Physical exercise: In the College Life

Alex Metzger

Professor Nielsen

Persuasive Research

Physical Exercise: In the College Life

My little sister, who is just entering her freshman year of high school, inquired upon the hardest aspect of my college life. With such a grown up inquiry I told her I would have to give it some thought. Two days later I reminded her of her question and answered with literally no originality, “All of it”. I then explained why.

College life can be the hardest time most people will ever encounter. The pressures, stresses and deadlines, combined with amount of sleep are tough on anyone who has taken a semester serious. With this demanding lifestyle it there are areas of life have to be forfeited, but one that is all too often wrongly pushed aside is exercise.  

Forty five minutes a day, three to four days a week, and you could change your college career. Not only can you reduce stress and be socially uplifted, but also see improved grades and performance because of a series of direct and indirect reactions to physical fitness. Through sharing of my personal experience, experience of close friends, along with scientific research, I will convince you the time that you seem to consider a loss, is nothing but exponentially worth the effort. According to my research hitting the books might not be as efficient without hitting the gym.

Stress relief

Stress is a normal occurrence in my life. I am currently a full time student, a full time employee, and a full time family anchor. My college is paid for by my dad’s company and I have many expectations from them. My grades and weekly reports must all be satisfactory to my dad’s boss or I will get my funding cut. Not only that, but my father puts pressure on me because my success is in direct relationship with the success he has with his boss.

Besides pressure from my dad on my college career, I receive pressure from my work environment. I am currently working between 25 and 35 hours a week at Costco. Costco is a high demanding, fast paced work environment. It does pay very well, but you earn every dollar. I experience stress here because I have a reputation for being able to do a great amount of work in a small amount of time. Thus, I am always the first one called upon when someone decides to not show up to work! This puts stress on me when I’m tired from a long day of college. My day usually consists of homework right after I rise from slumber, school from 10 to 1, work, lunch, gym, then I work 6 to 1030.

Yes that’s right. You heard right, gym time. Why would I ever physically exhaust myself with such a load? Well it’s not because I have a class, and it isn’t a doctor’s orders. I love working out. It helps me with my stress. Going to the gym and putting my attention on something else besides the pressure of my everyday life is an amazing stress relief. There are both chemical and physical reasoning behind this.

Physical pain grabs my attention to the present. It’s not an unbearable pain, just a burn every now and then, that’s actually doing my body good. It makes all my worrying and pressure melt away. For one hour my world dissolves away and nothing exists, but that moment. Combine that with some inspirational music and it is a little vacation. Many engage in exercise because they must, whether for sport, social benefits, conditioning, ect. But, for me, my friends, and even some of my professors on Dixie State Campus, physical fitness is a way away from life and its stresses. Dr. Samin is my chemistry teacher at Dixie State College said, “Physical fitness is one of the best ways for me to handle my stress…anything that takes you away from your future problems and causes a focus on the present can be theraputical” I would agree. Speaking of chemistry there are more reasons why it is anti-stress.

Besides just this physical attention grabber, human chemistry explains why it is a stress relief. Cortisol is released during any times of anxiety. It’s the “run” hormone, the one that is triggered during any pressures on your life. Although literally college students aren’t running from anything, metaphorically we might be. Because when it comes to events such as: tests, quizzes, reports, presentations, and finals week, I want to run! In a study conducted by American Fitness Journal it shows, “…that exercise is a highly effective means for stress control, as participation in physical activity facilitates the decline of production of cortisol. The study proves that men (and women) who participate in a fitness program exhibit significantly less cortisol production…” (Mack). What this article is saying is that physical fitness, or those who participate regularly in some kind of physical fitness, will show a reduction in cortisol. Thus the actual ability for your body to feel stress is lessened. Depending on the level of fitness, it could be even eliminated.

By investing time into a fitness program we can help prevent and/or reduce stress in our college careers. Our bodies just won’t be able to physiologically create the hormones that cause stress. Another hormone released during any type of physical exercise is the endorphin, which is associated with positive mental disposition. But this hormone is more closely tied to the social benefits of exercise.

