Get Your Fitness Glow on the Go!

Wake up. Grab coffee and breakfast.  Sit through three classes straight.  Lunch on-the-go. Two more classes.  Club meeting.  Quick dinner. One more meeting.  Study in the library. Sleep. Repeat.
 
Does this sound familiar? If you’re like most Her Campus Tulane readers, it probably resembles your day-to-day existence pretty closely.  With jam-packed class schedules and various extracurricular interests, how’s a collegiette supposed to keep up a healthy fitness routine?
 

That’s where my on the go, do-anywhere fitness routine swoops in and saves the day.  Here are a few exercises for the everyday situations that prevent us from keeping those dates with the Reily treadmills.
 
Situation: Sitting in class
Works: core, hip flexors
Sit up straight on the edge of your chair, with feet flat on the ground.  Leaning back slightly, engage your abs and lift your feet 3-6 inches off the ground; use your core muscles to stabilize.
Hold: 10 seconds
Repeat: 5x
 
Situation: Studying in the library
Works: chest and shoulders
Place both hands on your chair arms and slowly lift your bottom off the chair.
Lower yourself back down but stop short of the seat.
Hold: 5 seconds
Repeat: 15x
(Thanks to WebMD)
 
Situation: Studying in your room (or somewhere else with a little more privacy)
Works: legs, arms, core
Stand up and try a quick circuit workout.

Begin standing with feet hip width apart and arms out to the sides in a T-shape. Lower into a squat, keeping your knees behind your toes and getting your thighs as close to parallel with the ground as possible.  As you lower down, bring your arms directly out in front of you, keeping them straight. Reverse the move so you’re standing tall with arms out in a T.
Repeat: 15x

Next, stand up straight and place your feet together.  Keeping your legs straight, bend forward with a flat back (choose a point on a wall and keep looking at it throughout this exercise). When your hands are as low to the floor as possible, slowly start reversing the move until you’re standing up straight again.
Repeat: 15x
Stand with feet hip width apart and arms raised straight above your head.  Lift your right knee up until it is parallel with the floor (hip-height).  As you lift your knee, bend at the elbows and lower your arms until your triceps touch your sides and your forearms are parallel with your thigh.  Return to start and alternate on the left leg.
Repeat: 10x each leg
 
Situation:Laying in bed watching a movie
Works: legs, core
While lying down, flex your feet so your toes point to the ceiling.  Lift your right leg, engaging your abs until your foot is about 6 inches off of your bed. Simultaneously, reach both arms towards your foot until you are in a wide v-sit.  Lower leg and upper body slowly back down to the bed.  Repeat on left side. 
Repeat: 10x each leg
 
I hate to say it, but now there’s no excuse not to incorporate exercise into your daily routine.  On the bright side, all of these exercises can be completed in less time than it would take you to change into your workout gear—which, if you play your cards right, may even leave you time for a power nap!