The Importance Of Personal Self-Care Activities For College Students

As a college student, my economic situation will change and I will need a job to support myself. This means however that I will have less free time to allocate to exercise so I will have to plan athletic activity into my schedule. My motivation may change because of my focus on college or my career. To stay motivated I can set short term fitness goals to encourage me to exercise daily. My accessibility to fitness resources will change when I go to college because I will no longer have access to my school gym and track and my local gym. I will have to find other places to exercise such as running at nearby parks and joining a new gym. My ability to participate will change because I will no longer be part of my school track team and will have to continue running on my

What I learned this week in “Achieving Wellness and Eating and Exercising toward a Healthy Lifestyle”

After a class discussion about making working out more creative, I made a change in my plan. Rather than doing the same workout each week, I decided to adjust my new behavior to three or more 30-60 minute workouts with a cardio element. The second phase of this experience was faced with challenges, but the update in my plan was helpful. The fourth week I still did not meet my goal, but I did complete one run and another cardio workout. Having my sponsor checking up on me was what helped me over this lag, I did not like telling her I was failing, so her accountability encouraged me to do better going forward. I also begin incorporating friends into my workouts. By the fifth week I was recommitted. I worked out well over thirty minutes three times, two of which were with friends. This week was positive for me, as it showed me that working out could be fun. I believe this shift in thinking was the most valuable lesson during this experience. I needed this new way of thinking because in high school I only ran because I belonged to the cross country and track teams. I felt pressure form my teammates, coaches, parents, and myself to workout. Although it was fun at times, I was doing it because I felt I had to. Now that I am in college, nobody tells me to workout and I am accountable to nobody but myself. Realizing working out can be fun, and adding in my friends, is what propelled my last three weeks. I successfully met my

Fitness is something every college student struggles with. With the high levels demanded of college students, such as research papers, group projects, assignments, jobs, and overall lack of sleep it can become very difficult to find the time to workout or be active. Student like to be active thought because it helps put them in a better mood. They are able to relax and have more energy. If students come in with a plan though they are more likely to stick to their routine and maintain their workout plan. It also helps to have a person to workout with. This allows for both individuals to motivate each other to stay on their workout routine, this especially helps for women. Generally though, by setting your mind to staying fit, you will not only see the benefits physically, but it will also help individuals set goals that are achievable in life and help maintain their stress level (Whelan, 2016).

In movie and T.V shows we see college-life filled with parties and freedom. But the reality of college for many students consists of the “freshmen fifteen” and pulling all-nighters. With the amount of freedom college gives, it’s important to understand with freedom, come responsibilities. It’s crucial to start preparing and build up a good habit to have a healthy mind and body while we are still in high school.

Why this is important to my academic success: Creating a weekly exercise schedule is invaluable because I am prone to burnout and workaholism in my career. As a student with high self-expectations and goals, I want to ensure that I am working at my best and optimal performance. If my health is less than adequate physically, mentally, emotionally or spiritually then I am less likely to yield high returns on my academic investments. Thus, daily exercise and above average nutrition (and sleep) help to ensure I maintain a balance of my personal and academic goals.

As a freshman in college, I received several warnings, including always wear your shower shoes, remember to study, and be nice to your roommate. Another warning that was constantly mentioned was to beware of the freshman 15. The freshman 15 refers to the phenomenon of a student gaining the average amount of 15 pounds of weight in their first year of college. While many students may brush it off, this is a warning that actually seems to carry some validity. According to Wengreen and Moncur (2009), several research groups have examined the theory that college students gain weight in their first year of college and found that most, but not all, did indeed find an average weight gain of 6 to 10 pounds in a student’s first semester. While the reasons for weight gain will be discussed a little later on, it is important to stress that college students carry a significant amount of pressure, especially in their early years. As a result of these studies and first-hand experience of college life, I was taken back to find that Central Arizona College does not allow students to utilize the fitness center unless they are enrolled in a physical activity class (PAC) or if they are a student athlete. In an effort to bring attention to the benefits of physical activity for college students and why they should be allowed to utilize fitness centers, further research was conducted to support the claims that physical activity is valuable for several reasons. Therefore, the thesis of this essay

Two of the most common habits pertain to ones sleep and dietary habits. Only about 11% of college students report getting good sleep, and 73% report having sleep problems. Similarly, 41% of students have an eating disorder and often use various unhealthy weight control methods. Lastly, about 60% of college students are reported to not get enough physical exercise, which could help decrease stress, anxiety and give one a better self-image. All of the bad behaviors college students partake in can have detrimental health effects, but all these behaviors are correctable. If college students can take the initiative to better themselves, it will help them live happier and healthier lives to

