Grad school workout??

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charlottemick
charlottemick Posts: 7
in Introduce Yourself
Hi Everyone!! My name is Charlotte. I joined My Fitness Pal to try to get back into shape after these last two hectic years of grad school! I'm a very busy lady so I am relying on this program (and you all!!) to keep me in check! Are there any other grad students struggling with staying fit and healthy out there? I'd love to talk to you! :happy:

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  • AggieCass09
    AggieCass09 Posts: 1,867 Member
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    I'm a grad student!!!! Environmental Engineering :-) <and working at an alternative energy company>

    Being too busy isn't an excuse...you can find 10 minutes to to push ups or take the stairs or whatever...it adds up!

    Good luck and I'd love to be MFP friends!!!
  • arp1217
    arp1217 Posts: 38 Member
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    Hey there!

    Congrats on joining the site! It is awesome! I am on the last leg of my grad school and I know how difficult it is when school is hectic! I wanna wish you the best of luck!

    ~Ash~
  • kittyb1
    kittyb1 Posts: 42 Member
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    Hi there....I'm also in school, not a grad student but back doing my 2nd degree in Nutrition and Food at the age of 40 with 2 little boys (8&5). SO hectic is my middle name, love sharing food ideas and workouts. Give me an add!!
  • kittyb1
    kittyb1 Posts: 42 Member
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    As a side note, just finished writing midterms today!! 1 week off ......whooo hooooo
  • savvystephy
    savvystephy Posts: 4,151 Member
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    Hi Charlotte! I am also a grad student (with an internship and a GRA on top of the course work). It's definitely tough, but manageable. I fell off the bandwagon my first semester, but so far I am doing great.

    The key is schedule your workouts. I have mine scheduled for when I get home, or do them in the morning if I don't have to go in later. On days I go to my internship, they are when I get home (since I have to get up at 5:30am already!). But, it's totally worth it. :smile: The exercise is so much stress relief, and man do I need that this semester.
  • BlessedMystique
    BlessedMystique Posts: 108 Member
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    Welcome!! I'm a grad student too, in virology
    You can do it!! I try to get in an hour at night after
    work. Good luck!!
  • bryony_pie
    bryony_pie Posts: 40
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    Grad student here, too! 3rd year PhD in Mechanical Engineering. When I started grad school I moved my workouts to evening, and that seemed to work for me - if I worked all day, I felt like I was "allowed" to take me-time at night. But the best thing is to try to figure out what works for you. I walk to and from campus, and I will walk during lunch if it's nice out, and that adds up. But AggieCass09 is right, you can always make time to do something! Some days just having the time to take the stairs is a real victory!

    Best of luck to you - you can do it! And of course, you've got all of us here to help! :happy:
  • beastlye
    beastlye Posts: 37
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    I'm a grad student as well (studying epidemiology). Just carve out a little time for exercise per week (no big, sweeping changes are necessary) -- you'll be amazed at what you can achieve once it becomes part of your routine :). Best wishes!
  • TakeOne
    TakeOne Posts: 345 Member
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    Wow..I keep finding awesome/relavent topics today..wahoo! I am currently a grad student as well and should probably be doing some work right now actually...:laugh: haha. Yes, it is tuff!! I am a teacher as well and between the two I have very little time for much else. My current goal is to tone up and right now I squeeze my work outs in on the weekend and one week day. I really need to ramp this up! Best of luck to all my fellow grad (and undergrad) students :flowerforyou:
  • AmeMahoney
    AmeMahoney Posts: 232
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    I just got my Master of Public Health, Environment, Safety and Health degree (I HATED Epidemiology!) I completed 96 hours in 1 year, 1 quarter (the regular program is 60 hours over 2 years, but I had some catching up to do and some extra classes I needed). Needless to say, I gained 20 pounds from sitting for 15-17 hours a day. If you are taking the regular 12-13 hour courseload, you should be able to find time to fit in some walks and some workouts. Hopefully your school has a gym you can get to. If you take 18-19 hours like I did (and 24 the last quarter), then good luck!
  • charlottemick
    charlottemick Posts: 7
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    It's been awesome to "meet" all of you!! Thanks for all the advice and support! I'm so glad that there are people in the same boat as me able to fit in workouts, if only we didn't have to sacrifice even more sleep for it! :P I'm going to school for Bioarchaeology (human bones in archaeological contexts), TAing, and am supervisor of three labs, so I completely understand trying to fit gym time in after work or on the weekends. I hope all of you are enjoying your programs as much as I am and to those who are almost done (like I am in May! Woot!), congrats!!!
  • PMTpower
    PMTpower Posts: 12 Member
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    Hi charlotte, I am not a grad student anymore but I was about 4 years ago (medical school) and then residency for the past 3 years.. I am now an internist. It's hard putting time working out with such a busy schedule but to tell you the truth.. it was what kept me going actually. It gave me the energy to push through studying and exams, and even the 30 hours shifts in the hospital as a resident...

    so stick with the plan and keep moving!
  • emmaleigh47
    emmaleigh47 Posts: 1,670 Member
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    Hi Charlotte! Im a grad student - getting my doctoral degree in nursing... I am also a part time instructor and full time nurse practitioner. Its a struggle ... put yourself first and do not allow yourself to cut back those things that are essential like your exercise....
  • brittanybark
    brittanybark Posts: 48
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    Im not a graduate student yet.. im working on my major in physiology at the UofA I want to be either a pediatrician or an internist.
    Its tough..

    I try to make my workout for early morning just because I can take a shower and feel energized for the rest of the day..something about working out at 5 am just makes me feel great afterward!

    Keep trying; I think you will like using MFP to keep track of your food...I thought it would be annoying but its way easier then I imagined.
  • kksn
    kksn Posts: 122 Member
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    Hey Charlotte!

    I'm a 5th year PhD in Molecular Pharmacology - hoping to graduate in about 4 months! Yeah! :bigsmile: I've been on the weight roller coaster most of my grad school experience and finally found that if I make time for me to be active and healthy, I am more productive and efficient in the lab and working on my thesis. It is still a struggle to "find" the time as I also commute 2 hours a day and have responsibilities at home (cooking, cleaning, paying attention to my husband :laugh: ), but it CAN be done. Just find a time in your day that you can carve out for routine "you-time" and exercising. For me, that's mid/late-afternoon. I get to work at 7:30 AM (I'm up at 5:40, leave the house by 6:30 for the bus, and then it's an hour commute one-way - no time for working out in the morning) and I work through the lunch hour (eating at my desk while doing work, or grabbing bites while I'm in and out of the lab doing experiments... since my bus doesn't leave until after 5 PM, I take an hour or so in the afternoon as my "lunch break" and go to the gym... I know that if I wait to get home I'll be too tired, too busy with home responsibilities, and if I have extra time I'll feel compelled to be working on stuff for school.

    I imagine all of us here understand just how difficult it can be to find the time, but would agree that making that time is a necessity for staying sane and making through a grad program... right? :tongue: Good luck, you can do this!

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