Issue 1496 Redbrick

1. Health&Fitness Writer Alex Kirkup-Lee gives us her seven ways that might spark
motivation towards achieving that consistent fitness lifestyle at university
Friday 12th October 2018
36
Health & Fitness: Seven Ways to
Motivate Yourself to Exercise at Uni
SPORT
@redbricksport
It can be hard to motivate yourself
to workout alone, so finding a
friend to workout with is a great
way to motivate yourself! Even if
you do not actually train together,
it is a good idea to plan to go to
the gym at the same time. Having
someone to walk with and setting
a time to go means you can’t can-
cel last minute. If you are new to
the gym, ask a friend who already
goes to let you go with them and
show you their routine; it can
make walking into a gym of active
and athletic people much less
daunting!
Join a
Sports Club
Working out in a gym not your
thing? Join a sports club! There
are 55 sports clubs to pick from at
UoB, and many people will be
trying out different sports they
have never done before. Whether
you are playing a sport at a nation-
al level, or want to try something
completely new, there is some-
thing for everyone. There are
many sports that are non-compet-
itive, providing a great way to
meet new people and workout,
without having to commit to regu-
lar training.
Make a Plan
Make a plan and get your workout
done sooner rather than later.
Schedule your workout into your
university timetable. That way
you are much less likely to cancel
or make other arrangements in
that time. Plan what you are
going to do in each workout, so
you start each day knowing exact-
ly what you are doing. Some peo-
ple find it easier to workout at the
same time every day. Getting up
and working out in the morning
means you get your workout out
of the way first thing. It also
means you are likely to concen-
trate better on your uni work that
day, eat healthier food, and just be
in a better mood than if you slept
in that extra hour.
Go for a Walk
Exercise does not always have to
be a high intensity, 60-minute
workout everyday. Even just
going for a walk is a great way to
get some exercise and fresh air,
especially if you have been stuck
in lectures all day. Studies have
found walking to be just as effec-
tive as running. A recent compari-
son of the results of the National
Runner’s Health Study with the
National Walker’s Health Study
found that both walking and run-
ning resulted in similar reductions
in the risk of high blood pressure,
high cholesterol, diabetes and
heart disease. Walking is not only
physically beneficial, but mental-
ly. A study by Stanford University
found that walking increases crea-
tive output by an average of 60%.
So next time you are stuck staring
at your screen wondering how to
start that essay, take a break and
have a walk outside. You might
just find an idea will come to
you.
Set Goals
Set yourself short and long term
goals to motivate you to train.
However, be careful to not set
unrealistic goals. It is perfectly
okay to schedule in, for example,
3x45 minute workouts a week. If
you set smaller, realistic goals,
you are much more likely to stick
to them and feel positive and
motivated, than if you set unreal-
istic goals that you cannot meet.
Any exercise is better than none
so don’t throw yourself in the
deep end! In terms of long-term
goals, signing up for a race is a
great way to motivate yourself
over a longer period of time. The
Great Birmingham 10K is coming
up in May 2019, giving you plen-
ty of time to train. Or if you fancy
something a bit different, Tough
Mudder is also returning to
Birmingham in May, giving you
enough time to build your strength
and endurance.
Eat & Sleep
Properly
Sometimes healthy eating and
sleeping can get pushed to the
bottom priority at uni. While it’s
fine to have late nights and take-
aways some of the time, if you do
it too much you are unlikely to
feel energized and happy.
On nights when you are not
going out, try to get to bed at a
good time, especially if you are
behind on sleep from partying the
night before. Quite often students
have a habit of skipping breakfast,
but getting up 10 minutes earlier
to grab a bite before your 9am
lecture will actually make you
feel much more energized, mean-
ing you will feel much more moti-
vated to workout rather than go
home and nap.
Get a Training
Buddy
Seven Minute workout (Free)
Short on time? Seven provides
workouts based on scientific stud-
ies to provide the maximum bene-
fit in the shortest possible time.
