Are you able to stay in shape & healthy? (Lifestyle)

[arc5005]

Do you have time to make it to the gym? how about to cook healthy/non-processed foods? This especially directed to individuals who were athletes and extremely-fitness-focused before medical school.

1) How many days do you get to the gym?
2) How many hours per day?
3) Does this impact your success in med school?

I used to workout 5-6x a week at least 1-2 hours a day and was in a great shape. This past semester I've realized that taking 4 pre-med science classes + 4corresponding labs is taking away time to workout and to cook healthy non-processed food, and this isn't even during medical school. I'm just worried that I'm going to get obese and then (and if) be one of those physicians who are fat, and others wonder why they are health professionals. hah.

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[Stagg737]

Taking 2 hours/day 5-6 days a week to workout probably won't happen unless you really make it a major priority. Taking 30 minutes to an hour a day shouldn't be a problem on most days. Or if you want longer workouts, you could reasonably fit in 2 hours 2-3 times a week and not affect your studying much. I usually get around 5-7 hours of solid exercise a week and it doesn't really affect my studying. I know people that put in more time, but they either use their workouts as their study break or they don't study as much as other people. I really depends on how organized you can be and what your personal study habits and needs are.

 

[zeppelinpage4]

Right now, I've been able to put in 1.5 hours 3x a week without any issues, but the gym isn't my only priority and I do other things. So I imagine one could do more. Two of my friends go to the gym almost daily, and one of them eats really well too, but they both really seem to make it a priority.

 

[Narmerguy]

I feel you OP. I struggled to maintain my workout routine and ate crappy and got a little softer early on. Eventually I realized that I was wasting plenty of time during my day and could make a 1-1.5hr workout 4-5x a week. Once I did it was fine. Plenty of my classmates workout regularly. School is busy but no one lacks multiple hours to spare each day unless she/he is just wildly inefficient. That said, there are lots of things you can consider doing with your time and you ultimately have to decide what is and isn't worth it--some people value rest more than exercise, or value hanging out more than spending time cooking, etc etc.

 

[cs24]

If you make it a priority, you will have plenty of time to work out and eat healthy. If you are struggling with making time to work out and eat healthy as a premed, it is likely more to your own inefficiency than truly being devoid of time. Try things like cooking for the week in a single afternoon, using healthy leftovers for meals when you are too busy too cook, etc. Make your exercise sessions more efficient as well. You don't need to be in the gym 2hr a day, 6 days a week to be in excellent shape.
Source: athlete before and during medical school, in roughly equivalent shape during both.

 

[JP2740]

Do you have time to make it to the gym? how about to cook healthy/non-processed foods? This especially directed to individuals who were athletes and extremely-fitness-focused before medical school.

1) How many days do you get to the gym?
2) How many hours per day?
3) Does this impact your success in med school?

I used to workout 5-6x a week at least 1-2 hours a day and was in a great shape. This past semester I've realized that taking 4 pre-med science classes + 4corresponding labs is taking away time to workout and to cook healthy non-processed food, and this isn't even during medical school. I'm just worried that I'm going to get obese and then (and if) be one of those physicians who are fat, and others wonder why they are health professionals. hah.

4 premed classes with labs in one semester?

 

[deleted500612]

Do you have time to make it to the gym? how about to cook healthy/non-processed foods? This especially directed to individuals who were athletes and extremely-fitness-focused before medical school.

1) How many days do you get to the gym?
2) How many hours per day?
3) Does this impact your success in med school?

I used to workout 5-6x a week at least 1-2 hours a day and was in a great shape. This past semester I've realized that taking 4 pre-med science classes + 4corresponding labs is taking away time to workout and to cook healthy non-processed food, and this isn't even during medical school. I'm just worried that I'm going to get obese and then (and if) be one of those physicians who are fat, and others wonder why they are health professionals. hah.

1) 5-6 (except right before a final exam)
2) 1.5
3) I don't know because I've never tried anything different

I find it absolutely essential to my mental health and happiness to work out. I can't emphasize enough how much it helps as a stress reliever, confidence-builder, and sleep enhancer. It helps me clear my mind so the time I do spend studying is more productive. I can't really say if spending this much time in the gym effects my grades because I've never tried not doing it. I can say, however, that I'm in the second quartile of my class and I am perfectly content with that. I look around me and see how many students are stressed out, depressed, and struggling just to make it. This is what gives me confidence that spending time working out is likely helping my mental health and performance more than hindering it.

