‘You don’t have to be good’: the lazy student’s guide to getting fit

Even if you are still reeling from memories of always being picked last for team sports or feeling body-conscious in PE changing rooms, university could be the perfect time to kickstart your fitness journey and reframe how you feel about exercise.

For many people, starting uni means a chance to reinvent yourself. Even if you’ve never thought of yourself as being sporty, you could find an activity that you absolutely love if you’re willing to step out of your comfort zone. “Signing up for a new activity may feel daunting, but it’s often the things that feel scary that bring the greatest rewards,” says personal trainer Abi Millar from south London.

That couldn’t be truer for Anna Edvaldsson, who started at Strathclyde University in 2019 to study maths, statistics and accounting. When she joined her university’s netball team, she felt painfully shy. “I’d play, not talk to anyone unless I had to, and then go home,” she says. But after a few weeks, something switched inside her: “I started to really click with people.”

Netball became a core part of Edvaldsson’s university experience. She’d joined a club to get fit and practise a sport she’d enjoyed at school, but ended up making friends for life.

Edvaldsson’s transformative encounter with the netball club led her to become Strathclyde’s sports president, where she fosters a supportive and inclusive environment for students to get active.

Finding time for fitness amid the pressure of university life can be tough with studying and part-time jobs, Edvaldsson acknowledges. And cost is obviously an issue too. She suggests joining a university gym, because they tend to be much cheaper than your average public chain. Many sports societies also offer free or discounted memberships, she says. It’s worth asking about this during university open days.

“If you’re really strapped for cash and want to improve your fitness for free, there’s always the option of going for a run,” says personal trainer Alasdair Nicoll from Glasgow. It can be a really good way for you to get familiar with your new surroundings, he says.

Millar suggests downloading the NHS Couch to 5k app. It will gradually get you towards 30 minutes of jogging, even if you currently struggle to run for the bus. While it’s true that running is practically free, you really don’t want to skimp on a good pair of trainers, she advises.

If you’re feeling intimidated about starting an exercise routine, remember that everyone’s fitness journey is different. Even the sportiest people you know likely felt embarrassed at one point or another, says Oscar Chapman, vice-president of activities at the University of Northampton.

“Trust me, I used to be one of those kids who hated sports. It made me feel so uncomfortable with my own body,” he says. He discovered rugby in his teenage years and grew to love it so much that he decided to study sport and exercise science at university. His advice: “You don’t have to be instantly good at something to enjoy it.” Try to figure out what feels fun to you, rather than putting pressure on yourself to go from zero to hero.

Anyway, it’s a myth that you need to have peak performance fitness levels for exercise to count. Research shows that health benefits kick in at even low levels of physical activity. A 2022 study that followed more than 400,000 US adults over 20 years found that just one hour of aerobic exercise each week was associated with a 10%-20% lower risk of early death.

Even small tweaks can improve your fitness in university halls, such as taking the stairs instead of the lift or carrying your shopping back from the supermarket on foot, says James Taylor, senior lecturer in health, psychology and social care at the University of Derby. Going for brisk walks could be a great way to revisit recorded lectures on headphones, he suggests.

If you’d rather exercise from the privacy of your university room, there are loads of classes on YouTube you could try, most of which require minimal equipment, says Millar. You could buy a cheap set of resistance bands and do a strength workout, or do a yoga routine with nothing more than a mat, she says.

Don’t underestimate the impact exercise can have on your mental health too. “Many of us experience mental health struggles during our time at uni – and while fitness is not a substitute for getting the support you need, it can certainly boost your mood if you’re feeling low,” says Millar.

It’s so common to have negative associations with exercise, but try to remember a time before all that messaging sunk in, Millar suggests – maybe you used to love running around or climbing trees when you were a little kid.

“It’s possible to recapture that as an adult, and uni is the perfect time to start. Who knows – you might have a secret talent for rock climbing, or hula-hooping or trampolining,” she says. “Pay attention to what makes you feel the happiest and most alive, and you’ll be setting yourself up for a great relationship with fitness at uni and beyond.”