Exercise is the best form of medicine that we naturally should be doing everyday. We are asking all of you to go out and get at least 150 minutes of exercise per week! This month is our “Exercise is Medicine” month, and we want to get as many of our students as possible to participate. Hopefully this month will get you into a routine to go above and beyond all year round!

 

Be Active On-Campus

There are a countless number of activities to do and ways to be active on campus. Not only are the use of our gym facilities, Anna Fascitelli Fitness & Wellness center and Mackal Field House, free to all of our students, but there are tons of fitness classes available to sign up for on IMLeagues. Some of the classes you can sign up for every week include: Cycle, F45 Training (HIIT), Body Blast, “core and more,” and so many others.

Along with the cardio room and weight lifting section in Mackal, there are basketball courts and a track wrapped around the field house. This is another place on campus where you can exercise if weightlifting or machine cardio isn’t your thing. There is also a lot of room on campus to be active. There is nothing better than going on a nice run/jog around campus on a beautiful fall day. As we all know it is a very hilly campus, but that can be used to your advantage while getting exercise in. The quad is another spot that is underutilized when it comes to exercise. It is a great spot to do aerobics, yoga, and various core exercises to incorporate different types of activity to your workout routine.

 

Divide the Time Up

While 150 minutes a week may seem like a lot of time at first glance, it is actually very much achievable! If you do the math, it comes down to only 30 minutes a day for five days a week. That’s not bad at all. I understand that a lot of peoples’ schedules are packed during the week, but it can’t be too hard to find half an hour out of five days and exercise. Even if you are busy and feel swamped on a particular set of days with classes, try to make time for an hour for three days in the week.

Think about it as something to look forward to, or as an activity for yourself. If you tend to get bored quickly, try mixing up the type of exercises/activities for each day you exercise. Here is what I’m going to have planned out for next week:

• Monday: Workout at the gym-Mackal (60 minutes)
• Tuesday: off
• Wednesday: Glow Cycle Class @ Tootell Studio (45 minutes)
• Thursday: Workout at the gym-Facsitelli (60 minutes)
• Friday: Basketball at Mackal (30-60 minutes)
• Saturday & Sunday: off 

It’s as easy as that. If you end up making yourself a schedule don’t feel pressured to follow it day by day if anything comes up. For example, if I felt like I had enough time and had the urge to workout on Tuesday, I’d go ahead and do that. It is perfectly ok to exceed the 150 minute threshold. In fact, it’s encouraged if you have the time! 

Making a schedule for yourself can be very helpful in following and starting a routine to keep exercising for at least 150 minutes a week. I would say I have been pretty consistent with it for quite some time now. I sure do feel a whole lot better in those weeks than I do when I don’t exercise enough. It must be because of how many health benefits exercising can have.

 

Benefits

“Exercise is medicine” is not just some tacky quote. It quite literally can act as a medicine for us both mentally and physically. The CDC provides what the immediate mental benefits physical activity has, “Regular physical activity can help keep your thinking, learning, and judgment skills sharp as you age. It can also reduce your risk of depression and anxiety and help you sleep better.” It is important that we participate in the 150 minutes per week initiative to keep morales high all around campus.

Physical Benefits

• Reduced risk of health problems down the line
  • Less risk of cardiovascular disease and developing diabetes 
  • Less risk of developing some types of cancer
  • Improves quality of life
• Strengthens muscles and bones
  • Lower risk of breaking/fracturing bones
  • Improves ability to tolerate pain
  • Easier to perform everyday activities
  • Increase and maintain muscle mass & strength
• Increase chance of living longer
  • “People who are physically active for about 150 minutes a week have a 33% lower risk of all-cause mortality than those who are physically inactive.” 

 

I hope laying out how you can be active on campus, how to manage your time, and the many positive benefits to exercising at least 150 minutes a week encourages you to start getting in the routine now. I am definitely going to be a part and participate in our “Exercise is Medicine” campaign and I am counting on all of you to as well!

 

Works Cited

“Benefits of Physical Activity.”, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

 

Hi Everyone! My name is Collin and I am a senior majoring in Sports Media and Communications with minors in Journalism and Business. I’m excited to be a part of the Campus Rec team here at URI! I have always enjoyed writing and I’m happy to have this great opportunity to get my name out there and gain experience. I love sports, especially the Boston teams, and follow them each and every day. I also write for our student-run Sports Media club here on campus, Anchor Sports Network. I enjoy being active, whether it’s on campus or off, going to the gym and playing sports. I am on the Club baseball team at URI and also enjoy playing basketball. I hope to give everyone a different perspective on things and spark interest with you in whatever I write about!