Run For It!

Written by: Abby Han

After researching how physical activity can improve cognitive skills and attention, I decided that for this week’s experiment, I would go on a 2 mile run after school everyday to see how it impacted my work efficiency.

I usually take at least an hour nap after school to serve as a mental break from school, but with this week’s tactic being physical activity, I had to substitute my after school nap for an after school run. The first two days were embarrassingly terrible as I had expected. I was super sore, and my body was clearly not conditioned for physical activity. Although I was exhausted, I did not feel my usual fatigue that I usually have after my after school nap. I felt unexpectedly energized and alert, most likely because of the adrenaline rush that came from the run. The remaining days were exponentially better as the week went on. Although the transition of getting myself to run after school was borderline excruciating, I felt that the run allowed myself to clear my head after school and get my blood pumping. I would always get a sudden surge of refreshed energy. This tactic was helped me by reducing the amount of time wasted napping after school. Although having a nap is nice, the run did not leave me feeling groggy and fatigued, and instead it helped me be more energized and alert.

My final thoughts are that going on runs definitely helped me feel more energized and focused on my homework. However, I think the effects can vary from person to person. Many factors, such as what you’re doing as your physical activity and how long you are doing the activity, can affect how helpful this tactic is for you.

My rating out of five stars:

★★★☆☆