Staff Writer Sebastian Coughlin explores the impact of exercise on academic life, with insights from the King’s Runners community.
The Backdrop of COVID-19
Following the lockdowns induced by COVID-19, there was a spur in gym culture due to concerns over sedentary lifestyles during the pandemic. The United States government’s study on the comparisons of physical and sedentary behaviours before and during the COVID-19 pandemic reflects this.
However, this concern sparked a general increase in physical activity post-lockdown, particularly amongst Gen Z, whose gym attendance skyrocketed. Thus, the lexicon of answering the question ‘what are you doing?’ was altered from ‘going to the gym’ to lazily stating ‘going gym’ – of which I was guilty.
The increase in activity from a societal perspective can be seen as very beneficial. From the outset, a greater gym attendance leads to lower obesity rates and a society more concerned with what goes into their bodies. Continuity can be applied in turn, with future generations adopting this mindset.
Academic Benefit
According to a 2024 study in the Scientific Journal of Sport and Performance on student participation in physical exercise, 64.4% of students were moderately active, with 14.2% high and 18.5% low, followed by 35.6% considered to live a sedentary lifestyle. This source demonstrates that a considerable number of students were able to partake in some form of physical activity alongside their studies.
The sheer number of students who were in the majority suggests that despite the high output and length of time out of study in their day to day, the positives outweighed the negatives. The cognitive benefits of regular exercise over a period of time are undoubtable, with there having been proven studies by Harvard Medical School suggesting that “…engaging in a program of regular exercise of moderate intensity over six months or a year is associated with an increase in the volume of selected brain regions.”
Why is this the case? According to another one of Harvard Medical School’s publications, “Exercise reduces levels of the body’s stress hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol.” Therefore, regular exercise alongside your studies could be crucial in reducing academic stress, and because of this, improve your overall wellbeing.
With Wellbeing Week having just passed, this contribution to mental health awareness holds significant relevance not just due to physical impacts, but in societal ones too. Inclusion is essential to bolstering student relations and can help to further develop and encourage an academic community to reap the rewards of physical activity.
King’s Runners
King’s Runners serves as a good example of this mindset, with its slogan revolving around inclusion, “every pace has a place”. The head of King’s Runners, Gianluca, explained the choice of slogan and what the ethos of the club is all about:
“For us, ‘every pace has a place’ means that no matter who you are, where you come from, or how fast you run, you belong. We’re a community built on inclusion, support, and belonging, a space where students and alumni can show up exactly as they are.
Many of our members are international students new to London, some running for the first time, others balancing studies, culture shock, and homesickness. What unites us isn’t speed, but the shared experience of moving forward together.
Our ethos is simple: we run to connect, not to compete. We believe in empathy over ego, encouragement over comparison, and community over individuality. King’s Runners exists to remind every student that there’s always a place for them – on the run, and in our community.”
It seems the joint sense of pursuing an intended goal is what aligns exercise with academic performance. As the philosopher Seneca eloquently put it, “If a man knows not to which port he sails, no wind is favorable.” The hurdles students face day to day regarding academia are made that bit easier due to the mentality instilled by regularly testing one’s physical prowess in one form or another. This is particularly relevant to many students whose sense of routine can be obscured by irregular timetable structuring, as exercise helps provide them with a greater sense of control over their day-to-day lives.
Ultimately, with the increase in post-lockdown physical activity and recent studies, it is apparent that ‘fitness’ is appealing to a wider demographic of students. The benefits of this expansion are represented in improved cognitive capabilities, alongside ever-expanding inclusive communities that foster friendships and lasting bonds.
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