“Before spring break, everyone’s trying to get that last bit of workouts and dieting in,” said Rebekah Ward, a Northwestern junior and personal trainer at TruFit. “I would say the key if [you] are trying to lose weight or just get toned is to watch what you’re eating. Incorporating workouts into your daily routine is the best way because as Northwestern students, we don’t have that much time.”
According to Rebekah, the best moves for spring break are really simple. “The exercises that don’t require equipment are the best because you can do them anywhere and they require you to use your whole body.”
Here are some of Rebekah’s recommendations…
1. Legs
“The best moves… are squats and lunges for your legs. They get your whole leg working and you can do them anywhere,” Rebekah said. The key to these leg moves is to keep your legs bent at 90-degree angles and to increase the reps as they get easier.
Lunges
1. Start standing and step out with one leg far enough so when you go down, both of your legs will be at a 90 degree angle.
2. Keep your shoulders up for balance.
3. Step back to original standing position.
Squats
1. Start with legs a little past shoulder width and keep shoulders up throughout the whole move.
2. Bend down to where your legs are 90 degrees – like you are sitting without a seat.
3. Stand back up.
Step up
1. Find a platform to use and stand up, leaving other leg hanging.
2. Step back down and repeat with your other leg.
2. Abs
“For abs, of course you have planks, side-planks, and mountain climbers,” said Rebekah. “You can do those anywhere also. Crunches are not very fun but what I prefer is a straight leg sit-up.”
Sit-up
1. Lie down with your legs out but not locked.
2. Reach up to the ceiling, using your abs to push your arms forward and up
3. Use your abs to lower your upper body slowly.
3. Arms
“Pushups are good for the upper body when girls want to get their arms looking more toned,” Rebekah said. If you try these moves before hitting the beach, your arms will look a little more toned for hours!
Up-downs
1. Start in pushup position and slowly lower one arm at a time onto your elbows, so you are in a plank position.
2. One at a time, move from your elbows back to a pushup position and repeat.
Mountain-climbers
1. Start in pushup position.
2. Pull in leg.
3. Extend leg and repeat, going at your most comfortable pace.