A Debtless Student's Guide to Sports

With winter knocking at the door, we slowly start to hibernate, sparing our scarce energy and using it to meet the intellectual demand of schoolwork. But (un)fortunately, sports are key elements for the lives of good students. This sounds like bad news if you are not a fan of physical activity. However, LOTS of research say that it improves our mood, concentration, and cognitive capacity. We know it’s hard enough to maintain a stable mood throughout the day as students, so a little pick-me-up is always wanted. And for improved cognition? Hell yes, I’m onboard.

The Obstacle

First, let me clear something out of the way: sports are NOT expensive. You can practice sports for a VERY small amount of money. In the past year, I have only spent $100 to stay fit; none of which was spent on a gym membership. I only paid for a pair of plain running shoes! In this article, I will walk you through some strategies to become a fit and healthy debtless student!

The Basics

It is important to enjoy what you are doing. If you are thriving while rock climbing, then do it! Even if rock climbing is more expensive than running, it is better to spend a few bucks and reap the benefits, than not spending any money at all and gaining zero benefits. I would argue that, in the end, you are richer if you spend a reasonable amount of money on sports, because it will keep you healthy (and reduce your healthcare costs), and increase your productivity (you get more done in less time, so you have more time to work or do homework). However, if you choose to do super expensive sports, such as skiing or sailing, then I can’t do anything for you...

The overarching principle in what we do will be to try to keep costs low. To continue our rock climbing example, we might want to go to a less expensive gym, or one that is closer to where you live (because you will save transportation time, and time is money). The main problem with subscription-based activities is that they are relatively expensive in comparison to other sports for which you only need basic equipment. Thus, for the hardcore savers, it is advantageous to go for activities that might have higher upfront costs but lower long-term costs.

Cheap and Easy Activities

At the very bottom of the cheapness ladder, we have the good old walk. You most likely have a pair of shoes handy, and an overcoat for the bitter coldness of winter. The other advantage of walking is that it is a very meditative activity and it does a good job at clearing your head from your worries. You can come back fresh from your walk and be ready to put 100% into your studies.

Moving on, I will make a case defending the lovely sport of running. There is so much hate for running, because people think it is long, boring, and painful (and it can be). But in the end, it is just a faster walk. After a while, maintaining a good pace won’t be a problem because you will have increased your physical fitness (+1 point!) and running will be much less painful.

Compared to walking, it costs a bit more to start running, because you need to buy a decent pair of shoes to avoid injuries (which you can keep for a long time if you don’t run too much). You might also want to invest in fleece or merino-wool clothing to endure the winter cold. Don’t worry, these articles of clothing last for a very long time (last time I purchased something other than shoes for running was 4 years ago!).

What if you are a gym rat? As a gym rat myself, I was truly shocked when I suddenly had to stop going to the gym. However, I remembered a purchase I made a few years ago that truly saved my quarantined life this year. A set of resistance bands like this one is awesome to maintain and even build muscle; I have found a way to use it to train every muscle! I usually trained my upper body, and I did hill sprints for the legs. Moreover, these are almost dirt cheap (you can get some for $30 CAD) and they will last a few years.

If you want to go a bit more on the expensive side, you can also buy a TRX. This item is also wonderful and added a lot of variety to my home workout. With either the TRX or the resistance bands, you can get in shape as you would in a normal gym for a fraction of the cost!

You can also opt for a yoga mat and do exercises on it, as it is great for flexibility. This, along with the two other activities that I mentioned in this section, has the awesome advantage that it requires no interaction with anyone else. What I mean is that you can do them on your own time, for the duration you want, and at the moment you prefer. For example, you might want to get it done quick in the morning, or you might prefer to go outside to fight the afternoon slump. Also, you are not pressured into going if you are in a rush; you are your own manager.

Other Opportunities

Finally, I mentioned that many places offer deals at various moments in the year. If there is something you really want to do (or to buy), I suggest that you periodically look for the items that you are interested in or the memberships that you might want to subscribe to. They might be on sale at any moment! Also, look for models from past years, as they are often sold a few bucks cheaper than this year’s version!