The one thing more stressful than exam time is the few weeks before them—the week after reading week, when midterms appear out of nowhere and your only contact is with everything caffeinated. But say goodbye to caffeine and hello to a new pair of sneakers because running is the new coffee.
A recent study conducted by the University Of Georgia’s department of exercise induced subjects with anxiety through a caffeine pill in order to test their psychological and mood symptoms after resting or exercising for an hour. The study found the subjects who exercised were three times more likely to be relieved from their anxiety than the ones who rested.
Ever been in an exam when you were confronted with a question that made you wonder if you were even in the right place? No matter how much time we devote to reading over and over our notes sometimes our memory lets us down. But running, and exercise in general, has been proven to boost memory!
According to Women’s Health, running burns more calories than the stair stepper, the bike, and other staples at the gym. Did you know eating carbs may actually improve your performance when you run? So eat away at that late-night pizza you ordered, because no other exercise matches running for its ability to burn calories.
It is so easy to commit yourself to the snoozing after a long day at school. But don’t commit so fast! Brad Cardinal, a professor of exercise science at Oregon State University said, “Increasingly, the scientific evidence is encouraging as regular physical activity may serve as non-pharmaceutical alternative to improve sleep.” So if you run before hitting the pillow you’ll be sure to catch more effective shut-eye—which, for students, is vital.
Let’s not forget how flexible running is! You can run almost anywhere, not to mention with almost anyone. Running is not only one of the most effective exercises when it comes to burning calories, but it’s also the most adaptable. You can run in any season, and at any pace—why not try interval training!
Of course, very few want to run outside in the winter, but luckily for you Carleton offers great resources for running indoors. Whether you’re running around the track in the fieldhouse or running on a treadmill in the gym, pop in those earphones and run to the beat of your music. Your stress could be relieved, your memory strengthened, and your sleep that much more effective.
