Hello everyone!
In today’s blog I’ll be writing about physical activities. You might think: “that sounds boring: I can’t find the motivation to work out, or even know where to start”. Luckily, Tampere University provides students plenty of opportunities to get moving and get healthy. I’ll do my best to help you find relevant information regarding sports facilities provided by Tampere university
Why should I spend some time per week concerning my physical well-being?
Nowadays, due to ongoing Covid restrictions, virtual learning is part of student life. This means that many of us spend hours sitting on our computers not moving, sometimes for hours on end. We know that spending a lot of time sitting has a negative effect on our health, but what exactly happens in our bodies? When we sit, fewer calories are burned, blood circulation is reduced, and finally, the immune system weakens. As you can see, making physical activity part of your life is a must. By making exercise part of your daily routine, you improve your brain power, concentration, and learning during the lectures and reduce the level of stress and anxiety for yourself and make your studying journey more pleasant.
What are the provided options for you by university communities?
If you’re interested in getting healthier and take care of your well-being, I recommend you familiarise yourself with SportUni. SportUni provides high quality and versatile sport services for students of Tampere University on campuses: City center, Hervanta, and Kauppi. You’re sure to find a sports activity that will suit your needs, interests and skills. SportUni Group offers exercise daily – inside, outside and online. A few examples:
- Sport courses
- Ball games from badminton to team sports
- Gyms – equipment, functional or free weight training
- Outdoor gyms
- Personal training and sports consultation services –
- Climbing, billiards and many more different sport opportunities
(Check out their website for more information SportUni | Tampere Universities).
Pro tip: experience Finnish winter through physical activities
If you are good at skiing and skating, or even if you are a beginner but you don’t want to spend much money on winter sports equipment, you have multiple options to rent the equipment. SportUni is out there to help you to enjoy your winter time. In addition to SportUni, ESN FINT (Erasmus Student Network) has provided affordable prices for ice skating and sled rental for you to have an enjoyable time with your friends in your own time and space. (More information on their website https://esnfint.org/content/ice-skate-sled-rental ).
If you are not into Winter sports, don’t worry, you can also borrow Floorball sticks, Finnish baseball sets, Frisbee golf discs, and so forth from SportUni as well.
How much does it cost?
SportUni’s fees are student budget-friendly. SportUni fee can be paid separately per term or for the whole year. The summer period is included in the spring term fee. If your are not sure about using the SportUni facilities during the whole year or semester, there is one-time visit fee (6 Euro) for all the university students. In the following I will find more detailed information about the fee.
- Whole year 1.8.2021-31.7.2022: 80€
- Autumn term 1.8.2021-31.12.2021: 46€
- Spring term 1.1.2022-31.7.2022: 52€
What is included in the SportUni fee?
- Use of all gyms on campuses
- Group exercise classes
- Courses (possible extra fee)
- Ball game time slots
- Badminton and beach volley time slots as well as the use of billiards table
- The digital platform Yogobe
- Other sports
- PT and gym instruction services for a small extra fee
Even if you have not yet been convinced to go and check the options out there, here are some small tips to achieve better physical and mental health:
- Give your eyes a rest: look away from the computer screen every 2o minutes and gaze in the distance for bout 30 seconds.
- Take a 5-minute break every hour to stretch, stand and walk around. Try sitting in a squat position to open up your hips, or stand up and stretch towards the ceiling as high as you can.
- Try to do some stretching exercises in the morning and evening, before and after work
- Try to have a healthy diet and stay hydrated. Make sure to drink an adequate amount of water per day.
About the author
My name is Zeinab and I am originally from Iran. I am doing my master’s degree in Peace, Mediation and Conflict Research at Tampere university. I am a sports enthusiast and found it a way to boost my energy and mood after long hours of studying. Studying in Finnish education system thought me how I as a student should pay attention to other aspects of my life besides my academic journey.
