While summer is no doubt less stressful and jam-packed than term time, it’s still important to take care of yourself. Over summer it’s important to keep both your mind and your body active to ensure that when you get back to University, you’ve really made the most of your time off. Here are some of the things I’ve found are helpful to taking care of your mind and your body.
By Siri Hampapur – 3rd year Media and Cultural Studies at Lancaster
This can either be done and home or in a class, no equipment required. It gets you moving and invigorates the body. Don’t be fooled by its calm nature, this exercise burns a lot of calories and is definitely becoming a new fitness trend. Anyone can get involved at any level and you can watch yourself progress in terms of flexibility and strength. If you want a light and effortless form of exercise for summer, you can’t beat yoga.
Something that works for me is making the time to practice meditation. Apps like Headspace and Calm are becoming more and more popular amongst students who feel like they’re stressed, time is running away from them and that they just can’t keep up. Even keeping aside 5 minutes a day to meditate can make such a difference and is something that can easily be implemented into a morning or night routine.
One of the most refreshing things to do on a hot summers day is have a dip in the pool. It also helps that freestyle swimming burns around 400-600 calories an hour, depending on speed and stroke. It burns calories, is even kind on joints which might be acting up in the hot weather, and no one can see you sweat in the pool- it’s a win, win, win!
Cardio is tiring, sweaty and after a while can get really boring. For something a bit different, which is also proven to be just as effective for burning fat, is weight training. If you’re aiming to get toned up and fit for the summer, this is definitely the exercise for you. Don’t be intimidated by the massive gym machines, start off small and work your way onto bigger things. You could even get a personal trainer to show you around the weights room to familiarise yourself with the equipment, correct postures and workouts.
Summer might seem like the time to be free of timetables but I have found that scheduling helps me get the most out of my summer. I always feel like there’s so much I want to do in my free time but then will spend the majority of it just binge-watching junk TV unless I make schedules of what I want to do and when. Even a loose schedule such as doing one thing a day, like meeting up with a friend, or going out to watch a movie, can help you feel like you’re still accomplishing something, rather than wasting time. Feeling like you’re getting the most out of your day is the best way to keep an active and healthy mind over summer.
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