For me, this semester is strikingly similar to the last. I am excited to continue living in Redding, to travel up to the same beautiful corner of campus every week to sing in my choir, and to dive back into some general chemistry—I strangely missed the challenge of it! Despite the comparability between my two semesters at the University of Delaware, there has still been an adjustment period this time around. This is the time to ask myself, “Do I want to approach this semester the same way as the last?” My personal answer to this question is that surrendering to the same routine would be outright boring. Among tweaked study habits, new involvement in clubs, and other little improvements, the best decision I have made this semester is to START MOVING!
I have decided to stay active this semester. I was on the cross country team all four years of high school and loved it, so why not start running here at UD? As of now, almost every day of the week I lace up my sneakers and head out on a running trail—my favorite so far has been running on the trails on North Campus.
Working out gives me a sense of purpose and routine throughout the week. No matter what kind of day you are having, if you take time for yourself to run, you feel proud of the work you have put in to maintain your health. You have overcome a challenge and you feel on top of the world.
I am beginning to feel stronger. Not only physically stronger from the training, but mentally. I can say to myself, “If you ran four miles yesterday, you can use your last reserved energy to finish that lab report.”
An article from Time magazine furthers this point, explaining that light exercise helps with your endurance, cardiovascular system, and to deliver oxygen throughout your body, giving you the feeling of increased energy throughout the day.
I have also gotten unexpected benefits from my new healthy habit. Recently, I ran with a few friends to a hill near the Newark Reservoir. Our plan was to run up an extremely steep hill as an exercise. We accomplished the task of running the hill four or five times, but that’s beside the point. From the top of the hill, I could see the night sky and all of the surrounding building lights; it was unexpectedly beautiful. After accomplishing what felt like climbing a mountain, I was able to take in a wonderful skyline on a perfect night.
In addition to the stunning, previously unrecognized, scenery, I have had the privilege to run alongside good people that motivate me. The adventures I have while running would be incomplete without the conversations and simple moments I have shared with friends. Impromptu core workouts with Andy, Vivek, Ryan and Chloe will be unbeatable and RJ— anytime you want to run the reservoir hill again I am up for the challenge!
Don’t be afraid to change up your routine in college and take on a new challenge because life always needs new excitement.
