Issues and Inquiry in the Health Sciences

Exercise to Help Earn an A

For roughly 6,000 students at the University of Michigan, their freshman year is drawing to a close and with Spring Break trips to sandy beaches and warm waters, it is likely that many of these 6,000 individuals are regretting the calories they have consumed and the hours they have not spent exercising. The “freshman fifteen” is very real for numerous students and can lead to a lack of self-confidence. For some, the weeks before February 28 were spent hitting the gym to shed some of these extra pounds. However, according to Huffington Post’s “Avoiding the Dreaded College Weight Gain: The Importance of Exercise for College Students,” there is a more important benefit to skipping an episode or two of “Dexter” on Netflix to workout other than good looks.

            Possibly the most relevant, yet lesser known, benefit of working out for college students is its aptitude at relieving stress. With exams and midterm projects looming, it may seem that time is much to precious to be spent in a gym. However, studies have shown that even thirty minutes working out can result in better focus, alertness, immunity to sickness, and even mood. All of these improvements vastly make up for the time spent away from studies. This is accomplished through chemicals that are released in the brain that result in this mental improvement outside of the gym. In addition to these health improvements, setting up scheduled times during the week to exercise adds structure to a college life that often is so spontaneous and unstructured it leads to even more stress. Through the Huffington Post’s article, it becomes apart that the real reprieve from stress does not lie in the bottom of an empty Ben & Jerry’s pint, but instead in the recreational buildings.

            However, one question that the Huffington Post does not answer is which room of the recreational building is most cathartic? Can the most stress be relieved from a game of basketball or from a set of bench press? Is an aerobic workout better than an anaerobic workout? These would be interesting questions to have answered to allow students to maximize both their physical and mental health.

Sources:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kayla-hedman/fit-over-fat-college-exercise_b_4603895.html

http://www.collegefashion.net/college-life/6-fun-easy-ways-to-exercise-in-college-no-gym-required/