Having a Fitness Routine as a College Student
Sounds impossible? Probably. I have thought of that as well. However, living during a pandemic has many implications, especially for our health. Before the pandemic, I know a lot of people didn’t give their health enough attention it needs – including me. I didn’t know fitness, I didn’t even have a routine. And, never in my whole life did I ever see myself writing an entry about it.
Performing a fitness routine as a fourth-year college student became another level of realization. Having a tracker with the list of my routine remains helpful considering that it appeals to my eyes. Despite that, my routine has become sticking to what I need to do versus what I wanted to do.
Here’s a list of my so-called fitness routine as a fourth-year college student:
First: Walking 6,000 to 10,000 steps a day.
Phew! Just looking at those numbers already makes me mentally exhausted. Sure, it was A LOT. I’ve been there and I’m still doing it now. The routine includes me having to wake up at five in the morning. Then, I’ll brush my teeth, change my clothes, and put my shoes on. As I walk, I scroll through my phone and find the perfect music to boost my sleepy soul.
How do I know how many steps I’ve walked?
In my case, I have a mobile app called Pedometer. It tracks my steps every time I click ’start’ and stops counting if I click ‘stop.’ But, if you don’t take your phone with you on a walk or you feel distracted by the number in the tracker, I suggest at least bringing a watch. In every ten minutes, you have walked a thousand steps already. However, this will still depend on how fast you walk.
How do I endure walking that long?
To be frank, I don’t. Since most of the time I walk inside our subdivision, I’m always on the verge of returning to our house and just going back to sleep again. Ang Walang Kwentang Podcast became one of the reasons I have endured walking that long. I discovered the podcast channel because the content and podcasters became the best companions for a long walk.
Second: Counting my calories.
Breakfast. Lunch. Dinner. Snack. I track all of it. It became possible. But, it didn’t come easily. If you want to recompose your body, I encourage you to do this. I suggest that instead of controlling your food portion, buy a food weighing scale. This will help you a lot if you want to sustain the habit.
How do I know the calories in my food?
I’ve found a lot of application that aims to provide an accurate calorie count of the food we eat. On the other hand, I use My Fitness Pal to know the calories of the food I eat. Weigh your food in grams. Then, search for the food in the items where a wide range will appear.
However, I don’t recommend this to people who struggle with eating disorders.
Third: Lifting weights.
As part of my routine, this has become the most challenging. I will always find myself getting bored if I continue moving to the same place. On Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, on the other hand, I make sure not to skip lifting weights. Then, I rest for four days for my muscles to recover. This routine saved me from a lot of back pain.
How did you start?
At first, I felt impatient because I didn’t see any results. Since I am prone to boredom, I always see myself watching a film or a series. This prevents me from noticing how bored the activity could be. However, once I saw my toned arms, I felt happy. Even without gym training, I was able to make progress. Props to that, right?
Fourth: Reading a book.
This part has become my favorite. This activity remains a constant thing in my life. Maybe I have a routing after all, don’t I? I am a bookworm and reading after every exercise puts my mind at peace. As much as it remains important to take care of your physical health, our mental health equally needs it. This year, I plan to read a book each month — twelve books in total. Since May has come, I have already reached my fifth book. Wish me luck, I guess?
Sticking to those routines has not come easily for me. There are ups and mostly downsides to my journey. looking back, I never thought it would become possible to be where I am right here. At this certain moment, I can finally be confident and comfortable with my skin.
To anyone who is on their journey to fitness and, at the same time, dealing with school work, research, thesis, and internship, I salute you. Things are not easy as they are right now. Yet, there you are doing something for yourself. It’s not bad to be selfish sometimes. Especially, when it would result in a better version of you.
