A Georgia Southern nutritionist major has
stated that students who work out at the RAC are more likely to perform better
in the classroom than students who don’t use the RAC.
In
a conducted survey with 30 Georgia Southern students, 21 students who
consistently workout made A’s and B’s last Fall semester, while the remaining 9
students academically performed lower than the 21 students last Fall semester.
Nutritionist
Grad student, Chelsey Reece contributed these results to a heightened focus. “New
challenges, such as physical activity, social opportunities, and increased
learning can stimulate the production of new cells in the brain,” she said. “A
combination of all of those things can improve concentration, help keep the
mind focused, and ultimately, boost work productivity and academic success in
students.”
In
numerous studies, scientist have examined that students who workout have an
increased level of energy. Chelsey’s professor Lissa Leege stated that, “with the
effect that exercise had on the brains of people, scientist learned that daily
workouts replenished their brain energy stores and also gave them extra energy,
particularly in the areas of the brain that have to do with cognitive thinking.”
Although this may seem counterproductive, disbursing energy in exercise
will give students the boost they need to be more effective in their studies. A
major factor that contributes to this, is the significant increase in mental
health due to exercising.
Exercise relieves tension and stress, boosts
physical and mental energy, and enhances wellbeing through the release of
endorphins. “Anything that gets you moving can help, but you’ll get a bigger
benefit if you pay attention instead of zoning out.”
Exercise
is a natural and effective way to treat anxiety and stress. Any point in a
semester, it’s a guarantee for any student to feel overwhelmed with the
workload that college brings. Working out was a key factor towards helping Bio
major, Austin Wise get through a grueling Fall semester last year.
“Last semester I took four 4000 level science courses, and it took about
six weeks before it started to get the best on me,” he said, When I felt
overwhelmed, I relied on the gym to clear my mind, and shift my focus towards
something else, this helped tremendously.”
Exercise
is a powerful depression fighter for several reasons. According to Austin, it
promotes all kinds of changes in the brain, including neural growth, reduced
inflammation, and new activity patterns that promote feelings of calm and
well-being. It also releases powerful chemicals in your brain that energize
your spirits and make you feel good.
Stress is the most common factor in the
declination in academic performance for college students. When stressed, your muscles
may tense all around body, it’ll leave you headaches, tightness around your
chest, a pounding pulse, and muscle cramps.
When feeling like this, it’s difficult to perform the way that you’re
capable of in the classroom. Exercising is an effective way to break this
cycle. As well as releasing endorphins in the brain, physical activity helps to
relax the muscles and relieve tension in the body. Since the body and mind are
so closely linked, when your body feels better so, too, will your mind.
Skylar
Young, a biology student at Georgia Southern thinks that it’s imperative for
students to take advantage of the RAC since its, “right in our backyard”.
“When
working out on a consistent level, you will see positive results among your body,”
she said, being happy with yourself goes a long way towards your mental state, which
will have a huge contribution to what you do in the classroom.”
