Not your typical student

hotpickles
hotpickles Posts: 639 Member
edited November 11 in Motivation and Support
Okay, I know the title says absolutely nothing about fitness and health, but bear with me lol!

I thought I'd put this out there to see if anyone can relate. If you are a mature student, or still in school (I guess I'm technically both) and are trying to find that balance between juggling school work, fitness, family etc PLEASE let me know!

If you are like me, when crunch time comes around with school, the good eating habits go out the window along with our sanity. Of course, there's barely any time left in the day for everything else!

Let's support each other!

L

Replies

  • jrmc83
    jrmc83 Posts: 77 Member
    Me me me! School is sooo stressful and I tend to be a type A neat freaky kind of person...but since I don't have time I'm letting everything slide. Too much to do so I'm not doing any of it well! For instance, I should be running or studying for my test in the am...but here I am on mfp. At least I'm reading about health :laugh: What are you in school for?
  • nursenikki829
    nursenikki829 Posts: 432 Member
    Meeee!!! I am a wife, mom of three little ones, I work full- time as an RN, and I am currently pursuing my Masters' Degree..... Feel free to add me!
  • kag1526
    kag1526 Posts: 210 Member
    I do most of that, but less of the familiy.

    I have a full time job as an engineer, am working on my masters, and do have my DH at home but no kids yet (want to finish the masters first). Luckily this is my last semester and I only needed one class to graduate so its a lighter semester for me and in a few months (mid terms are tomorrow so half way) I'm done.
  • juicemoogan
    juicemoogan Posts: 994 Member
    Full time working and completing MBA part time. 2 classes per week in the evening. On top of my classes I'm also studying for a language proficiency test in Korean. So i have to study more than regular.

    Luckily I work at a college and we have a fitness centre where i can take 3 classes per week over my lunch breaks.

    But with class, work study and home, it is hard to fit in exercise. but usually i do most exercise on the weekends but I'm trying to fit more in on my non-class days. We can do it!!

    Add me!
  • kimbly71
    kimbly71 Posts: 188
    I am currently not a student but completed my bachelors in communications several years ago. I actually work in a financial aid office as a counselor and have worked in financial aid for about 7 years. The FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) can be a complicated form and not all that fun to fill out. If you have any questions about this, feel free to message me. I would be glad to answer any questions that I can.

    Good luck on all of your journeys. :)
  • wxchaser
    wxchaser Posts: 173 Member
    DEFINITELY me! I've been trying to stay away from the vending machines as much as possible when stress comes up with school work and getting things done. Last night when my group was working on the last problem of our homework (it took us 3hrs to solve!!) my friend decided she needed food and wanted Taco Bell. We all agreed, so she said she'd go out and get it.

    I remembered seeing something on TV about their Fresco menu so I decided, why not? I'll give it a try. I had the soft shell steak taco and it was actually pretty fantastic. And at 150 calories, I didn't feel like I was being bad about my choices.

    I think the #1 suggestion I'd make when under the gun is to look for foods on fast food menus that are obvious healthier options or look them up online. I can tell you from experience, it really helps to know before you go, or at least have a smartphone/computer handy to check calories on foods.

    As for exercising, I try to hit the gym when I've got a break between classes that's longer than 2hrs. I'll go for between half an hour and 45 minutes (sometimes more if I really wanna challenge myself!) but I'll feel so much more energized the rest of the day. Walking around campus isn't a bad idea either.
  • snlperdue93
    snlperdue93 Posts: 210 Member
    Me! lol I am a stay at home Mom of 4 and back in college finally after waiting for kids to get in school. Right now I am taking extra courses so that I can get my diploma 6 months early, so I am always swamped with work. It is so hard to sit around and study/do school work all day long and either remember to eat (I had to set alarms so I would break to eat) and also to grab the right healthy things vs. just grabbing a bag of chips or a candy bar to get me through studying.

    I am having trouble making enough time to get in full workouts, plenty of study time, family time, and sleep. I need about 10 more hours in the day.
  • cm1985
    cm1985 Posts: 17 Member
    I know exactly how you feel, I go to the gym in the Morning at 5am, drive an hour to work, drive an hour back home from work get home at 6:pm, eat dinner my husband makes, and I am taking online classes going fulltime. Its hard to actually find the time to spend time with my family I feel so guilty when my 2 year old wants to play.. and I simply dont have the time! :(

    Feel Free to add me!
  • JenSmith1104
    JenSmith1104 Posts: 58
    I am! I'm in school full time and work about 30 hours a week. It gets crazy sometimes and I stuggle with eating right and eating something that is fast. It's also hard to take stuff to school to eat because I don't have a fridge available and I'm there from 9am - 330pm.
  • jipsybird
    jipsybird Posts: 878 Member
    I am a sahm of a 2yr and a 7 mo, and only taking a 6 credit class (4 hrs long 2 nights/week). Keeps me busy! It's a culinary class and it's awesome. :) Plus hubby works full-time and is taking 15 credits. Been having a hard time getting workouts in, especially on school days!

