How Swim Practice Can Help with Final Exams

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How Swim Practice Can Help with Final Exams

As December ripens, winter training becomes more intense, and finals season begins. It can be hard during regular weeks to balance being a successful student and then a successful athlete. Finals is a different challenge. Trying to remain mentally and physically healthy can be a bit of a struggle.

Swimming can feel like an extra stressor on top of all the other anxieties. Though school should always come before swimming, sometimes going to practice can help manage the stress of finals week. Here are some reasons why going to practice can help you do better during finals week.

Exercise Helps Focus

Science has continually proven that exercise helps brain development. A study has shown that exercise helps grow the hippocampus, the brain’s memory and learning structures. Working out by going to swim practice can help activate your brain’s learning systems.

Exercise can also help provide a better night’s sleep. Though researchers are not sure why, exercise helps with deeper and more restful sleep. Sleep is vital for being able to focus and retain information when studying.

Exercise can also help decrease drowsiness. Working out elevates body temperature which provides a more awake feeling. Working out and going to practice after a sleepy midday-studying slump can bring the perfect second wind for the rest of the night’s studying.

Social Balance

Studying for so many hours can feel isolating. It is important to balance out the hard work with some time to relax and to be with teammates and family to help with mental strength. Being able to find ways to unplug and destress will help sustain the marathon of studying. It has been proven that socialization helps with mental health and well-being in longevity. Hanging out with friends during practice is the perfect way to also find solace with others who are experiencing the same stress.

Reduces Stress

Going to practice also helps increase the mystical endorphins. They are proven to both help people stay awake and greatly increase mood and reduce stress. I would honestly take any reduction of stress in the last sprint of the semester. Even just having time to step away from frustrating and difficult problems can help relieve stress and create a clearer mind to return to problems with a better mindset. Spending time at practice can also be a form of self-care, because you are taking care of yourself mentally and physically.

Time Management

Especially if you are in a college finals week, you no longer have normal classes to attend every day. That leaves parts of your normal routine gone, and also means you have a lot of uninterrupted time to study. This can be good, but can also has challenges. Having to be self-regulatory on when to take breaks and when to continue studying takes trial and error that is different from the middle of the semester. Having swim practice to plan around helps plan breaks and increase motivation in completing studying.

Good luck on finals everyone, and remember to take care of your student duties first!

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joanietheswimmer

1 year ago

This would have been a good read LAST week!