Emily Steel: Juggling Books and Barbells - Navigating Life as a Student Athlete

Body Power ProTeam member, Emily Steel, shares her thoughts on how she manages the workload of life as a full-time student, athlete and media personality.

Throughout my whole life I’ve had to learn to multi-task. Well, whether I’ve had to learn or have just been wired to make myself crazy busy all the time is a mystery.

During most of school I was a competitive swimmer. This consisted of 4am wakeups every other day, and 7pm finishes by the pool. In between were jam-packed days at school. I’d go into school with wet, chlorine-smelling hair and try not to hit a wall at 2pm. There would be situations where I’d have a swimming competition around the same time as an exam period, so you’d see me sat on poolside in my racing suit with my GCSE biology flashcards out. This typical routine was what taught me commitment and dedication, teaching me how to balance training hard for a sport and studying hard to maintain good grades.

Fast forward a few years with a switch to CrossFit/weightlifting, and student life has become a lot harder. For 3 years now I’ve been studying for a degree in Sport and Exercise Science at Loughborough University. It’s had its highs and lows, and I’ve really had to navigate such a high workload alongside aspirations to become a top-level elite CrossFit athlete (as well as appear in a prime-time TV show haha)!

Find the right balance

During my time at university, I’ve wanted to work hard in my studies, CrossFit and weightlifting, but most importantly make the most of the experience alongside my friends. All this has involved a whole lot of multi-tasking and finding the right balance at the right time.

Trust me it’s been quite stressful and overwhelming at times with how busy life gets but I always manage to make it work. To start off I always prioritise what is most important to me at the time, and some would say that my studies should always be a priority, but to be completely honest they haven’t, and I think that’s just the mindset of a stubborn young athlete that just wants to train all the time! When I have a period where university deadlines are coming up, I am sensible, and I do dial back the training. But there have also been times (similar to the swimming days) where I’ve had competitions around exam times. I remember having a competition in Bath the day before an in-person Motor Control exam… I was in the car revising, cramming loads of information into my head, and ended up arriving outside the exam hall 15 minutes before it started, oops! This is probably the finest I’ve cut it, and a prime example of how quick I shifted my focus from my competition to my exam. 

Stick to a schedule

A lot of the time it is just finding a solid schedule that works for me so I can do both. How this has been recently for example, is I’d head to the gym to do my morning session at around 9ish, head straight onto campus to get on with lectures/studying and would then train at my university gym after, which is much more convenient. I love training with friends but most of the time I have to just train alone because I have found this is what makes me more efficient, in and out of the gym without any faffing - it’s very non-stop a lot of the time but does seem to work. I think I’m naturally wired to be very productive when I need to be which I’m very grateful for. When I know I only have a couple hours free to study, I will get my head down and make the most of those two hours and get in the most effective work possible. This mindset I think tracks back to the swimming days – if I couldn’t work like this, not going to lie, I think I’d very much struggle.

All is well and good until my routine is interrupted and I have a competition or event on. This does put my studies on hold temporarily and does a lot of time seem to bring about a lot of stress because my studying focus just disappears. In that moment, it isn’t my main priority. But that’s okay. I catch up when I’m behind by writing out a solid plan on paper and make up for it when I do manage to have the time. My weeks are normally very productive from 10am-4pm, Monday-Friday. This may not seem like a big work window for most people, but this is genuinely what has worked for me, especially in my last year at university with more going on than ever! I could easily work in the evenings and stay up till 2am or pull an all-nighter, but this just isn’t how I function. I love my bed, and I love sleep, and to be honest I need it to recover fully for training sessions and to also make sure that when I do sit down to work, it is nice and effective!

Don't put too much pressure on yourself

Besides all this is a very key feature of life as a university student… Yes, like all students I do like to go out. I like to go out, spend time with friends, and let my hair down every so often to make the most of this once-in-a-lifetime experience. All my older friends in their 30s always go on about how they regret not making the most of their 20s and taking life too seriously. Trust me, I know if you want something you’ve got to work hard for it, and I know when to dial down and commit when it is needed. I also know that to find enjoyment in a sport you should not put too much pressure on yourself, and not restrict yourself your whole life, missing out on fun nights out, on nice food, sitting in my room alone whilst all my friends go out for drinks. I think this is what has helped me really get through some stressful times, enjoy and appreciate the really busy and chaotic times. I’ve not been afraid to say yes to a drink at the pub, and I’ve not been afraid to take a rest day to go spend time with my friends. Strict routine is key and is important to perform well at competitions, yes. But athlete burnout also happens to those that see nothing else but their sport, and don’t embrace life around them.

Throughout my life at university, I have chosen to enjoy it and not waste a second. I have also managed to multi-task, train hard and put in the work where necessary. All this has allowed me to truly experience life in my 20s at university, get into the mix of elite CrossFit women, gain weightlifting British Record titles, and achieve good grades. All of which will set me up for my future after university and my aspirations to really enjoy CrossFit and be a full-time athlete eventually.