Being a student and getting in shape

[dpgiffin]

Personal Information: 20 year old male, 5 foot 7, 185 lbs.

As a college student, which I know many of you can relate to, my schedule can be rediculous. I'm not extremely overweight or anything; my ideal weight would be 165. 20 lbs is, however, higher than any of us would normally like. My problem is, obviously, my schedule. I can start workout routines one semester, then the next my schedule destroys those hopes. It's becoming increasingly more importnat to me to get into shape, and I know exactly how.

I know what the key components of weight loss are. Muscle mass burns fat faster, cardio cardio cardio, what foods to eat. I just can't keep it up. I have done steve's 30 day trial two or three times, and after 40 or 50 days, I falter. Other than my classes, I also work 25-35 hours a week, many days till 11 or 12 at night. Keeping a strict schedule becomes very difficult.

I'm not sure exactly what I'm asking in this post, but what have others found useful in dealing with such a schedule?

[mattsonn]

I'm in college too. I just fit it in whenever I can, which isn't often. But, since I have no mental barrier when it comes to exercising, I have no problem doing it after a long stressful day, or right before a class/event.

[Hsiang-Lin]

dpgiffin, this is something I actually came up with on my own (although I'm sure it's been used before):

To implement a new habit, create a way that you can work on it everyday and is FUN. For example, when I first started exercising, I was way out of shape and could not even do 1/2 a push-up. But I loved to shower so my dad told me why don't you sweat a little before you do? Might as well sweat a little. So I just said OK, I'm gonna do 1/2 a push-up every night.

The thing was I didn't think of it as 1/2 a push-up for the rest of my life. I just thought, "1/2 a push-up tonight and tomorrow." STOP. That's it. See how it is. It was actually a challenge for me, but easy enough that it was FUN and exciting to push myself.

I had no idea that fateful night would transform me into the exercise freak I am today. I don't see exercise as painful at all. Pain actually gives me joy and more energy to workout. I always sprint at the end of my runs to just really burn all the juice out of my body. That feeling afterwards is incredible, trust me.

So my advice would be to think of something that YOU personally think is fun. Taylor whatever exercise that may be for you and you alone. That is key. Otherwise, you'll feel like a robot and empty inside always following others advice or ways. You have the power to create your future so just let others guide you, but not overtake who you really are. Allow your inner conscience/soul/guidance to tell you what is the right path and I guarantee you you will be sporting the body you dreamed of in the future.

[mattsonn]

I know you were looking for schedules and no one has given you any yet. Something that I have tried repeatedly is to go the gym every morning at about 7am before my classes. After all, that is the one time that I can guarantee that I won't be doing anything else (except sleep). But I always end up giving up on it after awhile since I'm not a morning person (though granted, if I tried Steve P's advice, I probably could make myself one).

[openeyes]

I usually go to the gym 2 or 3 times per week. This past semester I had fencing class, so I used that as a warm up and went straight to the gym afterward, focusing on compound movements such as chin ups, weighted dips, leg press, deadlifts and so on. Squats are an excellent compound exercise (though I find leg press to be more fun).

For a while I didn't make much time for going to the gym, particularly for aerobics, rather I made a point of walking or riding my bike instead of taking the bus to class. Some call it organic exercise, integrating it into your daily routine rather than having it be a separate activity. I still take my bike most everywhere on campus.

Also, I have a chin-up bar in my apartment which you can get off amazon for about $15. I use it a couple times most days, never going to failure, just making a habit of it. Lately I've kept a jump rope at hand as well, using it for a couple minutes at a time throughout the day.Pushups also can be nice. I started off doing 50 pushups per day, no matter how many sets it took. Eventually I could do them all in one set.

Sometime in the next few days I plan on building a far infrared sauna with my dad for $100 tops, a small portable version that's basically three 250W red heat lamps attached to a board. Plug it in and place it in a small enclosure, such as a bathroom, and you have a sauna. In addition to the detox effects it has, quite a few calories are burned even though one just sits and sweats. It's recommended to start off twice a week and work up to about once a day if you're comfortable with doing so.

free plans I'll be following:

Sauna Therapy

quote on calories burned:

"Assuming one takes a sauna for 30 minutes, some interesting comparisons can be drawn. Two of the highest calorie output exercises are rowing and running marathons. Peak output on a rowing machine or during a marathon burns about 600 calories for 30 minutes. An infrared sauna may better this from "just slightly" up to 250% by burning 900 to 2400 calories in the same period of time. It might in a single session simulate the consumption of energy equal to that expended in a six to nine mile run."