    You all have crazy schedules! Kudos for staying sane in sticking with it!
  • nichole325
    nichole325 Posts: 244 Member
    MEEEE!

    I work full time M-F and I go to school full time pursuing my MBA. The only thing that separates me from most of you is my program is all online...but that doesn't make it any easier.

    Luckily, I have some up with a routine that works awesome.

    I work 9-5 and I bring all my workout gear with me everyday. I change after work and head straight to the gym- if I go home I know myself enough to know I will NOT go back out, so going directly to the gym has worked out excellent. I workout everyday M-F from 530ish to 7ish (sometimes a little less sometimes a little more).

    One thing I have found to help me be a little less stressed is my new CROCKPOT. I swear by this thing. Before, I was so stressed about fitting gym time in after work then going home to cook dinner for my bf and I. Now I throw the food in the crockpot (you can find lots of low cal DELICIOUS recipes online) and when I get home from the gym dinner is ready and all i have to do is focus on homework (soooooooooooo much homework).

    I just keep telling myself it will be all worth it in the end...both the degree and the working out. haha
  • SiltyPigeon
    SiltyPigeon Posts: 920 Member
    Same here.... very a-typical. I have a BA in Business, an Associates in Science, and another Associates in Art. I'm currently going back for my Groomer's License. I own my own business (pet supply store <-- which is why I'm going back to school, I want to expand my business) where I work 54+ hours a week. I have 2 kids (the youngest comes to work with me, because she's not in school, yet). The kids also do my volunteer work at the local humane society with me 6 hours per week (where I get in a lot of my exercise, lol). Busy busy busy. Not always easy to eat right, but you gotta keep at it!
  • kerrphy_2011
    kerrphy_2011 Posts: 37
    Oh man! I am right there with you. I am studying for my Radiography/ MRI tech Bachelor's Degree. Currently only in the first 2 years. ROUGH!! I am recently married, so trying to come home and cook dinner for my husband is really hard to do. Knowing that I need to or should be studying, cleaning the house, or exercising was constantly on my mind.

    Through MFP I learned that pre-planning is what helps with success in losing weight. For instance, If I pre-cook meals and stick them in the freezer, my husband can easily turn on the oven or through it in the crock pot. That makes it easier for me to pre-plan my logging food choices. Now it is just finding time to prepare the meals for pre-cooking. :)

    Also, making a plan with my husband to set aside time for school is key in my life. If I know that I have between this time and that time to study without interruptions, it makes my study time more productive. AND the time I spend with him more productive.

    Just some little tid bits I have picked up in my journey. Still ironing out the details, but the ideas are good! Hope they help!
  • hotpickles
    hotpickles Posts: 639 Member
    This is awesome!!

    I'm so glad to see so many of us in the same boat. I apologize for not getting back to this thread sooner, but I spent all of yesterday either writing exams, preparing for exams, or doing everything else related to school LOL. I feel that today I have somewhat of a sense of relief!

    I have officially declared this weekend as my "downtime". I get a whole two days off from school, and I'm going to make the most of it. The first thing I'm going to do this morning is make a proper schedule to follow. This is going to include an hour a day for exercise! I really need to become a little more diligent with not only exercise, but making sure the rest of my schedule falls into place so I'm not skipping workouts to make up for time I need studying. Of course, I will be juggling everything else in there too!

    Can't wait to start this journey!!

    L :)
  • hotpickles
    hotpickles Posts: 639 Member
    Oh man! I am right there with you. I am studying for my Radiography/ MRI tech Bachelor's Degree. Currently only in the first 2 years. ROUGH!! I am recently married, so trying to come home and cook dinner for my husband is really hard to do. Knowing that I need to or should be studying, cleaning the house, or exercising was constantly on my mind.

    Through MFP I learned that pre-planning is what helps with success in losing weight. For instance, If I pre-cook meals and stick them in the freezer, my husband can easily turn on the oven or through it in the crock pot. That makes it easier for me to pre-plan my logging food choices. Now it is just finding time to prepare the meals for pre-cooking. :)

    Also, making a plan with my husband to set aside time for school is key in my life. If I know that I have between this time and that time to study without interruptions, it makes my study time more productive. AND the time I spend with him more productive.

