5 Useless Ways to Exercise at College

Everyone hears about the freshman 15 when they start college, but I'm a sophomore so I'm past that. Actually, from my Facebook pictures I can tell I have most definitely lost weight since freshman year. This semester I made exercise a priority, but the end here has been a little stressful and my exercise routine has suffered because of it. I thought I would do a search and see if anyone had practical tips for making time to exercise in college. I thought I might have struck gold when I came across this article: 5 Ways to Exercise at College. As promising as the title sounded, this was the most worthless article I have ever read. Here's why, reason by reason.

#1: Walk to Class

• The idea here is that one should walk rather than drive to class. I don't know how your university is set up, but at Belmont driving to class is not really an option. As a matter of fact, I'm pretty sure in the normal college world you either live on campus and always walk to class or you get to campus, park a significant distance from your classes and walk. I decided to give the article the benefit of the doubt though and kept reading.

#2: Take Advantage of the Gym

• All I can say here is, "Duh." If you aren't exercising in college, it isn't because you don't know there's a gym. It's because you don't want to use it or you feel like you don't have time. If you met the requirements to get into a university, you can probably figure this one out on your own.

#3: Walk in between Courses

• I might call this a good idea. I don't think it's groundbreaking, and the article mentions, "If you're lucky, you [sic] college has a hiking trail or at least a walking trail." I'm not one of the lucky ones, so the trail thing isn't an option. Also, if I'm on campus I'm probably carrying books. While walking with my books may burn more calories, it's not kind to my back. I'm still not sure whether I will concede and say this was a decent tip, but I think it's the most practical one the article offers.

#4: Take Classes

• Yes, most schools will require you to take a physical education class; however, most school require one PE, so that's only got you covered for one semester. I would love to take an extra hour long class every semester, but tuition is expensive, and I don't have hundreds of dollars per credit hour to spend on classes that won't count.

And finally,

#5: Get Involved in Sports

• I have to quote the whole thing here because it's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard:

"Sports are a wonderful way to get scholarships and it's not too late to get involved. Try out for a sport that you enjoy. This is a wonderful way to exercise and it's a wonderful way to ensure that you have enough money to keep attending your school of choice. Not only will you get exercise at the games, but you will also be required to practice several days a week, which will also be a great workout."

Now really, if you are talented enough to play a sport at a college level, especially well enough to get a scholarship, you are not just looking for practical "walk in between classes" exercise tips. You can't just walk on to a college team because you're looking for some exercise! How the heck is this good advice for exercising in college?!

Overall, I found this article useless. If I come up with better ways to fit exercise into a college schedule that don't involve having a large savings account or major athletic talent, I'll post my own tips.