You have more free time than you think

It is possible for students to get regular exercise during the school year.

With many demands on student’s time such as school work, friends, family, relationships, extracurricular activities, commuting and possibly a job, it can seem hard for students to find time to regularly exercise.

However, exercise can help students increase their productivity.

“We are seeing some research support that being engaged with regular physical activity has an impact on our brain as well as our body,” says Lori Dithurbide, an assistant professor in kinesiology at Dalhousie University.

She explained that being physically active can help humans be able to focus and better remember things.

University of King’s College soccer player, Lauchlin Ewald, says he is physically active about twelve hours a week during the soccer season and seven hours in the offseason. He says he’s noticed that being active helps with his productivity.

“If I go a couple of days without exercising I definitely feel the effects, says Ewald. “I feel antsy, I kind of get fidgety, stressed out, and not focused.”

The issue for some students is that they want to exercise but can’t find the time.

Jen Frail-Gauthier is a Life Sciences study coach and biology instructor at Dalhousie . She says students who want to be active should join intermurals. This is because it involves exercising and socializing at the same time. Students are also less likely to skip it because it is a scheduled event.

In order to manage time, Frail-Gauthier says the Dalhousie Studying for Success program focuses on managing time into three slots. Out of 168 hours in a week, students can breakup 56 hours for school, 56 hours for sleep and 56 hours for anything else, including exercise.

She says the “56 method” is a good way for students to find how much time needs to go into studying and how much non-studying time is available. She says students can fit a lot into those 56 hours if they use their time wisely, including exercise.

“Time is the only currency students have,” says Frail-Gauthier. “It either can work for you or against you.”