University sports Cologne & Mainz

University sports Cologne & Mainz: Sport and study - How regular exercise benefits your studies at university

Learn better through physical activity

Stay fit and study more effectively with university sports Cologne & Mainz

Whether you’ll soon be starting your studies at university or you’re already an established student, most probably you’re not thinking too much about staying in shape.

Physical activity is, on the one hand, a balance to mental sport during your studies, but also a school for life. Teamwork, leadership skills, dealing with victories and defeats, and working on yourself - exercise and physical activity while studying have many positive effects. And above all, it is fun and helps to clear the mind. The term "physical activity or sport" stands for an intensive exercise of 15-30 minutes a day. Unfortunately, especially in stressful phases, many people do not manage this for various reasons. It can be difficult to find time to exercise when you’re already trying to balance work, university, and social life, but with a wide range of sporting activities, it has never been easier for our students to stay fit throughout their studies. Not only is exercising a great way to stay in shape while you study, but it can also make you an even better student than you already are.

Students at CBS International Business School benefit from a wide range of sporting activities at the campuses in Cologne and Mainz. You can work out and stay fit in courses that are mostly free of charge. Mentally, too, because a lot of exercise helps you learn better and relieve stress more easily. Maybe you've always wanted to try new sports like longboarding, Kundalini yoga, or tango? It's easy to do so with university sports. Would you prefer to play beach volleyball next semester, but you're not in a club? No problem - simply register at the University Sports Cologne & Mainz (Uni Hochschulsport Köln & Mainz). When you study at CBS, you can use the offers of the University Sports in Cologne und Mainz at a reduced rate and thus have access to over 100 courses, most of which are free of charge. You will certainly not have a better opportunity to get to know and try out so many types of sports again so quickly.

University Sports Cologne: Wide range of university sports

CBS students at the Cologne campus can take advantage of more than 100 courses at the University of Cologne. This is because CBS is a partner of Hochschulsport Köln (University Sport Cologne), an organisation in which Cologne's public and private universities work together to offer a wide range of sports.

These include, for example:

Ball sports and games such as football, beach volleyball, basketball, lacrosse, rugby
Budo and martial arts such as Aikido, Karate, Krav Maga
Indoor and outdoor fitness classes such as Pilates, Fat Burner, and Fitness Kickboxing
Outdoor sports such as climbing, horse riding, sailing.
Free gym membership
Dance classes like hip-hop and swing. And of course, standard dances, so as not to embarrass yourself at weddings and the like.

University Sports Mainz: Train for fitness and fairness with the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz programme

You can also take part in university sports at the CBS Campus in Mainz and train with the students of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. As in Cologne, the Hochschulsport Mainz (University Sport Mainz) offers a wide range of courses from "A" for aerobics to "Z" for Zumba and opportunities for active experiences, fun and getting to know each other. You can also take advantage of the modern MAP Sports Club directly in the building of CBS International Business School at the Fort-Malakoff-Park. Fitness courses and strength building training are available here at reduced rates for all CBS students.

Those who want to achieve top performance in their studies need, among other things, stamina, an ideal learning environment - and the appropriate sporting balance. CBS - as a premium partner of the TSC Mainz - offers students who want to increase their potential not only in the lecture hall but also on the tennis court, an exclusive opportunity to do so: From Monday to Friday, CBS students can use two of the tennis courts free of charge from 9-11 a.m. during the summer months. In winter, the use or reservation of the tennis hall is also possible for a small surcharge. Further information can be found at studentsoffice-mainz@cbs.de, registration and court reservation are possible via sekretariat@tsc-mainz.de.

How regular exercise benefits your studies at university?

Doctors, sports scientists, and experts agree: sport is healthy in every phase of life. Movement and learning are directly related in children. They need exercise for their mental and physical development. Adults use sport to prevent cardiovascular diseases and obesity. Older people stay mentally and physically fit through exercise and fall less often, for example. Those who are aware of the positive effects are more motivated to start exercising and persevere longer even in the face of difficulties.

1. Excercise keeps the body fit and healthy

Working out strengthens the cardiovascular system: the heart grows from about 300 grams to about 500 grams and can pump more blood through the body per heartbeat. During exercise, athletes' hearts take in much more oxygen than hearts of non-athletes - up to 5.2 liters per minute compared to a maximum of 2.8 liters for the untrained [KC1]. At rest, the trained heart beats about 40 to 50 times per minute, the untrained heart about 60 to 90 times. Exercise, therefore, protects against the widespread disease of high blood pressure. And even against calcification of the vessels [KC2]. Endurance training reduces the amount of bad cholesterol (LDL) in favor of more good cholesterol (HDL). The immune system also benefits: Regular exercise increases the number of killer cells, which eliminate unwanted cells. The stronger the defenses, the more often the body wins against infections such as colds or even cancer.

