This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Tulane chapter.
Exercise is one of the best known cures for stress. It keeps your heart healthy, and your bones and muscles strong. Exercise controls your weight and boosts your energy. So why can going to Reily be such a chore? It’s important to find ways that can make exercising fun and something you look forward to. Fortunately for us Tulane students, those opportunities come from every angle. Take advantage of your Reily membership. There is so much offered.
Planning ahead of time when you want to go:
For those people that are schedule oriented, planning a specific time to go to the gym will always increase the probability of actually going. If it’s written in a planner or in a phone calendar, you’re almost 90% more likely to do it. But planning isn’t only for those that are schedule oriented. If you know you missed that episode of the Kardashians last night and it’s being replayed on E! at 7pm, that hour on the elliptical may not seem so long. There is no harm in concentrating your trips to the gym on a time when you know there is something intersting to entertain you. Having something to do that can make the monotony of being on an exercise machine go away is the key to enjoying your time at the gym.
Not into machines?
Plenty of people, like myself, hate the treadmill, the elliptical, the bike. Anything stationary. Reily has plenty of alternatives. Grab a friend and play some racquetball. Even if you’ve never played just taking some time to learn little, hit the ball back and forth, and run around is a great way to be active. You’ll find that this workout can actually make you sweat way more than you think. Maybe you don’t want to sweat. That walk to class in the humidity was enough. Take an hour and go for a swim. Reily has an amazing pool that is great for doing some laps. Swimming is a great workout for your whole body and a refreshing way to get out of the New Orleans heat and humidity.
Outdoor activities
If the gym just isn’t for you, there are still plenty of ways that Reily can facilitate some athletic activity on a weekly basis. Join an intramural team. If you and your friends have a sport you love or one you want to try, there are intramural signups at the beginning of every semester. These sports play once a week and are a great way to runaround and not only get in some exercise, but some healthy competition. If sports aren’t your thing, but being outside sounds nice, Reily offers countless events every week. Be sure to sign up in advance because such trips can fill up quickly and almost all have a registration deadline. They range from rock climbing, to canoeing, to weekly bike rides. All of these are not only a great way to be active, but to meet people as well.
We all have a membership to the Reily Center just by paying tuition. It is a beautiful facility with some much to offer. Don’t let stress sneak up on you: Get to the gym and run off that extra energy and you’ll be happier, healthier, and ready to handle whatever comes at you!