Staying fit while in college?

fufureida

I am going to Griffith College Cork next week to do the LLB/Irish Law. College life is gonna be a new thing to me and although education is important to me my health is equally as important. I have always been overweight but lost 30 pounds 2 months ago by going to the gym and working out hard 3 times a week 2 hours each day, and counting calories. Recently got lazy and am adamant to get back into exercising again.

Thing is though I don't wanna get a gym membership right now, (even though rivers edge do an annual membership for €209 which works out to like €6 a week) because I wanna see exactly how busy I will be and see how things go for the first couple of weeks first. I also used to count my calories but doubt I will have the energy to do so again for this year so I'm just going to be nutritious and low fat as possible.

Just wondering if anyone has tips to lose weight without going to the gym as I am a poor student with no money? I don't want any diet tips I just want exercise tips thanks. I know walking is an obvious one but anyone know anything else that might be handy? I am already short on money and don't wanna work out €209 for this membership...thanks!

Oh and they don't do per session payment which SUCKS.

Hanley

I'm gonna be annoying and tell you stuff you already know, but if you look for excuses to avoid exercise (ie I've no time) it becomes very easy to do so. A good workout could be done in like 30-45 minutes 3-4x per week, so try not to let that discourage you. And as for eating healthy and low fat, a lot of the things advertised as low fat will be high sugar, so just be aware

As for ACTUALLY answering your question... How active are you now? Do you walk/jog? Are you sporty?? Would you join some of the clubs/socs that'd be fitness related like tag rugby or something similar? Be a good way to kill 2 birds with 1 stone

Do you dance? Where are you living? There's lots of options other than the gym, if that's what you REALLY want!

jive

Obama could find an hour to exercise. If you want to exercise you'll find the time. Not to mention the fact that law is up there with courses that have the least amount of lecture hours (i know you have to do stuff outside of lectures, just sayin').

Walking, jogging, swimming, football, rugby, home workouts.... basically do anything that gets you moving and is free.

FunkZ

Do burpees...

Do 20 and take a minute break.
Do 19 and take a minute break.
Do 18 and take a minute break and so on till your last round is just one burpee.

Probably better off starting with ten and working your way down, then add an extra set with a higher number each week.

If I took my own advice I'd probably be a beast.

fufureida

@Hanley: Yeah I know about the whole low fat high sugar thing so I do check labels for sugar content. When it comes to diet I am pretty on top of things. I am an active person I enjoy doing sports and I do like to walk. If I go for a walk I fit in segments of jogging too but I don't jog for long periods as I am overweight and don't want to damage my knees (already have a knee problem) I like dancing, but can't, lol, and I don't want to join anything as I can't afford it. I just want to know some good things to do as excercise without spending money.

@Jive: Time isn't an issue; what is an issue is I don't know what to do that will help lose weight without spending money at the gym! Oh an just saw my timetable; loads of free periods so will have plenty of time to exercise!

@FunkZ: Not quite sure what burpees are? Is it like circuit training?

Ryder

walking is the most effective and least appreciated exercise. Do 1hr per day and integrate it....ie to/from college. Walk at a high intensity ie just out of breath.

Effective because it is time efficient, low impact, carrying your own bodyweight and is purposeful

WeeBushy

fufureida wrote: »

@FunkZ: Not quite sure what burpees are? Is it like circuit training?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burpee_(exercise)

Mellor

Ryder wrote: »

walking is the most effective and least appreciated exercise. Do 1hr per day and integrate it....ie to/from college. Walk at a high intensity ie just out of breath.

Effective because it is time efficient, low impact, carrying your own bodyweight and is purposeful

Walking is not the most effective excercise.
Pick up the pace and you'll burn more calories.

d'Oracle

What effect are we talking about here?

ImGettinPaper

Mellor wrote: »

Walking is not the most effective excercise.
Pick up the pace and you'll burn more calories.

I think you just repeated what Ryder said :rolleyes:

Hanley

ImGettinPaper wrote: »

I think you just repeated what Ryder said :rolleyes:

Stop rolling your eyes and read the f*cking post. Ryder said “walking is the most effective form of exercise”. That is WRONG, unless specified in an extremely narrow context, which it wasn’t. :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

ImGettinPaper

Ryder wrote: »

Walk at a high intensity ie just out of breath.

Mellor wrote: »

Pick up the pace and you'll burn more calories.

