Workout In Your Room

Meg Orita Student Contributor, Northwestern University

Amanda Oppold Student Contributor, Northwestern University

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Northwestern chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

The beginning of the academic year offers up a lot of fresh starts. New promises to yourself about keeping up your grades are often accompanied by that fleeting resolution that you will, without fail, workout this year on a consistent basis. Fall is fine. Running outside among the changing leaves is refreshing and, if you choose to work out at a gym, the walk from the dorm to the dumbells is nothing but a simple stroll. Then winter hits. The trails get icy, and even those of us who live fifty feet away from our campus gym are deterred by what has now become an arctic trek. What is easily forgotten among this discouragement is that working out is feasible, and fun, within the comfort of your room! Whether you live in a dorm, your sorority house, or even in off-campus housing, here a few things you can do to keep fit under your own roof!

Strength:

It’s time to walk the plank! But seriously, planking in exercise-terms always sounds a little scary, but it can be one of the best things for your body. The traditional front-plank challenges the deepest levels of your core and its variation, the side-plank works your ab, oblique, and leg muscles. Planking is only beneficial when done correctly; one thing that a gym-going girl might miss out on during the winter is the benefit of consulting a gym’s personal trainers. Luckily, the Nike Training Club app offers a solution to that exact problem – the app offers audio and visual support for countless workout routines, including strength training, cardio and full-body workouts.

Full Body:

Yeah, sure they were annoying in high school gym class, but when working out on your own in college, push-ups can be your best friend! Push-ups contribute to a well-rounded full-body workout, strengthening your pectorals, triceps and deltoids. Doing push-ups takes no space at all, so this routine can easily fit into both your schedule and your room! Super-toned arms and shoulders built for summer halter tops could very well be in your future with this addition to your workout routine.

Yoga

Yoga is a simple solution to working out in your room. Since the physical demands of any yoga routine are often constrained to the space you have on your yoga mat, pulling off some sun salutations in even the smallest dormroom should be no problem! If you have experience with yoga, it is easy to lead yourself through a customized routine that you know works for you. For those of us who are beginners or newer to the sport, there are several applications, like the All-in YOGA app that allows you to make personalized playlists of yoga poses that work for you, or select one of their pre-programmed routines which they lead you through with step-by-step audio and visual instructions.

Core

Elbow-to-knee twisted sit-ups are a great and simple way to tone your obliques and abs at home! Here’s how:

Lie with your back flat on the floor.
Place both feet on the floor in front of you, with knees bent.
Place hands behind ears and gently support your head (no lifting!)
Lift your upper body off the floor, using your abs.
Twist to the left, angling your right shoulder and right elbow towards your left knee.
Return to center.
Repeat steps 5 and 6 in alternating directions 5 to 10 times before going back to step 1 for recovery.
You’ve now completed a rep!

Thanks to Lauren Stremmel (sophomore) for being our fitness model!

Workout In Your Room

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