You’re probably unsure how exercising could help your GPA. But listen, I am not making this up. As a person who loves to work out, I have personally seen the improvement. Going to the gym, the yoga studio, for a walk, or any other type of activity will help you in your academics. Let me explain why.
When you schedule yourself a specific time to spend exercising in your day, it gives you a break from schoolwork. Even though you may be thinking, “I don’t have time to work out today” but, you do. We spend a lot of time filling space. Whether this is scrolling through Tiktok or watching Netflix, this is time that you could be using to work out. Personally, the gym is a place where I can completely shut my mind off from schoolwork. I leave my work environment (my apartment) and take myself out of school mode completely. Although this sounds counterintuitive, it’s actually beneficial. By removing yourself from your work environment to do something for yourself, you lose most of the guilt. When I find myself watching a show or on Tiktok, I can’t seem to shake the guilt that I should be doing schoolwork at that moment. But, when I’m at the gym, this is the time that I can turn off school mode, guilt-free. Exercising is beneficial. I know that taking a break from schoolwork to exercise is a good way to get a break. This leaves you time to actually let your body mentally take a break from school and refresh yourself.
Once you’ve worked out, you’ll feel better mentally and physically. After I exercise, I feel energized and productive. So, now that I’m in productivity mode, doing homework afterwards feels much easier. You give your brain a break, making the work feel new and easier to follow. Exercising also helps your mental health tremendously. Aerobic exercises raise your dopamine and serotonin levels. This is great for mental health, making you feel happier. Exercising also helps to regulate your sleep schedule. A big issue for college students is the lack of sleep they get. But with exercise, it makes it easier for your body to regulate your circadian rhythm. On top of that, you’ll feel more confident. With higher levels of serotonin and dopamine, increased and regular sleep patterns, and higher confidence, it is no wonder your GPA improves.
Another reason exercising helps your GPA is because it helps with time management. By blocking out time in your day to work out, it helps schedule the rest of your day and forces you to focus all your time on your schoolwork during these blocks. By doing this, your day will be framed better and more easily manageable. So before you say that you don’t have the time to exercise while in college, remember this. Exercising is extremely beneficial for your academics. By working out, you will see an improvement in your GPA with the right mentality.