Learning How to Balance Life and Working Out

Growing up as an active child, I was always involved in some sport or another. However, after graduating high school and not being obligated to attend practice every day or have games to play, I found it difficult to make it a priority to include some form of exercise into my daily routine especially once I began college. 

When I began my freshman year of college, I was able to find time every and then to work out, but I was still losing all the muscle that I had built up throughout my high school years. This caused me to face some mental health issues that lasted throughout the first half of my sophomore year at college. When I began the spring semester that year, I dedicated all of my free time to working on myself at the gym. However, at the time, I didn't realize just how much I was missing out on social events and making the most of my college experience. 

As I began moving back to campus to begin my junior year, I had an entirely different vision of how I wanted my year to look. I wanted this school year to be one where I could successfully balance my academic and social life while also caring for my physical health. I have always been the type of person who has a "give it your all or nothing" mindset, especially when it comes to working out. So, that year, I wanted to challenge myself to change that mindset into doing what I can when I can. I wanted to push myself to go to the gym or go for a run if I had the free time, but not to become overwhelmed if I didn't work out every single day. Now, to be honest, I struggled with this most of the year. There were times when I would be working out every day of the week to not working out at all, and both extremes significantly impacted my mental health.

Thankfully, this year, a new club began on campus called Running Club. This club gave me much more than just another event to add to my schedule, it introduced me to someone who enjoys running and working out just as much as I do. This club not only gave me a best friend for life but also helped me overcome my all-or-nothing mentality. It gave me the chance to run a couple of times a week when we would meet without having to worry about getting my workout in. When it began to get too cold to run outside, my newfound friend Kendal and I would go to the gym a couple of times a week. Going together soon formed a routine, and today, I am proud to say that we are still managing to make time to go. I have made it a priority to complete some form of physical activity five days a week, allowing for 2 recovery days. This routine has proven to be attainable for me and is something that I can picture myself continuing to implement in the future.

                   

                      Run Club ~ Sept. 2024                Nov. 2024                        Feb. 2024