Going back to school, need motivation

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enb5056
enb5056 Posts: 31
in Introduce Yourself
Going back to college means lots of drinking, eating, and no time to exercise. Which is the opposite of what I need to be doing! Especially when my roommates will yell at me telling me I don't need to workout... So help!!!

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  • wingshooter2004
    wingshooter2004 Posts: 27
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    That's a pretty east fix. Don't spend time drinking. Use the time you would have spent drinking to workout. It will also save you a lot of money.
  • ChristyRunStarr
    ChristyRunStarr Posts: 1,600 Member
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    I'm guessing you'll be in a dorm so you'll have flights of stairs-you could try going up and down them X amount of times a day to get some quick exercise in. Or run from class to class instead of walking. Do you have a gym at your school-see about trying to get there once a week or so and seeing if you have anyone that you notice from a class there and see if you can become work out buddies(or maybe one of your friends or roommates would be willing to join?)
  • ennysmith
    ennysmith Posts: 26
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    Going back to swchool means to learn a new things,make a good friends and spend atime to goosips.
  • rcolours7
    rcolours7 Posts: 69
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    it is all about the choices you make and ur friends seeing u make different choices.

    if they don't like - just say hey - "i feel better when i workout & eat certain foods"....besides, u also want these choices to carry thru the rest of ur life. also, go to the parties once i awhile and have a few drinks - don't get drunk.

    if ur friends keep bugging u about it, then get new friends b/c they aren't true friends after all. (unless u've been thru some horrible stuff & they were there for you and u now have a unique bond).

    have a great semester and take it one day/week at a time.

    u're in college to learn, not to party. :-)
  • Renae_Nae
    Renae_Nae Posts: 935 Member
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    My sister is away. She's found tons of girls to workout with. They run the stadium among other things. There are also fitness classes that count for college credits! Make friends who want to get fit and you'll be fine!!!
  • arenkel
    arenkel Posts: 77
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    I feel ya... minus the drinking part. I don't drink alcohol, so I can't really give you advice on that part.

    I'm living off-campus, so that means no unhealthy dorm food. If I want something fatty, I'll have to pay(!) for it, which will probably be enough to prevent me from eating it. I'll be cooking at home and bringing lunches, which will do double-duty of keeping me on track and saving money. If you'll be eating dining-hall foods or eating out a lot, fill up on salad before reaching for the cheeseburger or pizza.

    The hardest part for me will be finding time to exercise, but now that I recognize that working out clears my head and lowers my stress levels, I plan on MAKING time for exercise. I may or may not sign up for a class, but I plan on finding my way to the recreation center pretty much every (week)day. Plus, if I take my showers at the gym, I can save money! :D (Or maybe not. Doesn't really matter, to be honest.) Even taking a quick walk around the outside of the library just to clear your head is better than nothing, especially if it keeps you from reaching for the Doritos.
  • jcpmoore
    jcpmoore Posts: 796 Member
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    Step 1. Decide what you will and will not eat and drink up front. Don't do any of it because of peer pressure. Do it for you. Don't drink b/c everyone else is doing it.

    Step 2. Workout despite what they say. Get some DVDs you can do in your room if you need to. That way you can do a 30 minute workout and then shower without the added time of going to and from the gym.