Hanley

ImGettinPaper wrote: »

Oh, hi, strawman.

papajimsmooth

There is no course in Ireland that dosent have enough free time to exercise everyday, especially first year

ImGettinPaper

Hanley wrote: »

Oh, hi, strawman.

GG :P

fufureida

papajimsmooth wrote: »

There is no course in Ireland that dosent have enough free time to exercise everyday, especially first year

When did I say I wont have time? And for the person who mentioned walking I agree I lost alot of weight by just walking.

AntiVirus

fufureida wrote: »

And for the person who mentioned walking I agree I lost alot of weight by just walking.

Yes but you would have lost even more if you ran instead of walked. 30 minutes of running would burn alot more than 30 minutes of walking.

Ryder

AntiVirus wrote: »

Yes but you would have lost even more if you ran instead of walked. 30 minutes of running would burn alot more than 30 minutes of walking.

That point has been made. I don't know the OP. the question suggests not having the time or interest for training. I don't know......either way I think that walking shouldn't be overlooked as a means of keeping fit purely because it can be integrated into your day in ways that aren't practical for running/swimming/weights etc. There are much better things you could do, but I don't think that is what is being asked

AntiVirus

Ryder wrote: »

That point has been made. I don't know the OP. the question suggests not having the time or interest for training. I don't know......either way I think that walking shouldn't be overlooked as a means of keeping fit purely because it can be integrated into your day in ways that aren't practical for running/swimming/weights etc. There are much better things you could do, but I don't think that is what is being asked

If stuck for time running would be better than walking.

TimeToShine

OP said he was overweight so running would be very rough on his knees, walking is his best option or swimming/elliptical but since he's not getting a gym membership walking is all he can do.

i think you should just scrape the money together for a gym membership, i paid near 200 for the year there a few weeks ago and to make up for it won't be buying any drink for the next few weeks. have to make some sacrifices if you want to stay fit in college

Mellor

ImGettinPaper wrote: »

I think you just repeated what Ryder said :rolleyes:

GTFO.
How was my post in anyway similar.

Ryder wrote: »

walking is the most effective and least appreciated exercise.

Mellor wrote: »

Walking is not the most effective excercise.

ImGettinPaper wrote: »

Ah, i see what you did there. One problem though.
Every word in the sentence is important.

Ryder wrote: »

Walk at a high intensity ie just out of breath.

He said wlk at a high intensity, which by definition is still walking.

Mellor wrote: »

Pick up the pace and you'll burn more calories.

I said pick up the pace, I was implying that he speed up enough so he is jog ging or preferably running.
So, you use all the rolleyes you want, you comments are ridiculous.
So instead of taking simple posts out of context why not post some decent advice for the OP, or are you afraid that you'll come out with equaly ridiculous comments there?

syklops

And once again, a thread on Health and Fitness descends into a pissing contest.



OP, you said you lost the weight? If so, then you just need to maintain your weight which is pretty easy, once you do it cleverly. The main problem in college(from what I see, I never went), is the drinking, and the late night pizzas. Avoid both, cook your own food(its way cheaper and you know what you are eating).

If possible walk to and from college, if not possible, get off one or two bus stops early, and walk the rest of the way. Look up what your calorie needs are and dont exceed it. Simples.

Barry.Oglesby

Walking is excellent exercise. A good fat burner, practical, no specialist equipment required and it's something you can do any day of the week, at any time that suits you. At your current level, walking is a much, much better fat burner and exercise in general than running. Don't mind the circle jerk above, they don't know what they're talking about.

Start there with simple changes.

Jimmy Bottlehead

Hey OP.

I graduated from Griffith a few years ago - hope they upgraded the gym, as the one back then was shiiiiite

To lose weight, I'd advise you to look through this list and pick 3-4 a week to do. Some take 8 minutes, most no more than 15-20, but they're excellent for a good hard quick workout:

http://board.crossfit.com/showthread.php?t=50739

Finally, if you can pickup a doorway chin-up bar, you'll have lots more options to choose from in that list. Or find a park with bars of some kind if that's not possible.

Best of luck, and remember, this forum IS very useful when people aren't bitching at each other over stuff.

younge

OP.. if you really want to lose weight around a busy schedule I suggest the following;

Get up an hour earlier in the morning and go running on an empty stomach gradually picking up the intensity for about 25 - 30 minutes 4 times a week.
At the end of two of these runs try for example 3 sets of pushups, lying handclaps, squats etc.. variety here is important!
I guarantee you if you eat reasonably healthy and are training consistently you'll see results by November, hope this helps!

