I like to think about life as a game. A game in which I am the player, my friends and family are my teammates, and the world is my battlefield. I control my life, I control my decisions, my moves, and my actions… therefore, whatever happens, it is on me. Off course, as any player for any sport, my life is bounded by external stressors that I can not really influence or control, but I like to think I am in charge of my present which will potentially influence my future.
Now, as a college student I have noticed that is it quite a task to manage your time to be all: healthy (mentally, emotionally and physically), social, diligent, and all the characteristics that encompass those: responsible, punctual, energetic, caring, thoughtful, the list goes on. I know the struggle because I have been through that myself, but I am here to tell you that it is not as hard as it seems, it just takes will power. One of the secrets that have helped me accomplish all my tasks and goals, something that has helped me relief stress when I needed it the most, pump up my days, improve my overall image, and has made me feel good, productive, young, and ready for what I have ahead of me, is exercising. It is really hard to start, but when you make it part of your daily routine, I promise all aspects of your life are going to improve. So let me remind you that you are the player in this game, you are the one in control of your life and your decisions, and excuses are not allowed… go out there, start exercising and see how your life’s scoreboard changes from 0 to 7.
Here are 6 tips (+ an extra point) on how to score a TOUCHDOWN for improving your health, therefore improving your overall life situation, as a college student:
One: I understand the struggle of “not having time to workout”, but you should never use that as an excuse, because you know what? exercising is not just going to the gym or doing sports, it can be done within your daily life routine… unless you live in a huge city with high traffic at all times and you happen to live quite a few blocks away from school or work, do not drive or take the bus or a taxi, WALK. Walk to school, take a walk at the nearest park with your roommate or best friend, walk through the city or town you live in. This is key. Put on your headphones, play something you enjoy, and walk, just walk. It can be very relaxing.
Two: Unless you work in a tall building there is no need for using the elevator, USE THE STAIRS. I am pretty sure you decide on skipping the stairs because of pure laziness, but I can assure you it will make a difference in a future. My grandma lives in the fourth floor of her building and she uses the stairs every single time (and I am pretty sure that is the reason why she looks as stunning as she does), so if she can do that, so can you.
Three: Now, if you have some free time I recommend doing some CARDIO. Cardio is the most efficient exercise you could ever do. It helps keep your cardiovascular activity going, it helps you lose weight and stay in shape because it requires you to use all your body muscles, and it makes you sweat pretty fast which is good and healthy.
Four: If you are really into gym stuff, try WEIGHT LIFTING. No, this is not “just for guys,” this is for everybody out there. Weight lifting is one of the things that helps me the most when I need to relieve stress. It pushes me to my fullest potential and it helps me build strength that I (obviously) did not have before. I did not use to like weight lifting, but it has sure changed the way I exercise and the way my body looks.
Five: Join an INTRAMURAL SPORT’s team… almost every college out there has intramural sports. This is a fun way of being social while exercising at the same time. It will get you involved in something on campus and it will help you get out of your daily routine. Just gather a couple of people, join a sports league, and go have some fun.
Six: Subscribe to GYM CLASSES or local EVENTS: if you are like me, the kind of person who does not necessarily hates the gym, but thinks it is very monotonous, I recommend subscribing to gym classes: yoga, zumba, or any other class that they may have available at your local or school’s gym, go try it; or maybe go register for a local 5k benefiting some charity. Go alone, go with s budy, go because you have tried them before and you want to go again, or go because you desire to try something new. But really… go!
Extra Point: EAT CLEAN: exercising is not going to pay off if you do not pair it with a clean diet. Sure, we are college students, we are not gonna have the healthiest meals every time, but that is why we have weekdays and weekends. Eat clean on weekdays, so you can go easy on weekends. I understand the struggle of being busy almost every day of the week, stressed almost every hour of the day, therefore hungry almost every minute of an hour. But I can assure you that making the “sacrifice” of eating clean during the week, combined with daily exercise, will help you live a balanced college experience. Just a few tips: eat breakfast, eat small portions, eat snacks, and drink water… lots of it.