    Just some little tid bits I have picked up in my journey. Still ironing out the details, but the ideas are good! Hope they help!

    I definitely hear you on the cleaning/cooking thing. I was studying all this week and all I could think of was - "UGH the floors look so dirty!" Same goes with cooking, I really need to pre-plan so that I'm not reaching for quick and unhealthy options when I take a break from studying!
  • hotpickles
    hotpickles Posts: 639 Member
    Me me me! School is sooo stressful and I tend to be a type A neat freaky kind of person...but since I don't have time I'm letting everything slide. Too much to do so I'm not doing any of it well! For instance, I should be running or studying for my test in the am...but here I am on mfp. At least I'm reading about health :laugh: What are you in school for?

    Doing my masters in engineering!
  • hotpickles
    hotpickles Posts: 639 Member
    DEFINITELY me! I've been trying to stay away from the vending machines as much as possible when stress comes up with school work and getting things done. Last night when my group was working on the last problem of our homework (it took us 3hrs to solve!!) my friend decided she needed food and wanted Taco Bell. We all agreed, so she said she'd go out and get it.

    I remembered seeing something on TV about their Fresco menu so I decided, why not? I'll give it a try. I had the soft shell steak taco and it was actually pretty fantastic. And at 150 calories, I didn't feel like I was being bad about my choices.

    I think the #1 suggestion I'd make when under the gun is to look for foods on fast food menus that are obvious healthier options or look them up online. I can tell you from experience, it really helps to know before you go, or at least have a smartphone/computer handy to check calories on foods.

    As for exercising, I try to hit the gym when I've got a break between classes that's longer than 2hrs. I'll go for between half an hour and 45 minutes (sometimes more if I really wanna challenge myself!) but I'll feel so much more energized the rest of the day. Walking around campus isn't a bad idea either.

    Luckily for me (or unlucky, depending on how you look at it) I'm rather cheap when it comes to paying for parking on campus. There's a lot that has a cheap flat rate, but it's at least a mile walk from campus. Works for me just fine though, as I'm essentially saving myself $14.00 by parking there, and getting some sort of exercise in the process!
  • kerrphy_2011
    kerrphy_2011 Posts: 37
    This is awesome!!

    I'm so glad to see so many of us in the same boat. I apologize for not getting back to this thread sooner, but I spent all of yesterday either writing exams, preparing for exams, or doing everything else related to school LOL. I feel that today I have somewhat of a sense of relief!

    I have officially declared this weekend as my "downtime". I get a whole two days off from school, and I'm going to make the most of it. The first thing I'm going to do this morning is make a proper schedule to follow. This is going to include an hour a day for exercise! I really need to become a little more diligent with not only exercise, but making sure the rest of my schedule falls into place so I'm not skipping workouts to make up for time I need studying. Of course, I will be juggling everything else in there too!

    Can't wait to start this journey!!

    L :)





    You can do it!!!
  • ComfortFoodAddict
    ComfortFoodAddict Posts: 278 Member
    Yay, finally people like me- missery loves company. I am a return student. I graduated college in 2009, unable to find a job in my field, I decided to go back to school. I am working on my RN while working for an ambulance company on swing shifts. I am "single" (not married, with a live in complicated relationship). I pay for all of school out of pocket and with a partial student loan. Work is stressful; I never know from one week to the next if I work 12 hours or 36 hours. I find it very easy to choose sleep over working out. Part of my tution pays allows me a free gym membership and I rarely utlilize it. The RN program I am in is very fast paced and strenuous- This was part of my reason for choosing this program, it's one of the best and has one of the best reputations for turning out excellent nurses. I eat healthier food choices, but when I don't, I choose the WORST foods! I want to be healthy. Year before last, I lost 10lbs by drinking protein shakes and working out a lot for 3 months! I was excited and felt like I was getting better. I kept getting so many compliments... then I decided to go back to school. I made new friends & started a new job- this brought on eating out all the time and exercising almost never. My favorite exercise class instructor moved away, my paid gym membership ran out, and my drive to keep trying went down the drain. I need to suck it up and get back to it... it really is so hard though! Especially because eating bad food really is cheaper! I don't care what other people say- the food choices I make/like are cheaper when unhealthy.
  • juicemoogan
    juicemoogan Posts: 994 Member
    Ive just basically had 2 weeks of class due to a holiday and then the intersession week. Going back next week. gotta catch up on my reading.. ugh.
    Test in 1 week in Statistics, gotta finish an at home midterm by Tuesday, ugh.. here we go again.
This discussion has been closed.

Categories