Most non-athletic students, wonder how athletes do it, partake in sports and maintain good grades. Also, most Athletes dream of being a regular student, just working out to maintain a good health or not being demanded to at all. But looking at things from the regular students perspective, you can tell that working out when they’re in school is a task. Mainly because, they have so much going on, academically that working out seems to be a burden both mentally and physically. Although it is hard to get involve with physical activities, studies has shown, that once you become fully active in it and socialize among a group of people who are hold the same values and want to live a healthier lifestyle, you are more likely to continue it throughout college and your long term career. Unfortunately, only a small percentage of college students are currently active in regular exercise according to Jeon, Kim, and Heo.

Over the course of this semester, I have participated in a variety of activities that benefited my well being. For example, I made the choice to change how much water I was drinking. At the beginning of the semester I rarely drank any but, through the behavior change process (Transtheoretical model) I now drink 32 ounces or more of water daily. I started by making a goal to drink 64 ounces a day but, I found that to be unmanageable, so I changed it to 32 ounces and have been successful ever since. By drinking water, I have benefited in several ways, including, healthier skin, fewer headaches, and I have also increased my Physical Wellness. I also worked on my Physical Wellness by attending physical therapy and going to doctor appointments. Over the summer I had hip surgery and was on crutches for 3 months, so I attended physical therapy to gain muscle endurance in my leg and to also build muscle around my hip to reduce re-injuring. I also decided to take on exercising on my own time, by creating a fitness plan. In this plan,

College students pick their own courses and living arrangement and this freedom extends to physical fitness as well. When it comes to a college student’s lifestyle however, they’re not known for exuding a healthy one. Typically, the only people who maintain a healthy lifestyle in college are the ones who have a passion for fitness. This is the complete opposite of other students who live a sedentary life and ingest pizza and ramen noodles regularly. To combat this common campus conundrum, sedentary students must be paired with active students to take on the role as their fitness conscience. Not only is it a way to introduce students, but it is also a great way for lethargic students to see what can be accomplished with a healthier lifestyle. As opposed to forcing students to attend gym class, they must be convinced that a healthy lifestyle is feasible. They must be shown the “full glory” of

In “An evaluation of a college exercise leader program: using exercise science students as advocates for behavior modification” the researchers are attempting to evaluate the behavior changes needed to begin and maintain a comprehensive exercise prescription program. The problem identified was a result of data found from an evidence based health risk assessment distributed throughout their target population. These results showed that students, faculty, and staff all had a “desire to be physically active, lose weight and use the colleges fitness, yet many were simply unaware of how to get started”(Armstrong et al, 2014). This health problem is consistently seen on campus across the nation as many students, faculty and staff enter the college atmosphere without the knowledge of how to maintain and engage themselves in an active lifestyle. The National College Health Assessment has reported that 34.1% of college students are classified as overweight and obese, 58% of them being female and 34% of them being male (Armstrong et al, 2014). These students have also

The Increase in obesity rates among Americans have been in the rise. Depression and anxiety have also been linked with obesity. A sedentary and/or inactive lifestyle because of one’s profession may also contribute to the unhealthy lifestyle. Everyday healthcare costs have been in the rise in both private and employer paid benefits by frequent doctor visits. However, individuals can reduce doctor visits (excluding annual checkups) and save money due to insurance co-pay by picking up a hobby like exercising. Exercise is classified as aerobic, anaerobic or a mixture of both. Exercise is a good hobby because it helps with the prevention of cardiovascular disease, promote cardiovascular health and improve moods like depression and anxiety.

College life is a time full of fun, friends, activities, classes, and homework. All of these activities however, add up to a busy life style. Being busy is not in itself harmful but when the busyness becomes so great that it turns into stress, problems start to arise. The formation of stress leads to many unhealthy trends, such as lack of sleep, loss of immunity to disease, and a change in personality traits. How then can stress in the busy lives of college students be reduced? The answer is a simple one that has long been known; exercise relieves stress. Colleges across the country need to implement a program of required exercise classes to promote the well being of students.

When people think about college students’ eating habits, one common thought is Freshman. There is a widespread belief that due to poor eating habits, college students often gain weight during their first year of college. A recent study, however, found that first-year female college students’ calorie intake actually decreased for most of the participants, but that physical activity decreased as well for those who gained weight and stayed the same for those who lost weight (Jung, Bray, and Ginis 2008). From this