College is such an exciting period! There are so many things to try out, from the delicious and affordable foods in the canteen to the social life. Hence, it is easy to forget about caring for your health when you’re busy adapting to a new environment. You might be tempted to focus on your studies and social life, thinking that fitness can wait for a while.
But here’s the thing – your health is essential, and neglecting it can lead to some unintended consequences. Your body might not wait for you to prioritise your fitness, and you might start facing issues like weight gain and low stamina. So don’t wait for the perfect time to start—start taking care of yourself now!
This blog post is all about helping college students like you stay fit and healthy while enjoying college life. You’ll learn how to stay fit with minimal resources, and you won’t have to sacrifice your academics or social life to do it.
What is your fitness goal?
Before you start thinking about creating a fitness plan or signing up for a gym membership, let’s take a moment to figure out why you want to stay fit. A lot of people just jump right in without knowing their fitness goals, which can lead to losing motivation.
A fitness goal is simply what you want to achieve while staying fit. It could be for health reasons, to match your lifestyle, or to lose weight. Maybe you have a specific activity you want to participate in that requires a certain level of fitness. Whatever your goal is, it’s essential to have one to keep you motivated. By committing to your fitness goal and making it a habit, you can stay fit and healthy!
Why should you stay fit?
There are several benefits to staying fit. These include boosting brain health, helping manage weight, reducing the risk of weight-related diseases, strengthening muscles and bones, and improving daily activities.
1. To boost your brain health
When you’re in college, taking care of your brain and mental health is crucial. Exercise can help release those happy hormones, also known as endorphins, which make you feel refreshed and less stressed out.
Plus, physical activity can improve cognitive function and reduce anxiety, especially when you’re trying to tackle a challenging problem. It can also help you sleep better and reduce the risk of anxiety, which is common when you’re trying to adapt to college life away from home.
2. To manage your weight
Working out can help you lose weight, but having healthy eating habits is also important to stay fit. It’s not just about burning calories; it’s about reducing calorie intake to avoid that vicious cycle of losing and gaining weight. When you exercise, you burn fat and convert it to energy while converting protein into muscle fibres. This leads to a healthier, fitter body that has less fat and more muscle.
3. Lower pain and risk of disease
Regular physical activity also makes daily tasks much easier by reducing muscle strain and pain. For instance, if you tend to squat when doing daily activities that involve bending, exercising regularly can make it much easier because your muscles and bones won’t be stiff.
Moreover, working out can lower blood pressure and bad cholesterol, which helps reduce the risk of certain diseases like diabetes, metabolic syndrome, heart disease, and stroke.
How do you stay fit?
If you’re in college, you should make your fitness a priority. Here are some common ways to stay active on campus:
Practice healthy eating
As a college student, it can be easy to develop unhealthy eating habits due to the lack of supervision and reminders to maintain a balanced diet. Therefore, it’s important to cultivate healthy eating habits and make it a routine to consume a well-balanced diet. Begin with:
- Stock your fridge (or the ones you share with your roommates) with a variety of healthy foods to prevent the temptation of eating out or snacking on unhealthy options. Start by shopping for fruits, vegetables, whole grains like rice and oats, proteins like meat, beans, fish, and eggs, and healthy snacks such as yoghurt and nuts. Try to purchase enough of these items at the beginning of the month to last you for at least two weeks. This will help you stay on track with your healthy eating habits.
- Meal prep every weekend. It’s a good idea to cook healthy meals in advance and store them in the fridge for the week. This way, you’ll have something nutritious to eat even when you’re too busy or stressed to cook. Make sure to include a balanced diet in each meal and prepare enough to last you for the entire week. If you’re worried about fruit spoilage, consider buying them as needed rather than storing them with meals.
- Before buying any ingredients for your meals, it’s crucial to check the labels and take note of the amount of fat and sugar they contain. This will help you determine whether the product is suitable for your fitness goals. Ask yourself questions such as: Does it have a high sugar content? Does it have high calories but low sugar and fat content? Ideally, you should choose products that have less sugar and fat and more nutrients that align with your fitness goals.
