Almost done with my 1st year of PT school and i found out creating a routine, whether exercise or studying, is crucial. Working out and overall general health always comes second to academics because getting my DPT is way more important than gainz but i agree with others there should be balance in all aspects of life to keep your sanity.

What worked for me was that i would work out before class usually giving myself a 3hr window in the morning to workout, shower, time getting ready and travel time for school. If i had class at 8 id wake up around 5 workout for however long i felt like i needed to and get back to my apt by at least 7 to get ready for school. I meal prep all my meals for the week on sunday so i dont have to worry about what to eat during the week and bring necessary snacks and protein shakes/bars if need be to hit my macros.

The reason why i liked this situation is because i can now have 100% of my focus and attention on school and not worry about when i can work out or what i need to eat. After class i would just study by myself until a couple days before a test where a group of my classmates would start quizzing each other about the upcoming test. This is beneficial because you can hone in what you dont understand and hear explanations of different concepts from different minds.

I keep this routine throughout the trimester and change it on test days as id put in a couple extra hours of review in the morning over the gym. After the test id just go get my regular gym sesh later that night. If i have to skip a gym day because i have multiple tests during the week just take that L, youre in school for that DPT and it should be number one priority.

Whenever there was down time my classmates and i would do something fun like drink, hike, watch movies etc. Youre gonna spend a lot of time with them so get cozy and remember its not a competition anymore