Physical Wellbeing

#1.Some great ways to be active include walking, running, cycling, swimming, kayaking, rock climbing, snowboarding, yoga, and weight training.

#2. Maintaining an active lifestyle has been one of my greatest struggles during graduate school. I typically would consider myself to be very athletic, but that has taken a serious hit over the past year and a half with all of the demands on my time between work and graduate school. Even though I pay a monthly gym membership, I haven’t had the time or energy to go since summer vacation ended. Literally haven’t been there once since August. I’ve considered canceling it several times until I graduate because it just seems like a waste of money right now, but I just can’t bring myself to do it. Eternally optimistic, I just keep thinking that maybe I’ll have time to go next week…
In the meantime, most of my physical activity comes from day to day life. I don’t drive, so I often walk and/or take public transportation. My apartment is a 15 minute walk to the train, so I get at least 30 minutes of walking every day as part of my regular commute. I also go up and down the stairs several times a day at school. On top of teaching full-time, I work part-time as a basketball referee so there is the added benefit of being able to get some moderate cardio when I officiate a game.
One of the few physical activities I managed to hold on to, in large part for my sanity, is playing in a social dodgeball league. It’s only 30 minutes once a week for six weeks, so it isn’t a lot, but it helps to have something to look forward to that is purely for fun. Throwing a ball with everything you got at a stranger is also pretty good for relieving stress, even if only temporarily.

#3. To be blunt, I haven’t found a balance between all of the things I have to do to stay healthy. I simply don’t have time to take care of myself physically or mentally. In addition to not having time to exercise as much as I normally would, I also don’t have the time to eat properly because making a healthy meal takes more time than less healthy options.
Stress also has had far more of an impact on my physical health than I ever expected. I generally consider myself a pretty laid back, easy going person so when people would ask me about my stress during grad school I always brushed it off as fine, but apparently I must have been delusional and bottling it up for far too long. A few months ago I ended up in the emergency room when I physically thought I was having a stroke - out of nowhere I got an intense throbbing headache quickly followed by the right side of my face going numb. They thought it could be anything from stress to MS and everything in between. The symptoms persisted on and off in less drastic episodes. After weeks of tests and doctor visits to rule out other possibilities, they concluded it was the result of severe stress. I now get occasional tension migraines that I’ve never had before. I was supposed to follow up with my doctor weeks ago, but haven’t had time to make an appointment and stick to it. I’ve been battling a severe cold for the past few weeks that I just haven’t been able to shake on my own, probably from just being generally run down, and haven’t had time to go to a doctor about that either.
A friend of mine who is attending a similar program to become a teacher through another graduate school in NY just recently had to take medical leave before the semester ended after having a breakdown. She isn’t sure when she will be able to resume school again. At this point, she is thinking of taking leave until next fall while she prioritizes her health first.