5 reasons to take up running if you’re a student. Vacations are the best time to take care of your health

The session is about to end, and the long-awaited summer is coming – the perfect time to diversify everyday life and discover a new hobby that will make your student years even more vivid and memorable. If the classic hobbies have become boring and you want to try something else, pay attention to sports. After all, it really can change your life.

If you are seriously thinking about doing sports, but can not decide what kind – we advise you to stop at running. After all, regular jogging is not only a way to improve your physical condition, but also an opportunity to distract yourself from the school routine, learn to effectively allocate time, develop important skills of teamwork, leadership and meet like-minded people. It is also a chance to prove yourself by taking part in one of the sporting events together with the student team. For example, in the Running Community Student Cup – competitions on track, road and dirt.

Last season, 19 teams from various universities of the capital took part in the Student Cup. And the fight at the final stage was really intense: the gap between the leaders of the competition amounted to only 98 points. According to the results of all stages of the Cup, the winner was the team of Lomonosov Moscow State University, which included students from different courses and faculties. They received the passing cup and intend to confirm their title next year.

We talked to the participants of the winning team and found out how running has changed their lives.

Discipline and time management

Admit it honestly, how often do you catch yourself that you lack a few more hours in the day? Lectures, essays, coursework, preparing for exams – all this requires not only a lot of time, but also the ability to properly manage it. At times like this, it seems that training won’t fit into your schedule at all – but it doesn’t.

First of all, running disciplines you, because in order to achieve high results, you need to train regularly and systematically. And secondly, the ability to build a run into even the busiest day teaches you to manage your time wisely and prioritize.

“All the difficulties of combining study, work and training are solved by effective time management. To maintain good physical shape requires no more than 6-7 hours a week, that is one hour a day. And this hour can be found practically in any day, no matter how busy it may be,” says Kirill.

If you are ready to go jogging right now, we tell you how to choose the right place to run in the material below.

Motivation and self-confidence

Growing self-confidence – a pleasant bonus that everyone who decides to take up running gets. It’s all about the fact that each run is your small victory and visible results.
And how does the understanding that the goal has been achieved affect a person? That’s right – it makes him more confident, motivates him and teaches him to go all the way – even if it was a very small goal. “I was able to run a few kilometers – so I can achieve more” – and this will apply to all aspects of your life.

“Of course, it’s not easy to combine everything during the competition season: I had a situation when I practically didn’t sleep all night before an exam in quantum physics, but I passed it successfully and immediately went to start at the Moscow Championship. By the way, then I managed to show a good result for myself, so such days teach me to gather myself and give my best despite the circumstances”, – Victoria shares.

Calmness and decision-making

Do you have an important exam coming up, and you feel that your emotions are getting out of control and you can’t concentrate? And in this situation, running will be a great help. It’s all about hormones.
During physical activity, cortisol, the stress hormone, is absorbed and replaced by happy hormones, endorphins, which help the body fight anxiety. In addition, running is a great way to shift your attention and distract yourself from anxious thoughts. After all, during physical activity, we focus on movement, running technique and our well-being, and anxious thoughts fade into the background.

“For me, the best rest is a change of activity, and the best way to relax after a couple is to go for a workout,” says Victoria.

By the way, running is a unique opportunity to be alone with yourself. During training, new ideas come to mind or troubling questions are resolved, and it becomes easier to make the right decisions.

Concentration and improved memory

By improving blood circulation, jogging activates the areas of the brain responsible for executive function. This, in turn, helps you plan tasks more effectively, adapt better to changes, make decisions faster and, most importantly, concentrate, which is important when studying. After all, the temptation to watch one more episode of your favorite TV series or to browse social networks grows during preparation for an important test or reading a textbook.

With regular study sessions, the effect gradually accumulates – as a result, even in a stressful situation, you will find it easier to concentrate on something important.

Networking

Being a student is a great time to expand your social circle, and running is the perfect excuse to do so. After all, it’s practiced by people with very different interests and hobbies.

Making useful acquaintances, finding like-minded people, establishing contact with students from other faculties and becoming part of a large community – all this becomes less of a challenge if you join a student team and take part in a big sporting event together.

For many people, the student team is the first step to big sports victories, and running is an integral part of life, helping to make it better.

How to start running and where you should start, told in our article.