how do you stay fit in vet school?

[gogreenfolks]

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i barely have time and energy to take my dog out for potty/walks and im still an undergrad. i will hopefully start vet school next year and i am starting to accept the fact that i will no longer be young & desirable after school LOL 😀

 

[lei325]

It takes quite a lot of effort, honestly. I've had a knee injury for the past few months, so staying in shape has been difficult. But normally I try to run 4-5 mornings each week and do high intensity interval training on days that I can fit it in and feel up to it. Being on rotations is a bitch, though, since I'm in the hospital by 7am and leave around 8 or 9pm. Doesn't really leave much room for a workout.

It's all about the effort you put into it and how much energy you actually have. I like working out in the AM because I feel more energetic for the rest of the day. My roommate runs at night because she can't wake up early enough to fit in her run before heading to rotations.

 

[jmo1012]

as lei says, it takes a lot of energy and motivation. having a dog this semester got me out for walks every day and it was a tremendous plus to have a barely ever used gym in my small apartment building. my favorite time to run was late afternoon, but the tv selections were less desirable then to keep me motivated so it was a toss up between then and after dinner.

 

[secretaryiga14]

Since they make us pay extra to use the gym in the summer, I have to get creative... I usually jog outside. I also try to jog or walk to patient care on the weekends, since school is less than 2 miles away. I've also considered doing stairs at the coliseum on campus.

I try to do push ups and sit ups at home, but my furry feline friend usually gets in the way...lol.

 

[cowgirla]

Best way to stay fit in vet school - become a fourth year student. I spend most of my day on my feet, the hours are long depending on the rotation (Current rotation averages about 9/day which isn't bad...last rotation averaged 15/day) and I don't always have time to eat on a normal schedule let alone snack all the time.

I get to practice yoga and pilates while holding x-ray plates in various contorted positions underneath a horse. Weight training is lifting giant dogs and holding horse feet or xray plates in the air for 100 different xray views. Stamina is running from one part of the hospital to the other while wearing a lead gown. All in all, I've lost about 5 pounds just in the past month.

 

[lei325]

Best way to stay fit in vet school - become a fourth year student. I spend most of my day on my feet, the hours are long depending on the rotation (Current rotation averages about 9/day which isn't bad...last rotation averaged 15/day) and I don't always have time to eat on a normal schedule let alone snack all the time.

I get to practice yoga and pilates while holding x-ray plates in various contorted positions underneath a horse. Weight training is lifting giant dogs and holding horse feet or xray plates in the air for 100 different xray views. Stamina is running from one part of the hospital to the other while wearing a lead gown. All in all, I've lost about 5 pounds just in the past month.

👍

 

[Minnerbelle]

I don't. And I use vet school as an excuse, when really I'm just too lazy 😛

There's time for anything in vet school as long as you prioritize it, so if exercise is important to you it shouldn't be too hard to fit it in. Once you're on clinics it may not be feasible on some intense rotations, but for the most part it should be fine.

 

[Mr Vega]

I was able to stay fit the entire time in vet school - we had a group of us that would always go running and regularly went to half and full marathons. If you manage your time correctly it's not difficult and will actually make you a better student as it will give you some release. I finished with a 3.5 - many of hte people in my running group finished with 3.8s and above.

I would study and then use the entire run (usually 30 minutes to 1.5 hrs) to go over everything in my head while I ran.

 

[thenuttyclub]

I'm hoping this doesn't become a problem! I weight lift 4-5 days a week, play on 2 soccer teams, and run in my spare time. I realize I probably won't fit ALL of this in while I'm in vet school, but I definitely plan on joining the intramural soccer team my school has, plus will continue to run with the dog when I have time. We get wednesday afternoons off early, so I'll at least get one good solid training day in for weights, I'm hoping.
Biggest thing is probably diet. If you eat well -even if you don't get as much physical activity in as you would like- you'll be fine. Don't get too lazy that all you eat is Pop-tarts and Mr. Noodles. If you can only fit in one thing, I'd advocate for cooking yourself good meals for the week!