How To Stay Active in College

Expect life in college to be a lot more serious than that of high school. It is after all the beginning of your journey towards your chosen career. There are more challenges and added responsibilities, and you are expected to work mostly on your own. In spite of the pressure that college brings, there is no reason why it should change your active lifestyle completely. You may even need it more now, to ease some of the stress you are beginning to experience in college. There are a lot of ways to do this and stay healthy and active, almost as you were in high school. Making time and staying committed to whatever activities you may choose is all you need to make it work. Here are some suggestions to get you started.

• Join a sports club. Continue what you have started in high school, like being on the football, baseball or volleyball team. Every college or university has its own clubs for different types of sports. Join one that interests you the most so you are always kept busy and active after schoolwork activities.
• Join intramurals. Enjoy college intramurals more by participating in competitions. If you have joined a sports club, this would not be too difficult especially if you excel in the sport. Coaches will automatically choose members for these competitions. If not, you can volunteer to help in organizing intramurals. Aside from keeping you busy, this is a great way of making new friends and developing new activities you could enjoy.
• Ask around. Chances are, you’ll join traditional sports clubs or college organizations. Why don’t you explore your options by learning the different organizations and clubs around the college? There could be an interesting group like a yoga club or environmentalists group that you may want to explore. Getting into something completely different is exciting and you could discover that you actually fit in. Give it a try.
• Explore your options outside. Don’t just settle on what is being offered within the college. Ask acquaintances for more options outside. Perhaps they know more clubs or groups that are more interesting and suitable for you.
• Join student publications. Widen your network by joining college publications. You’ll learn how to deal with different people and you’ll be among the first to know what’s going on around the college. Your brains get a good workout here too. If you love to write, this may be a good choice for you.
• Challenge yourself. Identify your weaknesses and as early as college, learn how to overcome them. If you are an introvert for instance, joining clubs that require being socially active will help improve your personality. Your life outside of college will never be the same if you learn how to hurdle any obstacles.
• Have fun with friends. Invite friends and have productive activities over the weekend like hiking, planting trees, exploring an undiscovered paradise, volunteering, and offering community services. For some, having fun would mean enjoying Saturday nights in a bar to unwind. That does sound like fun as long as you don’t overdo your drinking. Instead, focus on expending your energy dancing and giving your body a good workout.

The opportunities to stay active in college are limitless. You are still young and have that youthful energy to do just about anything. Be more creative and have the guts to try out new things. Besides helping you grow, staying active in college keeps you focused on schoolwork too. This comes from a healthy mind and body, a result of keeping yourself on the go all the time.

By Jessica Turner