Fitting Fitness In

My first year at college was quite the rude awakening to my fitness schedule. Living in a smaller space without a gym in my building made it harder to find the motivation to exercise. All the new classes, activities and events also created a packed schedule that could be difficult to work around. After a while I realized that I’d completely fallen off my plan and needed to create a better way to balance it all. Staying fit while maintaining a busy schedule is entirely possible if you have the motivation. Here are some of my tips and tricks:

1. The Anywhere Exercises-Try to create a workout plan that isn’t reliant on a gym. Dance or Pilates based exercises can be incredibly effective and most of them don’t require any equipment! Being able to do your work out at home will save time you’d otherwise spend traveling to the gym and make it much more likely to get checked off your list everyday.
2. Youtube Videos-One of my latest obsessions is following along with exercise videos on Youtube. FitnessBlender has hundreds of videos that teach you step-by-step how to perform each exercise, and they range from 5 minutes to over an hour in length, so you can fit a quick workout in before class if you need to.                                                              FitnessBlender: https://www.youtube.com/user/FitnessBlender/featured
3. Multi-task-Do calf raises while brushing your teeth or waiting in line, take the stairs instead of the elevator, or do yoga or squats while watching an online lecture. Sneaking small bursts of fitness into your everyday schedule can make a big impact!
4. Walk everywhere-Especially if you live on campus, take advantage and walk to your classes and meetings! My freshman year, I lived 15 minutes away from my sorority house, so I would walk there and back at least twice a day for meals. It helped keep my body moving and gave me a little time to myself to think and plan out my day.
5. Think Healthy, Be Healthy!-Remind yourself every day how much you love yourself and your goals to be healthy! When you think positively, it helps those healthy choices feel like less of a drag, and ultimately will impact both your physical and mental well-being!