Stress levels these days are undoubtedly higher than in the past but are elevated in students pursuing higher education. It is essential to find ways to cope with and reduce stress and prevent it from tainting the otherwise exciting experience of the dental school journey.
In high school, I started going to the gym every day and avoiding junk food because I wanted to be healthier. I couldn’t run 400 meters without getting winded. I spent hours in front of my computer. My favorite Saturday lunchtime tradition was getting a pizza from Pizza Hut and eating it all myself. At first, exercising more and eating less junk food did make me feel healthier. I felt more alert. I could finally run a mile without stopping. I became more confident in myself and less clumsy when I walked.
But with my aspiring-dentist Type-A personality, exercise and eating became parts of my life that I liked to work on obsessively. When I moved away to college in Boston, hundreds of miles away from home, I was excited to make my own decisions.
Jab! Cross! Hook! Uppercut!
I am no Muhammad Ali, but you can typically find me at a local boxing gym after a long day of clinic and classes pounding away at a heavy bag with my hot pink Everest ® gloves.
At a towering 5 foot 2 inches, I am not your typical image of an Ultimate Fighting Champion. Not to mention with pieces of plaster and alginate stuck in my hair from doing lab work, I certainly do not look the part. However, looks are deceiving. I pack a mean uppercut and one-two punch.
Saturday has arrived, and it’s time to play outside after a long week! You get dressed and go out your front door and find it’s been raining, it’s been pouring…this is no time to go back to snoring! Perhaps you are so excited about your Saturday morning run that you are ready to put on shades and hit the puddle-ridden road or muddy trail, knowing a hot shower is the reward at the end of this wet workout.
Not your cup of tea? That’s okay! Luckily, the indoor gym scene is off the hook, and I don’t just mean the athletic club down the road. There are many non-conventional options to spice up your rainy day workout plan.
Everyone says that the key to reducing stress is balance and exercise. Well, they’re right. Dental school is one of the most stressful, frustrating, and nerve-wracking times in our lives. Without some sort of stress outlet there’s no way we’d make it. For some people, it’s pumping iron at the gym, power cleaning at Crossfit, or zenning out with some vinyasa. For me, it’s lacing up my trusty Saucony’s and hitting the trails or the pavement. I began my on-again-off-again relationship with running in the 7th grade and feel that I owe many of my accomplishments to it.
Believing that dentistry was my dream job, I knew that I needed to discipline myself to maintain a healthy lifestyle by training my mind and body. Staying fit wasn’t just about succeeding in dental school. I viewed every workout session as a personal battle and challenge to endure, persevere and test my limits. As I began to improve and see results, I wanted to challenge myself further. I decided to try out for American Ninja Warrior.