You may think your caught for time but if your focused and have goals.. you will succeed!

nice_guy80

invest in a nice enough hybrid bike. and two big locks for it.

go out cycling every second day (for an hour).
cycle to college everyday.
walk as much as you can (take less buses, avoid taxis if possible)

keep the socialising to 1/2 nights per week. joining a club usually helps keep this down

eat well. as in - plan your food for the week, go into aldi or lidl and buy lots of good food.

fufureida

yeah I realise I am bumping this, but didnt see the point in making another thread for pretty much the same topic. I still havn't gotten into excercise 1 month into college and their is alot of work in this course. Its not that I don't have time, its just by the end of most days I feel so spasticatidly tired that I have no energy so I flump into bed. anyone know any nice places to walk/run in cork?

EDIT: For the record I am female, and I do know how to excercise and no will not be taking part in running at all. I have started re-doing a workout dvd which I did before and it helped me lose 6 pounds in a month. Its called the 30 Day Shred and I highly reccomend i only it to anyone. Its under 30 minutes but a killer workout, especially if you need to lose weight.

And for people who were confused as to what I was asking, I was asking exactly what things can be as a form of excercising which doesnt involve forking out alot of money for college. Oh and by the way, our College doesnt have a gym to whoever mentioned it had one!
THanks for the posts people.

Edit Again: I don't drink, at all, whatsoever, and do not touch fast food. I ate fast food once so far and that was only cus I felt i deserved it as i turned 21. lol.

Duck's hoop

Motivation. You really need this. It's best if it's of the self made kind in my experience.

Procrastination. Your foe.

Saying 'tomorrow' 'tonight' 'on Monday' 'when I get some ideas off the Internet guys' is not going to work.

We've all had high levels of each I'm sure. I'd say search less and do more.

I think you already know what to do.

Killmurf

OP, the main reason you are so tired in the evening's is lack of exercise. As Duck's Hoop says, motivation is the key. You need to get into the habit of exercising and build from there. Running is a good and cheap form of exercise, but if your knees are giving you trouble, you need to build it up slowly. Try getting out for a walk for an hour a day for the next couple of weeks, and then try to slowly build in some running.
Could you get in a walk at some stage during the day, rather than leaving it to when you get home?
You also need to keep up the good work with the food and not slip up there.
Best of luck the exercise and good luck with the course too!:)

ConorLS

You say you're too tired in the evenings to exercise.

Get up early and exercise in the mornings. Now, you might say that exercising in the mornings will make you even more tired, but it won't. After morning exercise, you will feel awake, fresh, and ready for the day ahead. It's also a great feeling knowing you've done your exercise for the day and can relax or do whatever when you're home from college.

tough__cookie

I like to go walking or running down by the marina.

You could get some weights, a swiss ball or a skipping rope to do exercises at home. Look up workouts on youtube to get ideas. Try plenty of compound exercises like squats, lunges, press ups etc.

The 30 day shred dvd is quite good, another great one for weight loss is Insanity, it's circuit based, could be pricey but you might get it cheap on amazon or ebay.

Some places do early morning spinning classes or bootcamp ones if you were able to get up for that.

ebixa82

fufureida wrote: »

Thing is though I don't wanna get a gym membership right now, (even though rivers edge do an annual membership for €209 which works out to like €6 a week) because I wanna see exactly how busy I will be and see how things go for the first couple of weeks first. I also used to count my calories but doubt I will have the energy to do so again for this year so I'm just going to be nutritious and low fat as possible.

It sounds like you are reluctant to do exercise and are already making excuses..

There are 24 hours in a day. You will be a student. It is only the laziest of persons who could not find 1 out of 24 hours to exercise.

Also how much "energy" does it take to count calories?

Joining the gym would be the best option. Once the weather gets really crap you won't do any outdoor exercises. The gym allows you to exercise rain, hail or snow.

Also if you pay up 209e it will make you go more so as you don't waste hard earned cash.

fufureida

ebixa82 wrote: »

It sounds like you are reluctant to do exercise and are already making excuses..

There are 24 hours in a day. You will be a student. It is only the laziest of persons who could not find 1 out of 24 hours to exercise.

Also how much "energy" does it take to count calories?

Joining the gym would be the best option. Once the weather gets really crap you won't do any outdoor exercises. The gym allows you to exercise rain, hail or snow.

Also if you pay up 209e it will make you go more so as you don't waste hard earned cash.

