How to Stay Active While in School

Nutrition and dietetics can be a challenging degree: chemistry, food service, getting ready for internships and more chemistry. Not to mention balancing work, family and trying to maintain a social life! With so much going on it can be easy to set physical fitness aside.

Working out is a high-leverage activity that will be of great benefit to you while pursuing your degree.  You’ll feel better and have more energy to bring to all you do.

So with that said, here are some tips for staying active while pursuing your dietetics degree.

Plan Workouts Ahead

Sit down once a week and map out the coming week in your planner. Pencil your workouts in like appointments so you lessen the chances of being sedentary. Plan your work, then work your plan. Since adopting this method I have yet to miss a workout.

Focus on Full Body Workouts

If you are pressed for time, focus on doing full body workouts two or three times a week. Consider movements such as the squat, deadlift, bench press, overhead press and pullups.

Non-Exercise Physical Activity

My last tip is to get non-exercise physical activity! Take the stairs instead of the elevator. One of my favorite things to do is look up a video about whatever I am learning in school and listen to it while I take a walk. Whatever you do, just try to be a little more active today than you were yesterday.

Patrick Dittman is a junior dietetics student at Youngstown State University. He is also a certified personal trainer through the National Academy of Sports Medicine. Connect with him on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.