Now that the year is over, you may fee like the “Freshman 15” bringing you down.
College can be a busy and stressful time, and sometimes our health is not as high of a priority as it should be, especially during finals. Fast food is so inexpensive and the ever-present Ramen keeps calling your name. Working out is usually at the back of your mind, and the rec center gym can be pretty intimidating with all those guys barreling around with their huge muscles and vast knowledge of all the machinery. Being healthy is hard!
But there is good news for the hard-working, busy college student who just wants some nice abs and a butt that looks good in jeggings. Here is a card game/workout routine that is easy to do and will keep you entertained! So grab a deck of cards and a timer, because this is how you play:
- Make a list that has all houses represented (hearts, clubs, diamonds, spades) and leave out the jokers.
- Next to each house put an exercise (i.e. hearts: squats, clubs: crunches, diamonds: pushups, spades: lunges). You can use any exercise you want with these.
- Empty a space in your living room, on your bedroom floor, or wherever you feel comfortable.
- Now mix up the deck and stretch because this workout is about to get serious.
- Now how do you decide how many reps you do? Let’s say you get a 6 of diamonds. This means you do 6 reps of that exercise. When you come across a jack, queen or king then give that house exercise 15 reps. And when an Ace comes up get out your timer because those mean 1-minute planks!
- To get through the whole deck it might take 30 minutes to an hour just make sure to stretch again when you’re done because those squats can be killer.
This is a great workout to do with friends! They can keep you in check and make sure you’re doing the exercises right, but it is also a great option to do alone since sometimes friends can get you off track. I found it easier to do in front of a mirror so you can check to make sure your back is straight for squats and planks. If you find that the exercises are becoming easier try something harder, add time to your plank, or use weights for the lunges and planks. And if it ever feels like too much, there are easier versions of pushups and planks that can help you build up to the real thing.
This workout is great! It works with a busy schedule and you don’t have to go somewhere special or have a membership to do it. If you need ideas for exercises try bodybuilding.com/exercises. This website has plenty of options with video so you know that you’re doing it right. Now go and get those abs you’ve been dreaming about!