Now that summer is coming to a close and the new school year is starting up, I’m sure a few of you are already worrying about the myriad of assignments that will pile up and what affect that will have on your life. I certainly am one of those people. One thing that should not be bumped to the end of your list of priorities is exercise. No doubt all of you recognize this to some extent, but how many of you actually motivate yourselves to get out and do something when you have a paper to write, a coffee date, and a new Netflix show to binge? In the spirit of encouraging you to stay active through all of the university woes, here are a few suggestions based on personality type to keep you on track.
For the Self-Motivator
If you are someone who works hard on their own accord and does not need a workout buddy to drag you to the gym, YouTube videos are a great place to start. This is where 80% of my weekly workouts take place—because it’s free. Certain people love going to their weekly yoga classes and posting perfect Insta selfies after, but I am more of an at-home workout kind of girl because it removes all of my excuses. Aside from sickness, I have no reason not to sweat on my floor for an hour every day.
Now, everyone is different, and it takes some time to find what works best for you, but I personally love Cassey Ho’s Blogilates. She provides a monthly workout calendar and a calendar for beginners to make her brand of pilates, Pop Pilates, easy to get into and fun to do. A more relaxing option is Yoga with Adriene, who releases a 30-31 day yoga sequence every new year and provides specialized practices for runners, broken hearts, and for your lunch break.
For the Social Sweater: Working out with a friend has become immensely popular. From the shopping trip for cute new workout outfits, to the post-workout latte, more and more people are grouping up to sweat it out. Exercise classes are a great way to meet up with your girls and commit to an hour or two every week to keep you all on track. Plus, making a workout into a social experience makes the tedium of cardio more pleasant. Moksha Yoga offers a $40 Intro month pass, where upon purchase; you can take as many classes as you want within the first month to give you the hot yoga bug. There are also a ton of drop-in classes that cost less than $20. One I tried this summer is The House Special at House of Barre, which combines the pulsing motions of Pilates with the grace of ballet.
For the “I Have No Time to Work Out” Girl: This might be true. You might be part of three active clubs, work part time, take five classes a semester, and have a significant other. I understand the time crunch. But, if you look at your schedule, is it really entirely full? Or are you giving yourself the out because you keep busy and you burn enough calories running to and from meetings and classes? One answer to this problem is Le Gym or the Loyola Athletic Complex. Currently running at $70 per session or $5 for a daily pass, it is affordable and right on campus. They offer classes like spinning, Zumba, swing, belly dancing, cardio, martial arts, and many others. Having a gym on campus is wonderful because you can plan to get a workout in between classes, or after a short day.
Find what works for you, and stop giving in to your excuses. Sometimes school work does take precedence over fitness, but if you want to get fit, put it in your agenda, build it into your week. If you make the time, you will feel more energized and less stressed, both which make you better equipped to handle your demanding university student schedule.