You have no excuse not to workout
anymore as the workouts can be
performed in your bedroom. The
app works to your personal goals
and fitness levels.
Streaks (£4.99)
Streaks helps you set your
goals and stick to them. In the app
you can track the tasks you want to
complete each day, with the goal
of building a streak of consecutive
days. The app will automatically
know when you have completed
your tasks through the iPhone
Health App.
Pocket Yoga (£2.99)
Pocket Yoga provides you with
your own personal yoga classes in
your own home. There are over
200 poses, showing you the correct
posture and alignment. The app
maintains an ongoing log of your
practices so you can easily track
your progress.
MyFitnessPal (Free)
MyFitnessPal is regarded by
many as the easiest way to keep
track of your daily calories. Using
your phone camera, the app is able
to scan the barcodes of food and
give you details of what it con-
tains, including calories, macronu-
trients (carbs, fats, protein), micro-
nutrients, and more. This is an
extremely useful and conveninet
tool, meaning there is no real
excuse to lose track of calories if
you are committed to counting
them. You can set a daily goal
which will be relative to your goal
of either losing weight, maintain-
ing or gaining (if you are bulking)
and the app will subtract your calo-
rie intake throughout the day,
showing you clearly how much
you have consumed and how much
more you have left (I would rec-
ommend finding out your basal
metabolic rate prior to setting your
daily goal). Even if you do not like
the idea of constantly keeping track
and scanning your food, doing this
for just a week could really help in
the long-term as it gives you an
idea of which foods have what
calories (you might be surprised).
Sleep Cycle App (Free):
Sleep Cycle is an app that
monitors your sleep, giving you
statistics about the noises and
movements you make in the night.
It also gives you your average
sleep time. Moreover, the app acts
as an alarm that wakes you up
within a 30 minute time-frame
which is dependent on your stage
of sleep. This allows you to wake
you up softly, when you are at a
lighter state of sleep, meaning get-
ting up is made less stressful.
Alex Kirkup-Lee
Health&Fitness Writer
Download an
App
The bench press is a big com-
pound movement that works a
variety of muscle groups. The
muscles worked include the chest,
triceps, shoulders, core and also
the legs if it is done properly.
bench is a good benchmark of
how strong you are as a casual or
professional gym goer. ‘What do
you bench?’ is a common ques-
tion among gym regulars. In my
opinion there’s no better feeling
in the gym than seeing the barbell
go up and slamming it back onto
the bench.
Bench is not just an exercise
for men. The benefits of benching
is just the same for women as it is
for men: it builds muscle creating
more tone, increases core strength
and increases overall upper body
strength. In ‘Why Women Should
Bench Press’, on fitnessadvisory.
org, it talks about how the bench
is a great way to balance out the
muscles in your body. Muscle
imbalances can cause injury, so
avoiding them should be a priori-
ty.
Here are some quick tips to
Why You Should
Try: Bench Press
improve your bench: keep your
legs separated as it increases the
power generated from the floor to
your lift; make sure your hands
are in the right place (just wider
than shoulder width and equal to
each other); squeeze the bar before
you lift as it fires up your muscles
in preparation. Another very
important tip that will both
improve the strength of your lift
and help avoid injury is to retract
the scapula. Prior to laying down
on the bench, shrug your shoul-
ders, then rotate your shoulders
backwards so that you feel your
shoulders blades (scapula) mov-
ing towards eachother. When you
lie down after doing this, you
should feel your scapula pres-
sured against the bench, your
elbows tucked in and a general
‘tightness.’ This ‘tightness’ is
good as it allows you to explode
into your lift.
If you’ve never benched
before, try it next time you hit the
gym. You will soon start adding
plates to the bar, and in my opin-
ion there is no better feeling in the
gym than hearing a couple of
plates slapping together. But
remember, just lifting the bar is a
great way to begin.
Harry Wilkinson
Health&Fitness Editor