Exercise in College, Part 1
Tuesday, January 30, 2007 by Kelly Sutton Catchphrases usually don't annoy me that much, but the "freshman fifteen" seems to have been beaten to death. Sure, some people do gain a few pounds the first term of the freshman year. Big deal; you can gain a pound or two over the weekend from too much beer. From what I have witnessed and experienced, the freshman fifteen is not specific to only freshman year. The undesirable weight gain always has to do with a lack of self-control. Sounds harsh, but it's true. And I definitely did eat ice cream every night freshman year. But this post isn't about weight loss.
It's also a common myth that exercise equals weight loss. No matter which diet you're on or not, it all comes down to a simple equation of how many calories you ate and expended throughout the day. That's enough of a rant on the general obsession I see with weight loss.
So let's talk about exercise: how often, how long, where, what, when, etc. I'll draw mostly upon my personal experience, with a few sources elsewhere.
The Most Important Thing
Exercise regularly. This does not translate to five times a week for 30 minutes or three times a week for 50 minutes. It's different for every person. Try to exercise when you're just coming off of your sore streak and before you're entirely rested. It's tough, but it builds character. In my case, it's after about two or three days. This period will shrink the more you exercise.
"I don't have time."
Yes, you do. This was the excuse I used for awhile until I realized that exercise made me feel more like getting work done and even simply being awake. Rather than stalking people for a half hour, go work out. Every one has time to exercise.
Your Conscience Says You Look Funny While You Exercise
We all do. Make a sport out of how ridiculous you look in your work out attire. It helps take your mind off of it.
And there's something about talking to a member of the opposite gender dripping in sweat and smelling like a water treatment plant that makes them so... attractive.
The Effects
Exercise to feel good, not to lose weight. Chemicals fly around, your body does some stuff, and you feel better. Poof, magic. The science is not particularly relevant, but read about it if you would like. Because regular exercise effectively keeps your system clean, blood flow increases all around. For both genders, it means more oxygen for your brain. For guys, it means increased blood flow to a certain... organ. (Note: not substantiated by [real] evidence.)
The bottom line: exercise a few times a week.
Possible Outlets of Exercise (Especially for Our Poor College Selves)
Some forms of exercise are most expensive than others. Some forms of exercise are just plain boring.
On campus or near campus exercise facility.
If you are lucky enough to have an exercise facility/rec center/workout room on campus, use it. Especially if it's included in your tuition. Especially if your parents are paying your tuition. You don't want to find yourself graduating having never stepped foot inside a free gym. Here at LMU, we've got a nice rec center and ass-crazy tuition. Not using it would be foolish.
Run.
To get to school, you probably use this fancy new technology called a road, maybe even a network of them. Running is the cheapest form of exercise: you only need shoes and shorts. Be sure to check out The Top 7 Things To Know To Begin Running. Use MapMyRun to keep track of distances run.
Running does have a few downsides, though. I would say it has a steep learning curve; once you break that three mile mark, you will feel insignificant (and not hardcore). Running on dirt trails is usually ideal, but these aren't always available. Running on pavement is certainly do-able, but your knees will probably start hurting.
Bike.
Bikes are staples of transportation on larger campuses. Many students seem to never consider using them for exercise. I've recently fallen in love with road biking. It's relaxing, you cover a lot of ground, you get to explore, and you have a reason to leave campus. Biking also has a certain cult to it; wave to every other road biker you pass, they will wave back. This odd camaraderie motivates you for that one last climb. And you feel like a bad ass.
But having to get off campus to do some serious riding can be a downside, especially if you go for a ride during rush hour. The city of Los Angeles is surprisingly bike friendly, but not every city will have bike paths every which way. Getting started in biking is also a little pricey: you'll need a decent bike and a helmet. Shorts, gloves, and decent pedals are also a must if you plan to use biking as your primary method of exercising. Check out craigslist to grab a bike and eBay for some decent gear.
Intramurals
The amount of exercise you can get from intramurals varies from campus to campus. If you've got a hardcore team that actually practices, this will probably be all you need.
The All in All
Get out there. Go running with a friend. Spend a few minutes on a bike in your gym or on the road. Be something Uncle Sam would be proud of.
Leave a comment or two about how you work out, you buff man/woman you.
Reader Comments (12)
Though I am on the cross country team at LMU, I often need to find other ways to work out to reduce the pounding of everday practice.I enjoy riding my road bike around Los Angeles, but if biking isn't your thing, I definitely reccomend running. There is a great trail along the beach that is never really crowded, and you can run/ride from Mailibu to down past Palos Verdes.I wouldn't say that running has a learning curve, but getting to that three mile mark is tough for the first little while. If you aren't comforatble on the road yet, run on the treadmill in the aforementioned big fancy rec center on campus. If you need to be motivated, go online to runnersworld.com, and downlaod a 5k training plan. Find a community 5k , even one on campus, and train for that. You will be suprised how addicting running is. I 've been doing it for eight years and thousands of miles, and I still enjoy every day on the roads. Good Luck!
[...] This was the case when I discovered MapMyRun about a year ago. It does exactly that: it helps you map out running loops, so that distances are no longer a mystery. Kelly mentioned it here, (upon my valuable recommendation) but back then, the site had just the essentials. I checked up on it the other day to find that an update has made it the dream-site for runners, hikers, bikers, equestrians, skateboarders, dogwalkers — you get the point. [...]
Exercises are important for our health and wellbeing. I have been running for more than 20 years. However, when I turned middle age I started to put on weight. Not that I eat more but because of hormonal changes women of middle age gain weight without overeating. I exercise and I watch what I eat and there I was putting on weight! I had to do something otherwise i could end up a fat lady. I found apple cider vinegar and I have never looked back. I am still taking apple cider vinegar to maintain my weight!
Get down the gym, get some weights, go running. There's plenty of things you can do to keep fit in college and weight training is one of the very best ways to keep fit. It increases your muscle strength and joint monoeverability, and it can also increase fat loss.
Check out these reviews of some of the very best weight training programs. Remember, you don't have to want to gain huge muscle to start weight training. It is a fantastic way to speed up fat loss and tone up.
Your site was helpful. I look forward to more future postings. Thank You
Every college has a gym so it's not a problem to keep fit there, the problem is that students are very lazy =))
Following a http://weighttrainingadvice.com/index.html" rel="nofollow">weight training routine is perfect when you're in college since your probably at the age where you have naturally high testosterone levels. A good diet may be hard to follow for a college student, but at least you should add some solid muscle size.
Cycling is great fun I used to cycle into college when I was there, it saved bus fare. Without a car it give a great sense of freedom
Remember to have fun with it or it can just become a chore
They say the average college student gains an average of 20 ibs. in the first year.
You can lose weight using elliptical trainers because they are the ideal combination of cardio workout and calorie burning machines. Not only are they easy to use and less stressful on the joints when compared to jogging on a hard surface, the display console gives you a wealth of information about your workout. Ellipticals give you an estimate on the number of calories burned, METs, the time and distance of your workout, and your Target Heart Rate.