IT GOES WITHOUT saying that there will be days when you lack the motivation to leave your res room and head to the gym. Whether the temperatures are south of zero and you need thermal boots and a parka to accompany you to the Sports Complex or you just don’t feel comfortable working out in front of dudes who look like Ronnie from Jersey Shore, there’s no reason to skip a workout. You can still exercise without leaving your dorm or spending lots of money on expensive equipment.
You may not have a StairMaster available to get your heart pumping (StairMasters, as well as hot plates, are a no-no in res), so go old school and use the actual stairs. Grab your iPod and walk up and down the stairs in your building. If you’re in good shape, you can even try jogging the stairs or doing a set of squats or wall push-ups every time you reach the next floor.
Forget the people on your floor—resistance bands are your new friends. You can pick up a light, medium, or heavy resistance band (depending on your fitness level) at Sports Experts or Walmart for less than $30. The band can be used for a number of exercises, including squats, rows, bicep curls, shoulder presses, and more. Be creative!
Since you will be spending most of the time in your res room studying (or perfecting your keg stand, but I’ll assume the former) why not incorporate exercise into your study routine? Every time you finish a chapter or write another page of an essay, do a set each of push-ups, squats, and lunges. By the time you’ve finished studying, you will have exercised both your mind and your body. High-five!
If you left your Billy Blanks Tae Bo videocassettes at home, no fear. There is a huge selection of instructional exercise videos available for free on YouTube. One of my favourites is the 8 Minute series: Eight-minute-long exercises designed to tone your abs, arms, buns, and more. Not only do you get a great workout in a short amount of time, but you also get to laugh at the fantastic 80s outfits on the instructor and participants. Zebra-print spandex jumpsuit? Why not! On a dude? Sure!
-Sarah Gisele
