1. Walk or bike everywhere!
You live in the Netherlands, so why bother calling a taxi or taking the bus when you can just bike? Most of the time, biking from your house in the city to campus is faster than going by car. Obviously, if you live far away, it’s a different story, but if you live in the city centre or the surrounding areas of the campus, then biking is the superior travel mode. As for walking – easy. If you’re on campus, leave your bike in the first building you have classes in, and just walk everywhere else. You’ll see everyone doing this, whether it’s between periods or during breaks; walking seems to be everyone’s new favourite pastime.
2. Use the Horst Tower stairs instead of the elevator…
… especially if your class is on the 11th floor. Seriously, even if you’re a freak of nature and hit legs every day at the gym, you’ll still end up winded and wanting to take a breather as you climb up the stairs of the Horst (unless you do like three hours on the stairmaster every day). See, this idea works since the elevators are always very crowded, and usually you’ll see the defeated trudge up along the stairs once they see the line anyway, so you’ll have marathon buddies to accompany you. Hey, you want to stay fit on campus, this is the way to do it!
3. Use the university facilities!
UT has a small, cosy gym that you can frequent between classes or after studying. It has most essential machines and equipment, though due to its size, it can definitely get crowded during 5 or 6 P.M. You can check out the subscription and the gym on the website. In addition, there’s also an outdoor callisthenics playground right next to the running track, so you can do your cardio and hit your pullups every kilometre you run! Also, remember that there’s a nice pool that students go to during the weekends for some refreshing exercise during the summer, both indoors and outdoors.
4. Join a sports association!
There are over 50 sports associations on campus, and if you’re planning on staying active but don’t want to go to the gym, then this is probably the best way to hit all of your fitness goals for the week. You have your popular sports like ice hockey, football, and basketball, but you also have super interesting ones, such as horseback riding or sailing, to fit your interests. There’s also dancing if you don’t feel like indulging in a competitive sport, which will truly test your cardio capabilities.
5. Swap every Swapfiets you see
Swapping a single Swapfiets barely makes anyone bat an eye, but swapping every single one in your vicinity? Now that’s grounds for forced removal by security. However, nobody ever talks about how tiring it is swapping more than a couple of bikes in a row. You’re hitting arms, back, and possibly your criminal record for simple assault, but at least you’re staying active, unlike your chums, who keep telling you to stop. Don’t let anyone get in the way of your goal.
6. Backpack deadlifts
Who needs those pesky barbells or dumbbells when you’ve got a 10-kilo backpack full of 1000-page textbooks, a nuclear reactor of a laptop, its 2000-Watt charging brick, and your full-day water bottle? Just squat down, lift, and repeat. If someone asks, you’re “adjusting your straps.” If they don’t ask, then they’re not watching, so lift away.
7. Actually try and find your supervisor or lecturer
The working offices, specifically the ones in the Horst complex, are basically rest stops in a cardio playground in disguise. Ever wondered why you can’t find specific rooms labelled NXXX anywhere? That’s because you took a wrong turn and ended up in the Westhorst, buddy. Sprint from hallway to hallway, dodging confused students and stressed PhDers along the way while trying to find your professor’s office. Congratulations, you’ve just completed academic parkour.
8. Group project push-ups
Every time a groupmate ghosts the WhatsApp group chat, that’s five push-ups for everyone present. Not only do you get fitter, you also fuel resentment into reps. You can sort of count it as a teambuilding exercise, right? Like Arnold said, you have to shock the muscle, so every time your groupmate texts an excuse, just pretend you’re surprised and hit the pavement. You might even get a chest like Arnold's at some point, if you keep this routine up for the next three years. Trust me on this.
There you have it! Staying fit comes with two parts – staying and fit. It’s easy to remember that there are a bunch of facilities on campus at your disposal that you can use to exercise, but actually doing those exercises, and sticking to them – that, unfortunately, is the hard part. Staying fit benefits both your body and your mind, so do yourself a favour, look away from the screen every hour or so, and take a walk around the campus’s many beautiful parks.
