The common gossip is that students tend to gain a bit of fresher’s weight when we arrive at uni; I’m sure the excessive amount of alcohol consumed in Week One has something to do with this. The ultimate question is how to find a balance between your ever rising work load (if you plan to be that top lawyer/doctor/movie-star!) and your extra-curricular activities (if you’re going to glam up that CV) as well as avoiding putting on a few pounds, not to mention spending as little as possible in the process!
To be honest with you, I don’t think anyone has quite cracked that rubik’s cube yet, but here’s a few realities that should help you out.
As our puny student budget won’t allow us to eat and detox like Millie Mackintosh for an entire uni year (let’s face it, if we were married to Professor Green we would all look like goddesses!), at the start of term you are likely to live under the misapprehension that uni will be the reformation of you. You will be upping your game and becoming a regular gym bunny despite the bank-busting three figure price of the university gym membership. However, in most cases, this is unfortunately just a fantasy. If you are in fact one of the few that manage to frequent the gym 2-3 times a week… I salute you!
Not to say don’t try and avoid a 3am kebab or try out the university gym. Nottingham has amazing facilities and it will be a breath of fresh air if you come from a small, ill-equipped town like myself. But splashing the cash as a desperate attempt not to go up a dress size in a week is not a realistic approach to hectic student life, it’s best to test the waters first in order to work out what best suits your new lifestyle.
There are a few easier, fun and more cost effective ways of fighting off the flab at university, even if filling your tiny room with your entire worldly possessions may feel like sufficient exercise for the next month. The lure of free pens at the fresher’s fair is not the only bonus of joining sports societies at uni. Whether trying your hand at a new sport or dusting off the old kit, university has a broad spectrum of teams catering for different abilities which means all are welcome. Not only is there no pressure or expectation of skill, sports societies are also renowned for their social element. So instead of running on the treadmill with Beyoncé blaring in your ears, you will be exercising and working with a whole new group of people. Time to give your metabolism and your social life a kick up the bottom!
There are many other sporting opportunities available for you at Notts, such as Broadgate Park’s Charity Sports Day, to keep you in shape; but it would ruin the fun if I just told you everything that’s on offer… go ahead, have fun and explore for yourself!
Image Source: https://u.osu.edu/uofye/files/2014/03/cardio-288d6g8.jp
Edited by Georgina Varley