School is hard and your brain deserves a break

School can be overwhelming at any time of year, but it’s especially stressful during exam season. If we aren’t grinding through papers and assignments, we’re staying up studying for exams. It can be really challenging fitting in healthy habits during such a busy time. I’ve had a very consistent diet comprised of frozen dinners and pasta and I haven’t seen the gym in quite some time. Staying healthy and finding ways to handle the stress is difficult for many of us. Luckily, there are so many awesome ways to de-stress on campus and sneak in those healthy habits! I went to Move U’s Brain Break today, which is running for the next two days on the second floor of Robarts!

There were different physical activities you could do and each one you completed earned you one raffle ticket. You could choose from a set of 20 squats, 10 push-ups, 50 jumping jacks, a 30 second plank or 50 jumps doing jump rope! The activities definitely got my heart rate up and I’m not sure if it was the heat in the building or my lack of endurance, but I broke a bit of a sweat! Although they were short and sweet, these little bursts of movement really enhanced my mood! Quick intervals of movement are really great to help break up the monotony of studying and to get the blood flowing after sitting for so long. I think I’m definitely going to try and do these quick movements during the day on my own as well!

After completing the activities, we could sign up for the chance to win a range of different prizes. They had Starbucks gift cards, booster juice coupons and gift cards for the U of T bookstore! They also had a few beanies, an Under Armor bag and the opportunity to get a fitness consultation at Hart House or work with a personal trainer through the Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education. I signed up three times for the Starbucks gift card—I just want to treat myself to a warm peppermint hot chocolate (I promise I’m not sponsored, I just really like it!) They also had free Subway sandwiches and granola bars! I’m really into free food, clearly!

Brain Break was a really great break during my day and helped me get away from the books and take care of myself a little bit. It’s really important to take time to do something fun amidst all the stress—school can get to be a little bit much sometimes, so having light and fun activities to boost your mood is never a bad thing. Catch me there later this week chowing down and busting out some push ups! (I may or may not sign up a fourth time for the Starbucks gift card. My fingers are crossed.)