Put the book down and get active! A call to fellow university students.
September 21, 2023 | Montréal, Québec
Physical Wellness Liaison, Abbigail, striking a pose over the gorge in Coaticook, Québec.
Photo credit: Abbigail Whitcher
Writing this blog post might just make me a hypocrite. I haven’t been to the gym for the past three weeks. I have been going through the whirlwind that is student life! Attending classes, working from home, and doing readings; all things that consume the major part of my days. Sounds relatable? May we take an oath to not turn into student potatoes, together! We can (most likely) do this!
To begin, my favourite thing to do recently is to book every moment of my waking life in my handy-dandy email calendar - thanks Outlook. Please don’t tell me I’m the only person who does this. If I’m not alone, this is a direct message to you, my fellow organisation-freaks! Let us add a time slot for physical activity as much as possible. Maybe even add a fun emoji to each workout session to spice up your calendar. Here are some title options if you’re stumped: ‘’Let’s get physical!’’ ‘’Sweat sesh’’ ‘’Move your tooshie’’ ‘’Time to boogie!’’
Photo Credit: giphy.com
Not only have I been planning each moment of my life, but I’ve also been colour-coding it! There is logic in this madness, of course. I do so to see if my schedule is balanced. For instance, my fun activities (dance, group running, gym sessions, social activities) are yellow. Therefore, if I have no yellow slots in my calendar, then I know I must make room for some. Simple as that.
I would recommend using some tips provided by the Physical Activity guideline created by the Government of Canada. Listed below is some useful information pulled from the guideline to keep in mind while making your weekly sweat schedule:
Physical Activity Tips for Adults (18-64 years)
Be active at least 2.5 hours a week to achieve health benefits.
Focus on moderate to vigorous aerobic activity throughout each week, broken into sessions of 10 minutes or more.
Get stronger by adding activities that target your muscles and bones at least two days per week.
Source: Government of Canada’s Physical Activity guideline
Once you have completed the first step of setting aside about 2 and a half hours per week for physical activity, it’s time to brainstorm and determine what you’d like to do during these sessions. A worthwhile question to ask yourself during this phase may be: What activity gives me the most satisfaction to do?
Is it a runner’s high that you seek? Perhaps nothing compares to an upper body pump for you. Or maybe the thrill of learning new dance steps makes you tick. Try to list some activities that would add some sparkle, light, umph, excitement, however you want to describe the feeling – you know what I mean. Strategically choose activities that make you feel alive. Note them down and make it your goal to do them. Personally, I always feel fabulous after a short 3–4-kilometre run, a weight-lifting gym session, or a dance class. I invite you to find your physical-activity-muse!
Photo Credit: giphy.com
And finally, step three, the moment to be accountable and do the workouts that you told yourself that you would do. I don’t have many additional tips for this part. But certain conditions facilitate the process. Getting enough sleep, eating regularly, drinking plenty of water, and making meditation a daily habit can all work to your advantage.
Although these conditions are beneficial and will help, sometimes what is most needed is a killer playlist to ignite your soul. Here are some playlists that I have downloaded on my personal Spotify account, and that have been my beats of choice for countless trainings:
If you feel you could benefit from an accountability partner, someone that you can text to say ‘’Hey! I moved today!’’, reach out to me on my Instagram account: @abbigail.whitcher. We can do this together.
Author
Abbigail Whitcher
Physical Wellness Liaison (Montréal, Québec)
for Y4Y Québec
Instagram: abbigail.whitcher
