Lifting Weights Will Lift Your Mood - How To Get Those Endorphins Flowing

Staying in shape at Uni can be tough. With so many temptations, nay, REASONS to get on the grog and crippling essay deadlines keeping you up all night drinking coffee and consuming sugar like a nutter in your student room share, finding time and motivation to stay awake, let alone exercise, is almost impossible.

But exercise is extremely important for both your mental and physical health. And the great news is, there’s no need to spend hours and hours on a treadmill to keep your mind and body in great shape. Short and effective workouts with weights can also work wonders!

So how can pumping iron get you through Uni?

 It relieves stress

Between making new friends, keeping up with essay deadlines and cramming for exams, Uni can be a pretty stressful time. And although you might not think of exercise as something fun to do for yourself, it releases endorphins which are hormones that make you feel good. Both cardio and strength training encourage your body to release endorphins, but studies show that strength or weight training encourages your body to release more endorphins than cardio.

Compound exercises like bench press, deadlift and the barbell squat which use multiple muscle groups are the best for releasing endorphins during and after your workout.

 You can burn calories in your sleep 

Unlike cardio, weight training causes you to keep burning calories long after you’ve left the gym. In fact, you could still be burning calories for up to 38 hours after your workout. Imagine sitting in the library with a coffee and a smug grin because you did a session yesterday and your body is still burning calories!

 It makes you stronger 

Of course, this is an obvious one! But we don’t mean that it just makes you stronger in the gym. Lifting weights will make you stronger in every aspect of your life which will make other tasks a little, or a lot, easier! For example, carrying heavy books from your student accommodation in Sydney to your lectures will be less of a slog and annoying life admin like grocery shopping will be a lot easier when you can carry more weight from the supermarket to your student room.

 You’ll feel good about yourself

Beauty is indeed on the inside but having a healthy body on the outside helps you feel happy and positive. Exercising regularly and building your strength will help you feel good about the skin that you are in. You don’t have to be a wafer-thin model or an Arnold Schwarzenegger impersonator to be happy but having a healthier body will do wonders for your self-esteem. And seeing yourself getting stronger and able to lift heavier weights as you progress will give you motivation and a sense of satisfaction you never thought possible.

 You don’t have to go to the gym

Many people feel intimidated by the gym. But you can get started with weightlifting at home with bodyweight exercises and then add some dumbbells and other weights as you progress.

So, whether you’re living in student accommodation in Perth, cheap student accommodation in Sydney or the Gold Coast, you and your student roommates can get fitter, stronger and healthier in the comfort of your own home.

Did you know, we have 22 locations across Australia so plenty of great student accommodation options to choose from! See the whole list of our campuses here.

So, what do you think?

Overall, incorporating strength training into your exercise routine seems like a no brainer. It will reduce stress, help you focus on your studies, give you more energy and make you feel happy. So, what are you waiting for? Get pumping!