Every student on Eastern’s campus should exercise.

Yes, I know, it’s nothing you haven’t heard before. ‘’Exercising increases endorphins, it makes you happier!’’ ‘’Exercising can help you cut the freshman fifteen!’’ ‘’Exercising can decrease your stress levels!’’ Yes, you’ve heard all this, but I’m here to tell you that it can do all those things and more and guess what?

You definitely have time to do it.

Let me put it this way.

There are 168 hours in a week; 40 hours are spent at work or school, 56 hours are spent sleeping, and there is 72 hours left over.

Are you seriously saying you can’t find three hours a week to go work out?

Better yet, just 30 minutes a day to hit the treadmill in our nice recreation center can make all the difference.

Not to mention, the rec center is absolutely free to students and they have a whole slew of classes from abs, yoga, or even dance exercising and more!

I may be biased because I spend hours on end working out every day at Track practice, but after a long day of class I can’t wait to hit the pavement or the weights and sweat out my stress.

The life-long health benefits only enhance my reasoning for wanting to get outside.

The cold can be grueling, but one can always work out inside.

The weather is no excuse to not workout!

I’ve seen so many students out and about running or in workout clothes headed to the rec and it’s contagious!

As students we lead by example, and when one student looks happy and fit when they head to the gym other students notice and get curious about it and want to try it themselves.

Working out becomes a habit. To make yourself get into this habit, schedule a time that works best for you and write it down.

Seeing it in your planner every day that you have to workout will make it easier to not dip out on going when you are too tired to go later.

Create goals for yourself for short-term and long-term so that you can feel a sense of fulfillment once you achieve them, the best feeling in the entire world.

Not to mention that when you start to see results you will only want to continue exercising.

The goals you create can be linked to your weight-loss goals, fitness goals or even strength goals you wish to achieve.

The moment when one finishes a work out is a feeling like no other. The sense of accomplishment mixed with exhaustion becomes a habit and soon, and addiction. You will get addicted to the endorphins, addicted to the feeling, and addicted to the achievement.

Consistency is key, and only you are in charge of the way you spend your time.

You have the time to make yourself fitter, stress-free, and healthy, but will you take that time for yourself?

It doesn’t have to hurt; all you have to do is get moving.

Use the resources on campus and go crazy. Thirty minutes is only two percent of your day.

In that two percent every day, you can make yourself the best possible version of yourself.

Maria Baldwin is a sophomore mass communications and public relations major. She can be reached at 581-2812 or mjbaldwin@eiu.edu.