It’s not that FitRec isn’t beautiful or anything; it’s just far away (for those of us on East Campus). Especially in the bitter cold (which should be ending soon), I always find an excuse not to go. However, with spring break fast approaching I figured these tips for staying fit might be helpful for getting into that bikini of yours.
1) Eat well: This might be the most obvious and overbearing advice; however, I was surprised about how unhealthy I was actually eating. Look back at what you have eaten in the past few days, and you should be able to find some sort of trend. For me, it was cheese and bread (i.e. pizza and grilled cheeses). Once you can identify the unhealthy food trends in your diet, eat them in moderation. When swiping into the dining all, make a side salad with every meal. Even though it’s a smaller portion, you still are getting at least some veggies. Ditch the soda and fries. Both of these are probably the two most tempting items in the dining hall, but chose wisely. A simple alternative is water: bring a water bottle into the dining hall with you if you don’t like the tap water from the soda machines.
2) Walk: When going to class, make the most of your time. Take the stairs to the fourth floor of CAS instead of the elevator. Once it starts getting warmer, walk to the other end of campus instead of taking the T or the bus. I know I said all of these tips exclude the gym, but if you have a class near west campus, wear your gym clothes to class and then you have more incentive to go once you are closer. In addition, on the weekends, try and walk when you are going out, walk to Newbury Street for shopping, or just take a walk around South Campus, Coolidge Corner, or Brighton Ave during the day and explore new areas.
3) Dorm workouts: Ab workouts are an easy exercise to do in your dorm room, and so are yoga and dance videos. Although your small room might seem cramped there is definitely room for a yoga mat. Look for an effective and fast abs workout here. 4) Study: As much as we hate to admit it, studying is a part of our daily routine. Change up your environment, for one block of time study at the top of Stuvi II and then take a study break and walk to study at the top of Shelton. Rememer, studying often leads to snacking. Try to avoid having the popcorn, mac’n’cheese, and processed foods lying around in your room. Instead, stalk up on things like yogurt or crackers. Also try and limit yourself to eating only before the clock strikes midnight and avoid having small candy easily accessible.
Alright, so maybe I stretched the truth a bit in the title. Here are some tips for motivating yourself to go to the gym during the winter months.
1) Buy cute exercise clothes, shop Lululemon or Lucy. You’ll want to flaunt them.
2) Try new workouts, i.e. swimming, dance classes, hot yoga (FitRec offers low cost, noncredit courses to students, check out the schedule here.) Or even better take a PE credit!
3) Lululemon offers free yoga classes at the Prudential center and local studios on Sunday mornings, check out their website calendar here.
4) Go with a friend and create a weekly schedule and stick with it. Get those spring break bodies together.
5) Reward yourself; try a protein smoothie after workouts or a shopping trip for new clothes.