Exercise remains vital to student success

Malia Riggs, Staff Writer

College is a stressful time in a student’s life. There’s always the next exam, project, essay and speech just around the corner, never leaving enough time for proper preparation.

That’s why it is excessively important for college students to keep a regular schedule or routine down to help stay organized and on top of things.

Another way to make sure to never fall behind is to exercise.

The vast majority of Linfield students are athletes, and even those who are not athletes work out in the weight room, pool, track or some other form of application.

Working out on a routine is important for young people because it not only keeps them in shape but keeps them healthy in the long run as well.

Having a routine creates security and foundation, which a lot of students at the collegiate level need to succeed.

According to the American Intercontinental University in Los Angeles, there are 5 reasons as to why college students should exercise on a regular basis.

Regular exercise stimulates brain development; through aerobic exercise the brain creates more neurons, meaning that individual will do better on cognitive testing.

Students who exercise will improve test scores, but also improve their memories.

The AIU study also revealed that a regular workout slows down the shrinkage of the hippocampus in the brain.

The hippocampus controls the retention and the recall of memories. This structure in the brain starts to shrink in the early 20s and gets smaller when we get older, causing memory loss.

One thing college students are guilty of is procrastination, and losing focus easily.

Exercising routinely increases focus and concentration. Teachers noticed a visible difference in students who exercised before class.

Their ability to concentrate and participate in class was significantly higher than the students who did not exercise before class.

College is a wild ride, full of the ups and downs of academics, making new friends, new relationships and completely new experiences all together, which is what college is all about.

But everyone has those days where they jut can’t get rid of their perpetual rain cloud.

With regular exercise the sun should shine through that rain cloud in no time.

With consistent workouts not only should your overall health improve but it should eliminate stress and increase your mood.

Exercise does this because it pumps up the endorphins in the body, which are basically the “feel good” neurotransmitters that tell someone that they are happy or sad.

Obviously there are numerous reasons as to why incorporating exercise into a daily routine is so essential.

The most important reason as to why an indi- vidual should workout is because it is fun.

It just happens to have countless impacts that make life better and a little easier.