College students realize benefits of exercise

By

Justin Ecung

            According to the 22nd annual America’s Health Rankings, Utah is the nation’s seventh healthiest state. Consequently, as more individuals become health conscious, there has been an increased focus on the importance of exercise. Most people exercise to control their weight and to get in better physical shape. However, at Utah State University, students have also realized that working out is a great way to relieve stress as they prepare for final exams.

            Katherine Pullot, a senior studying mathematics at USU, is more stressed than usual this fall semester. Unfortunately, not only does she have five finals, but her relationship with a close friend has recently ended unexpectedly. Nevertheless, she has found that running helps.

            “I guess in a weird way, when I go for a run I feel like I’m just leaving everything behind and moving forward,” Pullot said. “It’s nice because not only am I able to forget about everything that’s bugging me, but I actually get to burn some calories too.”

            Staff members at the Nelson field house on the USU campus have noticed more students coming to workout this week – the week before finals. Sarah Clayborne, a junior studying physical therapy at USU, works at the front desk and doesn’t mind the new crowds at the gym.

            “Things are pretty hectic in the evenings but overall things aren’t that bad,” Clayborne said. “So far, we’ve had 26 more students swipe their identification cards to get into the gym this week than last.”

            However, one must consider that the age of college students spreads over multiple decades and various lifestyles.

            A 2010 study found that short bursts of intense exercise can significantly lower the effects of stress according to doctors at the University of California at San Francisco.

            Lead researcher of the UCSF study, Dr. Eli Puterman, examined 63 older women, the majority of which came from a similar background and lifestyle. Puterman found that those women who exercised for at least 40 minutes a day three times a week had lower overall stress levels than those who didn’t.

            “Physical activity is so good for you and stress is bad for you, but the new study shows the stress-buffering effects of physical activity in those who are chronically stressed,” Putterman said in a UCSF interview. “People know stress is bad for the heart and makes you look tired and haggard and make us more vulnerable to infections. There is so much accumulating evidence that links stress to health, so to show that there is something we can do when we are stressed that can delay or buffer the impact is exciting.”

           

This is great news to the majority of college students who are stressed across the nation; approximately 70 percent of students according to an Associated Press study.

A University of Southern California study lead by Dr. Garryl Bohannon discovered a direct correlation between the levels of stress in undergraduate students and their grade point averages.

Bohannon surveyed 50 undergraduates at USC and found that 66 percent of the students felt they encountered daily stresses. The survey asked questions about the stress levels of students and what they did to relieve themselves of the various symptoms. The study indicated that those who exercised at least twice a week performed significantly better on midterm and final exams.

“My research team and I understood that stress levels would play a vital role in the performance of college students, and wanted to explore ways to alleviate it as much as possible,” Bohannon said. “We found that exercise was a great stress reliever as well as meditation. We are currently working with the exercise science and biology departments to specify exactly why exercise and meditation help with stress.”

            According to the Lehigh Valley Health Network, when individuals are placed in a mentally or physically stressful situation, their heart rate increases, as well as their blood pressure, stress hormones and other responses the body may have. Exercise helps reduce both cardiovascular and neurological reactivity to stress, therefore allowing an individual to better cope with daily stressors. Consequently, a proper exercise routine can help individuals react in a calmer fashion when encountered with any type of stress.