College is a time for many firsts. This morning I ventured out of my dorm to attend my very first group fitness class on campus. Having never taken a spin class before, I was a bit intimidated by the clear glass walls encasing 25 sleek stationary bikes. I’m also guilty of being a binge gym-goer, meaning I’ll go a few days in a row and then skip a week or two. I made it through the class, but I know I won’t be able to feel my legs tomorrow. I’m sure that could be yet another excuse on my never-ending list, but this quarter I’m determined to turn all of my excuses into reasons to go to the gym. The following is a list of my most popular excuses not to go the gym:
- It’s raining and has been for two straight weeks.
Unless you’re a witch or until rain is pure acid, you’re not going to melt. A raincoat and a pair of rain boots are your most valuable tools during California’s wet season. If you like keeping your sneakers looking brand new like me, packing them in your backpack and wearing your wells to the gym is an easy solution. Even with protection from the rain, sometimes it’s simply impossible to stay completely dry. Take this hindrance and turn it into an opportunity or challenge. If you run on the treadmill faster, it’s more likely your pants will dry faster.
- I’m too tired, even though I slept until noon.
Late nights are sometimes unavoidable when all of your professors assign problem sets, essays and tons of reading in the same week. However, there are nights when homework is light and instead of going to bed earlier, you stay up and watch Netflix. While catching up on “Stranger Things” seems like a great idea at the time, one episode soon turns into the entire season. Hitting the gym in the morning seemed like a good idea yesterday – and it should still be a good idea. It’s been proven that exercising actually energizes you. Oversleeping can also make you tired throughout the day. Even if it’s just a short morning yoga session, you should feel more awake.
- I’ve got 63 pages of Shakespeare to read for tomorrow.
Sometimes it feels like you need every waking minute to do homework. That dreaded moment when you realize you have to complete a problem set, write two essays and read a novel by Monday puts your gym trip in its grave. While some work can’t be done among the noise and distraction of other gym-goers, a simple reading could easily be accomplished while doing a 5K on the elliptical. All you need to do is stick in some earphones, blast some classical music and get focused. Before you know it, you’ve killed two birds with one stone (although your paper may be a bit damp from sweat).
- None of my friends want to go with me.
Chances are your friends gave one of the excuses I already listed above. Venturing to the gym alone can be a test of self-motivation. The first challenge is actually getting to the gym, but once you’re there, a whole other problem may arise. You start out on the treadmill with a lofty goal of running five miles. About a mile in you slow your pace to a fast walk and eventually stop altogether. This is a common problem for me. Without another voice telling me to keep going, I lose the steam to keep going.
This past week I found an awesome solution (well, actually leaving for the gym is still difficult). Going to organized group fitness classes is both fun and challenging. I paid $60 in the beginning of winter quarter to take unlimited classes including cardio dance, yoga, indoor spin and kickboxing. Who knew I could bike nine miles in 45 minutes on a Saturday morning?
- I bike enough between classes, doesn’t that count?
Of course it counts, but as always, there are a few small issues. For one, Stanford University has a generally flat campus. When I visited Berkeley for the first time at the Big Game, I was horrified at the prospect of having to bike uphill to get to class. Biking in between classes could mean biking across the Main Quad multiple times at a leisurely pace, or it could mean racing from your dorm to the medical school. There’s no structure, no set pace or distance. It’s hard to keep track of progress and most likely, you’re not building significant muscle or burning many calories. In addition to biking to and from class, try to visit the gym a few times a week to get your heart really pumping.
Contact Emily Schmidt for more fitness tips at egs1997 ‘at’ stanford.edu