Going to the gym/time spent on things like that

[yestomeds]

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I'm just thinking about this today. (Okay, I've thought about it before, but I'm really wanting to think about this today).

I go to the gym. Not A WHOLE LOT and not like 3 hours a day. But I do go. And that takes commuting time (drive, park car). And stretch time. And change-out-of-sweaty-clothes-time. And etc.

And I get that going to the gym and doing whatever else during downtime is good for you, but I'm just wondering if it's a lot of time wasted and stuff. Or should I maybe aim to do a bit more cardio, a bit less weight, as it is the cardio component that primarily helps reduce stress levels?

 

[mcatjelly]

And I get that going to the gym and doing whatever else during downtime is good for you

Can this be /thread? It's less than 3 hours out of your day and if it's an important part of your daily routine, by all means, keep doing what's best for you and your score!

 

[GoljansRightBicep]

And I get that going to the gym and doing whatever else during downtime is good for you, but I'm just wondering if it's a lot of time wasted and stuff. Or should I maybe aim to do a bit more cardio, a bit less weight, as it is the cardio component that primarily helps reduce stress levels?

Definitely not a waste of time. Starting to think of your health as a waste of time is a dangerous and slippery slope.

That being said, I've been doing almost exclusively cardio to manage the high stress levels. Barely lifting right now, since it is not effective in that regard. I'd say keep working out, but sure, you may want to cut down on things that are less productive in that regard. I bike or run almost every day, and it's totally worth it.

 

[El-Rami]

Always work out. It's as vital as eating and sleeping.

 

[nomdeplume1234]

go to google scholar and ask it. I'm sure you will find some scholarly answers on this but whatever you do please come back and teach us. We would like to know the answer too.
Here, I'll start: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neurobiological_effects_of_physical_exercise

 

[blahblahpremeds]

Continue doing that! I'm also in the same boat as you. I spend about 1-2 hours per day either working out or cooking or watching TV. Contrary to what you may think, taking a break helps you focus better when you begin studying again.

 

[Dreamstoo]

I often study with a friend and take an hour lunch break with him and another hour or two off at night before I study in the evening. It's fine...

 

[Mikewise]

Physical activity will keep you sane, and help you absorb, process and store the information you're cramming into your brain. Don't sacrifice it. Exercise also gives you something to do to break up the studying when you can't stand staring at a book for another hour.

 

[yestomeds]

Hehe thanks everyone.

I know the benefits of exercise, can appreciate its role in a healthy body/mind. I'm just thinking that the to and fro and the entire process (amounting to 3 hours in some cases) is a bit much!

Because I'm taking a break day (say once weekly)... and then consistently taking these breaks during the day too. I just don't feel like I have a good grasp of the MCAT content yet (so have a lot of work to do). 🙁 So hence the musings on my part on this topic. I dunno if anyone would have thoughts on this.

I wonder if should maybe just do some cardio (or HIIT), which for me makes me feel good but doesn't require so much waiting time (that you often would for the weights section). What do you guys think?

 

[El-Rami]

I wonder if should maybe just do some cardio (or HIIT), which for me makes me feel good but doesn't require so much waiting time (that you often would for the weights section). What do you guys think?

Yeah, that should be fine. Any cardio exercise (walking, jogging, running, HIIT, etc.) should help relieve stress and keep you fit.

 

[GoljansRightBicep]

Hehe thanks everyone.

I know the benefits of exercise, can appreciate its role in a healthy body/mind. I'm just thinking that the to and fro and the entire process (amounting to 3 hours in some cases) is a bit much!

I've reduced my workouts almost exclusively to things I can do quickly and don't require a lot of time, i.e. running and biking. Putting on a pair of shoes of gearing up for a ride doesn't take very much time, and I always depart from my house so in that sense they are very time-efficient. No driving to or from the gym, waiting for weights, etc. Yet both activities are very rigorous, so I feel like I'm getting a lot out of my time sacrifice.

Personally, all my forms of exercise were already inclined this way before taking the MCAT, so that required very little change for me. You might want to think about forms of working out that give you the best bang for your buck in terms of time spent. After all, when you're a doctor with a family (or even in med school for that matter) you may not have that much time and may need think of creative ways to get the same results from your workout in a shorter amount of time! I just think of it as a process of optimization.

 

[Shreyasthegreat]

I've been alternating lifting 3x a week and running 3x a week, and it's great! I wake up at 6, have breakfast and study for about 45 minutes. Then I go to the gym (or run) at 7, back by 8:30 latest, and ready to work by 9-9:15. It's great for keeping energy levels up all day!

Also, the gym tends to be fairly empty up until 9:30 am, so that is a plus for lifting days.

 

[ElectricNoogie]

While medical school will require you to reduce your extracurricular activities, you should not abandon them all. I kept 2-3 of my most important hobbies (fencing, g/f, teaching) throughout med school. Maybe I only got to do something 1-2x a month, but it was important to stay sane and keep myself from burning out under the stress of med school. There will also be opportunities to relax and party with your fellow med students, and some of us do party hard. If you don't allow yourself to go "crazy" every once in a while, you will go crazy. This also makes you a more effective student overall.

