Many of the post that I have done are ways to stay fit on campus what are just part of everyday. Things like climbing the stair or changing up your diet a bit. What about the more obvious things on campus? The Richards Building and Smith Fieldhouhse are all available for our use. These  an on campus gym that is open to students. I may not be 24 hour like golds, but it does not cost any extra money either. The tract is a hoppin’ place to be in the winter if your not up for braving the cold as you run. There is also the pool in the Richards Building that is open in the early morning and most evenings. Click here to see what other facilities and events the BYU athletics department has to offer.

Another popular way to be active on campus are BYU intramurals activities. Every semester a long line is formed at early morning hours. You and your friends can battle for the coveted championship t-shirt! There are many different sports offered from volleyball and basketball to ultimate frisbee and inner-tube water polo. It is a great way to spend some active after school time and be apart of a team without such a big commitment.

What else do you get out and do? What other places on campus have actives you would recommend?

The past week started out great. I took my midterm, did well at a competition, and had a nice recovery day when it hit. I woke up Monday morning thinking that I was just having trouble getting up from lack of rest. After spending stats class curled up in the chair planing an escape in the event of throwing up, I was home in bed for the remainder if the day. As part of health we often focus on the long term effects our life styles have, but what about the immediate? The University of Maryland has an article that talks about the prevention of cold and flu. One thing that I really found interesting was how stress, regardless of life style, can increase your risk. There was no real reason for why this happens. In my case, I think it was a way of my body saying slow down.

So what are you going to do? The season for sickness is right in the middle of fall and winter semester. There are dumb people like me that think they can tough it out and make it through their classes! WebMD asked doctors what they did to help keep themselves healthy. Washing your hands is at the top of the list. One thing that was pointed out was to eat foods that need utensils.  Then you do not have to handle your food before you eat it. I am very guilty of snacking on things out of baggies all day long.  So what else do you do to stay healthy. The Campus is our gym, place of learning, social grounds, and so much more. Nothing is worse than being sick in your apartment alone with no help or love. Lets stay health for our sakes and the sakes of those around us.

Technology has taken the life our ancestors knew and thrown it into warp drive. We communicate with one another and travel faster than we ever could before. Manual labor has been cut dramatically as computers and machines take over. A student hardly has to get up to find a book in the library as more and more is available online. So what are we going to do? When work and school require so many to be in chairs all day how is one to stay fit.

There are many articles that can be found all over the web with exercises and suggestions  of how to stay fit at a desk job. Two that I thought were great were wikiHow and WebMD. WikiHow Stays that is starts with the correct posture. Sitting up straight is something I know I’m guilty of not doing in class. Stretching can prevent one from getting stiff, and optimize times to get up and move. This could be walking something down the hall to someone or even standing up while your computer is loading. WebMD Gives even more things that can be done around the office. You can do desk and chair push ups, do one legged squats when you have a chance to stand, and pull yourself back and forth on your rolly chair. For more exercises and stretches check out these articles and the video under the video tab on this blog. Not everything you find may feel appropriate outside the comfort of a cubical or an office, but any little bit may help keep you awake and in shape. Remember, the campus is your gym. There are chances to be just that much more physical everyday.

So you made it into Brigham Young University and have been working hard for some time now. Then, one day you look up from the spot you always go to study in the library and notice what a zombie you have become. Will you stay awake in your next class? Will you have the energy for the family home evening activity tonight? Will you still go to the gym? Or, will you forgo all of the planned activities and take a nap? The need to party and do well in school often trump our decision to sleep. This choice, however, does not come without consequences. So what are we giving up each day when we choose not to sleep?

There are many activities to get involved in on campus that can physically aid us in health. How can these activities be enjoyed and utilized if we don’t have the energy to participate.  Harvard Medical School has an entire Division of Sleep Medicine. They give many reasons of why sleep is so beneficial from memory and judgment to the prevention of disease. One thing that is also pointed out is that not having enough sleep can be a safety risk. Driving drowsy has been show to be just as dangerous as driving drunk. What could this mean when put into the context of your job or school work?

Sleep is important, but what is you have a hard time falling asleep not that you are determined to get more? Revolution Health has ten suggestions for how you can improve the amount and quality of sleep you get. Reading through this list there are a few good trips I picked up.  You should not exercise two to three hours before bed, your bed should be reserved for sleeping, do other activities such as reading in another room, and get plenty of sunshine and light in the afternoon. To find out more sleeping tips check out the article. Although sleep may not feel like the most active thing to be doing, getting proper amounts will really help us wake up and do something more.

Whether you are walking down the side walk or driving in your car you will have seen them. Time of day will not stop them. Weather may slow a few of the weak, but still they are there. The BYU runner is a campus fixture like the bell tower or the Marriott Center.  So what is it that causes so many to don the running shoes and brave the elements? Well, be it to lose weight or stay in shape, running has many benefits that are worth the time spent doing it.

