College Student Physical Activity
Walking is the best possible exercise. Habituate yourself to walk very far..
Thomas Jefferson
According to the American College Health Association, about 60% of North American college students acquire less than recommended amounts of physical activity. Like many in the general adult population, North American college students carry out most of their daily tasks while sitting -- in lectures, at libraries, and studying. Many student jobs involve sitting at desks or standing behind counters (restaurant servers who walk a lot are exceptions). During non-school/non-work leisure time, many students watch TV, listen to music, play video games, or involve themselves in the Internet. Travel is generally by car.
Most college students know they should be more physically active, but they encounter a variety of barriers to doing so. For example, many students believe that health-promoting physical activity should be vigorous, frequent, and prolonged; they mistakenly imagine that physical activity for health requires hour-long work outs at a gym or running nearly every day -- a serious time investment that many cannot realistically make.
Moreover, whereas many college students were active in sports while in high school, they find exercise for its own sake to be boring and even unpleasant. Furthermore, if exercise facilities are crowded or otherwise uninviting, or the campus community is perceived as unsafe, students are less likely to go out to exercise. Perceiving these barriers as insurmountable, students give up on putting physical activity in their lives altogether.
So, if you actively participate in sports or are otherwise moving your body around for at least half an hour a day on most days of the week in any way you can, keep doing it. If not, find ways to do so, and not necessarily by taking up a sport or exercising vigorously. A "just do it" attitude, buying new exercise clothes and shoes, and going to a gym several times a week (especially at odd hours) are unnecessary and unlikely to be maintained for very long. It's better to get into the habit of walking for 30 minutes almost every day.
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Remember, moderate amounts of physical activity are sufficient to promote health and reduce stress. Your goals are to find activities that you enjoy, that you can work into your schedule, and that you can make a regular part of your life.
Integrating Physical Activity into Your Life
Some individuals are habitual exercisers; they simply enjoy movement. Others, however, are not so inclined. In order to gain its health benefits, they must find other ways to integrate physical activity in their lives. This is especially true for those whose lifestyles are sedentary. Anything they can do to increase their amount of movement each day produces multiple rewards. Indeed, the greatest health gains derive from going from a sedentary to a moderate degree of daily physical activity, that is, compared to being a couch potato, being a moderate walker is way good for you. You don't have to be a heavy exerciser.
Here are some guidelines for incorporating physical activity into your life
- Define specific goal(s). Goals can be general or specific. For example, "I want to be in shape" or "I want to lose weight" are general goals. "I want to run two miles, three times a week" or "I want to lose 20 pounds" are specific goals.
Include among your goals that you want to do activities that you enjoy and that you want to make a regular part of your life for the long term. If you are unsure about your exercise goals, then set as a goal to make some by experimenting with three kinds of activity so see what each offers.
- Research. Consult books, magazines, the Internet, or teachers, coaches, and health professionals to determine way(s) to accomplish your goal(s). Be sure you assess the authoritativeness of the information you acquire; you do not want to undertake an injurious activity or set an unattainable goal and have a failure experience. As they are not experts, consulting friends may be of limited usefulness.
- Make a plan. Having defined your goal(s) and acquired information on how to accomplish them, make a realistic and feasible plan for putting and maintaining physical activity in your life. Be sure your activity plan fits into your schedule; use a time audit to identify times of the week during which you can exercise.
Also, choose activities that are interesting (or likely to be) and enjoyable. That way you are more likely to want to do them. Write down your plan; perhaps discuss it with a coach, teacher, or health professional. Even better, take a class. That way you will learn proper technique, have a built-in schedule, and you will have the enjoyment of being with others.
- Get a physical check-up. Consult a health professional if you have been inactive for many months or have concerns about your body's ability to perform at the level you want.
- Progress slowly. Deliberate progress enables you to assess the feasibility of your choices and also to integrate them into your normal life routine. Try not to let your enthusiasm for beginning your plan stimulate you to take on too much too soon. You don't want to get sore or injure yourself.
- Track progress. Keep a diary of your activity. For each activity-day, record the time you spent doing the activity, what you experienced doing the activity, any obstacles that prevented you from carrying out a day's activity, and strategies for overcoming any obstacles.
- Evaluate. Each week, ask yourself if your plan is working to accomplish your goals. If so, continue. If not, identify the obstacles and make "course corrections," for example, by changing the choice of activities, the time devoted to them, and perhaps even your goals themselves.
