I have considered myself to be a very active person throughout my life, I have done numerous different sports from dance to lacrosse. Since moving out this fall to live at UVM, I was faced with keeping myself accountable for my own physical activity. Now that I wasn’t doing any sports anymore I had to figure out other ways to keep myself active. I have been here for nearly two semesters (which is crazy to even think about) and I want to share the ways that have helped me stay active as a busy college student.
Create a schedule
To go from being an athlete for basically my entire life to nothing was very tough for me. I never had to think about my schedule or even worry about moving my body, I just was told what to do. I have found it to be super helpful to create my own schedule for when I will get active. I personally use Google Calendar to mark down days and times for what I want to do. For example, I mark down what time I want to go to the gym, what fitness classes I want to do, or if I want to go on a walk somewhere. Having it down in my calendar makes it solidified in my head that way I can make time and stick with what I want to do. It doesn’t matter how many days a week or even for how much time you are doing an activity for, it’s about sticking with what you intended to do. Writing it down gives myself a sense of accountability.Â
Any movement counts
We are surrounded with so much media about gym routines and a lot of extreme examples of what fitness “should” look like that it makes fitness seem so far out of reach. Personally, I have no need for an elaborate workout routine or fitness plan. But if that is your jam, more power to you. Listen, I know plenty of people who love going to the gym and enjoy an intense schedule, but for me personally sometimes working out sucks. When I am feeling low energy or just need to do some sort of body movement I’ll pop on a 10 minute pilates or yoga video. Your 100% is going to look different everyday. Some days your 100% could mean going to a spin class, yet others it could just be a walk around the block. What matters is that you listen to your body and give what you have in that moment.
Walking
As a college student living without a car on campus walking has become my best friend. Even before I came to UVM I loved going on walks around my neighborhood, but being at school has given me a new appreciation for walking. This also goes along with my previous point of any movement counts, it is such a practical way of staying active and I find it helps me so much mentally. Through the Vermont cold weather and snow I found myself still walking to class, making sure to dress accordingly. As someone who lives on UVM’s Redstone Campus, I look forward to my morning walk to class and my afternoon return. Walking is so underrated. There are so many places on campus and around Burlington to walk such as the little path by the country club near Patrick gym and downtown along Lake Champlain.
Turn it into a hangout
There is nothing better than hanging out with friends, why not pair that with a physical activity? My friends and I love going on walks while talking about anything and everything. We also love to take cute photos along the way which makes going to new locations super exciting. Don’t be afraid to invite your friends to join you! That said, sometimes friends are busy which is annoying but leaves open the opportunity to listen to music or a new podcast. I have never been super into podcasts until this year when my walks to class needed some spicing up. Lately, I have been invested in the Was I in a Cult podcast on spotify, definitely recommend it if you want to listen to some mind boggling stories about cults. It sounds very niche, but a good podcast or music can make all the difference.
Now that I shared four of my tips for staying active I hope that this gives you new ways of thinking about staying active while being a busy college student. It is so beneficial for not only your physical, but also your mental health and it should not be seen as a daunting task. Take it easy and take advantage of the beautiful Spring weather that is to come!