For the MCAT, a day off or so each week and/or small breaks while you study will make you more efficient. So, while it sounds impressive to say "I have no life" that doesn't need to be true nor is it indicative of better preparation. You won't have much outside the MCAT or med school, but you should have something. Your priority should be the MCAT but you can allow other things in your life as well, just not much. It's not much of a sacrifice to make in the grand scheme of things. Your friends/loved ones/other hobbies will still be there when you are done.

Good luck!

 

[yestomeds]

Yeah, that should be fine. Any cardio exercise (walking, jogging, running, HIIT, etc.) should help relieve stress and keep you fit.

I've reduced my workouts almost exclusively to things I can do quickly and don't require a lot of time, i.e. running and biking. ... No driving to or from the gym, waiting for weights, etc. Yet both activities are very rigorous, so I feel like I'm getting a lot out of my time sacrifice.

Thanks everyone who commented!

In terms of getting the most bang for one's buck, with 'bang' defined as:
stress relieving, and happy-hormone producing (and not as things relating to vanity ex. look at me, look at my bugling muscles), would it be cardio then?

ex. jogging for 20 mins, or alternating b/w jogging and sprinting for 10-15 mins, and so on?

 

[GoljansRightBicep]

Thanks everyone who commented!

In terms of getting the most bang for one's buck, with 'bang' defined as:
stress relieving, and happy-hormone producing (and not as things relating to vanity ex. look at me, look at my bugling muscles), would it be cardio then?

ex. jogging for 20 mins, or alternating b/w jogging and sprinting for 10-15 mins, and so on?

I think this totally depends on you. I know that for me all cardio is not equal. For example, I like to do long-distance running since is does all the things you mentioned above for me. However, I don't really do swimming for cardio because for whatever reason I don't get that same stress relief (even though swimming is much more "intense" for me!). I've found that I haven't really gone on a "good" run until I've hit mile 6, but that's just me. Your mileage may vary (literally).

I guess this just warrants experimentation on your part to see what works for you. You may find a 20-minute jog suits you just fine. Best of luck, hang in there!

 

[ConfusedChemist]

Hehe thanks everyone.

I know the benefits of exercise, can appreciate its role in a healthy body/mind. I'm just thinking that the to and fro and the entire process (amounting to 3 hours in some cases) is a bit much!

Because I'm taking a break day (say once weekly)... and then consistently taking these breaks during the day too. I just don't feel like I have a good grasp of the MCAT content yet (so have a lot of work to do). 🙁 So hence the musings on my part on this topic. I dunno if anyone would have thoughts on this.

I wonder if should maybe just do some cardio (or HIIT), which for me makes me feel good but doesn't require so much waiting time (that you often would for the weights section). What do you guys think?

Ok. you want the truth? Going to the gym everyday is fine. Going to the gym everyday for 3 hours is still fine (a bit much in my opinion, but anyways). Taking a day off per week is fine. You know why?
Because TONS of people write the MCAT with full time jobs. So they're doing your equivilant of 'at the gym' for 9hours/day. And they still score high. There's 24 hours in a day,even working 9-5, finding even 6 hours to study per day is not that hard if you actually cut out all the 'fluff'

 

[Dreamstoo]

Some medical student told me recently if it wasn't for working out during the week, the stress would have definitely taken over him. He said for him, working out was essential to keep himself sane through all the stress he had to endure as a first year.

 

[yestomeds]

Thanks everyone for your sound and logical advice. And if you have more to do with fitness/de-stressing during periods of time crunches, I'm all ears.

Hope everyone had a good weekend. 🙂

 

[Mikewise]

Oh! I also found going to the gym really helpful in the weeks leading up to my MCAT for adjusting my circadian rhythm. In the 1-1.5 weeks leading up to the 8AM test time I started waking up at 5, hitting the gym as soon as it opened and studying till an embarrassingly early bed time. After a hard workout in the morning you'll sleep like a rock.

 

[yestomeds]

Thanks! But did you find waking up 3 hours before the exam to be a bit long of a "wait time?"
How about on exam day? If you had practiced hitting the gym at 5am on days leading up to the real deal, did you do the same on the actual exam day?

I wonder what the optimal 'wake up' time before an 8 am exam time might be. I am not a morning person and I really need to start learning to wake up earlier 🙁.

 

[TheAnonymous]

Thanks! But did you find waking up 3 hours before the exam to be a bit long of a "wait time?"
How about on exam day? If you had practiced hitting the gym at 5am on days leading up to the real deal, did you do the same on the actual exam day?

I wonder what the optimal 'wake up' time before an 8 am exam time might be. I am not a morning person and I really need to start learning to wake up earlier 🙁.

Same here. I'm not a morning person either and I'm having a hard time waking up early... I think waking up at 6:30 is ideal (at least for me) lol

 

[Mikewise]

I'm not a morning person at all either and found myself wishing that the exam was later in the day so that I could perform better-- that's why I decided to get up so early so that by 8AM it would feel like 11 or noon instead of first thing in the morning. I did not go to the gym on the day of the test but 3 hours was a perfect amount of time to take a shower, have a leisurely breakfast and take one final glace through my notes/write everything out. I got to the test center half an hour early and was able to start right away.

Also, for me adrenaline disrupts my sleep before important days like this and I often find it hard to go to bed on time or keep from waking up way too early. Truth be told I wasn't able to get a full 8 hours of rest but by putting my body in the habit of going to bed at 9 I was able to get a lot more rest than if I had tried going to bed later.

The moral: Know thyself and do what works for you!