I go rock climbing twice a week, its great for stress relief and Ive lost alot of those PhD pounds I put on over the past 2 years!

I work FT, and I do my PhD PT. I believe that excersise is necessary for me, in order to relax from my job and embark on th PhD. So, I go to the gym every day after work for an hour, then I go to my mum's for lunch (we live really close, and why cook?) and then I start studying...

Catlinbond - I am a runner too and I know what you mean about it taking priority over PhD! I always get my run in for the day even if I have a big deadline. I'm in the last two weeks of half marathon training right now and will be working full time in my faculty for two weeks and also trying to meet a chapter deadline whilst keeping up the training. The last week will be fine as obviously need to do a mini taper but next week is going to be full on.

Exercise is essential for me while doing the PhD. If I didn't do it everyday i'd be absolutely batty (sprout)

I'm so in awe of you runners!!! I'm currently in training for my first 5k - I couldn't run for more than 1 min at a time 8 weeks ago! I'm busy working through a training plan that I found online but to run 13 mile or *gulp* 26 miles is just incredible!!!

I think that it's essential to stay fit when you're doing your PhD. A healthy body, a healthy mind and all that. To keep fit, I take a multivitamin a day, have started going for walks and jogging (saving on diesel then), and I made a fresh Chinese curry for tea. I've also started swimming again. Expect the shares in Ginster's to dramatically fall, as I've stopped eating pies and pasties. Oh, and I'd eat lots of fresh fruit and veg, if I were you, as well.(up)

That's fantastic. It's good to take your time and build up gradually. I started running 3 years ago and when I first started I was the same. I'm still not really fast or anything but I just love it. It's amazing how it builds up and gets addictive! Good luck with the 5k, I bet you have heaps of fun.