Incorperating Exercise and Homework together

hey everybody I have a delima. the reason I have gaiined 30 lbs in the past yr and a half is because of school. I am studying nursing and its a very demanding program that takes up most of my hours during the day. when i am not studying for school I am either spending time with my boyfriend or working. On a daily basis I have to read anywhere from 20-150pages of material which takes up alot of time and its also boring sitting at a desk and reading.

I have recently started walking on the tredmill and reading my text books, so far i can do it but at a slow pace.. about 2.6, but each day i am able to increase it a little bit faster without feeling dizzy.

If i walk 1-2hrs a day while reading.. would it make any difference at the end of the week? i find it reading and walking takes a bit of skill.. and concentration.. because im not just skimmin over the text i am memorizing it as i am walking..

so what do you guys think? can i loose weight while walking 1-2hrs a day, as im reading my medical text books?

What about reading your textbook into a recorder and then listening to it while walking or jogging?

Now if someone could figure out how to do algebra while running that'd be awesome. Haha.

i cant do that.. i read the book once and thats it.. their huge books, every nursing student will tell u.. its not worht reading it 10 times over.. jsut once and thats it

You can lose weight without exercising, if you have to.  Cut back on your calories to eat less than you use in a day, and you'll lose weight.  Exercise isn't a magic formula for losing weight.

On the other hand, exercising is good for your health in general, so it's a good thing to keep up if you can.  There may be things you can do that don't involve an hour or more each day, though.  It depends on what your goals are.  Weight training can be done in an hour or so 2 or 3 times a week.  HIIT can be done in 20 minutes several times a week (see the fitness forum for details).  But each of those will be focused on different goals.

Clint

Stationary bike?

UD

I used to do a lot of my college reading/brainstorming at the gym, and I found that the stationary bike was the best way to do this.

Not only was a better able to focus on my reading at the gym, but it also helped me fit workouts into my scheduling.  I have trouble sitting still and reading as i get distracted easily, but biking prevented that. 

Some people learn better while moving.  Just one of those things.  You may not burn as much while walking because I would assume it's hard to really walk at a good pace and read.  Well, I couldn't, maybe you can. Either way, you're still burning something and moving, and while it's not a huge amount (about 169 an hour according to the database here), it's still something that might add to your deficit, keep you moving every day, and help your metabolism a bit.  Honestly, it sounds like you think better, so even if that's the only benefit I'd say it's still worth it.

Really, whatever works for you.  I think it's a good idea.

At my gym, I always see people reading on the stationary bikes.

Another idea - you could make the spending time with your boyfriend hours workout time - take him to the gym, or go rollerblading together or something like that?

When you're with your bf, try to do active things together. Go for walks or bike rides. I work full-time, I'm a grad school, a part-time property manager and try to have a socail life.  Some days, all I'll have time for is a 1/2 hour-45 min walk, but with my mp3 player, I can move pretty quickly still and get my heart moving, but slow enough where I'm not sweating bullets and don't have to add an extra shower in the day.

If I can't even do that, while i do the dishes, I'll keep my legs moving, jump up and down while blow drying my hair, squats while brushing my teeth...just get creative.

Don't forget isometric exercises (I think that is the correct term).  While sitting, you can tense and relax muscle groups, push against the top of your desk, etc.

i think i did about 70% of my reading in college on some sort of cardio equipment at the gym, though never while trying to walk because then it was too hard to keep the book stable.  and although it did help me do two things at the same time,  i think it's safe to say that i wasn't doing either one as fully as if i had just done one thing at a time. 

so, two suggestions:

1) if you have access to a gym, try reading on a more stationary piece of equipment

or

2) make time to exercise a few times a week.  maybe this means spending 10 minutes less reading and 20 minutes less sleeping a few times a week, or otherwise making small adjustments to your day to get in about 30 minutes just a FEW days a week in the service of being able to really focus on doing one thing at a time.  lives are really busy.  i'm not sure if that ever changes.  so the goal is just to find a way to incorporate things that are important to you in a sustainable and reasonable way.  sometimes that looks like multitasking.  but i think there's also some value in being able to use exercise as a chance to focus on something else for a bit.

good luck.

Oh, yes, and the advice that always brings up a joke:

Do jumping jacks for a couple of minutes every time you go to the bathroom.

(C'mon, amythestgirl - it's waiting for you!  )

Crank the incline on the treadmill up to the max. Even if your at a slow pace to read it'll burn more calories and get u a lil short of breath.

You can definitely read and exercise at the same time! If I'm really crunched for time, I'll either go on the treadmill or the elliptical and do my reading while exercising. I set the resistance really high and move at a slow pace. I end up burning about the same amount of calories, but I'm able to be still and read and highlight at the same time. 

thanks guys.. well ive been trying this for about 3 days now.. so far with each day im able to increase the speed a little bit.. so im not really slow..surprisngly i am able to payy attention while i read and walk.. unless someone near me is jogging then everything is going shaky and i have to hold my book in my hand.. i also put up the incline for the first time today for a little bit and it wasnt bad at all.. im happy that im not the only one thats ever done this.. :) so far today ive been able to burn 500 calories .. 1 hr of walking in the morning and 1 hr after work.. along with reading 2 chapters .... i kno 500 is not alot compared to how much i was able to burn off during before i enrolled in nursing.. but i mean.. this program sucks sometimes.. i gained soo much weight.. just sitting at my desk drinking a load of pop because i was trying to stay awake while reading.. atleast walking keeps me awake.. i want to get better at this then maybe try the stepladder machine.. as for the stationary bike.. i dont really know, i dont ever find a comfortable spot to sit on those things

Incorporating homework and exercise together is real easy. I learned that you can never be too busy to spare an hour a day to workout/exercise. How do I know this....because I am also currently in school studying Radiology and it is very challenging and demanding as well. I actually love spending an hour daily to exercise/workout because it helps me get back to my studies when I get home from the gym :)

My husband worked with a guy who had a stationary bike, bought a hospital table, and rode all day long as he programmed.

It can be done!

Hey Bambii!

So one of the absolute fool-proof was to loose weight, as far as I can tell from your most recent post on this thread, is to stop drinking soda. Even if it's diet soda. There is a lot of studies out there that aspartame can increase your appetite.

If you need to stay awake try drinking tea- black tea is great. You can even have it iced for hot days. =)

Keep up the good work!! You are worth taking the time during the day to get better health. It's wonderful that you are doing this!

Kat

In addition to what myvstarpops said, apples are a great source of natural energy. I'm not sure if they have actual caffeine in them.. but the natural sugar in them is a healthier alternative as an energy source. Also, it tapers off instead of causing you to crash the way caffeine does.

Don't knock yourself - 500 calories is a huge difference from 0! I think it's awesome that you have found a way to stay in shape AND stay really focused on your studies. Good for you!!