photo

[WanderingOak]

One problem that I had in college was the meal plan. My family was poor, so I went from a nearly empty larder to a cornucopia overflowing with abundance. I admit that I did go back to the salad/desert bar for second and third helpings. I was skinny and probably underweight my freshman year, but I did fill out quite a bit. I walked everywhere, and regularly went on 5 mile treks down country roads and through the woods, enjoying myself. There was no gym to speak of- a 15x15 room with a nautilus and some free weights, technically reserved for the athletic teams, but as our teams were lousy, it was always empty. I used it a few times, but lost interest as there was nobody else there. It may have been different if I had a work-out partner.

Don't pay attention to those 'ideal' height-weight charts. Depending on your body type and bone structure, your ideal weight could vary considerably.

[openeyes]

Originally Posted by dpgiffin

Personal Information: 20 year old male, 5 foot 7, 185 lbs.

As a college student, which I know many of you can relate to, my schedule can be rediculous. I'm not extremely overweight or anything; my ideal weight would be 165.

Get your bodyfat % checked and don't worry about weight so much. Depending on how much muscle (among other things, as Wandering Oak mentions) a person has, someone who is 5'7'' could be fat at 150 or skinny at 200 pounds. I'd been 5'9'' and 155 for years until I got back into weightlifting again recently, and a couple months later I was surprised to see my weight had shot up to 175, though I'm at least as skinny as before.

You can buy a cheap caliper for ten or twenty bucks and use it in the same areas each time to track your progress accurately , or see if it can be checked for you at whatever gym you go to.

Oh, and one more recommendation is to make sure you chew your food at least 30 times. It sounds overly simple but some people base their entire diet upon this, with good results. Carbohydrates begin digestion in the mouth so it is important to not simply inhale food. Also, by eating more slowly you're apt to feel full before eating quite as much as usual. I make a habit of stopping the instant I feel full, no matter how much food is left. At this point it would be difficult to make myself swallow before chewing 30 or even 60 times, while I notice many large people (including some closely related to me) barely chew at all. Little things may make all the difference.

If I were to feel a need to lose weight, I'd cut out grains, particularly of the refined variety, as bread in large quantities is the only thing that ever made me chubby. If I wanted to go even farther, dairy products would also go. I won't recommend any specific diet, whether veggie or Atkins, but one interesting book is "The Metabolic Typing Diet: Customize Your Diet to Your Own Unique Body Chemistry". Everyone's ideal diet is different, and it may change over time. That particular book aims to help you figure out what's ideal for you at this particular time.

If you prefer a summary though and wish to skip the book: minimize processed foods, and among unprocessed foods, eat what makes you feel best, which for some people may be a primarily vegetarian diet, and for others may be closer to Atkins with higher quality ingredients. Never plan on doing a short term crash diet. Eat for the long term.

[dpgiffin]

Thanks for the advice everyone; some good stuff in there.

I wasn't thorough enough in my original post -
I'm at around 21% body fat - I have the personal skin fold calipers. Not 100% accurate, but definitely consistant if used right. With that, I'm obviously overweight. Long term, my goal is 10% or lower, short term I want to be at 15%.

The sauna idea is also very intriguing. I'm going to look more into that.

Hsiang-Lin, I agree about the idea of fun. When I go through these phases, those first 30 to 50 days are lots of fun. Then that hurdle always seems to kill that. Maybe i don't know enough variation to keep it interesting.

Another interesting thing I realized while reading the responses is that this is a pattern that occurs in almost all areas that i attempt to develop. I do really well for longer than steves 30 day trial, and then start to waver off. Mostly this is parallel with major adjustments in my life, ie. new semester, new job, new schedule, etc.

[Lucas]

A couple suggestions that may help.

1. Take a small recrational class, like raquetball, that meets Mon/Wed/Fri if you can fit it in. Usually these are 1 credit hour and work in to Upper Division Credit and dont change your tuition price. They are especially awesome in the morning...you might be a little sweaty afterwards, but the energy is worth it.

2. Make more time for yourself. This may sound easier than it is, but the biggest help would be to learn to Photoread. I did just recently from checking the book out from the library, and spending a few weeks doing it. I wish I had known this when I was in college, I would have had more time to spend doing everything I wanted. It's pretty simple and it can cut your reading and studyingtimes in half or more. Use other stratagies as wellm though PR would be the best imo.

