Although 24 hours in a day sometimes does not seem like enough, it is. At least, that’s the response from multiple Keene State College students when asked how they manage to get through their busy days.
Between classes, studying for exams, attending meetings, playing sports at the intramural, club, or varsity level and maintaining a social life, college tends to overwhelm many and time management skills quickly become a student’s best friend.
When asked how they cope with stress, a common answer among KSC students was very simple: work out.
Breanna Vacca, a senior exercise science major, said she works out five times a week.
Vacca said, “I plan my schedule ahead of time.”
She continued, “To me it’s a stress reliever, I don’t think about anything, I just concentrate on working out. If you’re stressed out with school work, the gym is a good place to be.” If anyone sees what goes on over at the Spaulding Gymnasium firsthand, it’s Body Works Manager Christine Miles.
Michelle Lefebvre / Equinox Staff
As a manager, much of her time is spent in the gym where she encounters many of the KSC students who are dedicated to their fitness.
“I have noticed more students saying they need to reduce stress, they need to handle things, and they find that the exercise does that,” Miles said.
Research indicates that a big predictor of personal happiness is physical health. The correlation between living an active lifestyle and feeling happier is not coincidental, according to “The New Science of Happiness” by Claudia Wallis.
Although many KSC students say their time is limited, a vast majority of them said they can at the very minimum, take a small portion out of their day to fit in some kind of workout.
“We are open from six a.m. until eleven p.m. And I bet even a busy person could find forty-five minutes to an hour that they could come in and do something that makes them feel happy and relaxed and a little bit better about themselves,” Miles said.
The biggest motivator seemed to be happiness. Carly Kiernan, a KSC junior and athletic training major said overall working out just makes her happier and feel better.
The notion that working out helps them release any school, work, or social related stress holds true for Kiernan and Vacca alike.
Once this stress is relieved, they find themselves happier. In this case, taking time out of a busy day to work out seems worth it. Especially with the aftermath of feeling less stressed and more happy.
KSC sophomore Elton Purvis, an exercise science major, is even able to fit a workout into his busy four-classes-a-day schedule. That’s nearly eight hours worth of class time in one day.
He shared some of his tips in how he is able to fit in a workout despite having such a packed schedule.
“There’s always time in your schedule. If you want to get up and go for that quick fifteen minute jog or go to the gym real quick do some sprints, something like that.It doesn’t have to be a long workout. Just get up and go because that’s the hardest part,” Purvis said.
The students interviewed said they feel overwhelmed by the amount of homework they have to complete once they get out of class.
However, many of them also shared a common belief that after working out, they are able to concentrate on their schoolwork more easily.
Purvis added, “It definitely helps me de-stress a lot, I think after I go for a run I can sit down easier and focus too. Overall it’s just definitely a stress factor. If I have a busy day and I know I have a lot of work, I’ll still find time for that quick mile or two mile run just to get that stress out,” Purvis continued.
Time management, planning ahead and simply getting motivated are all factors that lead KSC students to somehow find time for a workout, at least a couple times a week.
When the result is a better ability to focus, and overall feeling happier about yourself, many students are willing to make the effort.
Sabrina Lapointe can be contacted at slapointe@keene-equinox.com