Staying Fit in College
Staying fit in uni
If you're anything like me you want to be a wholesome individual. Good social life, toned body, and good grades. The question is how. It's not too difficult, it just requires a little bit of strategy and a sprinkle of discipline. This is not an exhaustive piece but hopefully, you can pick up a few useful tips. I will be focusing on fitness, I will cover other topics in future articles.
Getting started
I do not really lead an active lifestyle apart from the gym. I walk to my lectures but I stay really close to the school so walking is not sufficient exercise. I go to the gym 5 days a week at most. The hardest thing for me was amassing enough courage to go to the gym. Yes, you're not the only one who finds the whole concept of walking into a gym full of new faces daunting but trust me, that's about the hardest thing.
Most important tip
Just make an appearance: Just go to the gym. You can do cardio while you gain confidence. The first few times I just headed straight to the treadmill. It's almost foolproof. Just take the necessary precautions and you will be okay.
Warm up and stretch
This is a must. Do not skip these steps. I never thought they were important until I pulled a muscle. Don't be like me. Do the right thing. You're trying to take good care of your body, not to damage it. Keep that in mind.
Once you've overcome your fears and started going to the gym
- Eat right and stay hydrated: I can't emphasize how important it is to eat right and stay hydrated. I am not on any special diet, I just make sure that my diet has all the nutrients in their right quantities and stay away from fast food as much as possible. Drink as much water as possible, your skin will also thank you. Ever since I started going to the gym my skin has been glowing, I will attribute this to the fact that exercise improves blood circulation and I usually drink about 1.2 litres of water during one workout session. Skin loves water.
- Working on one muscle? My thoughts: I am not a fan of working on one muscle in isolation. I naturally have a good body shape so my workouts are aimed at toning my body not losing fat or expanding one body part. I work on all my muscles. I also incorporate cardio in some of my workouts. I do not know how effective it is to focus on only one muscle group, for example, abs. In case you're wondering what equipment I use, I usually use the yoga mat and dumbbells. I like to keep my workouts simple so that I stay motivated. There are always alternatives that do not use weights so there's something for everyone.
- Time factor: Time is a very important factor. I do not have much time during the semester so I keep workout sessions short and sweet. HIIT(High-Intensity Interval Training) is my go-to. It consists of short workouts with short breaks in between. It is fast-paced so you can complete it in about half an hour, including warm-up exercises and stretches. It is important to note that it is not for everyone though. Some people get sick when they do HIIT so if your body says no just listen to it. There are usually beginner or low-intensity modifications that you can try out, if that fails too then you might want to just stick to the usual workouts.
I do not have pictures in workout clothes but you get the idea
Let's debunk a common myth
Working out does not necessarily make you bulky. The results of workouts depend not only on the workouts themselves but also on diet and genetics. Having said this, you would need to have a really high-protein diet to become bulky. I know some guys who are fairly bulky without any special diet, once again, many factors contribute to one's response to workouts. It's important to know your body before you 'copy and paste' some workouts you see on the internet.
Extra information
Most girls want an hourglass figure but like I mentioned before many factors come into play in the world of fitness. You might try exercises that burn belly fat and build your butt, but again, results will vary. Oblique workouts help to cut into the waist but if you do too much of them they will widen your waist. One exercise I think is effective is the vacuum. You can look it up, it requires no equipment so you can do it at home. It is known to shrink your waist.
Some bonus tips
- Consistency is key. Stick to your routine even if you do not see results after the first few sessions.
- Cardio is good but too much of it will send your booty gains flying out the window.
- Stick to exercises that you can keep doing in the long run and if you do not get the expected results just bear in mind that results vary from individual to individual. Quick fixes and exercises that promise to help you lose 10kg in 3 days are too good to be true. Invest in a sustainable workout regime, great things take time.
- For some good HIIT videos do check out MrandMrsMuscle on YouTube.This is not a sponsored post so I genuinely think they're good.
This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.
© 2019 Tinotenda Manyumbu
4