    Going back to college means you need to study. It doesn't have to mean any more than that, so don't start making up excuses before you even begin.
  • tialynn1
    tialynn1 Posts: 886 Member
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    It is a very tough thing to do! I am just finishing up my college degree. I was doing good fitting it all in until the summer came. I have had way to much going on. I have struggled with it. I have gained some weight (about 3 pounds) and stil been exercising some every day. I plan on hitting it big after Labor Day and at end of September when school is completely done for me.
    Use some exercise videos are always good or videos on YouTube. Then just try to make as healthy decisions as you can when at school.
  • mysterysilk
    mysterysilk Posts: 49
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    I'm going to be a junior in a matter of two weeks ((yikes!) But I understand that kind of pressure. My roommate told me I look great, but that I need to cut the intensity, something I'm not planning on doing while I'm school. So I can help with the motivation part :D I plan on dragging a few of my friends with me to the gym when I go, so I'll be a good help!
  • aholly70
    aholly70 Posts: 577 Member
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    Welcome going back to school can be tough but you need to have alot of will power,And let your friends know that you need support.Feel free to add me I'll support you.
  • brooke_young08
    brooke_young08 Posts: 70
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    I agree with the person who said that if your friends don't support you, then get new friends... Try to get them involved in your new lifestyle. Besides, who doesn't want to look healthy and fit at college?? Good luck and stay motivated!!
  • sarah2954
    sarah2954 Posts: 291 Member
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    Why can't you exercise? I have 3 kids, am in grad school, and work out every day. There's a gym on campus.
  • jamifaith
    jamifaith Posts: 47
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    solution to drinking: always volunteer to be the designated driver. or if you don't drive (i know a lot of my friends didn't have cars when they lived on campus) just be the designated responsible one. When you go to parties its always good to have a sober friend their to watch your back and make sure everyone gets home safely, and then you have an excuse to not drink and no one will push you. Once you say you are the designated driver people stop offering you drinks and it gets easy to just hang out and have a good time.
    Set a goal that your friends will be supportive of. Like find a half marathon that's coming up in the future and tell your friends that you are training for it. If they see that you are working toward a legit goal than they will be more willing to get behind you, because as women when we hear a friend say they are tying to lose weight we take it upon ourselves to be the supportive friend and assure our girl friends that they don't need to lose any weight.
    Lastly, don't eat out. It's EXPENSIVE to eat out a lot, and ive watched tons of friends burn through hundreds and hundreds of dollars eating on in the campus food court for every meal of every day. People may not be understanding of you wanting to eat healthy, but needing to save money is something that most college kids can relate to!
    I spent way too much time having people convince me that i should reeeeally go out to that fast food joint with them, or telling me that i really didn't need to go to the gym, and having people try super hard to force drinks into my hand. Its not worth fighting them on it. I'm being healthy for me and they don't have to know or understand my reasoning. If they are supportive then they'll know what's going on anyway but its not worth trying to convince a drunk person that "i dont drink because im trying to be healthy" when all you have to say is "im the DD" and they leave it be :)
  • billsica
    billsica Posts: 4,741 Member
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    Put this on your door.

    drphil.jpg
  • enb5056
    enb5056 Posts: 31
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    Thanks for all the support you guys! I'm actually pretty excited because I will be moving into an apartment this year instead of the dorms, which means i have control over everything i cook! (I love to cook, fortunately) Hopefully with work, and class I will be able to find myself an hour or so to put aside for myself to workout! I just started insanity so I'm hoping to continue that, i really enjoy it (though it kicks my butt). I just talked to one of my roommates and they also wanted to not drink very often, so I have buddies here and at school to help me from going too crazy (i never actually do, but alcohol is such empty calories, even one drink is bad) Thanks for all the tips and ideas too! I know i can do it!
  • enb5056
    enb5056 Posts: 31
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    Hysterical! I love printing out motivational pictures and hanging the right by my desk!
  • enb5056
    enb5056 Posts: 31
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    Never again will I find an excuse, seriously go you!


    Why can't you exercise? I have 3 kids, am in grad school, and work out every day. There's a gym on campus.
    [/quote]
  • starcatcher1975
    starcatcher1975 Posts: 292 Member
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    Ok I seriously love the Dr. Phil picture!!

    I have 2 kids, work, and I'm in Grad school too and I workout 5 days a week. I try to take off sat and sun to just hangout with my kids and catch up on homework/housework/shopping...you know, life. But since I couldn't get my run in this morning, guess what I'll be doing early Saturday morning? You guessed it :)

    We have a gym on our main campus that is open in the fall from 6am-12Midnight Mon-Fri and closes earlier on the weekends but it's still open pretty late to accommodate all kind of schedules. It's free to students, staff, and faculty. I finally started taking advantage of it this summer. And at my school they even offer 2 free personal training sessions to each student, staff, and faculty. It used to be 6- I got lucky by getting the 6 lessons before they changed it.

    If you really want it you'll find a way to get it.

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