By: Phoebe Antonini
As full-time college students living in Columbus, Ohio, attending The Ohio State University, we are the luckiest. Lucky to participate in such an incredible school with tons of opportunities, we need to thank ourselves for making this decision. To do so, we must thank and take care of our hard-working bodies by keeping them active and fit, all while managing being a full-time student. Our beautiful campus offers endless opportunities to stay active, from workout classes and multiple gym locations to a scenic campus walk.
The Ohio State University gives its students some tips on maintaining overall wellness here. The tips to maintain physical activity and wellness vary from enjoying the weather and getting outside, “Take a bike ride or stretch throughout your work day.” Feeling good about yourself is, in my opinion, essential to success in college, and here are my tips on how to do so by staying active.
How Fitness Classes Can Boost Your College Experience
Little did you know, that Ohio State’s Columbus campus is surrounded by many fitness and wellness spaces, all accessible to students! In the Short North district, either a bus ride or a long walk from campus, fitness classes run up and down the row. Yogie? Try out CorePower Yoga which offers classes for all different desires, like Sculpt which utilizes weights, or CorePower Yoga 2, teaching you how to escape and focus on your body’s yoga shapes. Corepower even offers a student discount on their class prices. More into the running scene? Check out OrangeTheory Fitness, another option in the Short North district, offering rowing, strength training, and treadmill use.
As stressful and busy as college life is between school and extracurriculars, taking a fitness class allows students to reserve a specific time for their day. They can remove themselves from all that stress, leave campus, and focus on their well-being with the help of an instructor. Personally, fitness classes have saved me so much time, and stress of trying to figure out what movement is best for my body, and has allowed me to engage in the perfect amount of physical activity.
Discover Spaces That Inspire Movement
Here on the Ohio State Campus, the facilities offered for students to practice exercise, eat nutritious foods, and stay active are endless! From the Jesse Owens South Rec Center, and the Jesse Owens North Rec Center, to the Recreation and Physical Activity Center, “(RPAC) which is, “one of the largest college gyms in the United States, covering over 500,000 square feet.” As buckeyes, these spaces are given to us through the tuition we pay, encouraging us to utilize them to the fullest capacity. Focusing on the RPAC, which offers cardio spaces, weights, a smoothie station, a stir fry station, and more, they also offer fitness classes.
Student-trained instructors run classes daily ranging from pilates, yoga, cycling, and even aerobics. You can check out the fitness schedule, and find a time and a class that works for you! These classes are free for students and an incredible way to find out what exercise works for you.
Why Every Buckeye Should Embrace Walking as a Daily Habit
Lastly, let’s discuss my absolute favorite and, in my opinion, easiest source of exercise: daily walking. Whether it’s on the treadmill, outdoors, or on an inside track, there are so many benefits of daily walking. The Harvard Medical School published “5 surprising benefits of walking,” which range from taming a sweet tooth and “an American Cancer Society study that zeroed in on walking found that women who walked seven or more hours a week had a 14% lower risk of breast cancer.” I have found myself setting a goal to achieve, at minimum, 10,000 steps a day. On a campus as large as ours, I have found this goal very attainable and accomplished. Anything you are doing on your phone, or anytime you just feel like watching a show, you can do it while walking!
Finding and managing your time as a college student is absolutely essential, and it is important for all students’ to fit in an activity, to take care of their physical and mental health. In a study published by the PubMed Central, researchers have found that, “the potential underlying mechanism by which physical exercise is associated with the life satisfaction of college students”. I encourage you to take some of my tips, or just try one out for a week, and put your body and mind first!