Some people say that college is the greatest time of your life. While that might vary from person to person, one thing is for sure, it’s definitely the busiest. College students often have to balance everything from classes, to study times, to club commitments and social engagements, relationships, and possibly even a part-time job. As you can probably imagine, these things can easily fill up an average student’s schedule, leaving almost no time for one of the most important aspects of college life, and really just life in general: exercise.

So what makes exercise so important? Especially while you're in college, when you need another thing on your to-do list about as much as you need a pair of shoes for your hands. Well, there are a couple of reasons, the first of which is something else that is essential to having a healthy college experience: stress relief. It’s pretty difficult to keep stress to a manageable level in college, but it’s important. Prolonged stress can lead to many bad things like headaches, sleeping problems, and even heart issues. Exercise has been proven to produce and release endorphins within your brain which are basically the neurochemicals related to happiness and can lead to a reduction in the amount of stress in your life. So a little running today could potentially mean a whole lot less stressing tomorrow.

This next benefit of exercising will especially appeal to you if you’re anything like me and have to be reminded of a person’s name at least three times before you actually retain it. Improved memory and memory sustainment is probably one of the greatest and least mentioned benefits of exercising. There just so happens to be a structure in the brain known as the hippocampus which is responsible for memory formation, retention and recollection and every year this part of your brain shrinks by an estimated 1 percent. However a study done in 2011 which was mentioned in the New York Times article “How Exercise Could Lead To A Bigger Brain” produced evidence that this didn’t always have to be the case. The study basically took two groups of randomly selected old people and basically assigned to either be a part of the stretching group or the walking group. Both groups had their brains scanned initially, then they engaged in whatever activity they had been assigned for about a year. After the year was up the researchers discovered that the members of the stretching group had the expected amount of shrinkage in the hippocampus region, while the walking group’s brain’s had actually shown a slight amount of growth. This study shows that while the exercise doesn’t necessarily have to be super taxing, it can have huge implications in the daily life of a college student and beyond, including everything from remembering obscure facts about the Mongol empire to being able to recall major life events much later down the road. While this may not seem like a lot, I know that at least for me, when it comes to remembering things I can use all the help I can get.

Another great reason to hit up the good ole gym is the increased focus that it can give you. The ability to focus is one of the most important things college students can attain, after all if you can manage to make B’s in class where you spend 30 percent of the time daydreaming then just imagine how well you’d do if you only daydreamed like 10 percent. A study done by a Canadian school in 2009 demonstrated this principle in action. The study involved learning disabled and ADHD children, and basically they had these students jog on a treadmill for about 20 minutes before beginning their math class. The teachers all noted a marked improved in these children’s ability to both concentrate and retain the information. So basically getting into the zone at the gym can lead to zoning out less in the class.

This final reason to squeeze exercise into your daily routine, might also be the greatest, and it’s that exercise simply put can make you feel happy and accomplished. Happiness and a sense of accomplishment come sometimes be elusive creatures in the land plagued by the worries of how you did on your last test or the pressure beating a looming midterm. Despite this, the gym can easily become a source to draw from. Perhaps the greatest testament to this would be a 1999 study done at Duke University regarding how exercise can effect depression. The study involved taking a group of people with similar levels of depression and dividing them into two groups, one group took a well-known anti-depressant while another group simply engaged in physical activity. By the end of the study the second group showed the same amount of improvement as the first group did. Meaning that a daily run or set of crunches at the gym could be just the little pick me up you need to make it through the week.

In conclusion the next time you’re looking at your busy schedule and are trying to decide whether a trip to the gym is worth it, just remember that you’ll get more from that trip than simply gains. Just a few quick minutes at the gym can lead to a happier, healthier you!