Any graduate students out there?

langababy

Any graduate students with tips on how to stay motivated?

Bentley2718

I'm not a grad student anymore, but I lost a fair amount of weight while I was a grad student. Then of course I had a really bad year that included gaining 20 pounds while working full time and finishing my diss, so I might not be the best example. Are you having any specific issues?

langababy

Between teaching and research, my schedule is pretty full. I often feel guilty about trying to get a workout in during the middle of the day, but by the end of the day, all I want to do is go home and take a nap. Any suggestions on what helped you get a workout in would be great!

abbie017

I work full-time and am in grad school.... so basically I have zero time to myself. I try to walk everywhere instead of using public transit or driving, but other than that, I have very few ideas! I'm lucky if I have half an hour to myself, let alone enough time to get to the gym!

diaryoffatdad

im a phd student, writing my thisis as we speak....feel free to add me.

cameralinds

I can remember my Psych professor (she was a GA) my freshman year... she sacrificed a lot of her sleep in order to get her workouts and time to herself in (including taking notes to give to our class at like 3AM). Not sure that's the best bet...

but this post makes me want to curl up in a ball and I don't even have to worry about grad school for a year and a half.

mavsgurl30

Hi! I'm in my 3rd year of grad school. I had a REALLY rough semester this past fall where I could not go to the gym as often as I wanted. I had the P90X program, so I did that at home whenever I could. It saved me a little bit of time that it took to drive to the gym. If you really can't work out at all (which i experienced this semester), I think that controlling your diet is the next best thing. I packed healthy meals/snacks and put them in a cooler that i had with me all day so whenever i got hungry i wouldn't be tempted to grab the fast food on campus. hope this helps

can_tastic

I'm a law student and I *know* how it is. Feel free to add me!

diaryoffatdad

sorry, i didn't read the thread, just thought it was a looking for friends thread.......during my grad school i have found that if i do not get my workout in the early AM, it doesnt get done period, by the end of the day my brain is fried and all i want to do is sit on the couch. i'm up at 530, to the gym by 6, in my office by 8-830, put in a solid day of work then am out by 430 only because i have to pick my son up from daycare. to add to that i have made a solid effort to preparing my food the night before, i pack a nice healthy breakfast lunch and snacks so i almost never buy stuff on campus, i have my own coffee maker so i dont have to buy coffee either, this has all helped motivate me. getting up early to work out motivates me to have my meals prepped the night before, and getting my meals ready and eating healthy has motivated me to get to the gym everyday. I also find that doing this has made me so much more productive, my days are much more efficient in the office, my writing is more focused and in general i am capable of doing more. i find if i skip the gym or don't have my meals prepped i end up being brain dead in the office.

Sweet_Potato

I work full time and do grad school part time. It took me years, but I've finally learned how to study efficiently so I have more time to do other things. If I'm busy I tend to dedicate my time to preparing healthy meals rather than working out, which is why I don't do much formal exercise during the semester, but I would try to squeeze in little things here or there. Either I'd do a 15-minute exercise video, or bike to work, or walk somewhere instead of driving or taking public transit.

Marig0ld

I try the best I can to plan my meals ahead of time and wake up early to workout 3-4 days a week. It's not easy, but my grades have not suffered this semester. And the best part is, I lost 20 pounds this semester instead of gaining 15 like I did last fall!

Add me if you'd like :-)

HMD7703

I work full time while finishing my MBA... yeah I have no life! So MFP really is my social life.

People on MFP really do support and motivate me.
Feel free to add me...

lynn1982

I'm currently writing my dissertation, hoping to defend next year. I only teach once a week, so I kind of feel like I have more time than I did during my course work and comps. The only way for me to stay on track is to plan meals and snacks ahead of time and work out in the morning. I'm up by 6am and at the gym by 6:30 so I can still make it to the library by 8am. If I don't do it first thing in the am, then I just won't do it later. And I usually feel too guilty taking a break in the middle of the day to work out. I'm not sure if I would have been able to do this during my course work or comps phase... In any case, feel free to add me!

Bentley2718

I work out early in the morning. I find it's a nice start to my day, and I'm more focused and productive the rest of the day, which is how I "justify" the time to myself. It does sometimes cut into sleep though, which is bad and catches up with me.

Bentley2718

sorry, i didn't read the thread, just thought it was a looking for friends thread.......during my grad school i have found that if i do not get my workout in the early AM, it doesnt get done period, by the end of the day my brain is fried and all i want to do is sit on the couch. i'm up at 530, to the gym by 6, in my office by 8-830, put in a solid day of work then am out by 430 only because i have to pick my son up from daycare. to add to that i have made a solid effort to preparing my food the night before, i pack a nice healthy breakfast lunch and snacks so i almost never buy stuff on campus, i have my own coffee maker so i dont have to buy coffee either, this has all helped motivate me. getting up early to work out motivates me to have my meals prepped the night before, and getting my meals ready and eating healthy has motivated me to get to the gym everyday. I also find that doing this has made me so much more productive, my days are much more efficient in the office, my writing is more focused and in general i am capable of doing more. i find if i skip the gym or don't have my meals prepped i end up being brain dead in the office.

This says it WAY better than I did. But this is basically what I do.

soymilkcoffee

I work part-time and transitioning into my MA program next year, so my schedule is also pretty full. In between going to work at 7 AM, school work the rest of the day and taking care of 2 dogs, it's hard to squeeze in extra time for a workout. I found that working out in the morning is just too painful for me, haha! I'm too tired to wake up at 5 in the morning, but I do wake up at 6:00 am to go jogging with my dogs for about 15 to 20 minutes, and it doubles as their walk time too. And since I live 20 minutes from a gym and I dislike my university's fitness center, I do workout DVDs from home. I like doing Insanity, and I actually pencil in 35-50 minutes a day, depending on the workout schedule, so I have the whole week planned and no excuse not to work out. For busier days, there's short workout DVDs I like: the 30 Day Shred workouts are 20 minutes long, and Tony Horton's 10 Minute Trainer videos are 10 minutes long (or 20-30 minutes if you do the recommended 2 to 3 workouts a day). This works for me since I would still have flexibility in my schedule for days I'm just totally fried and want to sleep.

langababy

Thanks for all of the tips! I am going to work on rearranging my schedule for next semester to get up earlier and get to the gym in the morning. Hopefully that will help with keeping me focused during the day too

wriglucy

I'm starting my 3rd semester of the PhD program, and hope to be ABD by fall, and then just writing my dissertation. I don't work out...I don't eat that horrible either though. I'm maintaining, but I feel fat.

I always feel guilty if I try to take time off during the semester to work out...especially when I have work to do! I teach 2 classes 3 times a week, and have to take 12 credits! So...it gets busy.

Anyone feel free to add me! I need all the motivation I can get! (Put a message in your friend request though....If I don't know who you are, I won't add you)

virginiejaubin

I am, done law school, now taking the Quebec province bar...to stay motivated I try to plan many healty low calorie snacks so I can eat while studying. Plus I try to exercice at the same time everyday, this way it becomes my study break.

youcandoitjess

I'm an undergrad right now, but I'm starting grad school for my MSW in September!

mznisaelaine

I am not a grad student just yet. I am undergrad last year. I still do undergrad research, was assistants to professors and grad students for thier research, involved in several clubs, (I am a psych major) so very active at school with research etc., very busy. I found the mornings my best time to workout, etc. I know my schedule would be even more hectic once I get into grad school. But I know you have to start somewhere....I figured it was my last year as an undergraduate student, I needed to do something to change my life. I know I need to be healthy before I entered the next phase in my life....I hope you find the motivation soon. Feel free to add me anyone.