The Long View: Exercise and the mind/body connection
Most of us know all the great
benefits of exercise, but from a
mature student standpoint, I'm
going to give you some of my tips.
When I started my studies last
September, one of the first things I
did was to sign up for a gym membership
at Fanshawe.
A little of it was to get back to my glory days when I could do 20 full-length push-ups without breaking a sweat and had pretty close to abs of steel. Unfortunately, children and many sedentary jobs later, it's been a long time since I've seen my ribs. But I remembered how good it felt to be strong and in shape and how great it was to have a waistline.
Being a type-A personality, I saw I had plenty of two-hour spaces in my class schedule to fit in a workout or three, and I loved the convenience of being able to go to the gym at school.
While I'm still working on dropping the excess weight, I'm happy to say I can flex some good-looking, hard biceps again and I have more energy and mental alertness on the days I work out than when I've missed the gym for a few days.
We have such busy lives, it's easy to justify skipping exercise, but the time spent on yourself is so worth it when you consider how exercise strengthens and de-stresses you, sharpens your mind and pays you back in more energy to put into the rest of your day.
I have to say, exercise is also important to you looking and feeling your absolute best when you get out of school for those job interviews. It may suck, but we are unconsciously judged on our appearance as a measure of our ability during those "first impressions" by interviewers. A glow from radiant health and knowing you look good in your clothes does translate into an interview advantage.
Membership to the Fanshawe gym is just $151 for one term, which is a fantastic deal compared to GoodLife and Weight Watchers. You can also book an initial interview with a trainer for free to get an exercise program tailored to your needs, including how long you want your workout session to last and what your fitness goals are.
If gym workouts are not for you, one of the simplest ways to get some exercise is to park a few blocks away from school and walk in. This is what I'm doing these days and I treat myself to a coffee and croissant the mornings I save that $3.50. Walking around the school grounds between classes is also a good idea and I've discovered lovely parts of campus as well as spotted the cute groundhogs this way.
Whatever your cup of tea, my last word of advice is to PERSIST in the exercise habit. I learned to my sorrow this summer that a pound of fat is just as easy to put back on as it is was to take off, if you don't keep up the good workouts!
Susie Mah is a mature student and president of the Fanshawe Adult Social Club. She invites you to attend the ASC's first pub night on September 26 at 6 p.m. at the Out Back Shack. Email ascfanshawe@hotmail.com for more info or to join us.
A little of it was to get back to my glory days when I could do 20 full-length push-ups without breaking a sweat and had pretty close to abs of steel. Unfortunately, children and many sedentary jobs later, it's been a long time since I've seen my ribs. But I remembered how good it felt to be strong and in shape and how great it was to have a waistline.
Being a type-A personality, I saw I had plenty of two-hour spaces in my class schedule to fit in a workout or three, and I loved the convenience of being able to go to the gym at school.
While I'm still working on dropping the excess weight, I'm happy to say I can flex some good-looking, hard biceps again and I have more energy and mental alertness on the days I work out than when I've missed the gym for a few days.
We have such busy lives, it's easy to justify skipping exercise, but the time spent on yourself is so worth it when you consider how exercise strengthens and de-stresses you, sharpens your mind and pays you back in more energy to put into the rest of your day.
I have to say, exercise is also important to you looking and feeling your absolute best when you get out of school for those job interviews. It may suck, but we are unconsciously judged on our appearance as a measure of our ability during those "first impressions" by interviewers. A glow from radiant health and knowing you look good in your clothes does translate into an interview advantage.
Membership to the Fanshawe gym is just $151 for one term, which is a fantastic deal compared to GoodLife and Weight Watchers. You can also book an initial interview with a trainer for free to get an exercise program tailored to your needs, including how long you want your workout session to last and what your fitness goals are.
If gym workouts are not for you, one of the simplest ways to get some exercise is to park a few blocks away from school and walk in. This is what I'm doing these days and I treat myself to a coffee and croissant the mornings I save that $3.50. Walking around the school grounds between classes is also a good idea and I've discovered lovely parts of campus as well as spotted the cute groundhogs this way.
Whatever your cup of tea, my last word of advice is to PERSIST in the exercise habit. I learned to my sorrow this summer that a pound of fat is just as easy to put back on as it is was to take off, if you don't keep up the good workouts!
Susie Mah is a mature student and president of the Fanshawe Adult Social Club. She invites you to attend the ASC's first pub night on September 26 at 6 p.m. at the Out Back Shack. Email ascfanshawe@hotmail.com for more info or to join us.