It sounds like you are just trying to be awkward. Why would I be reluctant to excercise if I made this thread in the first place? I never ever SAID I won't find time, re-read my post please. All I said was I wanted to see how busy I will be before I get a gym membership. Which, btw, Im not doing, because Im not ****ting cash.

It takes ALOT of time, effort, an energy to count calories down to an apple to an entire dinner recipe. Its actually quite time consuming to measure and count the calories in every little thing daily. SO what I do now is eat healthy and proportionally.

I'm aware of what advantages the gym has for me, thank you very much. I'm not that illiterate or uneducated, Im fully aware that 99.9% of gyms in Ireland are indoor, gicing the advantage of excercising when its cold/wet/ blah blah blah.

I really don't think you are as aware as I am about how expensive a private college is. Please take your sarcy posts elsewhere.

fufureida

tough__cookie wrote: »

I like to go walking or running down by the marina.

You could get some weights, a swiss ball or a skipping rope to do exercises at home. Look up workouts on youtube to get ideas. Try plenty of compound exercises like squats, lunges, press ups etc.

The 30 day shred dvd is quite good, another great one for weight loss is Insanity, it's circuit based, could be pricey but you might get it cheap on amazon or ebay.

Some places do early morning spinning classes or bootcamp ones if you were able to get up for that.

Thanks, I am researching stuff on youtube right now. Spark Peopple have 10 minute bootcamp sessions you can do at home which is great

TimeToShine

fufureida wrote: »

It sounds like you are just trying to be awkward. Why would I be reluctant to excercise if I made this thread in the first place? I never ever SAID I won't find time, re-read my post please. All I said was I wanted to see how busy I will be before I get a gym membership. Which, btw, Im not doing, because Im not ****ting cash.

It takes ALOT of time, effort, an energy to count calories down to an apple to an entire dinner recipe. Its actually quite time consuming to measure and count the calories in every little thing daily. SO what I do now is eat healthy and proportionally.

I'm aware of what advantages the gym has for me, thank you very much. I'm not that illiterate or uneducated, Im fully aware that 99.9% of gyms in Ireland are indoor, gicing the advantage of excercising when its cold/wet/ blah blah blah.


I really don't think you are as aware as I am about how expensive a private college is. Please take your sarcy posts elsewhere.

Look up any calorie counter online, myplate is the one i use. it'll take you about 5 minutes to plug in what you've eaten for the day. The matter of the fact is you are making excuses, the best way to go about these things is to jump head first, get a gym membership, make an effort and then make threads like these so you can fine tune your exercise regime for best results.

tough__cookie

I find lethalleslie's step aerobics routines are brilliant, you can get a cheap enough stepper in argos and you can do so much on them besides aerobics, tricep dips, lunges, calf raises, use it as a bench and do your chest presses etc.

Try discountworkouts as well on youtube, they have good step routines but i think they have other workouts too that might be worth a look.

tough__cookie

lethalleslie on youtube that is

fufureida

TimeToShine wrote: »

Look up any calorie counter online, myplate is the one i use. it'll take you about 5 minutes to plug in what you've eaten for the day. The matter of the fact is you are making excuses, the best way to go about these things is to jump head first, get a gym membership, make an effort and then make threads like these so you can fine tune your exercise regime for best results.

See I knew someone was gonna say that. That website is completely innacurate, it cant give you exact measurements unless you measure the food yourself. Unless you noticed you would have seen I have started excercising again and Im eating healthy. kkthanksbye.

Not getting a gym membership because I cant afford it.

ebixa82

fufureida wrote: »

It sounds like you are just trying to be awkward. Why would I be reluctant to excercise if I made this thread in the first place? I never ever SAID I won't find time, re-read my post please. All I said was I wanted to see how busy I will be before I get a gym membership. Which, btw, Im not doing, because Im not ****ting cash.

It takes ALOT of time, effort, an energy to count calories down to an apple to an entire dinner recipe. Its actually quite time consuming to measure and count the calories in every little thing daily. SO what I do now is eat healthy and proportionally.

I'm aware of what advantages the gym has for me, thank you very much. I'm not that illiterate or uneducated, Im fully aware that 99.9% of gyms in Ireland are indoor, gicing the advantage of excercising when its cold/wet/ blah blah blah.

I really don't think you are as aware as I am about how expensive a private college is. Please take your sarcy posts elsewhere.

Do you really need to count calories. Why not just research what foods are good and what are bad and control portions. Eating healthily is simple, you don't have to make a science out of it.