As an MS2 I don't feel overly stressed and I am performing pretty well, all things considered. I will even come right out and say I enjoy med school. I find the content fascinating, and I enjoy the challenge it presents. Are there still times I get stressed out and dislike certain aspects of it? Of course, cramming for exams is never fun. But overall I am genuinely enjoying the experience. Never did understand how so many students on here despise pre-clinical years so much. I figure they either went into med for the wrong reasons or they are not focusing enough on maintaining their own health. Anyway, kind of getting off on a tangent now, but yeah I spend quite a bit of time in the gym and I would never consider giving that time up for studying (other than maybe a day or two before a final), because I feel that in the long run it would actual hinder my mental health and academic progress more than enhance it by the little bit of extra study time it might provide.

 

[Baron Samedi]

If you think of exercising as a priority, it will remain a priority throughout med school. I was able to remain a competitive athlete in med school and have continued into my post-graduate training because it was important to me.

 

[PL198]

Compounds 3-4 times per week. Become superhuman. You're welcome

 

[rbnsafsadgf]

My running schedule for the last few years:
Ms1-2: 5-6 times per week for 60 to 90 mins
MS3: more sporadic. Maybe 3 times peer week. Started doing one two to three hour run each weekend. Ran as transportation to a few rotations.
Ms4: except during away subi about 4 times per week.

You can make it happen. You just need to be efficient with studying.

 

[*brobro*]

Ms2 here.

1) 5-6 days per week
2) 1-2 hours per day (although sometimes I have to sacrifice the workout and just go for a 2-3 mile run)
3) I do well in school and have managed to keep a small research commitment since half way through MS1.

I'm very routine oriented, so it works best for me if I go early in the morning (6am or so) and make it the first priority of the day. Also, there's hardly any people at the rec center at this time and parking is nice. However, I have found it much harder to maintain a clean diet. You certainly will have enough time.

 

[GoPelicans]

I am healthy, but definitely not in shape. I am really skinny and need to eat a super high calorie diet to put on any weight. I don't have the time or money to do that in medical school. I have lost a little over 15 pounds since starting school.

 

[PL198]

I am healthy, but definitely not in shape. I am really skinny and need to eat a super high calorie diet to put on any weight. I don't have the time or money to do that in medical school. I have lost a little over 15 pounds since starting school.

I've never seen someone say this that actually eats as much food at as I do. skinny people always think they're eating a lot but in reality they overestimate hardcore.

if keeping on weight was a problem, I'd have someone eat steel cut oats + pb. delicious and extremely calorie dense.

 

[Tri4thlete]

First year med student here:

1) How many days do you get to the gym? 6-7 days per week
2) How many hours per day? 1-2 hours
3) Does this impact your success in med school? Positive impact I would say.

I ran cross country in college and still maintain a similar schedule with alternating long runs, bike workouts, and 400s/800s/1600s on the track. Not hard to do, and still top 25% of my class. I had the same worry before starting medical school. Don't worry about it!

 

[arc5005]

4 premed classes with labs in one semester?

Oh oops... only 3 + 1 non-pre-med class.
Gen Chem II
Organic Chem II
Physics II
and then Physiology.

Thanks for all the feedback so far guys. It makes me less worried about a spiraling out of control obesity issue.

 

[NickNaylor]

When I was in M1/M2, I was working out most days of the week (at least 5, sometimes 6). There was plenty of time. During M3 I just didn't have the energy. That's not say that you can't workout - I know a few of my classmates who continued their routines during rotations - but I didn't have the power to keep it going. During M4 you'll have plenty of time to workout.

 

[syma]

Pre clinical, I hardly went to the gym, and my body definitely suffered for it.
I feel like I have more time since starting my clinical years. Or maybe I have made keeping fit and being healthy a priority.

I'm at the gym 4-6 times a week, and there for 1-1.5 hours. And I'm loving it.