Social

 If you’ve ever experience a run long enough to hit your second wind you might have experience what is called a “runner’s high”. This is because of a prominent chemical released during strenuous exercise, the endorphin. This hormone is released by the brain and seems to function as a pain killer, but also has positive side effects other than killing pain. It creates a “happy feelings” not unlike those of morphine or heroine (Kent). Not to say that there is a strong addiction created like a narcotic, but you might just get addicted to exercise!

One other side effect of the endorphin is a feeling of well-being. This feeling reduces stress and creates a happy-disposition. Although I had a hard time finding documented research, from experience of close friends along with my own, this feeling of well-being really helps you mingle as a college student. This is a chemical response to exercise. Socially, there are physical and mental responses to exercise as well.

Your body does start to change after a regular exercise program has been initiated. With proper instruction and time these changes to the body create a positive feedback from our social surroundings. “If people are evaluated positively for exercising, it should improve Psychological well-being because the positive views of others are reflected back, increasing self-confidence and improving self esteem” (Hayes).

In other words physical fitness can lead to self esteem boosts. If you feel good about yourself you are more able to talk to your peers and make friends. Having friends and participating in activities in college generally makes the whole occurrence more enjoyable. I know because I have experienced both sides of the spectrum. I am not from the local area. My first couple of months here were extremely boring. They consisted of doing homework and working. This may be the life for a few, but definitely not for me. Shortly into college I started playing intramurals and participating in activities, knowing people definitely helped me adjust to my new atmosphere. Like in the quote I found above, positive reinforcement from your surroundings will give you better self-confidence, which may be a catalyst to your social life.

Another example is my friend Kasey. He spent most of his fall semester 2010 at home on his computer. After much prodding my I finally pressured him into joining a local gym and within two months he had gained fifteen pounds of muscle. Along with muscle it seemed he had gained some confidence and self-worth. By the spring semester of 2011 he had a girlfriend and a job which requires social interaction on a daily basis. Although an extreme case, it is very well possible that fitness was the only catalyst to his maximum social potential. Physical fitness also enables your maximum mental performance.

Mental performance

"It is exercise alone that supports the spirits, and keeps the mind in vigor".
- Cicero

So what if you’re an anomaly? You go to college, but stress is never a problem and being social isn’t a worry. Well I have another attempt at convincing you. Being physically fit and putting in the time at the gym really can improve your grades and performance in college. Through many different methods both directly and indirect, cognitive abilities are improved by exercise.

 According to a Harvard study regular exercise improves functions of the brain such as: executive control, attention span, organization, and planning. These were all improved through forty five minutes plus of exercise five days a week (Harvard). The reasoning behind this is fairly simple.

This change in function occurred because of the increased blood flow to the brain. The blood flow actually changes the shape of synapses to improve their job. The most change comes from the ability to have more oxygen in the brain at one time. Although the study did not show signs of improvement everywhere, important parts, such as frontal, parietal, and temporal lobes were include (Harvard). These are the parts of the brain in charge of organization, planning, and attention span; an obvious selection, in my opinion, of abilities needed in a successful college experience. For just the ability to focus longer, I recently restarted my fitness program. I cannot tell you how different my summer semester was from my fall semester. I had the same amount of credits in half the time and did better than fall semester. The only difference in my life at the time was exercise. Besides this direct cognitive uplift, maintaining an exercise program can also indirectly benefit your cognitive abilities. You will find yourself with more efficiently spent time and less disruptions between responsibilities.

 

Benefits: Immune system, Energy, Sleep

          My good friend Garet and I dedicated one hour a day, five days a week, for three months, to exercise in the summer of 2010. Neither of us experienced one sick day. Although most people don’t get sick in the summer, I have chronic sinus problems. For me the only time I noticed my health constant was during the summer. Research shows physical fitness will keep you from sickness. Or, speaking more scientifically, it will keep your immune system functioning at its highest potential. There are large quantities of research done on this exact occurrence.

