Finding the motivation to be healthy-- on a student budget and timetable!

Finding the motivation to be healthy-- on a student budget and timetable!

I’m not a nutritionist, or a personal trainer (although I see that in the near future).  I’m 24, a student and a part time server.  I recently went back to school and took all of the motivation I used to put in to being active and healthy into schoolwork!  I’ve noticed this trend among many of my peers.  It’s also very clear that they would be healthy but don’t have the time, or know what to do, etc.  I was making these excuses too, until 3 weeks ago when I decided to stop and do something about it!

I was sick of seeing fitness models, actors, friends with the body types that I know I can achieve, but have been, quite simply, too lazy to get!  Once I realized that although school and work are time consuming priorities, fitness and your health should be priorities as well!

What motivated me?  One night I was thinking about the how much time I spend on the internet.  In between homework, before work, before bed, basically too much time! The amount of time I was spending watching marathons of Breaking Bad and Californication or browsing websites and wishing I looked like some of the bikini models was, well, a little sad and beyond time consuming!!  I could be utilizing this time to get myself back in to shape, instead of wishing I was and doing nothing about it.

The first step was getting to the gym.   I’ve worked out at home before but since being away from exercise for so long, I found myself giving up halfway through a workout.  If I go to the gym I don’t have to stay, but the effort it takes to go there, go in and get changed pushes you want to stay at least a bit longer than 10 minutes! I had gained a few pounds, alright maybe 10 if I’m being honest, so going straight to the weights was a little intimidating.  My first day back I went to the cardio machines, did a quick ab workout and got out of there.  I was a little discouraged with myself; my noticeable muscle and endurance loss, that I didn’t get to lift any weights that day, but I forgot about the feeling of energy you get after working out!  I love and missed that feeling, which was an added motivator for me!

Next came my diet.  I’ve always been a healthy eater, but I do tend to splurge every so often on treats or a nice dinner out!  Many students are worried that eating healthy will cost too much, but there are tons of ways to eat healthy on a student budget!  Of course McDonald’s and fast food places are cheap, but I never feel good after and there is basically no nutritional value to their food!  I’ve been making and prepping all of my meals, as easy and quickly as I can since I do have a hectic life.

If you aren’t used to eating well, just start of slow.  If you overwhelm yourself with cutting out everything “bad” from your diet right away you will give up, trust me I’ve done it!  Eliminate your vices and see what that does for you.  Things like cutting out drinks filled with calories, junk food or that one staple in your diet that you know is bad for you, but you just love it! Try changing up a couple of things for a week  (drinking lots of water is essential) and you’ll notice a difference in energy levels and maybe even on the scale!  Your diet makes up about 70 percent of your overall weightloss, so don’t think that just by going to the gym you can eat everything you want!

Now that I’ve mentioned the dreaded scale, I need to give you my opinion on it.  Don’t get discouraged if it doesn’t change, or if it does but you’ve added a pound or so! The scale can be a great tool to keep you motivated and accountable, but the best judge is your mirror and your clothes!  Keep in mind that muscle weighs more than fat.  By adding any kind of weights or workouts to your diet you will gain muscle!

I hope I can help inspire others to find the balance of school, work and reaching your fitness goals as I strive to do the same J