FitRec – COM Ambassador Blog

Hanna: Spring Semester Resolution

As I sit on my bed here at home, I am ashamed at how lazy I have been during this Winter Break. The trek to the gym feels like the worst possible idea, and Netflix is roping me in for yet another episode of 30 Rock. I, along with countless other hopeful optimists, have set the New Years’ Resolution to get more in shape this year. We have promised ourselves to never miss a day at the gym, no matter how much our minds fight us against it. Yet somehow this self-promise does not seem to be going too well thus far over break.

Knowing that I will be back in Boston before I know it does provide one last shimmer of hope for my goal to get active. At a place like Boston University, it becomes a lot less difficult to get out and get going. To start, the Fitness and Recreation Center (referred to around BU as “FitRec”) is a hot spot on campus. With four stories of machines, basketball and racquetball courts, dance and fitness studios, an Olympic size pool, a rock wall, and an indoor track, the building has anything the athletes inside all of us could want. FitRec also offers a selection of free classes for students, who are automatically members. My favorites are the Happy Hour Workouts on Friday afternoons. Every week the class is something totally new, and I’ve found myself doing everything from Zumba to Yoga to Tabata Training. Also, any student can add a fitness class onto their academic schedule for actual college credit. When it comes to FitRec, BU students cannot go wrong.

Can’t make it there? No problem! I almost never pass up a chance to run along the Charles River on the esplanade. The path is always buzzing with cyclists, runners, children playing on its many parks, and anyone just searching for a place to enjoy the outdoors. However, there is one problem with running here: sometimes, I use the stunningly jaw-dropping scenery to stop my work out and take a picture or two. So what if my run is a little less intense! I can’t let me Instagram followers miss this, right? Seeing the sunshine over the river, even in the colder winter months, will make any tiring run worth it.

I may just have to change my “New Years’ Resolution” to a “Spring Semester Resolution” because home does not seem to provide enough motivation to get started. Luckily my second home is the perfect place to reboot my fitness, and I cannot wait to get back there and get going.

Jon: Exercise Makes You Happy

Hey again! I hope that your semester has been going well – it’s been a while since I’ve posted, and a lot has happened. As we finish up midterms (thankfully), I have thinking a lot about one particular topic: exercise.

Now before you ask why I don’t have anything better to do than think about exercise (don’t worry, I’ve already asked myself), let me explain. Exercise is incredibly important to obviously your physical health, but also your mental health and cognitive ability. In other words you are happier and smarter when you’ve been pumping some iron.

It can be tough to get to the gym though! With tests, problem sets, projects, extracurriculars, parties, and more on the endless list of things college students do to fill up their every waking moment, it can be hard to find the motivation to make it down to the beautiful FitRec. So, I’ve created a short list of tips I’ve learned for helping you go that extra mile (literally if you’re living in Kenmore), and get to the gym.

1) Plan Ahead – this seems simple enough and it is! On Sunday night think about your week and when you could find time to get into the gym. I find it particularly helpful to plan workouts around times when I’m going to be near West Campus anyways to save on the commute.

2) Bring a Buddy! – Having a friend who’s committed to working out with you is one of the best ways to get both of you into the gym. Sometimes just the friendly reminder that “We’re going to the gym at 5, right?”, or the feeling of seeing someone else revved up to go when you might be tired is all it takes to get there. Try this one out, and I guarantee that you’ll be increasing your gym-consistency in less than two weeks (no refunds)!

3) Use the Weekends – Realistically, the week is a busy time and it’s hard to get to the gym. However, take some of that time when you’d be getting 12 hours of sleep on a Saturday or Sunday (which by the way might be harming you more than sleeping just 9 hours), and make some tracks. You’ll feel great, and be energized for the rest of the day.

Hopefully these three tips can help a little bit with the ongoing battle that is balancing fitness and college life. Until next time, stay happy, healthy, and keep reading this blog!

Over and out,
Jon

Kaitlin: Finals

Finals. Now, I’m sure you can relate to Boston University students as they cram, cry and complain about finals week, because whether you’re in college, high school or junior high, finals are just no fun.

But here at BU, we’ve realized some tips and tricks to survive the atrocity that is finals week, and I’m going to share them with you!

1. Sweat it out.

It’s been scientifically proven that working out helps decrease stress levels dramatically. Since BU students are very intelligent, we’ve figured that out, and for this reason, you’ll see an exceptionally packed Fitness and Recreation Center (FitRec, our awesome gym) towards the end of the semester. So when you have a test and can’t read another word out of the textbook, give it a break; go for a run; lift weights at the gym; take a yoga class. It’ll give you a productive way to put off your work, and will actually help you out in the long run (beach season is coming up, after all!).

2. Find a buddy or two.

Studying in groups can be a great way to get work done. Get together with friends and perhaps other students from your classes to cover material for the tests. Living on specialty floors (like the COM floors in select BU Residence Halls!) can be extremely helpful for this! Have a question? Shoot over to your classmate who lives across the hall. You’ll be able to get another perspective on a topic that may need some clarification. Plus, the bit of distraction that comes with being with friends can be healthy after stuffing your mind with words or numbers all day.

