By Kendall Garrido

Balancing school, social life, and staying active can be hard, especially in college. When you’re surrounded by the excitement of football season, finding time for the gym and healthy food seems even harder. But there is a way to balance classes, workouts, and cheering for your favorite team. It is possible to have the best of both worlds. With a bit of planning, you can still enjoy football weekends without sacrificing your fitness goals.

Prioritize Time Management

I’ve learned in college, you need to manage your time effectively. Between classes, studying, and socializing, finding time to stay fit can feel impossible. Adding a football game into the mix doesn’t help. My biggest tip is to schedule your workouts like your tailgates. 

Even just fitting in a small time slot for a workout will be productive. If the game was at 12 p.m., you can squeeze in a quick 20-30 minute walk, run, or HIIT workout—anything works. Then, you can enjoy game time without feeling guilty later on that you were not active. Any amount of workout is good. It doesn’t have to be a full hour at the gym; small, quick workouts are effective. 

Use Football Days as Rest Days

Another idea for balancing your time with fitness and football is using a game day as a rest day. This means you can plan around the football game and find time to be active on days other than football day. It’s okay to have lazy days and lay on the couch watching TV all day, or booze at the football tailgates. Everything in moderation is the best way to achieve your goals. 

Having rest days is important for staying motivated. Taking time off gives your body and mind time to reset, recharge and recover. Your muscles will be less sore, and instead of just going through the motions, you’ll be able to give your next workout the effort it needs to get results.

Keep Game Day Snacks in Check

With game day comes food. Football season is known for its yummy snacks and drinks. Of course, it’s okay to eat whatever you want now and then, but balance is key if you’re trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Instead of cutting out your favorite foods altogether, try altering them.

For example, you could swap out the buffalo and queso dips for lighter dips made with Greek yogurt instead of sour cream. If you’re tailgating, you could bring a healthier dish, like a veggie tray with hummus. Making these small changes can allow you to still enjoy the fun of game day without feeling like you failed. 

Overall

With all of this said, the best way to live in college is to have fun and be happy. Doing what makes you happy is what you should always do! If some days that means staying active and eating healthy, do it. If that means lying in bed eating chips all day, then it’s alright to do that, too.