- Keep yourself hydrated throughout the day. One easy way to do this is to carry a 500ml to 1-litre water bottle with you and keep it full. Take it with you everywhere you go, even to your bedroom, to remind yourself to drink water. Instead of frequently consuming soft drinks or energy drinks just because they taste good, try to opt for water instead. You don’t need to follow a strict hydration routine, but it’s good to set a goal of finishing at least 1 litre of water every day.
Have a good sleep routine
Maintaining a healthy sleep routine is crucial for college students. A poor sleep routine can negatively impact various aspects of your life, such as your academics, social life, relationships, and even fitness.
1. Try to sleep early
To ensure that you wake up feeling refreshed and energised, it is essential to get a good night’s sleep, which starts with going to bed early. As the saying goes, “early to bed, early to rise.” If you go to bed late, say around 1 a.m., you won’t be able to wake up early and feel refreshed. Also, you may end up feeling lethargic during lectures or workouts.
2. Avoid light distractions
To ensure that you get enough sleep, you should make use of opaque curtains to block out sunlight, especially during the summer when the sun rises early. Additionally, you should disconnect from electronic devices like phones or laptops at least an hour before bedtime. These devices emit blue light, which can disrupt your sleep and make it difficult to fall asleep. Try to avoid going to bed with your phone in hand, as it may disrupt your sleep.
3. Set the right alarm
Lastly, avoid setting alarms that snooze frequently. If you set an alarm for 7 am, let it be just that time, not snoozing 7.05, 7.10, or 7.20. Snoozing alarms can disrupt your sleep pattern and lead to headaches and fatigue during the day. If you’re uncertain about waking up at 7 am, set the alarm for 7.20 instead.
Read more: 9 Life Hacks for Improved Sleep Routine
Keep yourself active in the following ways:
There is no single way to stay active; any physical movement can count as activity. You can exercise at any time of the day, whether in the morning, afternoon, or evening (although it is usually recommended to do it first thing in the morning).
1. Walking
Walking is a great way to stay active and fit, and it doesn’t require any special equipment or apparel. You can wear your go-to clothes and any comfortable footwear (just avoid high heels, as they can be uncomfortable and unsafe for walking). Walking to places like campuses, shopping centres, and parks is an easy way to stay active.
If you want to lose weight or see better results, you may want to try brisk walking. This involves walking at a faster pace, which burns calories faster than regular walking. Instead of taking the bus for a 30 to 40-minute walkable distance, try walking instead. You can do this daily or at least three times a week.
Read more: 8 Effective Ways to Walk Off Weight
2. Cycling to school
Staying active is beneficial to your health, and one way to do that is by biking to school. If you already have a bike or are thinking of getting one, this is a great way to keep yourself fit and toned. Biking burns calories quickly, so if you have the option, consider cycling instead of taking the bus, unless the distance is too far.
3. Taking the stairs when possible
To stay healthy, it’s critical to maintain a certain level of fitness each week. One easy way to do this is to avoid elevators and take the stairs instead. This is especially important if you don’t work out regularly.
Furthermore, when walking, you can add a little variation to your routine by including stairs or hilly parts of the park. This small change can make a big difference in your overall fitness level.
4. Try doing HIIT and yoga
High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is one of the most popular forms of fitness and is preferred by many who wish to stay active. Going to the gym is an option if you are comfortable with it and can afford it. If you are a college student, you may be eligible for discounted gym fees, as the gym is often located on campus.
Read more: Home Workout vs. Gym Membership
However, if you prefer not to go to the gym, you can work out at home. There are countless videos available online that demonstrate home workouts, and there are also many free fitness apps that offer a variety of workout options.
Yoga is another excellent workout technique that can help you stay fit, improve your mental health, and increase your flexibility. You don’t necessarily need to go to the gym to practice yoga; all you need is an open space, such as a park, where you can stretch and flex your body.
Read more: 10 Best Fitness app to Download 2024
5. Try jogging or running
According to studies (runningwithgrit, 2021), only 15% of the human population takes part in running and jogging as an exercise routine. This shows how little people tend to run as a way to keep fit, even though it is a very good workout. Therefore, I encourage you to try running to see if it works for you. You never know, it might be the perfect workout for you.