3. Eat some yummy goods.

Finals can be a good time to overindulge in the most unhealthy way possible- but try not to allow yourself to do that! Eating tons of pizza, candy, and other heavy foods will only slow you down, making you more tired, anxious, and stressed. Instead, find light, healthy foods to accompany your late night study sessions. Instead of ordering Pizza Hut, grab some veggies and hummus or a bowl of fresh fruit. It will keep you more willing to get your study on because you won’t be regretting that 6 pound hamburger.

4. Fall in love with Boston all over again.

While I’m studying (especially on the 26th floor of Student Village 2!) I like to close my book or my laptop, and just look at the city I live in and love. After living in Boston you may start to take for granted the marvelous things around you. So allow yourself to be distracted for an hour or two. Stare at the beautiful Charles River. Take the T to a site you’ve never seen. You’ll give yourself the chance to clear your mind before a big exam, and will remind yourself why you love Boston.

Richie: PDPs: Schedule a Bit of Time For Fun!

Now, we all know Boston University’s College of Communication is a top-notch school with the best in terms of academic classes, but we seldom hear about the other classes available to us as BU students. It’s true, while completing our general requirements, we’ll likely be exposed to a wide variety of classes in the many colleges throughout our university. We’ll probably take an incredible philosophy course or a foreign language course we’ll fall in love with. But what I’m talking about are PDPs.

“What’s a PDP?” you may be asking yourself (along with the question, “Does BU purposefully abbreviate everything to confuse new students”). I’ll be honest, don’t ask me what “PDP” exactly stands for, but I do know they’re BU’s Physical Education Credit Classes. Offering an insanely huge amount of diversity, students can sign up from anything to rock climbing, yoga, or even scuba diving with a PDP course! You can check out over a hundred different classes in categories like court sports, dance, mind and body, aquatics, and more!

Courses are usually somewhere in between 0.5 and 2.0 credits, and since our regular academic classes usually only take up 16 credits, why not fill up the remaining two credits available to you with a class like cardio-jazz funk?! Or if you have the GPA requirement for it, you could go crazy and literally overload with PDPs! (Yes, I am overloading with Hip-Hop, Tango, Springboard Diving, and Intermediate Sailing, but don’t judge me). If your still hesitant to sign up for one (not sure why you would be after you read “rock climbing”) just think about all the added benefits.

For one, it would definitely have you visit the gym more frequently. I know many of you are familiar with our state-of-the-art fitness center, but probably only familiar with it from afar. I’ll be honest, I visited the gym here in my entire freshman year probably a total of two times and know plenty of students that did the same. Perhaps a cooking class that meets for two hours a week would help you learn a little more about FitRec. It could even give you the little extra push you need to actually start visiting our gym independently!

You’re also bound to meet some great friends. Whether you’re taking a class in something you already have an interest in and find people with common interests, or find someone who is just as clueless as you are about the class; you’re bound to make some great friends!

Finally, I know things can get hectic as a college student. With a part-time job, school work, and classes; scheduling some fun can be extremely beneficial. Step out of your comfort-zone a bit and sign up for that dance class you’ve always wanted to learn. The Pass/Fail system of PDPs won’t give you the same amount of stress a regular class would (since passing is only graded on attendance) and you’ll come out of it with a new skill.

By the way, you still have time to sign up for a PDP on the student link! As for me, I can’t wait for the weather to clear up and sailing to begin!

Tom: First Summer in Boston

Hey all! Hopefully your summers are turning out for the best and you are getting excited for your first semester at Boston University in the fall. I remember last summer I was both excited and a little bit scared for my first college semester. But now, looking back, I can’t understand why I was ever nervous as my first year exceeded all of my expectations.

Now for the summer after my first year of college, I made the decision to spend most of it in the city of Boston, working in the COM Student Services office. I went back to Long Island for a month and a half to meet up with my friends from back home, but after that time I was ready to come back to Boston. However, summer on Long Island turned out to be better than I expected. I made an eight day trip with my three best friends to the sunny state of Florida and got to relive my childhood in Disney World. In addition to that, I spent much of my time (maybe a little too much of my time) on the Long Island beaches. Now after a month and a half, I’ve been told I look like Snooki’s cousin. Not sure if I should take that as an insult, but hey, at least my tan is natural… and thankfully not orange.

Now that I’m back in Boston, I’m excited to try out some of Boston’s summer events that you can’t normally experience during the fall and spring semester here. I spend a lot of my time taking walks exploring Boston, although sometimes the heat makes this a little overbearing. Students also have FitRec access during the summer, so I’ve been going to the gym throughout the summer as well. Boston is also in the vicinity of Revere Beach, so I can even get my beachtime while here in Boston. Most of the time, I’ve spent checking out some of Boston’s restaurants, especially in Coolidge Corner, which is right near my apartment. Some of my personal favorites are U-Grill (located right on campus), Angora Café (great frozen yogurt and wraps), Zaftigs (for the best omelets), and Fugakyu (for some authentic Japanese cuisine).

Summer in Boston is definitely new for me, but I would definitely recommend trying it out over the next few years you’ll be spending in Boston. Take some classes, get an internship or a job, or just come by the city for a weekend if you can’t manage to stay. Boston is a great city and most students miss out on the opportunities located outside the classroom.