How to Make Time for Working Out in College
Published 8/25/2017 • Updated 3/15/2024
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Oh college. I have three words for you- what. a. time.
No experience in college is the same, but we all come out learning one thing– a lot more about ourselves. I have no regrets with how my college career went down even though I went through some tough shit- anxiety and depression diagnoses, an eating disorder, friend problems, guy problems, you name it! Good news people, I came out stronger, smarter, and happier. I learned so much about myself during this time that I wouldn’t take it back for a second.
As someone who has been an extremest that obsessed over working out and burning calories, I am happy to share that I am now a healthy exerciser and that I do it for so many more reasons than to look a certain way. Even though I am not in college anymore, this mindset is applicable to the college aged ladies and quite honestly, it would have been nice to have it during that time in my life! Today, I workout to…
- be strong
- be healthy
- feel good
When you’re strong, healthy, and feel good about yourself…your demeanor is different, you’re happier, you get better grades, your more likely to get out and do fun things, there’s a better chance for success, and your probably a lot nicer to be around 😀
So here’s some tips on how to make time for working out in college:
- Make it part of your every day norm. If you treat it like it’s something you just do every day, then you’ll just do it.
- Utilize your Google calendar! At the beginning of the week, map out where and when you’re working out.
- Set goals that are doable and not based on numbers. Maybe that means 3 or 4 days a week you get your butt to the gym or do a group fitness class, but don’t tell yourself you want to weigh X pounds or lose X pounds because you are more than just a number. Oh, and muscle weighs more than fat!
- Get a workout buddy! The best thing I did in college was find a buddy and stay accountable. I can thank my sister for that one!
- Walk everywhere! If you don’t have time to workout, skip the bus and walk to your classes and meetings. I promise, walking adds up and yes, it counts.
- 10 minutes is better than no minutes. Just because you don’t have a full hour to workout, doesn’t mean that you just shouldn’t! Even if it’s 30 minutes 4 days/week, that’s better than nothing!
- Have fun with it! Try something new each week. Swim, bike, play intramural sports, do a group fitness class. Fitness doesn’t have to mean pounding weights at the gym, it CAN be fun.
- All the cool kids are doing it. JK. But, think about exercise as setting yourself up for a happy, healthy future. There are so many studies that have been done that prove exercise prolongs life, makes you feel better, etc. Bill Nye the Science Guy said it was TRUE.
As always, don’t forget to have fun! That’s the one thing I wish I would have done more of in college because at the end of the day, life is all about balance. Break some rules. Stay up late. Eat pizza. And live a little! College is one of the best times of your life and you want to make the best of it. So if you take away one piece of information from this post, it should be BALANCE.
Before I go! OUTFIT DEETS — I’m wearing my current favorite leggings, the Lululemon High-Rise Wunder Under Crops (fit me like a GLOVE), a cute crop tank from Under Armour (similar), and Under Armour Threadborne Slingflex.
If you’re a college girl- I’d love to hear from you! Where do you go to school and what are your favorite ways to workout at school?
Really great tips for creating habits and accountability! Love your outfits by the way…
This is so great – I love the part about not setting goals based on numbers. For so long I would base health/fitness goals on the number on the scale, and all that resulted in was me feeling defeated and the farthest thing from motivated. Now I set much more effective goals – this semester I have a goal to work out consistently 4x a week and try a new fitness class once a month!
I love your workout outfit. Is that tank sold out? Sad face.
Yesssss I couldn’t find it on Under Armour 🙁
I’ve struggled so hard with truly committing to working out. I really think that is has mostly been due to the fact that I have been so unhappy with the changes in my body lately. I always went in with the goal of getting rid of this extra weight I’m carrying and I always failed shortly after starting. I’d lose motivation and give up so quick! I don’t know how it happened, maybe because I had so much extra time to dedicate to it this summer, but I pushed past the quitting point for me! Once I got there, I saw that I liked the way it made me feel and now I worry less about the pace of changes I’m seeing. I wanted to make it a healthy habit so I’d continue being sure to make time for it when school starts again! I am in nursing school so stress is at an insanely high level and time is practically nonexistent, but this time around I feel like I could actually stick to it and benefit immensely from the way it makes me feel! I even bought a planner that puts an emphasis on health and provides space to meal and exercise plan for each day. Thank you for posting this!
Nursing school OMG. I thought about nursing for about 10 minutes and then backed out!
Lee you’re the BEST! I love this post and how you push such a positive message of balance and enjoying college life while it lasts 🙂 I’m starting my junior year at UW-Madison and love my Dragonfly Hot Yoga studio here! They have barre and HIIT classes too, so I get a lot of variety in my workouts that way. Oh, and I have some weird thing about never taking the bus because I never figured out how the bus system works… so it’s always been walking to class for me?
I’m a senior at Ohio University! This makes me see working out in a completely new light! I do want to feel happy & healthy for myself by working out, however, I struggle with anxiety about it. I feel like when I’m at the gym I am constantly comparing myself to others & I hate it. I hope that I can find a routine that I can enjoy without feeling like I’m being judged by anyone.
Loved this post, Lee! I’m a rising sophomore at Georgetown, and I definitely take advantages of the campus gym. So much space and weights and mats and ahhhh. lol I’m used to working out in my tiny room with my dumbbells taking up one third of the space. And walking everywhere is definitely huge in college.
They should just attach gyms to all of the dorms already!
Yes love these tips and so appreciate you pointing out that it’s about SO much more than weight loss. For me in college, when I started realizing the mental benefits of working out is when I was really able to make it a part of my routine.