realistic amount of free time as DPT student to pursue physical activity

[Moz_DPT]

Hello
I am starting a program this upcoming summer and am very excited to start school. I am lucky enough to have money saved up and will not need to be working park time while in school. I am very aware that the DPT process will be hard and that I’ll need to focus, but I am writing to see how you guys dealt with the school - life balance. I am starting DPT school after 10 years of being a freelance photographer and was on my feet constantly. During the past year of taking science prerequisite classes, I found myself sitting and moving less then I have in the past decade.

Only of my favorite hobbies is indoor rock climbing and I am at the point of my gym membership where I can renew for a year and save a lot of money, or pay monthly. Is it realistic to think that I’ll be able to have 2 -3 days a week to head to the gym for an 1.5 hours to get in “me time”? While taking my prerecs, I felt like I had my back up against the wall to get into a program and didn’t take care of myself physically in the way I would have liked to. I think that having this time will help me destress but more importantly, I want to make sure I thrive in the DPT school setting.

Im curious to hear how you guys dealt with similar hurdles..

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[southernswimmer]

I'm in class from 8-5 nearly every day, and I take the hour or so after that to go on a nice long run to destress and reset my brain before hitting the books again. Classes and studying will take up a lot of your time, but you absolutely should take time for rock climbing. Your mental (and physical) health will thank you.

 

[Kuhdaytee]

If I had access to a rock gym I would totally go more than 2-3 days per week haha

You will absolutely have time to work out. I usually get 1 hour of exercise in the morning, sometimes up to 2 hours per day. I'm in my second semester of my first year, so I just learned to stop watching TV and exercise with my free time instead.

Of course this depends on the program and how well you manage your time, but pretty much everyone in my class is able to exercise fairly frequently. It might be tough in the beginning, or around an exam time, but if you love climbing then you'll work around it.

 

[katelly]

I'm not in PT school yet, so I might not have the best perspective.. But I have been working full-time and going to school full time for the last year so I've been busy! My first semester back in school I really fell behind on getting exercise in. All of the things I was used to doing took at least half a day with travel time, like ski touring or climbing outside. I don't have time for that anymore, so that first semester was really hard. I can really relate to feeling like it was a lot of sitting. Last semester I started running because I can do it in just an hour. If I had access to a climbing gym that would be my other go to. I am so much happier with that small amount of daily exercise than I was without exercise, there is no question in my mind that I will find time to exercise in PT school. I know its going to be a huge work load, but if you want to get to the gym I'm sure you can find a free couple of hours a few time a week. There has to be some amount of time to decompress, its just about how you use it.

 

[GoSparta]

It's definitely doable. Exam weeks may decrease the frequency, but you'll be fine. If anythng, make time for it to help with stress.

 

[BiffTheFlashRogers]

It all comes down to time management. I had time to train for and run a marathon last summer/fall semester. This spring is heavy but I'm still able to train for a half. Early morning runs, and then squeezing in lifts whenever I can is what works best for me. You'll be fine once you figure out your schedule and get into a routine.

 

[DesertPT]

I can cycle 5-6 hrs a week without too much trouble. I have classmates who are real gym rats who spend more time than that

 

[Live2Love2Laugh]

Like others have said, it's all about time management and your personal study habits. I go to the gym 2-3 days for an hour and I work around 8 hours per week. I try to fit in random me time every week or night outs every now and then with friends. Other students dedicate a lot more hours for leisure or work than me, while others need to do a lot less to stay focused. But we all seem to be equal on the stress scale no matter what, lol. Remember that nothing is set in stone and you can always adjust your gym schedule based on the type of week you're having.

 

[DrJDPT]

I typically go to the gym for an hour before class four times a week. If for some reason I miss a session during the week, I try to make it up on the weekend. Midterm and Finals week are a different story lol.

 

[RenoWolfPack]

I am in an accelerated program, and I still have time for myself. Get used to waking up early, being in class all day, going home, making dinner and getting back to studying till you go to bed. That was my first semester in a nut shell. But I adapted and you will to. You get used to the pace and naturally will find time for yourself in order to stay sane haha. If PT is what you love, then the entire process is a bit easier to get through when you enjoy what you study. Your program will prepare you to succeed because they don't want students dropping out either (just saying). Lastly, enjoy the process because it goes by fast.