Hey there! Boy am I glad Tuesday is over. The only thing getting me through my day was thinking about my afternoon run in the park with a girlfriend — hooray for Running Tuesday! I got my run + kettlebell routine done by 5:15pm – bam! That seldom happens.
One more longgg Wednesday and then it’s a 4-day weekend in the SUN!
Look at that! Spring!?
Speaking of school and running, I thought today [Running Tuesday #86820] would be a good time to answer a reader’s request:
Alyssa – a lot of students struggle with finding the balance between academics and exercise, so know you’re not alone on this one. First off, although I am a full-time student, I currently do not work [besides an internship], which leaves a fair amount of “free time” to fit exercise into my schedule. If I am training for a race, I am more adamant about sticking to schedule; that said, I do believe in rest days. It is also convenient for me that I have an inviting gym on campus, so I don’t have far to go to get in motion. I love to exercise. Athleticism is something important in my life; it’s one of the few things that brings me happiness. I’ve been working diligently on adding more “happy” to life recently, which means that often exercise is higher on my priority list than perhaps it should be? My tips for any of y’all that may be struggling with fitting in fitness would be:
1. Pencil it in. Whether it be a class at the gym, or a jog with a friend, put it in your planner just as it were a class, meeting, work shift, or other obligation. [I use Google Calendar.]
2. Buddy up. Ask a friend if they’d be interested in a regular workout date once or twice a week. If you have a hard time motivating yourself, perhaps some “peer pressure” is what you need.
3. Pre-game [LOL!]. In the morning – or better yet, the night before – pack your bag with workout gear [outfit, shoes, iPod, watch, power snack, etc.] and take it along to school. Instead of returning home to gear up for your activity – where one will most like get distracted – it’s easier to convince yourself to stick to your plan and get in the game.
Life is a balancing act. For me, I’m currently having an issue of finding a balance between my [social] life and sleep =/ I wonder how many typos are in this post, as I’m pretty sure my eyes have been at half-mast as I wrote.
My lights are going out before 10:00pm.
Goodnight!
Do you have any other advice for Alyssa?
Check out it: I’m featured on College Gloss! Read up :)
Tuesday Tidbits | 2.19.13
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Packing the night before is essential! It’s one of the main factors in my morning workouts.
SO jealous of that 5 day forecast!
My other suggestion for Alyssa would be to make sure the workout you have planned is something you enjoy to do. If you hate running, don’t plan that for your workout, otherwise you’ll be way less motivated to go to the gym. I also find that a morning workout (however awful it may be to get out of bed) is better for me then waiting until the evening. If you workout in the morning it’s done and your have a full day ahead of you. You also have the satisfaction of knowing how much work you accomplished while others were still curled up in bed. It’s a great feeling!
I’m a college junior as well and I am definitely working on finding that “balance” between everything important in life! I think it’s a constant battle!
I especially love the “pre game” tip hahaha but it SO works. Just don’t use the joose ;)
Great interview/article!
GREAT tips!! AHAHA pregame – agreed on that one! ;)
Your tips are great, and I laughed at the pregame joke! Exercise buddies are great motivation, as well as finding a class that you love. I have my favorite spinning + yoga classes because of good instructors & good music. I always try to fit in exercise wherever possible – for example, I always run during my 3 hour morning break tues/thurs.
These tips are really great! That’s my biggest fear in college is that I’m going to be so bogged down with work that I won’t have the time or energy to workout. But finding time and taking essential rest days are really important. You’re definitely right about that!
Lovin’ that forecast. :)
Thank you so much for taking the time to respond to my comment! These are all great ideas and I’ll be sure to keep you posted as to how it goes!