3. Find an exercise partner and set up a certain time and day to exercise, but make sure your partner is someone you wouldnt want to break the arrangement with, so you are more motivated to meet up with them on a constant basis.


Man, and for the record, I will have a sauna in my house at one point. I would pay a gym fee just to have access to a sauna. So relaxing.

[ahimel]

Originally Posted by dpgiffin

Hsiang-Lin, I agree about the idea of fun. When I go through these phases, those first 30 to 50 days are lots of fun. Then that hurdle always seems to kill that. Maybe i don't know enough variation to keep it interesting.

Another interesting thing I realized while reading the responses is that this is a pattern that occurs in almost all areas that i attempt to develop. I do really well for longer than steves 30 day trial, and then start to waver off. Mostly this is parallel with major adjustments in my life, ie. new semester, new job, new schedule, etc.

Two thoughts that might help:

It seems like you have the discipline to do something you don't like for 5-6 weeks withought developing it into a habit. So where most of us hit the hurdle at 3-4 weeks, and once we make it to 30 days the work is mostly done, you might need to do a 60-day trial. See if, once you make it to 75 days, it becomes a habit. It's a bigger commitment, but at least it is still finite.

Secondly, try to do your thinking ahead of time as much as possible. At the beginning of each semester, sit down with your class schedule and figure out times to exercise, times to study, times to times to goof off. Then at the beginning of the next semester, don't go along with the old schedule until you wake up one morning and realise it won't work; plan out your new times to study/exercise/goof off as soon as you know what your new schedule will be.

Good luck

[elai]

Do a workout that only takes _14_ minutes of your time and walk alot.

One I find really novel is the shovelglove workout.

[DQueens]

i believe you said that after 30 or 40 days you "falter". What does this mean? Does this mean you lose control and binge eat, decide not to exercise that day? Eat something high in fat and calories that you know you shouldnt? Whatever faltering means to you, i would not sweat it too much. Keep in mind that this weight loss change is meant to be a permanent change. Do you know anyone, with a perfect body and a perfectly healthy lifestyle that doesnt "falter" from time to time?
Perhaps, they dont make their slip-ups apparent but there is no one i know of who doesnt forgo that trip to the gym, even when they should, or who refuses every brownie, cookie or bag of chips offered their way. I also know that studying can be stressful and appetite stimulating, and that there is not always time for exercise. However, keep in mind that faltering does not mean you have failed. Going back to your old ways, even for 2 or 3 days will no undo 30 days of hard work. Some people find that taking a day off to eat "whatever they want" (within reason of course), where they dont worry about their diet, is effective for helping them rid themselves of that deprived feeling many dieters get. Taking a day off from the gym is essential because you need to allow your body to repair. The most important thing about sticking to a diet is being "perfect" 80% of the time. This is why committing to 30 day diets where, for 30 days straight you must be "perfect' can be daunting. Why not committ to an infinity day diet where you revert to healthy eating and incorporating exercise into your life for the rest of your life, but then also understand that if the odd cookie, or buger king whopper, makes it's way to your mouth or the odd end of term exam, prevents you from exercising, that you will not give up. Understand that there are set backs, drink some extra water, vow to go to the gym the next day, and move on.
The whole dealing with stress and finding time to exercise will work out, if you keep at it. You will find an exercise strategy that is right for you. And one way to fit in exercise, even if you are sutyding is to take 10 minute brisk walk breaks every hour. These can easily add up to your 30 minute -60 minutes of cardio... you dont have to do all your cardio in one shot.
good luck!

[dpgiffin]

DQueens, good thoughts.

When I say falter, I mean more of a slippery slope that I never catch until after. I suppose I lose the conscience living during this time. I'll be extremely tired one week and won't go to the gym one or two days. And since I did that, i realized I didn't have to go 6 days a week, and then it turns into 4, then 3, then 2. Thats discipline and conscience living problems there. The external part of it is finding a schedule that works that won't put me into that situation.

[impaul99]

Originally Posted by dpgiffin

DQueens, good thoughts.

When I say falter, I mean more of a slippery slope that I never catch until after. I suppose I lose the conscience living during this time. I'll be extremely tired one week and won't go to the gym one or two days. And since I did that, i realized I didn't have to go 6 days a week, and then it turns into 4, then 3, then 2. Thats discipline and conscience living problems there. The external part of it is finding a schedule that works that won't put me into that situation.