“In one study of a "moderate" exercise program, exercise and non-exercise groups were followed for 15 weeks. The exercise group performed a daily walking routine at about 60 percent of their maximal capability. Throughout the training period, the exercisers averaged five days of sickness, while the sedentary group averaged 11 sick days over the almost four month period. Thus, the moderate-exercise group reduced sick days by more than half!”(Horn).

            In this study exercise was seen to improve the immune system by double than those who hadn’t participated. Although being involved in strenuous work outs often can actually hurt you, not a piece of research has indicated a moderate fitness program would. This can be highly beneficial to college students. Missing class time because of illness is a major hindrance.

 In either my calculus or organic chemistry class my professors have told me if you miss more than three days in a row you might as well drop the class. Although extreme, it is true. In higher education, missing a couple classes can put you in a game of catch up for weeks, especially with a large work load. Exercise can boost your immune system to decrease the likelihood of sickness. It is worth the investment. Speaking of sickness, if you ever feel like you can’t kick a lazy or groggy funk, then you might also want to consider a regular exercise program.

Energy

The most ironic benefit to physical fitness is extra energy, but think about how much sense this actually makes. How often, when you oversleep, do you feel more tired? How often when you’ve taken a day off from work is it harder to actually get yourself back in the routine? Every time I hit the gym I seem to be more mentally prepared for the rest of the day. If you can commit yourself to at least forty five minutes of exercise 3-4 times a week you will see improvement in fatigue. An article online explained the phenomena.

“In this study, published in Psychological Bulletin, the researchers analyzed 70 studies on exercise and fatigue involving more than 6,800 people."More than 90% of the studies showed the same thing: Sedentary people who completed a regular exercise program reported improved fatigue compared to groups that did not exercise,"(Warners).

I can’t tell you how many times I have heard the excuse “I’m just too tired” or “I don’t know where you get the energy Alex”. Yet, here is evidence that physical fitness can help your fatigue. The physical properties directly associated with the post work out, actually help me through my day. I don’t have to dread working because I actually feel mentally revived after my fitness routine. When I first started my program I would only go on my days off, two or three times a week. I then started noticing that I actually had more energy after my work out for about five hours than if I hadn’t worked out. Getting exercise boosted my energy levels, relieving me from the need of caffeinated beverages, which I had grown so fond of. College students who participate in exercise will experience a relief from draining days. Not only does physical fitness create energy, but along with the accounts of many others, I personally am able to sleep better after a full day.

Sleep

In college life sleep is very important. It was found in a study done on three thousand students that sleeping could be the difference in high grades and low grades. Just sleeping thirty or forty minutes more, or going to bed a little earlier, was the difference between these high grades and low grades. (Carpenter). One way that is not well known for improving sleep is physical fitness.

 Lifting, running, swimming, or any other preferred method of exercise, a couple hours before bed can simmer you down and put you right to sleep. This is because when you exercise you put more work on the body than a regular day, in turn your brain will increase the amount of time spent in deeper sleep to make up for this bodily stress.  In a long term study put together by Journal of Sleep Research it was found that, “Twelve months of moderate-intensity exercise reduced night-to-night fluctuations in self-rated time to fall asleep, and this relationship was independent of mean-level time to fall asleep” (Buman).  In other words those that participated in regular exercise reported the ability to fall asleep faster. Bottom line, with more exercise you will obtain better quality sleep. With better sleep you will improve the performance in your every day educational needs.

Conclusion

            Many people excuse themselves from a physical fitness program because they claim they don’t have the time or energy for it. This is only because they do not grasp the full benefits they are forfeiting. By committing only forty five minutes a day three to four days a week, about the same time people usually spend say on Facebook, or on some kind of media entertainment, substantial results will be seen. Results such as: Increased energy, more cognitive performance, less stress, and uplifting social benefits. In the college career results such as this cannot be ignored. Exercise will be linked to improvements in grades, due to increased cognitive performance. Also, with social pressures and stress who couldn’t do with a better sense of  “well-being” from natural body chemistry. I’d say no one. It’s my challenge and promise to you that your time will be well worth the investment. Well what are you waiting for?