Getting into the Habit of Working out during School?

[Flying Penguin]

I generally stay active during breaks (mainly running) but during school I get tired out easily - I've tried getting up early to workout but after that plus a long day of classes I just get too drained to do anything at night. As the new school year is fast approaching, I really want to get into the habit of working out during the academic year. Any advice on juggling exercising with school and ECs?

 

[mistafab]

I found it was easier to enroll in a 1 credit rec/phys activity class to just have dedicated workout time in your school schedule. This guarentees 2-3 days a week of working out per semeseter.

 

[Flying Penguin]

I found it was easier to enroll in a 1 credit rec/phys activity class to just have dedicated workout time in your school schedule. This guarentees 2-3 days a week of working out per semeseter.

Hmm neat. I haven't thought of that!

 

[bobeanie95]

Definitely make sure you meal prep at the end of a week. I usually do this on Sunday, so that I have meals ready to go during the work week. I usually go weightlifting for an hour though on the days I have limited time I'll do twenty minutes HIIT cardio on the treadmill. Make sure you don't go to the gym when you are too tired-otherwise you may injure yourself or burn out. If you find yourself being tired take a 15 minute nap before hand and then have a cup of green tea/coffee.

It's definitely possible to do ECs, schoolwork and gym all in one day. I've done this during undergrad, but obviously there's days where you may have to forgo the gym. Just make sure you plan you day in advance and get enough sleep each night!

 

[Lannister]

Three things have helped motivate me to go to the gym every day in med school.

1) This might sound weird, but pay attention to how great you feel after you work out. Reflect on your stress level before going to the gym and after, and you'll notice that you feel significantly less stressed after exercising. It also helps me sleep better. Those are pretty great motivators.

2) If you're just exercising because you feel obligated to "be healthy", you won't feel very motivated to exercise. You need to make it rewarding. One thing I used to do was pick a TV show that would be my gym show. I would only watch the show when I was at the gym on my iPad.

3) Whenever I feel too tired to go to the gym, I remind myself that I almost always regret skipping out on the gym, but I almost never regret going to the gym when I really didn't want to.

 

[JustAPhD]

Put working out into the same category as classes and studying: mandatory. It doesn't need to be too much, 30min to an hour is fine per day. Only in rare cases do people actually not have the time to get into the gym or go for a run. If you need extra motivation some days maybe look into preworkout products (C4, assault, etc).

I'm a big fan of taking care of yourself not only mentally but also physically. It pays off in the end.

 

[sliceofbread136]

Find a convient place to exercise (like something on your way home). Any inconvience becomes an excuse not to exercise (which I end up using a lot)

 

[Flying Penguin]

Thanks everyone for the feedback! I am once again made aware of how important exercising is.

Three things have helped motivate me to go to the gym every day in med school.

1) This might sound weird, but pay attention to how great you feel after you work out. Reflect on your stress level before going to the gym and after, and you'll notice that you feel significantly less stressed after exercising. It also helps me sleep better. Those are pretty great motivators.

2) If you're just exercising because you feel obligated to "be healthy", you won't feel very motivated to exercise. You need to make it rewarding. One thing I used to do was pick a TV show that would be my gym show. I would only watch the show when I was at the gym on my iPad.

3) Whenever I feel too tired to go to the gym, I remind myself that I almost always regret skipping out on the gym, but I almost never regret going to the gym when I really didn't want to.

Wow, the fact that you were able to work out every day as a med student is amazing! I am only an underclassman undergrad but some days I feel like I got so much to do and get too stressed to go to the gym... I've been trying to make it a habit but during midterms/finals season I just ditch all habits and they don't really come back
It is certainly true that I try to work out because I feel obliged to, and you're right, it would be great if I could find a way to make it rewarding. I don't watch TV shows but I'll try to find a way.
#3 is an interesting thought -- maybe the times when I really don't want to work out are the times that I really NEED to do so!

 

[DBC03]

I found it is easiest if I work out as soon as I get up. I usually have to shower and get ready before I go to school, so adding a workout in before doesn't really add a significant amount of time to my overall schedule and it prevents me from being "too tired" to do it later. Then it also allows me to work on other things throughout the afternoon. But everyone has a different way of doing it, so I think the best thing is to pick a workout you enjoy and then do it at a time of day when you enjoy doing it. If you don't have a preference for time of day, working out in the morning usually leads to more consistency. Also, if you start hating your workout, don't be afraid to find a different type of workout. Good luck!

 

[Flying Penguin]

I found it is easiest if I work out as soon as I get up. I usually have to shower and get ready before I go to school, so adding a workout in before doesn't really add a significant amount of time to my overall schedule and it prevents me from being "too tired" to do it later. Then it also allows me to work on other things throughout the afternoon. But everyone has a different way of doing it, so I think the best thing is to pick a workout you enjoy and then do it at a time of day when you enjoy doing it. If you don't have a preference for time of day, working out in the morning usually leads to more consistency. Also, if you start hating your workout, don't be afraid to find a different type of workout. Good luck!

Yes, I agree working out in the morning is the best in the sense that I wouldn't be as tired as I would be in the afternoon. I really need to adjust my life style so I start going to bed early and getting up early. Right now at the end of each day I tend to waste sleeping hours doing unproductive things like mindlessly watching YouTube

 

[Lucca]

Going with friends is the only thing that really motivates me.

 

[Flying Penguin]

Going with friends is the only thing that really motivates me.

Haven't made workout friends who aren't too hardcore. :/

 

[mwsapphire]

I have slacked off working out this past year, but freshman year I'd try to workout on days when I'm not busy. Between Saturday and Sunday ( So, no class), I'd work out, so that leaves one or two days during the week ( I generally don't work out more than 4X a week).
I try to work out when I don't have anything else. If Monday-Friday you do volunteer work two days , then workout out during the other two or three days. If one one of those days you have 4 hour orgo lab, work out on the remaining two days.
I also try to workout before studying. So class is out, you eat , you hit the gym, then sit down with your books. The other way around, you may decide you are too tired and you may not see working out as as mandatory as studying.

Hope these tips helped
PS- I did get back in shape this summer, though. Hopefully will workout out enough during junior year.

 

[Dr. Souk]

Haven't made workout friends who aren't too hardcore. :/

Oh yeh - that can be a big problem. Are you interested in any team sports? One way of getting exercise with others without the hardcore spotting culture! lol

 

[Flying Penguin]

Oh yeh - that can be a big problem. Are you interested in any team sports? One way of getting exercise with others without the hardcore spotting culture! lol

Haha yeah I know. Going to a D1 school means lots of hardcore sporting people. I play for a club sport team but it's really chill and I want to be more intense than that. I'm looking to join our hip pop dance group just to stay more active.

 

[Flying Penguin]

I have slacked off working out this past year, but freshman year I'd try to workout on days when I'm not busy. Between Saturday and Sunday ( So, no class), I'd work out, so that leaves one or two days during the week ( I generally don't work out more than 4X a week).
I try to work out when I don't have anything else. If Monday-Friday you do volunteer work two days , then workout out during the other two or three days. If one one of those days you have 4 hour orgo lab, work out on the remaining two days.
I also try to workout before studying. So class is out, you eat , you hit the gym, then sit down with your books. The other way around, you may decide you are too tired and you may not see working out as as mandatory as studying.

Hope these tips helped
PS- I did get back in shape this summer, though. Hopefully will workout out enough during junior year.

Congrats on getting back in shape over the summer! Thanks for pointing out that it is helpful to find out which days of the week are more draining and work around them. It's a good place to start - I was trying to work out every day and got exhausted in a few weeks.