Thomas Jefferson said: “Leave all the afternoon for exercise and recreation, which are as necessary as reading, [or rather] more necessary because health is worth more than learning.” Despite Jefferson’s advice, most of us struggle to prioritize exercise. However, I find it can be motivating, informative, and just plain interesting to hear how other people do for exercise. I set out to learn how professors and students at U of T exercise, and here’s what I found:
JANICE LIU/THE VARSITY
Chelsea Murray is a master’s student studying nutritional sciences, and is preparing for an 8 kilometer obstacle race. She trains with a group of friends from her residence by doing the famous “Hart House circuit.” She also jogs, takes dance classes, and — when strapped for time — runs up and down the nine flights of stairs in Grad House. Murray says that exercising with friends is key to staying motivated, and that variety is crucial to avoid boredom. She also highlighted that the little things, like walking, make a big difference.
The importance of taking the stairs was a recurring theme; Dr. Paul Corey, a professor of biostatistics, said that he always walks up to his sixth floor office in the Health Sciences Building. He noted that when he sees his students waiting for the elevator, he invites them to join him — but he doesn’t get many takers. For most of his life, Corey thought that playing tennis once or twice a week would provide him with enough exercise to stay healthy. When he realized that it wouldn’t, he upped the ante; he now uses his rowing machine, treadmill, or stationary bicycle while watching TV; does 200 stair steps, and walks from his office to Lansdowne and Bloor. After starting to live more actively, Corey has almost reached the weight he was at while working on his PhD.
Dr. Steve Mann, a professor of electrical engineering, is also a fan of taking the stairs. He started a diligent exercise routine two months ago at the suggestion of his wife, and as a result, he does a variety of crunches, end-ups, calf raises, pull-ups, and more three times a week on the balcony of his lab on Dundas Street. He also runs (barefoot), and practices his own creation “hydroga”, which consists of standard yoga poses against pressurized water.
After speaking with captains Eric Liu and Chan Siu, I learned that the New College dragon boat team trains four to ten times per week, and on Saturdays the entire team comes together to do a cross-fit workout in Queen’s Park. Meanwhile, Bailey Rudnick, a member of the women’s rugby team, said the team practices Tuesday through Friday and has games on Saturday. Rudnick usually swims or runs on her off days. As a busy law student, she finds that exercise keeps her sane: “The more… sports [I have] on the calendar, the more focused I am on school.”
On a similar note, Mark Duncan, an MSc candidate in exercise science, and member of the Varsity mountain biking team, said that he “got into the sport while studying for my MCAT … as a way to (take a) break … without feeling like I was procrastinating.” He went on to explain that exercise is a key to managing mental and physical health, adding that he accomplishes more on the days when he exercises, and even views exercise as a performance enhancer through its effect on neuroplasticity. Finally, he suggested that one of the ways to trick yourself into staying active is by scheduling gym time into your ROSI calendar through courses like RUN365Y1Y.
Even PhD students find time to exercise. Bryan Reece, who studies philosophy, said that he lifts free weights, jogs, and occasionally swims four to five times per week. He focuses on compound exercises like squats and bench presses, and he prioritizes “legs, back, shoulders, triceps, chest, biceps, and abs in that order [due to] their relative contributions to overall strength and size.”
Finally, U of T president David Naylor said that he will be resuming a cardiorespiratory and resistance routine after his term ends on November 1.
As for me, I have to admit that I exercised more than usual during the process of preparing this article. It’s much easier to rationalize the time spent biking, running, and playing tennis when you know that you’re not the only one struggling to fit it in. Overall, everyone agreed that exercise is not a waste of time. As a matter of fact, exercise is essential to a lifestyle that promotes strong mental and physical health, and will help students with their studies.