Before I started running, I used to work out at the gym or home. But one day, I decided to try out running, and I have never been able to stop since then. The best part is that you don’t need any special equipment or apparel; just a good pair of running shoes and you are good to go. Running also burns more calories than any other workout, making it worth your while.
(Healthline (Nunez), 2019)‘Running is the winner for most calories burned per hour.’
You can choose to speed run, run at an average pace, build endurance or even sprint (although this should only last for 20 to 30 seconds maximum). So why not give running a try? You might be surprised at how much you enjoy it and how it can help improve your fitness.
6. Do activities you enjoy
Remember that staying fit doesn’t have to come in the form of traditional exercise. Participating in activities that you enjoy can be just as effective. Dancing, for example, is a great form of workout that is often underrated. Zumba is a popular option that combines dance and exercise.
You can also consider playing sports such as basketball, football, swimming, and volleyball, among others. The most important thing is that you are burning calories and releasing endorphins, regardless of the activity you choose. So pick something you enjoy and get moving!
Read more: 5 Most Underrated Forms of Exercise
Wear your workout clothes on the day you plan to workout
A helpful tip to motivate yourself to exercise is to wear your workout clothes ahead of time. For instance, you can wear sports bras and gym clothes the day you plan to work out. This will make you more likely to exercise before you have a chance to change your mind.
I use this technique by getting up and putting on my running outfit before I let any procrastinating thoughts discourage me from working out that day. Even if the thought of not wanting to exercise pops up later, I have already put on my workout clothes and will go out and run.
If you have lectures or classes early in the day and want to exercise later, then wear your fitness apparel to class. After class, you can go straight to your workout without having to change clothes. This can help you stay motivated and make it easier to stick to your fitness goals.
Get a fitness tracker and perhaps a fitness buddy
A fitness tracker is an essential tool to track your progress and set fitness goals. There are various fitness apps available for different types of exercises, such as step-counter apps for walking, running apps like the Nike Run Club, fitness apps for home workouts, and also ones for gym workouts.
On the other hand, fitness buddies are also useful to keep you motivated, help you track your progress, and act as a reminder to keep going. A fitness buddy can be a friend or a colleague who shares similar interests as you in terms of keeping yourself healthy and fit. Your fitness buddy is like your wake-up call and someone who will push you to do better because when you see them working out, you will also be encouraged to work out even if you don’t feel like it and are about to give up.
Know that trying to become fit takes time
It is a common misconception that burning calories is easy. However, losing weight and toning your body is not an overnight process. It takes time and effort to achieve your fitness goals. Remember, it took time to gain weight, and it will take time to lose it too.
Don’t give up along the way and don’t think that all your hard work isn’t paying off. Stay focused on your goals and keep pushing yourself to reach them. With determination and commitment, you will see progress and eventually achieve your desired results. As you continue to work hard, you will form healthy habits that will keep you fit and reduce your risk of disease. Remember, hard work always pays off in the end.
Conclusion
After reading this blog post, you might have realised that staying fit is not just one path, but rather a range of options that can fit your pace and work for you. So, why not try incorporating at least one of these options into your daily routine and see if you can achieve good results? If you found this post helpful and would like to hear about related topics that can help you stay healthy, please subscribe to our newsletter. And we’d love to hear from you! So, feel free to leave a comment and let us know your thoughts on the post.
You might also like: How Can I Balance Work, College, and Fitness Without Losing My Mind?
REFERENCES
Narins, E. (2016). 30 Ways to Stay Fit When You Get to College. (online) Cosmopolitan. Available at: https://www.cosmopolitan.com/health-fitness/news/a63313/ways-to-stay-fit-when-you-go-back-to-campus/ (Accessed April 19, 2024).
Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (2022). Benefits of Physical Activity. (online) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/basics/pa-health/index.htm#:~:text=Regular%20physical%20activity%20is%20one (Accessed April 19, 2024).
Nunez, K. (2019). What Exercises Burn the Most Calories? 12 Exercises, Tips, and More. (online) Healthline. Available at: https://www.healthline.com/health/what-exercise-burns-the-most-calories#takeaway (Accessed April 19, 2024).
runningwithgrit (2021). Statistics About Running; Facts About Runners. (online) Running With Grit. Available at: https://runningwithgrit.com/statistics-about-running/ (Accessed April 19, 2024).
