I’m sure you love going to the gym every day, running a few miles, eating salads for every meal – happily counting down the days to Spring Break. Not.
If you want to slim down in the next week, there are more fun ways to do it than jumping on the treadmill or elliptical every day. Unless you’re on the one that lets you pretend you’re running through the streets of Paris, because that’s pretty fun.
Did you rush to the gym when you looked at the calendar last week and realized spring break was coming – quickly? Maybe you ran to a kickboxing class or ‘Butts, Guts and Thighs?’ If you had never been to a class before, you were probably feeling it the next morning. If you’re sore at all from your recent fixation with the gym, you could take up swimming or yoga.
Swimming is great for your joints and doesn’t put pressure on your body, and yoga stretches you comfortably. If you’ve been to yoga before, you might want to take it up a notch and try power yoga on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Let me just warn you it is not for the weak and weary. After a few downward dogs, they move quickly through advanced poses.
Another surprisingly great class is Zumba. I was sure that I was going to look like a fool trying to bust a move in the gym, but it was actually a lot of fun. I even learned how to dougie! So the next time someone asks, you can confidently reply yes, I can teach you how to dougie. Plus, if you strategically place yourself near the far wall, the people on treadmills probably won’t be able to see you.
Jump roping sounds like something no one past the age of ten should take part in, but it burns an outrageous 180 calories in 20 minutes! That’s equivalent to a whole serving of Girl Scout cookies. Darn those cute little girls and their sweets this time of year. Don’t they know it’s almost bikini season?
Now if you’re searching for something a little more adventurous, you may not be aware that you can go rock climbing inside Fetzer and Rams Head whenever you want. You have to get officially belay certified, but it’s not hard. The class consists of making sure that you can tie the knots and properly support your belay partner. After that you can push yourself to try harder trails along the wall. It will give you a well-rounded body workout. If you keep up with it, your calves and biceps will be jacked by summertime.
Don’t forget that you can rent equipment from all the recreation centers. Get a few friends together for three on three basketball or soccer a few days a week. Or you can rent out weight belts, yoga mats and resistance bands for personal workouts.
Ever wonder what those miniature doors are in the back halls of Fetzer? They’re not actually gyms for short people, they’re racquetball rooms.
You can rent balls and racquets, and the game is pretty simple. Just make sure it hits the back wall before it bounces on the floor. Be warned, again, this is a dangerous activity. Do not try and impress a guy who plays the sport with your awesome racquetball skills. You’ll realize quickly that the snitch-sized ball travels fast and hurts when you don’t duck out the way fast enough.
If you really do enjoy running, there are often 5K’s in the community that are good for local causes, and good for your thighs. Zeta Tau Alpha’s Franklin 5K is March 19th if you need to work off those extra margaritas after break.
Now, as popular as nylon leggings and Mountain Hardware jackets are, there are other things you can wear to the gym. Such as pants that actually tone your legs while you do – get this – nothing! FILA has produced the new body toning system that burns up calories while you wait for your gym class to start. Don’t forget about the Sketchers Shape Up’s that tone your legs as you walk. They’re about as cute as Crocs, but still, we do weird things for beauty.
Just keep these options in mind the next time you have shin splints and you’re booking it across campus. Remember – there are fun ways to stay fit!
Average Calories Burned Per Hour (for someone weighing 130 lbs)
Swimming 472
Yoga 236
Zumba 266
Rock Climbing 649
Soccer 413
Basketball 354
Racquetball 413
Running 590
Sources:
Calories: http://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/health/physicalactivity/pdf_files/Caloriesperhour.pdf
Pictures: Yoga: http://www.travelvivi.com/yoga-tours-worldwide/
Climbing: http://www.chelseapiers.com/sc/rockwall.htm
Soccer: http://thunderbird.guhsdaz.org/athletics/winter_sports/girls_soccer/
Racquetball: http://www.hotspringspool.com/Newsletters/index.php?ID=MzE%3D