Winter Exhaustion and Workouts
By Alex Pultz
March may only have thirty-one days, but for many students, it feels like the longest month of the year. March is often a month of burnout and exhaustion as it’s the middle of the semester. To battle this burnout, one of the most effective cures is a good workout. A workout can but doesn’t have to be cardio-heavy, just something simple that helps you move your body.
The most popular and probably easiest way to move your body is through walking. Whether this is on a treadmill at the Davis Center or in the neighborhood behind south campus, it’s an easy and accessible way to move. This small activity has so many benefits including improving heart health, lowering blood pressure, and strengthening muscles. Most of all, it relieves stress. Campus during this time is a breeding ground for the flu, walking actually can improve your immune system.
My favorite way to relieve stress is through working out, and I find release in running. I prefer to run outside, for me, there’s nothing like running in fresh air. My favorite route is behind South Campus in the neighborhood. No matter how I’m feeling, whether I’m angry or happy, a run is the perfect way to let out my energy. Exercise, including running, releases endorphins. Endorphins are linked to stress relief which makes you happier. I feel my best post-run on an endorphins high. This improves your mental state which is especially important during this time of the year.
When people think of calming down by moving their bodies, most people would turn to yoga. Yoga is a known stress release as it relaxes your muscles, also improving sleep. Yoga causes you to focus on balance and concentrate on your movements, distracting your mind from any other distractions. This time can be used as an escape from thinking about the business in your life. The yoga classes offered in The Commons are amazing, but if you’re willing to take a short trip to Bulldog Yoga, it will be worth it. Bulldog offers hot yoga classes where your body is put to the test as you work on different poses in a sauna-like environment. I never feel better than I do after leaving a Bulldog class.
Getting yourself to a workout may seem like a daily chore, but it pays off with the way you feel afterward. Moving your body doesn’t need to be intense, it can be as simple as doing something for 20 minutes each day. Mood improvement, better sleep, stress relief, and more benefit daily movement. This rut in the year may cause burnout but fighting back with exercise will make each day a little easier!