Strong muscles cope better with pain and injuries. At the same time, the joints benefit from strong muscles. And of course, endurance sports are great for burning fat and also tighten the skin. Have you ever thought about your eyes? If you exercise more, you spend less time in front of your smartphone, tablet, or computer and can rest your eyes.

2. Physical activity boosts your concentration and helps you to learn better

Thinking, learning, following a lecture - students spend most of their day on mental activities. These take place in the front area of the brain, the prefrontal cortex. This area cannot be trained at will. But you can relieve it with sport: the movement and coordination necessary for sport shift the activity of the brain to the movement centre and "the head becomes free" - the thinking centre has a break. Researchers recommend a short break after sport and then you learn more effectively and with greater concentration. And since the brain is better supplied with blood through sport, memory performance also increases. A little tip: start the day with a workout and you will be much more productive afterward.

3. Excercise reduces stress and boosts your mood

After a strenuous workout, you almost always feel wonderfully exhausted but happy. This is due to the hormones: The body reduces stress hormones such as adrenaline and releases happiness hormones such as serotonin. This creates a good mood. Another effect of sport: if you exercise regularly, you learn to overcome obstacles and distractions such as bad weather, a hangover from the night before, or the start of your favourite series. Those who still manage to motivate themselves can also use this mental strength for their studies. And if you learn to deal with defeats in sport, you will also be better able to cope with possible crises in your studies. In short: training gives you energy and a positive attitude for new tasks.

4. Excercise promotes contacts and expands your network

Basketball with budding doctors, climbing with student teachers - at university sports, you meet students from all departments and get to know interesting people outside your faculty. Shared experiences such as victories, defeats, or the chill-out beer in the pub next door bond you together. Your performance in your studies is not the only thing that matters - what also matters is your personality traits and your social network circle. This is a good balance for the strenuous semester. Look forward to your new network, which can also be useful to you after your studies.

5 Fitness Tips for Beginners

1. Start slowly

If you don't have any specific experience with a sport, you can start by doing something for your fitness on your own. Get a mat and start at home. You don't need any equipment or dumbbells - there are excellent online workouts with your own body weight, so-called bodyweight classes. Build the workout into your daily routine. For example, in the morning before you leave the house or in the evening before dinner. Mark the dates on your calendar just like lectures.

2. Set realistic goals

Losing five kilos in a fortnight is almost impossible and not sustainable, even with exercise. Instead, try moderate endurance training three times a week. If this works well, you can slowly increase the amount of exercise and at the same time pay attention to your diet. If you are doing online courses on your own, start with beginner programmes. Only if they don't challenge you enough, move on to the next level. Only take as many courses in university sports as you can without making your schedule too full but so that you can still participate regularly. Ensure a sense of achievement: Set yourself small milestones that can be achieved in the short term. For example, make sure you can swim, cycle or jog for five minutes longer each week.

3. It should be fun

If you hate rain and mud, find something other than jogging. Does music motivate you? Then dancing or workouts are good. Do you like the thrill? Then climbing is better than swimming. Do you like saunas and chic outfits? Then the gym is more your place than the collective changing room of an old school. Are you stressed and need a break from the pressure to perform? Then non-competitive sports like yoga or hiking will do you good. Find out what you enjoy so that you can get started and then don't give up so quickly.

4. Find a partner

Make an appointment with another person to workout. This way you can motivate each other, and it will make it more difficult to cancel or bail out. You may find it easier to go to classes where you don`t know anyone if you go with a partner.

5. Keep the costs small

Before you invest a lot of money in expensive equipment such as skis, mountain bikes or diving suits, try out the sport at university sports. The costs are low, especially for university sports in Cologne and Mainz, and you can test whether you want to do more. There are also big price differences in fitness studios and special rates for students. Be aware of cancellation deadlines if you want to go abroad or do an internship somewhere else. Our students at the Cologne campus can use the fitness studio of Hochschulsport Köln free of charge. For university sport in Mainz, you pay a contribution towards costs of 21 Euros per semester (42 Euros in general, the CBS pays half) for your participation and can use the offers throughout the semester. You can find more information about the possibilities on the AHS Mainz homepage.