No time for exercise, does studying burn calories?

I'm in my final year of college and I have absolutely no time for exercise anymore.

I have classes and essays and CA's and my thesis and its taking up all of my free time so I have no time to exercise. I used to keep active by walking to and from the train every day but since the weather has gotten so bad that I dont even walk to the train anymore I have to take my car down, so that cuts out half an hour walking every day

Since the only thing I have time for these days is studying, does that burn any extra calories that I usually burn?

Any ideas or suggestionns? 

I'm in the same boat as you at the moment.

Maybe try and keep up the walking to the train station, even if the weather is bad. Also, just remind yourself to KEEP MOVING. Fiddle in your seat, swing your legs, tap your fingers, get up and down often or do squats/push ups every 15-20mns. When you go out always take the stairs.  And maybe have some of your study papers on another desk or in another room so you have to get up when you need something. Just little things like that can all add up.

I'm also in my last year of college and finishing my thesis, and I'd like to meet the liars who told me senior year would be easy! What I've been doing lately is a little bit of yoga before I go to bed. I bought a DVD (i got the biggest loser one from target, good price and is a great workout) and just do whatever i have the time/energy to do. Sometimes it's only ten minutes but I figure ten minutes is better than nothing. It also helps me loosen up and relax and get a good nights rest! I don't know if your school has a gym, but maybe stop by for 15 mins before you head home from school.

The time you're saving by not walking to the train station?  Is your exercise time.  You had it budgeted in anyway, so it's there.  Doesn't mean you have to go to the gym.  Run up and down some stairs a few times.  Push-ups.  Jumping jacks.  Anything like that is good.  Or go back to walking to the train station.

Your brain will work better if you take a little time to take care of your body anyway.  So you'll get the same amount done in the slightly-less study time you take.

yes it burns calories

but i will tell you that I spent a year of my life overeating because I used the fact that I had to study pretty much non-stop for a year as an excuse

and it is the reason why i gained all this weight!

so be careful, count your calories, give yourself a reasonable extra snack/meal to help your brain work

but don't let it become a reason to lose control

try to fit in a walk to get coffee or a quick 10-15 minutes at the gym when you can

i also find swimming to be an incredible stress reliever, if that's possible, do it after a study session

I'm in law school which has required WAY more work than any of my 2 undergrad programs (I have 2 bachelor's degrees)...and even with an insane workload in law school - I make the time to exercise. (I don't have the time either.) You will feel better, it helps ease stress, and helps brain function. I frequently take a textbook and read it while on the elliptical (although I have to say, trying to highlight while on the machines is not easy). LOL

I also tried going a semester without exercising and gained 10 lbs (stress eating). Exercising helps me get better sleep too.

Not to sound like a commercial or anything but...JUST DO IT.

If you make time to study, you can make time to exercise.

Totally off topic, but I never really understood the whole highlighting textbooks thing.  I'd understand if only a couple of words per page got highlighted, but so many people highlight practically every word.  Is there some benefit to doing this that I don't understand?  (Genuinely curious here; I'm a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to texts and would never mark them up.  I understand that that's weird to some people.)

I agree with the highlighting.. i dont know the point of it. i would never want to mark up my medical books  Can someone enlighten me?

Original Post by kellymcfarling:

I agree with the highlighting.. i dont know the point of it. i would never want to mark up my medical books  Can someone enlighten me?

I highlight key terms for memorization, and then elaborate on those terms in the word processor (aka take notes). I usually have a half page of notes per two pages of text, and I keep them in order. I don't do whole sentences, it's just too garish and jarring.

I can't stand the thought of even pencilling in any corrections that came with my OU books (I left the amendments page in the front of the book), let alone highlighting them! Although I may go so far as pencilling my name in the front... I'm gonna be keeping my physics books anyway.

I guess I'm lucky, for exercise I get to walk up and down a hill before lectures, and all of my lecs are on different floors so I take the stairs rather than the elevator.

My unis not far from the beach, so when I really feel like it I'll go for a stroll. I'll also park furthest away from the supermarket when I go.

Final year is definately far more fun than the previous ones... totally getting into my project.

Yoga dvd sounds like a fab idea... I'm going to have to get one!

Yeah I'm in my junior year and quite busy right now, but no matter what I make time because your body is equally as important as your mind! Also, its a great way to take and break and relieve some of the stress that comes along with school. If you think about it, 20-30 minutes really isn't a very long time. If you go for a 30 minute jog, and pop in a workout dvd, you aren't even wasting time going to the gym. I also tend to do push-ups, crunches, that kind of thing while I'm studying. meaning ill just do a set and continue studying...probably takes about 30 seconds at a time. Do your best to get SOMETHING in. We are learning about how beneficial exercise is, and I will never quit now. Its seriously insane how good it is for you. My mother is going back to school, has a part-time job, and family to care of back at home, and she still manages to get a few 30 minute runs in throughout the week and bit of lifting.  make it a priority-equivalent to the work you need to do.

i was in my senior year last year, but i lost weight without even meaning to because i was on exchange in france, where i had no car, had to walk everywhere, didn't have the "right" food to eat (there isn't a lot of real, healthy ethnic food in Nice) and was nursing a broken heart for nearly one semester.

then i came home in may and have been packing on the pounds! the two dress sizes i inadvertently lost just piled back on, probably within weeks.  i didn't have the heart to weigh myself but my europe-bought clothes stopped fitting pretty quickly.  so now that i'm home where it's impossible to get anywhere without a car (and it's hard to find time to exercise in grad school), i'm trying to really watch my caloric intake.  also, i'm taking baby steps - taking walks when the weather permits, playing wii boxing, dancing in my room...

good luck to you and to everyone else, with this and with school! :)

You can always find an excuse not to exercise.