Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Plight of the Part-Time Student: Staying Fit Part 2

Here area few more tips for us PT’ers to stay healthy:


I wonder if Santa takes grad courses on the side...


5. Make health a priority for your family - not just you!

Make sure to communicate with your spouse (and kids) that you want to maintain a healthy lifestyle; they will help you and most likely join you on the adventure.  This is a good way to create a healthy environment in a family; if one spouse is eating fruit, vegetables, working out 2-3 times a week, and cutting down on sugar, the others may be motivated to follow suit in some way.  Also, this gives you another way to bond with your spouse and kids.

6. Take breaks!  Take breaks! Did I mention take breaks?

It is very easy to keep working and working and working through work and school and then get home and run out of gas.  All of this leads to a) less physical energy to take care of your health and b) less mental energy to focus on your health.  Take breaks throughout the day and really reflect on your health.  When was the last time you took a run?  Did you eat any fruits and vegetables today?  How can you take your health to the next level?

7. Combine!
Here’s a pretty cool thing I’m learning; start experimenting with putting some of the healthier foods like fruits and almonds into some of the foods you already eat.  If you pack a lunch for work (highly recommended) and you have, say, a sandwich, try to sprinkle some crushed almonds into the sandwich.  This is an easy way to get some additional fiber in your diet. Trust me, after a while you get used to these combinations and with very little effort, you add to your nutritional intake.

8. Reward yourself!
I started a little system where I get myself prizes after a certain number of times at the gym. All of my prizes are pieces of athletic gear. For instance, I'll purchase some (long overdue) new running sneakers after 40 workouts. Use whatever reward system works best for you. In the midst of a packed schedule, making exercise fun and almost like a game is a great way to keep yourself going motivated.

That’s all I have for now, but I’ll share more as I go.  I just had a great run yesterday and hope that the holiday season doesn't slow the momentum!

Saturday, December 1, 2012

Plight of the Part-Time Student: Staying Fit, Part 1

When you’re an undergrad, it all seems so easy.  A gym is usually within walking distance.  You go there with a few friends.  You run, you lift.  It’s nice.  The crazy stuff that you eat (pizza, pizza, and more pizza) doesn’t seem to affect you at all.  

Things change as you get a little bit older!



Another plight of the part time student is trying to stay fit through class, work, and family obligations.  Also, you may not live that close to a gym, and may not be on campus long enough to take advantage of the University's gym.

This is something I am trying to figure out.  Staying fit is very important when you have so many key obligations in your life.  It relieves stress and makes you feel good about yourself.  It’s important to feel good about yourself so that you can bring the best “You” to your marriage, your job and your school work.

So while I’m not doing this perfectly (and never will), I’m doing much better than I was doing even a few months ago.  Here are a few things I’ve learned that may be helpful for other PT'ers (part-timers). I'll list a few here and some more in my next blog post:

1. Set Goals that work for you

It is often said that in order to stick to our fitness plans, we need to have goals.  On a deeper level, these goals have to be important and specific to you.  For me, I’m finding out that the best thing that motivates me to stay fit, work out and eat right is by focusing on an upcoming event or activity.  Currently, I’m planning on joining some kind of club sport in the Spring.  So this is motivating me to get/stay in shape now.  My last goal was staying in shape for my wedding.  

Setting goals this way may not work for you.  You may do better by wanting to achieve a certain run time or distance, etc.  Take some time to really think what goals work for you and motivate you.

2. Get involved!


If you get yourself involved in some physical extracurricular activities, this will help you reach the goals you set for yourself. Penn has a ton of opportunities.  Some of them are intramural sports that students can join (here: http://www.upenn.edu/recreation/sports/intramural.html) and a state of the art - and huge -fitness center (http://www.upenn.edu/recreation/facilities/pottruck.html).  

3. Schedule exercise ahead of time


If you don’t do this, eventually everything will swallow up all of your time and exercise will be put on the back burner.  But if you make it a point to say, “on Tuesday evening I will run for ½ hour, then again on Saturday” you are much more likely to go ahead and do it.

4. Keep track of the grad school food


Food is a great socializing tool for campus events;  and there’s certainly nothing wrong with engaging in these events and having a bite to eat.  But try to keep track of what you’re eating.  If you’re trying to watch your diet, and you participate in a campus event that has foods that go against your diet, remember that when you go back home to eat dinner and try to adjust.  Originally, I just ate the campus "socializing foods" and never thought twice about it.  Now I am trying to be more aware of what I’m eating and how I might have to adjust the rest of my diet for the day.


Part 2 with more tips coming soon...