The benefits of running 20-60 three times a week are great. It can cover a wide range of things from lowering cholesterol, body fat, and blood pressure. For more benefits and technique help, check out MedicineNet’s section on jogging and running. If just hearing about is not enough motivation there are many ways here in Provo to help give you drive. This week, for example, there is a Halloween half marathon. Having a goal to work for really can help you get started. If marathons are not your speed and you just need someone to run with BYU has a solution for you. The is, on campus, a running club! Here you can meet up with others and find a “pace” that fits you. So get out there. It’s free, it can be fun, and best of all you can up your health on the comfort of your own campus.

It would be unfair for me to write about anything on campus keeping you fit and not telling my secret. My main way of keeping thin is by being apart of the Ballroom Dance Company. There are fifteen different classes and five different teams plus a social dance club. Now this is not just a plug for what I love to do. It really has made a difference in my health. I started dancing in high school when I was 15.  When I started my waist size was a 34. In less than three months I had gone down to a 32 and stayed there ever since.

So why not get out there and shake your grove thing? If your going to have to work out it might as well be with someone of the opposite gender. There are 1,600 people that take classes each year here at BYU. This summer the touring team is traveling to Thailand and Vietnam. So try something new. Have a reason to be active each week. You never know, there may be opportunities you never thought could be yours. Be it travel, social, or dancing your buns right off, dance is a great way to exercise on campus. Let me know what you do. What other school activities are you apart of that help you get exercise each week?

If you have live anywhere other than the east side of campus, if you have driven to school, and if you have had a class in the Tanner Building, Richards Building, or Smith Field House then you have encountered the dreaded BYU stairs. Brigham Young University is set against the beautiful Wasatch Mountains. To the misfortune if those who do not have A lot parking stickers, climbing the stairs can be a pain staking way to start the day. While climbing, conversations stop and a furrowed brow begins to form. Once at the top there can be heard a huffing and puffing that would give the three little pigs fear in any kind of house. I spend more time in the Richards building than I do in my own apartment. Having to look up at the stairs from the glass doors can make my heart sink.  Often I take a left to use the elevators on the business building. It is there that I have been watching as students and faculty alike will take the elevator up only one floor. I also found on facebook there is a group you can join against the BYU stairs. Here was my inspiration for this weeks improvement.

I looked up benefits of taking the stairs. I came across the article “Take the stairs” from Women’s Health Magazine.  It list a lot of benefits that can be seen from taking the stairs. My goal for this last week has been to take the stairs. This task was a bit daunting at first. It was a rough couple of days. Going up to campus was not my favorite part of the day, but it did get better. I did see an improvement in how fast I was able to get up them. As the week went on I began to run them just to prove a point. Even a week last I can still get up them at a run without too much trouble. I also found that there are stairs all over campus hidden off to the side. If there is an elevator, you are most often within a few feet of stairs. I found the stairs to save me time getting to and from my destination. It is also just one more free thing on campus that can give you some extra exercise in your day.  Think of how many people drive to a gym to use a “Stairmaster”  when you can master them yourself for free? I can say that I will never use an elevator on campus again, have you been to the SWKT, but it has been well worth the climb.

With the ever rising problem of obesity, what is one to do to ensure themselves a health life style? No matter what stage in life you are at it can be difficult. When you first go to school, friends and family joke about gaining the “freshman fifteen.” This seems funny, until freshman year you wake up at Christmas time and notice that your best pair of jeans are starting to fit a little snug. There have to be things that can be done on a collage students budget to help you refrain from donning the “hide how big I am college hoodie.” So each week it will be my goal to find things on campus and around town to improve health.

This week my goal was to eat and shop for healthier foods. When you think about the “freshman fifteen” you may have gained, one of the reasons you pack on the pounds is no one is there to tell you not to eat what your wanting. Oh the wanting… One of the places that has helped me in my quest for better food has been Costco. There produce section not only is a nice way to beat the heat when it is hot, but proves to be quite cheep. Costco also now has a section of health snacks like there popular trail mix and different dried fruits. The other store that has been great is Macey’s. I recently got ranch dressing for seventeen cents a bottle. It has been a great addition to the salads that I have been eating.

What good is buying all this food around town if there is no benefit? Well I can say that this week I have had a lot more energy. The food that I have been eating doesn’t make me feel as heavy when I am full. The best thing I have felt by snacking and eating healthier this week is I eat small amounts more often. It has been different, but I think it is a good change. I would highly suggest getting out there and just trying to make even one day a bit healthier. See how it goes. You may buckle for chocolate later, but every little bit has to help. Who could not use that?