I did a 30 day work-out challenge this year where I worked out every day for 30 days straight. Then I fell off the wagon. I am now starting a new challenge for myself to incorporate a lasting change for the rest of my life. This time I'm applying everything I know about self development to make a lasting change. My guess is if you're like me, your problem isn't physical, or schedules or anything like that, it's probably mental. Your thoughts and beliefs are probably not aligned properly. I think before we ever implement a lasting change in this area of life we need to know the answers to these questions intimately:

1) What EXACTLY am I trying to accomplish? What do I really want?
2) WHY do I want it? What is my real purpose? Is this purpose life-long or short term?
3) What beliefs do I have that will help me achieve lasting change and what beliefs do I have that will eventually screw me up? What am I willing to do to change those beliefs?
4) Am I fully committed to this? If so, what forms of leverage can I apply to ensure I will continue to live a healthy lifestyle for the rest of my life, not just 30 days, 60 days or 90 days etc.
5) If I'm committed to this 100%, how can I make this FUN? If I'm going to make something a part of my daily life, why not extend some effort to ensure I make it FUN?

This is a link to my post about my new plan which I'm using as leverage for myself: Getting in Shape - No Holds Barred

This is a link to an article I wrote last night after working through some of the mental aspects of the plan in the last 3 days: Getting in Shape - The First Steps

This is a link to my article about how I realized that something as boring as running on a treadmill can be fun: Have FUN exercising on a treadmill!

Hope these help.

P.s. As a last note, once you get your thinking straight, all of your other conflicts with schedules etc. will disappear. If you were truly honest with yourself, wouldn't you agree that they are probably just excuses you've told yourself? I've done the same thing myself.

[peterpatch]

dpgiffin: I am in the same situation I have University full time, I also work 16-20 hours a week part time. I have my live in girlfriend, family etc., which eats up time. I am also starting a business with a friend of mine who does International trade, I spend a lot of time on that. Steve's 50-30-20 article is pretty helpful in budgeting your time out, I have just started using it and its a pretty good framework. I have found it hard to find time to exercise. I am 5' 11" and right now I weigh about 180, and could stand to lose 10-15 more lbs. Less then a year ago I weighed 225 lbs. I lost most of the weight (45 lbs) using the South Beach diet , it was recommended by my Doctor. It is like a medically sound version of the Atkins diet, you are allowed to eat carbs as long as they are 'good' carbs. It worked well for me because it was easy to follow and made sense from a health standpoint. I also used weight watchers which is a more quantitative approach where you measure all your meals and calculate points. Its pretty good too but harder to follow imho. Diet is more important in the short term for losing weight because you lose most of the initial weight through dieting. However exercise is more important in the long term because muscle burns calories faster, therefore the more muscle and muscle capacity you build the harder it is to gain weight. You need to maintain both to keep healthy.

To keep motivated I have a life plan, goals, and objectives to help keep me on track with everything. I change and update these things regularly or when life dictates. I also use a time management system. I used to use a palm pilot but I hate the graffiti system so I just use a Day-timer notebook now. Again Steve's 50-30-20 system is a good framework for planning everything. My system is to do a life plan, try to determine your long term objectives. Come up with some goals for those objectives. Come up with yearly, monthly, weekly and daily tasks to achieve the goals. Use the 50-30-20 system to prioritize and schedule the tasks. It takes some practice but I have worked this system so that it is rigid enough to follow but flexible enough for randomness. Obviously make health a part of your long term plan and then work out the details to achieve better health. It sounds easier then it is, but the main thing is not to give up when you get knocked around, just go back figure out what is wrong with your plan and change it and try again. Coming up with the plan is easy, massaging it to fit your environment and context is tedious and hard, but well worth it.

[maverickstruth]

Originally Posted by elai

Do a workout that only takes _14_ minutes of your time and walk alot.

One I find really novel is the shovelglove workout.

Another good 15 minute workout can be found at the bottom of this page: What, Me Exercise?

The guy who wrote it says

The general outlines for this program were derived from the Royal Canadian Air Force “5BX” exercise program for men. I originally used that program, but found it unnecessarily complicated and confusing for people, like myself, interested simply in achieving a reasonable level of fitness and maintaining that level throughout their life. The RCAF programs for men and women are entirely different: I know of no reason this should be. My program is self-paced, relying on your own body to tell you how far and how fast to advance. Thus it should work fine for women as well as men. (Of course, I'm male and I may be missing something. Both men and women should feel free to modify the program as you like. It's your body!)

But don't let that scare you off... it starts off really gently, and gets you in shape slowly but surely.