really easy to give but hard to follow consistently. It is easy to compare ourselves to our past selves or to other individuals around us, but fitness is personal. There are some days that we will feel better or worse than others and it is okay to have a slow day at the gym. During my freshman year, especially in a communal dorm, it was really common to get sick. It was hard for me to tell myself that the best thing I could do for my body was rest as opposed to pushing myself unhealthily at the gym. College is also a time when our bodies are changing a lot. New health problems may arise, weight gain may occur, additional stress from a grueling schedule may be added, or a new environment may cause one to be more prone to sickness. As a result, it is okay if your fitness level fluctuates a little bit. I always told myself that on the days that I was not feeling 100%, something as simple as a fast-paced walk would suffice to give my body a rush of endorphins. With all this in mind, I always try to remind myself that as long as you give it your best, it is okay to have good and bad days at the gym.
2) Consistent yet different
One way that I was able to stay consistent about going to the gym and being active was by making a schedule. At the beginning of the semester, I would look at my class and meeting schedule and figure out a time that I could consistently go to the gym without fluctuation. One semester, I tried working out early in the morning and another semester I tried fitting in workouts in the afternoon. Whatever time of day works best, I have found that remaining consistent and building time into my schedule for the gym allows me to stay accountable. I have also found that incorporating new exercises into my workout routine has made staying active really fun! Whether that’s switching up cardio from using the stair stepper, bike, or treadmill to finding new core exercises, finding new ways to push my body has made spending my time in the gym worthwhile.
As much as staying active is important, I have learned that fueling my body with the right nutrition is just as – if not more – important. While living on a college campus can limit the amount of food options that we have access to, here are some tricks that I have found to incorporate healthy eating into my daily lifestyle. My first tip is to incorporate some sort of protein into my breakfast. While it is easy to skip breakfast or start with a carb-heavy meal, I have found that whether it’s eggs or a protein-based breakfast bar, I do not feel lethargic throughout the day if I start my days with protein. Second, eating greens is super crucial. While it may seem hard to incorporate greens into a college diet, I have found that eating salads and sandwiches are great ways to add greens in. I emphasize the importance of leafy greens as they have aided my digestion and gut health in college. I often notice bloating while working out when I have not eaten an adequate amount of fibrous foods.
Lastly, having a consistent eating schedule has been key in my fitness journey. While it can be easy to skip a meal due to a grueling college schedule, food is important to fuel physical and mental activity. If I have not fueled my body, I find it hard to push myself at the gym to make the fitness improvement that I desire. While eating schedules vary amongst everyone, having adequate nutrients to support the college lifestyle has served me wonders.
4) Fitness outside the gym and in social contexts
I and many others often associate fitness with the number of times an individual goes to the gym per week, but there are many ways to stay active and fit outside of the gym setting. Intramural sports and tournaments are a great way to stay fit at a low time commitment while enjoying quality time with friends. Taking a walk or a bike ride with friends is also a great way to socialize while connecting with friends on a personal level. Even in the gym, bringing a friend along can motivate you to run the extra mile or hit a new PR in the weight room.
A running joke amongst people who know me is that I am a “stairs person.” When in doubt, if there is an option between the elevator or the stairs, I will most likely choose the latter. While this is something I joke about, it goes to show that the simple action of taking two flights of stairs as opposed to the elevator is a simple yet effective way to incorporate movement into one’s life without stepping foot in the gym.
From playing pickleball on a Saturday morning with friends while grabbing brunch to a late-night walk around the library to get the legs moving during a long study session, there are a plethora of ways to stay active while remaining a busy college student.
My fitness journey is one that is ever-changing and evolving. A current goal of mine is to train and run a half-marathon next year. While the goal is one that I have just started working on and one that seems daunting some days, I take a look at all of the lessons that I have learned and use those to work towards this goal. I hope that using a few of my experiences, college students can learn to find a relationship with fitness that is reliable and reasonable for the busy, hectic, and overwhelming life of a college student.