We UMass Amherst Collegiettes know just how many opportunities we have through the Rec Center on campus— crazy amounts of equipment, classes from spinning to “Insanity” to “Belly Dancing Drills”, and hours so flexible that you can’t help but fit them into your schedule. Also, all of this is free to UMass students. How can you not help but go every single day? Let me tell you how.
As the self coronated Queen of Excuses, I’ve convinced myself to skip a few days here and there and pretty much everywhere, using excuses like “I’m feeling under the weather” to “I have a busy day anyway” to the infamous “But it’s so close to a full moon, I don’t wanna risk bad luck” and “Mercury is in retrograde, shouldn’t risk it.” Sure, I’ve had health kicks before, but no workout has ever truly stuck with me. So I decided to ask myself—what would happen if I forced myself into an un-excusable week of working out? I laced up my sneaks, and found out.
Day One: This Can’t Be As Bad As I Think It’ll Be
I started on a Monday, going into the gym after my 10:10 AM class. What’s the least intimidating machine here…? I hoped onto the elliptical, and set it at quick-start for 30 min with a 5 min cool down. I can’t remember what my settings on it were, but I remember feeling accomplished. Yeah, I still had a whole week ahead of me, but I started off strong!
Day Two: LET’S KICK ALL THE BUTT!!!!!!!
My motivation was at an all-time high. I headed back to the gym after my 8:30 AM, and hopped back onto that elliptical, then headed over to a rowing machine. I tried to push myself even farther– I headed up to the smoothie place and got myself a green drink. If I’m gonna live the fit lifestyle, I might as well drink it, too. I had my hesitations, but it was SO GOOD! It gave me the right amount of energy where I could attack my next three lectures and not fidget in my seat.
Day Three: Am I Dying?
Walking to class, I couldn’t tell if it was the wind tunnel by the library making making my nose run or if the plague was slowly creeping up on me. Plague, I thought while I was walking towards the Rec Center. But in the name of science, I got back on that elliptical for 30 min, and wheezed my way back into the rest of the day.
Day Four: UMass Plague Strikes
Yup, it’s the Plague was the first thought going through my head that Thursday morning. I peeled myself out of bed to go to class, but couldn’t handle the thought of going to a hot room full of fully functional people. Back to the dorm it is. But just as I was about to e-mail our Editor-In-Chief, I had a great idea. I was on Tumblr anyway, so maybe searching #Fitspo could get me somewhere! I found a great full-body workout that you can try here.
Day Five: I’ve Been on YouTube All Day Anyway
Still sick with the plague, I found myself watching this auto-tuned video of a girl who just really likes cats. Still not giving up on my experiment, I searched “toned workout.” I ended up finding this video, only after realizing that I accidentally typed “tone” instead. Even though I’m not planning on getting married anytime soon, I still found this video wicked easy to follow along with in my dorm, using textbooks instead of actual weights. But hey, same thing.
Day Six: There’s an App for That
As my experiment was coming to an end and my nose was finally forgiving me, I wanted a legit workout. Still not well enough to brave the Rec Center, I wanted to try something different. After a quick Google search and download I found the NTC, or Nike Training Center app. Designed for literally everyone at every level (from newbie to meathead), with different options of focus areas or time intervals, and a progress tracker, I fell in love with this app from the very start. I started off with Shawn Johnson’s stretch guide, and then moved onto a 15-minute abs routine.
Day Seven: Am I Gonna Miss This?
Finally feeling ready to integrate back into society, I went back to the Rec Center for another elliptical routine, this time hanging on for an hour. I sipped my kale smoothie of victory, wondering if I’d actually miss my experiment or not.
Would I do this experiment again? Yes, absolutely! I probably would’ve had a better time if I wasn’t plague-ridden. At the same time, I found myself getting up earlier and in a generally happier mood. My stress levels went down, and I started getting the leg definition to show for it. What would I change? I’d add in more variety– my favorite workout by far was the Bridal Babe workout on Tone It Up!’s YouTube channel.
What do your workouts look like, Collegiettes?