Work It!

With the countless hours we put into studying, writing papers, homework, projects and all of our school work, it’s easy to forget about ourselves and our own needs. Unfortunately for our bodies, when school gets crazy, exercise tends to be the least of our priorities. If you’re in any form of agreement with me right now, then stop reading this, drop and give me 20!!

Done? Welcome back.

Of course we get caught up with our studies, but it’s really important to keep ourselves healthy. At the end of the day, what’s more important- an A+ on our paper or our own health? What’s going to last longer- the pride of an A on a midterm or our lifespan if we keep ourselves healthy with daily exercise and proper eating? I know it sounds extreme, but the way we mould our healthy lifestyles now will stick with us for our entire lives. If all you do now is study study study, you’re going to be the same way with your career in a few years from now. BUT if you’ve managed to find the balance between school, work and personal wellness now, then you’ll carry these great habits with you no matter what age you are.

If you don’t have the time for a run, swim, full gym workout or an exercise class (but may I recommend that Zumba, Kickboxing, Yoga and Boot Camp classes are well worth the time and great ways to release emotions), then the following exercises are just for you. These exercises can be done anywhere (in your bedroom, living room, even in your kitchen) and don’t take long at all.

*Use dumbbells to do these three moves, choosing the right weight for you. Don't have any dumbbells at home? Use cans of soup (or anything heavy) instead!

 Chest press. Lay with your back flat on the floor and arms extended out to your sides, bent at a right angle at the elbow, forearms pointed toward the ceiling, hands holding dumbbells. Press the weights up toward the ceiling, fully extending arms, then lower. For more of a challenge, lift your butt at the same time to work those abs (as seen in photo below). Do 10 to 15.

Bicep Curls. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, arms straight down at your sides, palms facing the body, holding dumbbells. Bend arms at the elbow, keeping upper arm still but raising the weight to the front of the shoulder. While lifting the weight, rotate to the palm of your hand faces up during the curl; slowly lower weight. Do 10 to 15 on each side, alternating.

 

Shoulder raises. Stand with arms straight down in front of you, palms facing together, holding dumbbells. Keeping elbows slightly bent, raise your arms straight out to your sides, so you look like a large letter “T;” slowly lower weight. You can do this one sitting or standing, and you may need to adjust to a lighter weight. Do 10 to 15 repetitions.

 

It's... Crunch time!
- Regular Crunch: 10-20 reps - Just lift shoulder blades off the floor
- Reverse Crunch - 10-20 reps - Lift hips off the floor
- Double Crunch - 10-20 reps - Lift BOTH hips / shoulders off the floor simultaneously
- Left Crunches - 10-20 reps - Take right elbow to the left knee
- Right Crunches -10-20 reps - Take left elbow to right knee
- Bicycle Crunches - 10-20 reps - Take right/left elbow to left/right knee by bicycling the legs
- Plank pose - 60 seconds
- Stomach stretch - 30 seconds

After you're done, do a quick stretch. In total, this should take about 10-15 minutes, that's all! Exercise doesn’t have to take long, and the effects of a workout will last you much longer, because you'll feel better both physically and mentally. So get your nose out of your books and wwwwork out!