The semester is quickly approaching an end, and a lot of us are waking up to the reality that we have 9:00 a.m. classes that we’ve been neglecting all semester and online assignments due in just a few weeks. With all of these stressful tasks, exams and responsibilities creeping on us, stress is sure to ensue. Here are some reasons why and how you should get up, get out and get sweating for the sake of stress-relief and your health and wellness.
To put it simply: exercising makes you happy. Your body releases chemicals called endorphins which interact with your brain to reduce pain and trigger a positive feeling in one’s body, leading to an energizing and happy outlook on life.
Being aware of your stress and coming to terms with the causing factors is the first step to reducing it and getting yourself back on a positive track. Stress symptoms can not only affect your thoughts and behavior, but they can also lead to some undesirable effects on your body. When you’re under pressure, your body reacts with a fast heart rate, sleep problems, fatigue and headaches. These physical symptoms, along with mental symptoms such as depression and anxiety, are not ones to ignore but things that you should be open to solving and working through.
Courtesy: FSU Campus Rec Twitter
Something that stops many people from getting the exercise that they need is the fear that comes with making that first step toward going to the gym, starting to run, or going to group fitness classes. But that initiation is the most crucial thing to getting a routine started. Integrating some form of physical exercise into your daily life can make what seems like a world of a difference when it comes to stress relief. Once you make physical exercise a part of your daily life and schedule it around work, school or whatever else you’re doing, it becomes second nature and just another part of your routine.
Instead of treating exercise like another thing to check off of your to-do list, make it a priority and turn it into something you enjoy and want to do. Time management and balancing your current routine with this new hobby will be essential to keeping yourself in a positive and happy mindset for the rest of the semester.
As FSU students, we are lucky enough to have all of the amenities and options that Campus Rec provides on and off campus. If you’re not the kind of person to force yourself into waking up a little earlier for a run or some weightlifting, check out the group fitness classes that are offered every single day of the week at the Leach! Or if you’d rather break a sweat by yourself, try going to the Fitness & Movement Clinic right inside the Health and Wellness Center for a more individualistic experience.
Courtesy: FSU Campus Rec
For our collegiettes that would rather not lift weights or maybe aren’t as excited to go to a HIIT class, there are still so many exercises for you that don’t include going to the frat guy dense areas of the gym. Aerobic exercises, such as meditation, swimming, and running, as well as more calming workouts like yoga or just simply walking, are underrated in the work of physical exercise but still very effective! If you’re sitting in Strozier studying for hours, be sure to take study breaks at least every hour or so to get up and move around. Making sure your body isn’t stagnant, especially during these very stressful times of the semester, is such an important way to reduce stress.
The most important take away is that your body needs physical exercise, and it’s something that can easily be incorporated in your daily routine. Remember that you have the option of walking versus taking the bus to class or walking up a few flights of stairs versus taking the elevator. The little things are what counts and treating your mental and physical health as a priority, rather than a task, will be your first step into living a healthier and less stressful life.