College Exercise

If you're in college, do you exercise?  Even young people need to exercise, to be the best they can be.    College can be stressful and exercising is a great way to eliminate stress.  College students may not always eat right. Pizza, a popular meal for students, is tasty but loaded with calories.  Exercising will keep you from increasing your weight as you study to increase your IQ! This web page will help you to get information about Exercising in College. First, read our article, "Five Reasons to Exercise in College". Discover the benefits of exercise and why college is the best time to get in the fitness habit. Our article was written by a college student who shares her firsthand experiences. Learn what she has learned! After you read our article, follow the Related Links we provide to other informative and helpful web sites about Exercising. Buy a few of the Books we recommend below, for in-depth information on Exercising. Get in the habit of Exercising and Eating Healthy while you are young and you'll reap a lifetime of rewards!  Related Links: About.com, Exercise Links to lots of articles on Exercise, Nutrition and Weight Loss. American Council on Exercise  The American Council on Exercise is the largest nonprofit fitness certification and education provider in the world. Their site has tons of short articles on a wide range of exercise topics, including information on becoming a certified trainer or instructor. Medline Plus, Exercise and Physical Fitness  MedlinePlus brings together authoritative information from National Library of Medicine, the National Institutes of Health, and other government agencies and health-related organizations.  This site is loaded with links! Exercise Etiquette An article about the do's and don'ts of exercising at the college gym. Stay fit in College  A good article on exercising in College, with tips on getting started. Hopkins Technology, Fitness Fundamentals  Two longer articles with lots of information on Exercising.  Read These Books:

Five Reasons to Exercise in College by Jessica Bennett   1/23/06 As a senior in college, I know life wouldn't be complete without three major papers due on the same day, at least ten club memberships, the occasional all-nighter thrown in for fun, not to mention much needed chill time with friends, and, oh, maybe some classes as well. Stress is a given in college, and time isn't exactly as abundant as, say, left over pizza. But while time for homework, hanging out and extracurricular activities is important, so is time for exercise. Unfortunately, exercise is usually the first thing nixed on the to-do list when time is stretched. However, beyond the constant assault against the "freshman fifteen", exercise offers a whole host of benefits, especially for us college kids. Here are just five reasons why every college student should hit the weights as much as they hit the books: 1. Exercise can reduce stress. Believe it or not, studies have shown that exercise can reduce stress, something every college student can appreciate. Inactivity lowers metabolism, which is why sitting through Shakespeare and Spanish Composition always has a way of making me feel tired and sluggish (not to mention muy confusiada). Exercise is a great way to get your body moving and wake yourself up. As if reducing stress and finally fitting into those jeans from high school weren't enough, exercise has also been shown to have other psychological benefits. And you thought getting ripped was its own reward. Every college student could use a little more self-esteem and a little less depression in their lives, and exercise is a great way to achieve both. Studies have shown that regular exercise can reduce both depression and anxiety while helping you feel great about yourself. So, if that advanced biology paper is really bumming you out, instead of reaching for the brownies, stop by and say hello to your favorite treadmill (I personally favor a quick workout on one of my school's nifty elliptical trainers). When you're finished, you'll feel sweaty, but also better than ever. Your mind will be awake, refreshed and ready to tackle that paper. 2. Colleges offer great facilities. While exercise at any age is a worthy goal, we college-age kids definitely have the best advantage when it comes to equipment. Almost all colleges, even the smaller ones, offer their students free access to a state of the art gym. Yes, I said free. Colleges are constantly working hard to impress incoming students and their parents, and this means they often spend lots of money to make sure their gym is retrofitted with the latest machines and gadgets. My school is a great example. While it is a small public university, it still has the best gym in three towns over. Not only do colleges offer great gyms and machines (like stair steppers, treadmills, elliptical trainers, stationary bikes and more) but many, especially larger schools, also offer a plethora of cool exercise classes. Interested in yoga or jazzercise? There's a good chance you could be jazzercising your heart out at your college gym. With so many different exercise classes, college is the perfect time to experiment with such classes as aerobics, step, Pilates and more. On a last note, most college gyms also willingly offer health expertise. Student workers studying health and fitness may be available to work with you on a personal exercise routine or diet plan. By the way, did I mention that all these wonderful services are free, free, free? It's all there, so take advantage! 3. Duh! Exercise is great for your health! I'm guessing that since I've had to sit through a hundred health class lectures on the benefits of exercise, so have you. Well, guess what: it's true. Exercise is the best way to keep yourself healthy and prevent many of the common diseases adults face later in life. Your body IS a temple and the greatest asset you possess. It is beautiful, fun and its health is absolutely imperative to living life to the fullest. Many of the benefits of exercise are well known, but let's go over them one more time. Exercise will: help you live longer, reduce your risk for diabetes, high blood pressure and some types of cancer, strengthen your bones, muscles, joints and immune system, and much much more. Of course, exercise also combats obesity, which means those freshmen fifteen will remain the stuff of horror stories as long as you exercise regularly. 4. Exercise makes you look great! Regular exercise transforms your entire person, from your mind to your body. Not only will you feel great if you exercise, you'll look it to. Exercising is the best way to slim down, build muscle and create a leaner, sexier body. What freshmen fifteen? The more muscles you build, the more calories you burn. That means exercise helps you lose weight even when you're not exercising! Boys, imagine yourself not only less stressed but also sporting washboard abs and bulging pecs. Girls can no doubt envision the possibility of slimmer thighs and a well-toned rear. Not only will exercise help you develop the self-esteem you need to ask out that cutie in Biology (maybe he or she can help you with that paper), but you'll be looking so great he or she might actually say yes! 5. College is the best time to develop great exercise habits! Not only do college students often enjoy free access to great equipment, classes and expertise, but there is no better time in your life to start (or restart) an exercise habit. College represents the end of childhood and the beginning of adulthood. These are your most formative years. By making exercise a regular habit now, you stand a much better chance of continuing to exercise regularly as an adult. I say let's be pumping iron when we're ninety. And those people that didn't exercise? Well, we'll visit them in the nursing home as soon as we finish up our 5k runs. In all seriousness, keeping your mind and body healthy is just as important as gaining a strong education. For me, there have been many winter nights when the last thing I wanted to do was plunge out into the cold to go work myself into an asthmatic fit, but nothing beats that feeling of soreness and pride after a good workout. Exercising makes me feel fit, alive and ready to tackle anything Shakespeare can throw at me. I know that exercise will benefit and improve every part of your life no matter where that philosophy major takes you. Attending college is a great way to guarantee a successful future and so is committing yourself to a regular exercise plan. So, if you've learned anything today it's that exercise is not something that should be last on your to-do list. Exercise offers so many benefits it makes me wonder how anyone could afford not to take a few laps around the track or sign up for some aerobics classes. Exercise reduces stress, depression and anxiety while increasing self-esteem. It could stave off obesity, diabetes, cancer and a whole bunch of other terrible diseases. Exercise will also get you fit and fabulous just in time to meet all the new people you'll be spending the next few years of your life with. The time to exercise is now!

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