It’s a Friday afternoon, and you couldn’t be more excited for it to finally be the weekend. Maybe you got out of class early and are hanging out on the terrace with your friends and people watching (this is actually my favorite thing to do/place to be on campus). The thought of going all the way back to your dorm, throwing on gym clothes, finding your iPod, headphones and student ID honestly seems like the worst thing imaginable at the moment.
Or maybe it’s a Wednesday, and you’re swamped with work. You just finished your Econ exam, you have a Stats quiz tomorrow, and you also have to watch a movie for your film studies class tonight. You feel like you don’t have a minute to spare, even to go to dinner. The idea of scheduling time to work out is laughable.
I used these excuses a lot last year (and a few times this year, I’ll admit). And trust me, one day of excuses can lead to a week of excuses, which can build up to a whole semester of excuses. The next thing you know, you haven’t made it to the gym all semester and that cute skirt you wore last semester no longer looks cute.
To help avoid these excuses keeping you away from putting on tennis shoes and making your way to the rec center, think about a few of these:
1. Working out doesn’t have to involve an hour sprinting on the treadmill, or 2 hours of hardcore weightlifting. Just sweating a little bit (i.e. 20 minutes on the elliptical), will do wonders, for both your body, and your mind.
2. Remember last weekend, when you thought it was a good idea to take those 5 shots in a row? Well, each shot of that delicious plain Burnett’s you threw back, had about 70 calories in it (http://www.drinksmixer.com/desc2980.html). Do the math. Oh, and those 2 Natty Lights that you shotgunned? Almost 200 more calories (http://www.beer100.com/beercalories.htm). So, maybe spending an hour at the rec center wouldn’t do any harm…
3. The rec center is a social place. I don’t think there has ever been a time when I haven’t run into someone I knew at the gym. So instead of being anti-social and spending hours on Pinterest or Facebook, put on some shorts and running shoes, and go hang out with your fellow students!
4. Exercising releases endorphins, which make you feel better! I for one cannot study when I’m feeling gross. If I haven’t taken a shower, or if I haven’t worked out in a few days, there is no way I can sit in Swem and focus on writing a 7 page paper.
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5. Spring Break is in 2 weeks. And summer break comes faster than you would think! You don’t want to be unpleasantly surprised when you put your bikini back on.
6. Do you honestly want to read 100 pages in your English novel? Doesn’t a trip to the gym sound more appealing than reading about the hardships and heartbreak of 16th century characters?
7. Boys like the gym. Maybe you want to creep on that really hot upperclassmen you are secretly obsessed with. Or perhaps you have a date party this weekend, and you can’t think of anyone to ask? You can do some brain-storming as you run on the treadmill with guys constantly passing by.
8. Our rec center has a few perks, besides endless amounts of exercise equipment. Bribe yourself into going by getting a smoothie or a massage after your work out! I didn’t even know massages were offered at the rec center until my roommate just mentioned it…
9. Don’t take it for granted. How often in your life do you think you’ll have a gym to go to with no membership fee?
10. Your roommate is driving you crazy. If you hear her complain about her Psych grade one more time, you might throw something at her. And your dorm room smells weird. And you’re so tired of talking to people. You just need to be by yourself. So, out on your headphones and run or walk to the gym. If you look really intense on the Cross-Trainer, no one is going to want to bother you!
Hopefully some of these ideas will help you to force yourself to make some time for the gym, even on that cold, rainy Tuesday! And remember, no matter how much you whine about how far away the gym is from your comfy bed, at least we don’t have a massive campus where you would have to take a bus to get there. The walk to and from the rec center can even count as part of your work out!