Hey Fit Friends,
It’s that time, again. All of a sudden, finals week is here! It may seem like there’s not enough time in the day – between studying, group projects and paper writing – to squeeze your workout in during this week. But, when your library study hibernation begins, health and exercise don’t have to be sacrificed! Here are some ways that you can study and strengthen simultaneously.
1.) Contracting and releasing abs — Try this while reading a textbook, squeezing your abs while you read a paragraph, and then releasing for a paragraph.
2.) Isometric Glute Squeeze — Similar to the abdominal squeezes, try squeezing your glutes for 30 seconds at a time.
3.) Calf Raises — Try moving around while you study. Have notecards to study? Flip through them while doing calf raises. Up for a challenge? Try calf raises on the stairs of your dorm or the library.
4.) Leg lifts — This is easy to do while sitting. Make sure your core is engaged and then slowly raise your legs to 90 degrees. Hold for about a second and then lower your legs slowly back down. Repeat for as long as you would like.
5.) Wall sits — What better way to read than while doing a wall sit! The reading helps distract you from how long you are actually wall sitting, so you can really work those glutes. Try reading a paragraph while holding the sit before relaxing.
6.) Planks — Similar to the idea behind the wall sits, you can plank while reading as well (although you might look a little silly doing a plank in the reference room). Make sure you have proper form–no butts in the air!
7.) Chair dips — Time to work those triceps! Raise and lower yourself from your chair, using your arms to hold your weight. Repeat as many times as you would like!
8.) Shoulder raises — It may not seem like much, but shrugging your shoulders can really work those traps and it is an easy workout to do while studying.
9.) Ankle alphabets — Ankle-strengthening exercises are often something we skip when we are at the gym, so take the time now to work on strengthening them. Do 10 ankle circles both clockwise and counterclockwise with both ankles. If that isn’t enough, try writing the alphabet in cursive with your ankles.
Now that you have a few exercises to guide you through the week, it’s time to hit the books and start exercising. Best of luck to all of you on finals!