One of my biggest struggles while being away at school: staying in shape. It is so incredibly easy to put exercise and treating your body right on the back burner, but you absolutely need to stop doing that right now!!!

Now I know we all know the benefits of exercising: increased attention/alertness, regulation of digestion/sleep cycle, decreased risk of heart disease, strength/endurance development, improved self-worth – the list goes on and on. Exercise can even have the same effect as medication for individuals with depression and other mental disorders.

I immediately feel an improvement once I get back on a regular workout schedule. I experience severe migraines and have suffered from insomnia for months. After A WEEK of exercise, I have already physically felt AND seen an improvement. It also serves a huge stress reliever for me, so it’s pretty essential that I go to the gym to let the tension of the day go. 

You would think that after seeing and feeling the benefits of exercise, I have been on a regular regiment since the first day of school, right? Wrong. I know how ridiculously easy it is to get thrown off balance, so today I want to give you all some tips to help you work toward achieving your fitness goals:

1) Start small. You can’t try to work on everything at once, because you will only feel defeated and end up deterring from your original goal.

2) Make little changes, such as drinking more water or taking the stairs instead of the elevator. These may seem obvious, but you would be amazed how often I see people on campus choosing the elevator over a flight of stairs. As far as water goes, I try and aim for around 4 water bottles (16.9 oz each) a day. I may drink a little more if I worked out a significant amount that day. (This is dependent on body weight. A rule of thumb is to divide your weight by 2 – this is how many ounces you want to aim for.)

3) Make time to work out. It’s not about having time, it’s about making time. I usually work out for 30-60 minutes, and I try to aim for 5 times a week. NOTE: THIS IS NOT EASY TO ADHERE TO. Try and go once a week, and then build your way up. It’s important to have at least one rest day (I build in two) to allow for muscle repair and growth. 

4) Praise and encourage yourself. It is extremely easy to feel guilty and correlate your self-worth with fitness and being in shape. You are your own worst enemy as well as your own best friend. You wouldn’t talk down to your best friend, so don’t do it to yourself! You’re human; you’re allowed to make mistakes.

5) Fitness is a process and an ongoing journey. Just like you won’t lose a pound overnight, you won’t gain a pound overnight. However, over time what you give to your body, you will receive. It may take weeks or even months to notice an improvement, but remember that every effort counts. You will never regret a minute you spent working out.

At the end of the day, you are your most important asset. Always rememeber that, and keep in mind that a positive mindset is far more effective than a negative mindset. If you have any questions – any at all – please feel comment or contact me via email. I am happy to give the best advice that I can. (If you would rather your question not be published, please note it in the message – thank you!)

Truly,
Taylor