With midterm season comes stress, and with stress comes two things: a lack of free time and a whole lot of snacking.
I started out the year so dedicated to gym time (as most people are during the New Year’s Resolution Dedication Period.) Now that February is coming to a close and school has truly revealed its butt-kicking nature, finding an hour to hit the gym has become increasingly harder — and finding quick moments to snack has become increasingly easier.
Enter the following workouts. Whether you're too busy to go to the gym or just too shy to work out surrounded by gym rats, these exercises will help you stay toned, lift your mood and motivate you to continue taking care of your body while your mind is being pushed to its limits by school.
(Disclaimer: I'm not a health or fitness professional — just a kid trying to look good on my own time!)
Wall sits
Equipment needed: a wall. That's it. I love wall sits because they're easy to distract yourself from. Start your phone timer, watch a Vine compilation YouTube video and let your mind laugh all the burn away while your body does the work.
Jumping tope
One of the oldest (and inexpensive!) fitness tricks in the book, jumping rope is used by both boxers and elementary school-age girls on the playground because it's both fun as heck and immensely good for your body.
Burpees
Burpees make your body look like heaven even though they hurt like heck. This exercise will help you work literally just about every muscle in your body.
Planking
Planking is one of those exercises you can easily make a competition out of. Each day, try and beat your personal best time to motivate yourself to hold out those few extra seconds.
Heel raises
Heel raises are easy to work into your daily life because you can do them virtually anywhere. Doing this exercise while watching TV, waiting in line and brushing your teeth are all great ways to tone up your calves.
High knees
Doing high knees while jogging in place will push a relatively ineffective exercise to the next level. Pop on an episode of your favorite TV show and start jogging. You won't even notice your legs burning until after the season finale.
Squats
You know you've seen those Instagram squat challenges before. Follow them! Squats really are an easy and super-effective exercise that take up little to no space and will quickly tone up your buns and thighs.
Extra little health tips
The smallest changes in your daily routine can make an enormous difference in your health. First, opt to take the stairs instead of taking the elevator each day to burn significantly more calories every day.
Next, change the way you eat and keep healthy snacks in your dorm room — all it takes is a few switches to different foods in your diet to see improvements in your body and skin.
It’s also worth investing in a good water bottle: it’s easy to mistake dehydration for hunger, and drinking more water will provide multiple benefits like reducing caloric intake, bettering your bodily functions, boosting your energy and giving you healthier skin.
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