By Jack Kostrzewski
Staying active is one of the most important things to do when trying to live a long and happy life. However, keeping up a fitness routine can be a challenge for college students when dealing with the mental weight of college.
The Collegiate surveyed students at Grand Rapids Community College to see how they are staying active while dealing with school work. College can be challenging for everybody because there are a lot of different paths to take, which means that everybody has their own schedules. It can be very hard to prioritize your studies while also making time to work on yourself and this can also lead to bigger mental health struggles when you get burnt out from college. Tyler Kruithofa, 20, said he partakes in a basketball class that meets for an hour on Tuesdays and Thursdays and that helps his fitness plan as all they do in that class is play basketball. Whether it’s just shooting around or they mostly run five on five for the whole class.
This kind of class is something that many GRCC students may not know about. And for those trying to become more active, this would be a perfect solution because students are able to earn credits while also staying active.
Kruithofa said he also does a lot of things outside of his basketball class to stay active.
“In the winter I play basketball and hockey and in the summer I race dirt bikes. I also try to go to the gym at least twice a week.”
As a very active college student, Kruithofa shared some advice for fellow students to help them become more active.
“Set a good schedule and get yourself some friends that also enjoy being active,” he said.
Having friends that are also active can be very beneficial to your well-being. Having friends invite you to play basketball at a local gym, or workout with them, can help you keep your fitness plan on track.
Talking about staying active is one thing, while actually making time to keep yourself active can be very difficult because there can be unexpected things that happen and get in the way of that.
Owen Rosendall, is an 18-year-old GRCC student who golfs for the GRCC golf team. When asked what advice he has for fellow students, Rosendall said, “Definitely try and make a schedule that fits best for you while you can also keep up with college work. Basically just try and find a schedule that helps you stay consistent.”
Rosendall makes a great point here as it is very important to keep up with college work, but students should also try to set time aside to work on themselves. Having a consistent schedule that works for you is so beneficial to have in life.
