When choosing a fitness regimen, personal preference is everything. Everyone likes to get their daily dose of exercise a different way, whether it’s swimming, jogging or weight training.
This week, students were asked to describe their workout routines—specifically, how often they hit the gym and whether or not they stick to planned routines on a daily or weekly basis.
“I usually run on the treadmill for thirty minutes and try to do some strength training for another thirty minutes. It’s kind of hard to balance with classes and everything else but I try to schedule in at least an hour of gym time every day. I think it’s important because as Tech students it’s easy to get stressed with the workload[…]so it’s nice to have a mental break and get a workout in,” said Victoria Raines, a first-year IE major.
Other students are less inspired to exercise on a regimen. With classes going strong and workloads getting bigger, fitting in time to work out is not always a priority.
“I just come [to the CRC] when I want to. It’s hard to exercise every day because of my class schedule. After I [leave] class I feel tired and lazy so I don’t want to work out,” said Tran Dao, a first-year BMED major.
However, even if students are not devoting time to working out on a regular basis, exercise can still an important part of their livesß.
“Sometimes I feel tired and lazy but when you work out it gives you strength and helps you cope with the stress here,” Dao said.
For some, working out is an essential part of the day. Regular exercise can become a habit such that changing one’s fitness schedule can throw off one’s daily rhythm.
“I’m in the Army, so we work out every single every day after we wake up […] maybe I’m programed [to exercise]. I don’t feel right if I don’t work out,” said Russell Destremps, a BC graduate student.
Getting in shape takes commitment and effort. Unfortunately, getting out of shape is a lot easier. A strict schedule can be the best way to avoid lapses.
“Usually I try to run for ten minutes and do abdominal exercises for ten minutes; then I run for another half hour. Exercising is pretty important, I think. A lot of people tend to and sit around and it’s easy to grab something fatty. It’s important to at least get out of the building for a little while and break a sweat,” said Scott Gilliam, a second-year BA major.
Using the internet to get tips for building a fitness regimen can also provide motivation. There is a wealth of programs and routines online, and many of them can be personalized.
“I got my regimen from bodybuilding.com. It’s called ‘Twelve Weeks to Gain’ and you keep increasing the intensity of the workout over time. It starts off very high-repetition, low-intensity. The more you work out the higher your weights go, the less the reps go, and basically you bulk up throughout the process. It’s also got nutrition [tips] and a bunch of other components to it,” said David Hendon, a second-year CS major.
When classes start to get overwhelming, exercise can be a great stress reliever, making it doubly healthy
“[For my regimen] I mostly use bodybuilding.com. I did a lot more of working out when I was an undergrad, but the site gives me some great, easy nutrition and workout guides. There’s the wellness and health side of it but I think for college students it’s [good for] stress reduction and stress management,” said Jason Hamilton, an AE PhD student.
For students who tire quickly of going through the motions every day, taking on a dynamic and intense workout most of the week and switching it up with an endurance exercise like jogging or swimming can add some variety and break the monotony of a regular fitness cycle.
“I work out every day and I usually do a thirty minute sprint interval and warm up on the treadmill before I do a HIT (High Intensity Interval Training) routine […] I usually do a good twenty minutes of that. Next, I move on to a fifteen minute ab workout. I take rest days in between where I just run,” said Marisa Olson, a second-year EIA major.
As students with many interests, busy schedules and a lot of distractions to keep them occupied, sticking with a good fitness regimens can be hard to do. Knowing one’s limits and making a habit of enjoyable exercises can improve the chances of staying fit this semester.
Naturally, finding a routine that one really enjoys is one of the best ways to get inspired.
“Making time to exercise is hard, but I really enjoy working out. It’s my break from school and it’s easy for me to stick to it because I love it so much,” Olson said.