Exercise options to keep your body as fit as your mind

University is usually synonymous with late nights, caffeine overdoses, poor diet and what can only be described as enthusiastic alcohol consumption. In your first year of university, it’s especially easy to fall victim to poor time management and find yourself scarfing down cold, all-dressed pizza at 3 a.m. while pulling your fourth all-nighter in a row.

Luckily, Concordia University has taken the necessary steps to make it easy for you to improve your health while taking a full course load.

Le Gym, located in the EV building of Concordia’s Sir George Williams campus downtown, boasts 10,000 square feet of workout paradise. Equipped with 75 cardio machines (18 treadmills, five Cardio Waves, 10 upright stationary bicycles, 19 ellipticals, eight recumbent bicycles, 10 rowers and five spinners on the floor) and 75 strength stations with various weights, Le Gym is a great option to stay fit while you concentrate on your classes. It is open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday to Friday, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, and from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., and registration is $60 for Concordia students. Personal training is also offered at a rate of $25 an hour, if you want a program tailored specifically to you.

Studies have shown that exercising everyday increases your confidence, improves your brain’s ability to retain information and helps in overall concentration. That means more knowledge can be absorbed in a smaller amount of time, giving you more free time to relax.

If you don’t feel like lugging a workout towel with you, Le Gym offers a towel service for a fee of $11.29 for 20 towels. The towels are available at the front desk, and once you’re done, just throw them in the laundry bin next to the entrance.

Le Gym has lockers and may provide a lock if you ask nicely, but make sure to bring your own sturdy combination lock (it avoids the problem of having to worry about where to keep the key) for your stuff. The locker rooms have a limited number of showers (and some of them blast cold water, so be careful!), overhead hair dryers, and outlets for things like razors (gentlemen) and straightening irons (ladies).

If the atmosphere of a gym isn’t for you, be sure to check out the many classes offered by Le Gym. Anything from salsa dancing to martial arts is on the schedule, and you can get a copy near the entrance of Le Gym.

If your goal is to stay as far as possible from the Concordia campus when you’re not in class, then be sure to check out Yoga Montreal, a directory of all yoga classes offered in the Montreal area. Some will even offer a discount if you present your student I.D.

With so many resources available, there’s no excuse to let the “freshman fifteen” creep up on you. A little exercise each day will help in your concentration, confidence and maybe even improve your social scene.

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