Law school makes you fat! Period. Or any graduate school that requires a lot of sitting, reading, writing, and studying in general. I cannot speak for other schools, however, so I can pass on a mild warning that studying law can make you very unhappy about the way you look.

As I started my legal studies a couple of years ago I did not know how competitive law school can be. The most challenging thing about the law school is the curved grading system. Your final grade is based on your class performance on the final exam. Therefore, in a nut shell, you compete with everybody in your class. You can get 98% on your final exam and still fail the class. Why? Because if you get 98%  and everybody else gets 99%, you did worse then your classmates, and thus you failed! If your GPA falls below certain minimum, you can be kicked out of school.  Having that harsh grading standard in mind, you will take your studies seriously, and all you will be doing is studying and studying. Still, as you confidently enter your final exams because undoubtedly, you never worked harder in you life,  you strongly believe you know absolutely everything covered in lectures, and you know that you worked your ass off the entire semester and prepared well for the finals, etc. Therefore, you think that you will Ace the class — You do not. You do not get that A+. Sad surprise, but unfortunately, most of the people study just as hard as you did, or even harder.

If you know that, you forget your social life, you forget about gym, you eat crap in the library while you study, and your whole life evolves around law!  My first semester I managed to exercise about 2 times a week. I thought that I could sneak in a couple of workouts since I studied very hard and I was on top of everything.  I was. My final grades were good, but not as great as I wanted them to be. Thus, I knew I have to study harder next semester. So I did, and my grades were so much better.  I did not, however, get the same amount of physical activity, and my body felt it. Worse, I could see it!!

Since I did very well my first year, I transferred to another school. I knew that next semester will be more demanding but somehow it did not bother me. I believed I could do well. Also, my first semester of the second year I was pregnant with my second baby so I had a great excuse to “avoid” the gym. Somehow the thought of gaining the pregnancy weight eliminated my need to exercise, and I chose to study longer instead. Big mistake because after having my second baby it took me forever to lose pregnancy weight. Now, as I prepare for another semester of law school, I still do not have my body back, and a few extra pounds do not allow me to wear most of my pre-pregnancy clothing.

Bottom line: Even if you are drowning from work or studies, please do yourself a favor and manage a few short workouts a week. If you cannot workout, just go for a walk, play ball, or do something with your friends. You will look and feel better! It is all in your hands and only you can make a decision.  I decided to devote more time for myself next semester. I promised to take care of myself, and that includes working out!! When I feel good about myself I feel better. When I feel better, I perform better, and I am happier. When I am happy I can be a positive person, a good student, and most importantly – a good mother!