Exercise during the bar exam study period: How important is it?

Exercise during the bar exam study period: How important is it?

You are going to be extremely busy while studying for the bar exam and it becomes very easy to fall into lazy habits, such as bad eating and not exercising.  In this post, we discuss the importance of incorporating exercise into your bar exam study schedule!

Do you need to exercise during bar prep?

The answer is, unequivocally, yes!  There are so many reasons why incorporating workouts into your bar prep schedule is beneficial.  We promise that you will get more out of a 30-minute walk around the neighborhood than you will re-reading the Rule Against Perpetuities for the 20^th time!  Exercise will not only help you stay in good physical shape while you study, but it also has many positive effects on the brain that will ultimately help you study longer, better, and more efficiently.

You need to take breaks during studying!

Don’t think of exercising as something that you have to check off your “to do” list first thing in the morning.  Take a break from a long day of studying to get some exercise in!  Depending on which administration of the bar exam you are taking (February or July) and which state you live in, you might be missing out on some quality sunshine while you are holed up inside studying.  Take a 30-minute break from studying to go for a run or walk around the block.  Or get out of your house/library for a little bit and go to the gym.  Trying to study for 8-10 hours (or more!) without a break will quickly become draining.  Taking short breaks every day will help build endurance and allow you to ultimately study longer.

You will feel more energized and focused.

If you are spending your study breaks sitting on the couch eating potato chips, you will likely find yourself feeling more and more sluggish as bar prep drags on.  Studies have shown that a little bit of exercise could have you feeling more refreshed than even a short nap when you start feeling fatigue.  So a short break from studying to get some fresh air and exercise can give you the energy you need to make it through some of those dense, dull lectures that you will endure during bar prep!

You will sleep better.

Sometimes it feels like there is a competition in law school and bar prep for who can pull the most all-nighters.  You should never pull an all-nighter during bar prep!  The bar exam is administered early in the morning, so you should prepare your body to be able to answer questions under similar circumstances.  Regular exercise will help you sleep better each night and get into normal sleeping habits so that you aren’t trying to re-train your body to wake up at 7 AM the week before the bar exam!  Your studying will also be more effective if you are energized as you study and not having to re-read the same sentence 5 times before it sinks in.

 Exercise can help reduce stress.

There is no question that the bar exam is stressful.  You have a lot of information to learn in a fairly short period of time.  It is widely recognized that exercise releases endorphins, which will make you happier and reduce stress!  Studying for hours and hours every day for an extremely difficult exam can take its toll; short breaks for exercise can help reduce this toll!

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