How do u balance school and excersize.

yusaku02

Make exercise a routine in your life. Set aside time ever other evening or whenever you want to exercise and stick to it. Working out is a commitment to better yourself, treat it like any other commitments you have in your life (going to class, writing a paper, going to work, meeting people at a certain place and time).

pomegranatecloud

Make exercising a priority. Be honest with yourself about how you are currently managing your time, including where you are wasting time, and where you can find the time in your schedule to work out.

hekla90

It's a priority that's how. When I was in nursing school you bet I was busy. That meant sometimes running or swimming after clinicals. But you don't need to exercise to lose weight, you can do that through pure diet if you really can't fit it in. Walk to your classes and you'll be fine!
Edit: OP I'm surprised no one mentioned sooner you really just need diet down to lose weight. Also I found I studied better after a 30-40 minute run than if I tried to skip exercising. The mental benefits and stress relief of running far outweighed the marginal time it takes to hit the streets. I couldn't afford the time to not run. Making sure your brain is healthy and stress free means you can make your studying more efficient and useful (more quality not sure what I'm trying to say exactly!). I was way more focused exercising regularly than not.

KathyApplebaum

hekla90 wrote: »

I found I studied better after a 30-40 minute run than if I tried to skip exercising. The mental benefits and stress relief of running far outweighed the marginal time it takes to hit the streets. I couldn't afford the time to not run.

This. The reason I got back into running during grad school wasn't to lose weight -- it was because I was so stressed out from balancing school + job that I was crying myself to sleep at night. You wouldn't think that adding one more thing to my schedule would have been the answer, but it was. Took less time to run then study than it took to stress and study.

lithezebra

I took dance classes!

starryphoenix

We have a free three-story gym at my university. It kind of makes things easy. Well, it's free for people taking 10 or more credits like I am. The payment is $40 a semester if you are lower. I think it's worth it.

sarahkanzalone

Could always combine the two most treadmills have a spot to put books, wouldn't be able to run but could walk briskly and review notes to get yourself moving at least a little or if professor allows it record lectures and listen to them (not the most motivating workout soundtrack but if times an issue)

I have also found that working out helps me focus more at work and helps me reduce stress both of which are important for school may benefit your grades if you set some time away from it to take care of yourself

BrianSharpe

The same way that people balancing career & family do.....make it a priority and manage your time well (I'm pretty sure every one of us could find 30 minutes or more of time each day that could be put to better use)

Capt_Apollo

i was in the best shape of my life in college. granted, i was on one sport every semester so between practice and my own workouts, i was pretty active. but i had to do my part in avoiding the buffet-style cafeteria.

and as an engineering student, i usually took about 18 credits a semester, which translates to about 72 hours of classroom work and studying. and as a18-22 year old college student, i still found time to enjoy myself.

like others said, there is 168 hours in a week. plenty of time for everything you want to do.

Wicked_Seraph

The best way I can explain it is that you make time.

I'm not going to belittle you - college can be rough, especially if you're in a STEM field. I'm a Biology student; I work full-time and take about 6-9 credits per semester. It can be very difficult to find time for myself. Solution? I go to the gym before work and spend time on weekends doing some exercise when I don't have prior commitment

I find that those weeks I spend some time on myself by exercising are FAR less stressful, believe it or not. I can't tell you EXACTLY how to arrange your schedule - only you know what your daily schedule is like. But if it's something important to you, you'll find a way to make it fit.

cwolfman13

My university had a gym...I went there. As I recall from my university days, there was actually plenty of time to carve out 60 minutes or so to workout. Wait until you have career and family...that's when time starts to really become a scarcity.

I also found that my head was clearer, I studied better, and my stress levels were better moderated when I got in some regular physical activity...same in the career world.

SweetestLibby

In undergrad my university had a gym and I was actually able to schedule time in between and after classes to go to the gym, to study, to work, etc. I managed to stay at 150ish in Junior and Senior year. After college (and working a full time job) I ballooned up to 215 again.

When I started grad school - I worked full time (40+ hour weeks), went to grad school, and still dropped 95 pounds by the time I graduated - I used the same trick - I scheduled EVERYTHING. I had a pretty regimented office job so I was able to go to the gym either before or after (depending on if I could wake up in the morning). I scheduled meal shopping and prepping, gym time, class time, study time, when I was planning on going out, etc. I got to 120 pounds (actually 115 (body fat at about 21%) but I didn't like the end resulted so I lifted, gained weight, and ended up with 16% body fat).

I suggest getting a planner, scheduling, and sticking to it - time management is a crucial skill but it'll serve you well.

jlcnuke

I typically work either 40 hours or 60 hours per week, so not in school, but plenty to do. Here's a basic breakdown of how my schedule runs.

M-F - 40 hours
05:15 - Wake up, feed dog, check blood sugars, take meds, shower, dress, walk dog
06:00 - Leave for work
06:30 - Start work
11:00-11:30 -Eat Lunch
11:30- 3:00 - Work
3:00-3:30 -Leave work.
3:30 - 4:30 Feed dog. 30 minutes on elliptical while watching TV, push-ups and other similar exercises, walk dog for cool-down
4:30-6:00 Relax, housework/yard-work, etc
6:00-7:00 make/eat dinner, make tomorrow's lunch if not already prepared.
6-? relax then get to sleep
*-walk dog second time in the evening whenever she's ready

That's a typical M-F for me now when working 40 hours and commuting.

M-F - 60 hours
05:15 - Wake up, feed dog, check blood sugars, take meds, shower, dress, walk dog
06:00 - Leave for work
06:30 - Start work
11:00-11:30 -Eat Lunch
11:30- 3:00 - Work
3:00-3:30 -Leave work.
3:30 - 4:30 Feed dog. 30 minutes on elliptical while watching TV, push-ups and other similar exercises, walk dog for cool-down
4:30-6:00 Work from home
6:00-6:30/7:00 make/eat dinner, make tomorrow's lunch if not already prepared.
6:30/7:00-8:30/9:00 work from home, turn TV on in the background
9:-? relax then get to sleep
*-walk dog second time in the evening whenever she's ready

That's a typical M-F for me now when working 60 hours and commuting.

For either schedule, I have Saturday/Sunday for housework/yard-work if not done during the week, shopping, and Sunday afternoon I prep/make any meals for the week I can have ready early. The rest of the weekend I enjoy myself (golfing, hanging out with friends/family, etc).

NorthCascades

Get a bike and ride it to/from your classes. If you need to spend time traveling anyway you might as well be improving your fitness and burning calories while you do it.