Keeping fit and healthy whilst at university may not be the first thing students think about, especially during freshers week and the Christmas period. So today, I am here to guide you through the ways that I like to stay healthy whilst at BU.

Before coming to BU I was a fairly active person. From long 8-10 hour days on my feet at my job at home (theme park ride operator) to then heading straight to the gym for an hour afterwards – there was rarely a day where I didn’t hit 10k steps! Coming to BU I thought I was going to have to give this active lifestyle up, but that all changed when I discovered SportBU. An annual membership comes in at around £140 – £180, working out at just over £10 a month – which is an amazing price considering I was paying £25 per month at home! This membership includes access to:

• The gym, which is fully equipped with cardio machines, weight machines, and a large free-weights area.
• Every group fitness class (approximately 30 each week) which include everything from yoga to spin classes.
• The lockers and changing rooms which have showers for you to freshen up in after doing your workout.

Now, some days I don’t always feel like going to do an intense workout at the gym. On these less motivated days I tend to take myself on a long walk along the coast starting at East Cliff and ending up on Bournemouth Beach. From here I then walk through the lower gardens and into the town centre to end up back at my accommodation building. This works out to be around 3-4 miles for me and as well as getting my daily exercise in, I’ve found that it also helps to clear my mind ready to tackle assignments when I get home. Another great location to explore on a walk is Boscombe – which is only a 30 minute walk from the Lansdowne halls of accommodation. Here you’ll find some lovely gardens, quirky shops, and you could even walk from Boscombe beach back to Bournemouth beach!

So maybe you’ve woken up on your day off and decided you really don’t want to leave your room today but still want to get some active minutes in – that’s completely okay, we all have those days! I first discovered my passion for being active during the first lockdown in 2020 due to the pandemic. The short 1 hour daily walk that we were allowed just wasn’t enough for me and quite frankly, walking around the same path for 2-3 months got quite boring. This is where I found home workouts, and I still do them to this day! I will link a playlist at the bottom of this blog but for now, some of my favourite home workout Youtubers to follow are: Joe Wicks, Lily Sabri, Pamela Reif, and Madfit. These Youtubers have a variety of videos ranging from core, strength, and cardio, to even a few dancing workouts – and you’d be surprised how painful a dance workout could be the next day!

I hope this short guide can help you start or continue your fitness journey whilst at university or give you some inspiration before you arrive in September. So go on, pop some shoes on and get walking!

Find out more

My workouts playlist