Staying Fit Whilst Studying

As an international student, you will have plenty to adjust to and lots to keep you occupied in your first year. New friends, new foods and new surroundings will take up most of your time, and academic commitments will demand the rest. With so much going on to occupy your mind, it is easy to forget about looking after your body. In this article, Hotcourses’ student editor So Young Bae gives you a few helpful tips for keeping in shape.

They say that a healthier body leads to a healthier mind and therefore keeping an eye on your physical condition will help you to focus on your studies more effectively. There s an abundance of options in the UK which you may consider in order to live a healthy lifestyle:

Join activity clubs at your university

A lot of universities offer extracurricular sport/exercise classes during their lunch breaks or after class in the evenings. The most common classes include

Dance
Yoga
martial arts
aerobics

Classes are run by professional instructors and welcome students of all abilities and levels of fitness. You will normally be offered discounted rates and some classes are available free of charge if you are already enrolled with the respective University. These kinds of sports/exercises can focus your mind, enhance your concentration when studying and offer excellent opportunities to make new friends.

There will be a wide variety of sports clubs and teams set up at your university too, and competing as a team is certainly a great way to meet people. Universities often compete against each other in leagues, so if you have a competitive streak, there will be plenty to satisfy it! The most popular sports at university – for men and women - are:

football
rugby
rowing
lacrosse
basketball
tennis

There are many other sports available, so if you want to try rock climbing, canoeing, swimming or snowboarding, check out your university’s sports and activity news to see if they have facilities. There will often be foreign excursions organised for such activities too.

To read more about joining clubs and societies, check our article ‘Extra – Curricular Options’.

Join fitness clubs and gyms

Regular exercise can help you to build up a stronger immune system. When you discover yourself drowning in study you may find it difficult to exercise as a consequence. However don’t despair, keep in mind that when your body is exercising your blood flow levels are actually increasing and therefore improving your brain function.

Experts say that just half an hour to an hour of regular exercise has the potential of enhancing your capability to learn.

If you are looking for an affordable gym/fitness club, please follow the links below.

The Gym offers 15 gym facilities across the UK. The gyms are open 24 hours every day and the monthly fee is respectably lower than majority of the gyms in the UK.

The Great Outdoor Gym offers several outdoor gyms throughout the green and leafy parks in the UK. It is an excellent way to immerse yourself in nature and inhale the fresh air while exercising with cutting-edge gym equipment. The gym can be used free of charge and opened to anyone.

Zumba Dance Classes are a craze that is sweeping the UK right now – designed to be fun and inclusive, they are a great way to get fit without getting bored of weight machines and treadmills. There is a real party atmosphere at classes and you will meet lots of new friends.

Nutrition

Remember to treat your body like a finely-tuned machine – it can’t perform without the right fuel. Food supplements such as Omega 3 can help with sustaining a healthier brain and some fruits can also be an excellent source of energy and fibre. For more information about student diets, read the article ‘Brain Food’ by lifehack.org.

If you follow these steps then you should stay healthy and happy whilst studying at university, but if you do get ill during your studies, then information about free National Health Services for students in the UK can be found in our article: NHS services.