STORY BY ELLEN KOESTER
When it comes to learning time management, college is sink or swim.
Between homework, clubs, student organizations, volunteering and social events, students do not have much time for anything else. Most of the time, the first thing to get cut out of a student’s routine is exercise.
Unless a student is an athlete, he or she may not have time to devote an hour to an elliptical every day.
Still, exercise is an important part of maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
“I think exercise is important to be able to live a functioning life when I’m older and even for now,” first-year Drake student Colin Piscitello said. “It helps you maintain an active lifestyle for a longer time and I just want to be a well-rounded individual. You have to have social, mental and physical health. You can’t be too good in the physical area without exercising.”
Piscitello mainly runs in order to stay active, but usually only when he is training for a marathon. Currently, he is taking a breather and focusing on classwork.
Renee Rivera is a Drake cheerleader who is also trying to pursue a healthy lifestyle.
“Exercise helps maintain mental health as well as physical health, and it helps you step back and think,” Rivera said. “It’s also a great de-stressor.”
Rivera uses exercise to be a better cheerleader for her team. Her teammates depend on her to be in the best shape she can be. The cheerleading team meets every weekday either for actual practice or just to workout for an hour.
“I feel like I get enough exercise from cheerleading to maintain my physical health,” Rivera said. “I think Drake students exercise enough because a solid percentage of the students are student athletes.”
Even students who are not athletes can still find time to exercise around their busy schedules.
“I’d say a fair amount of people are being active,” Piscitello said. “A lot of students go for a run or go to lift at the Bell Center. In general, it’s a fairly active campus and a fairly active city as well.”
The struggle many students may have with getting to the gym is the time it takes. It may be hard for some students to find the time.
Rivera exercises with her team, but she also has a lot to say about how students can get motivated and when are the best times to hit the gym.
“Mornings before classes is when I work out the most,” Rivera said. “I feel like in the morning you can’t give yourself an excuse like you can at the end of the day when you’re tired, and you can just say you’ve done enough for the day. In the morning, you still need to get things done. Setting a time and sticking to it also helps. Making exercise a part of your routine helps too. If you just say ‘I’m going to work out today at some point,’ you know it’s never going to happen.”
Exercise is well worth the time. Although it may take students away from their schoolwork and friends, it is shown to be a good source of stress relief and good for mental health as well as physical.
When one needs to take a break, try to use that time to get some exercising done.
“You’re not going to regret an hour of exercise like you’d regret an hour of Netflix,” Piscitello said.
Remember: there is Wi-Fi available in most gyms. Instead of binging Netflix in the dorm and eating leftover Halloween candy, get to the gym and multitask.
