Survivng at KAIST: Exercise

We don't know how much exercise is important to us. At least here at KAIST many people don't know the importance.  If you see my previous post you can see how unhealthy the lifestyles are here, where people indulge in late night snacks/meals. If you can't reduce the unhealthy foods that you are eating, or if you have to skip meals and eat later, perhaps exercising can at least save you.

First of all, what I mean by exercise is more than just walking/biking from class to class (and some people don't even do that). An average person metabolizes according to their height, weight, age and build, but if you are taking in excess calories per day, exercise can help you maintain these levels. This means joining a gym or making full use of the fields and pavements outside. I know student prefer to sleep during the day (... my roommate is asleep right now while I type this post) rather than exercise, so if we had some more information and confidence we might do it more?

1. This is quite a long shot, but personally, I quite like exercising in the mornings. Before I came to university, where I have to go to bed at like 3am after finishing assignments and freshman design meetings, I was a morning person. I would wake up at least an hour before I had to and go for a run and exercise. What this basically does is it wakes me up first thing in the morning and prepares my mind and body to survive throughout the day. Also, since you exercise, you become hungry so you can have a good carb or protein breakfast and head off to a hot shower to make you feel fully rejuvenated. Remember all those times when you woke up feeling tired? What about those times when you put your breakfast in your mouth and it tasted like sand? Morning runs will get rid of that for you.

2. How about in the afternoons? When you can't make time in the mornings, how about after you finish your morning classes? Wait around 30 minutes after lunch and as long as you don't have an afternoon class, head over to a gym or just get changed into a pair of shorts and t-shirt and go for a run instead of napping during the day. What this can do is re-energize your brain. We usually become mentally fatigued during the day or closer to night time, however if you exercise then you will experience significant changes.

3. Hit the gym! Guys... for those of you who haven't actually felt the satisfaction of a full body workout... it is awesome. I don't care whether you are in shape or not, there are plenty of gyms (most of which are free) within the KAIST campus where you can just walk to after your morning or afternoon lecture. After a good strenuous workout, you feel alive. There's a free gym next to the swimming pool at the auditorium. Some of the dormitories are equipped with gyms on the ground floor. You could also get a membership at the new sports complex center. I am a member and the prices aren't too bad. They have good facilities such as changing rooms, lockers, showers, etc and they also provide you with clothes so you don't have to bring your own all the time. They are equipped with many cardio and weight training equipment as well as free weights and TRX straps. Also, they have fitness trainers and programs to get you into a fitness schedule so you can become more motivated and active. Try them out.

4. If you really... REALLY don't have time (and be honest), what you could do is join a sports club. There is a large variety of sports clubs such as soccer, basketball, tennis, baseball and anyone can try out and join. Also there are courses that you can take (you have to take a few of these in order to graduate) on sports and exercise where you spend around two hours a week learning about the sport and taking part in practices. It's a great way to learn the sport that you've always tried out and you won't feel so pressured because a lot of the other people are in the same situation as you.

5. Just get off your butt. I see people driving around cars and scooters to go to classes that are a few hundred meters away. Sure if you are really late to class, you should find a way to get there as soon as possible, but for the rest of us... we shouldn't be so lazy and resort to forms of transportation when you have your feet! If walking is your only form of exercise, try get as much as possible. Ask your friend to walk with you, or listen to your ipod while you walk.

6. As much as I have emphasized the importance of exercise, it is important to notice that you should exercise when the time is right. Exercising after getting drunk is certainly not a good idea (believe me, there are people I know who do that) and also exercising really late at night (I'm talking about like 4 am in the morning). These disrupt your biological clock and may have negative effects on your body. So even though exercise is important, know when to exercise and how much. Experiment a bit and go out a couple of times at different times to get a gist of what is right for you :)

Did you know that exercise can even help you in your studies? I read in a science magazine that exercise helps oxygenate your brain and therefore improve circulation allowing you to think. Also, it keeps you alert and active during the day which can have a great positive effect on your motivation and mood.

ANDDDD

If you want to get really extreme... try this video. He will show you how to move ever single muscle in the body at once :)