I don’t play sports. Actually let me rephrase that. I can’t play sports. My career as a basketball star ended my freshman year of high school after I found myself dreading practice and unenthused by the games.
Unfortunately, I never picked up a sport after that—baffling my younger brother who holds such a high regard for athletics. He, on the other hand, plays varsity basketball, varsity soccer, and throws the discus for our high school’s track team, just to top it all off. I do regret not staying involved with sports, but now that that hope is long gone, I try to find less intense ways to stay in shape on campus. For those girls like me, who don’t go to sports practice and would really rather avoid the gym, there are many ways to stay active and exercise in a healthy way.
1) Take a workout class (my top recommendation!). This semester, my friend and I enrolled in a kickboxing class for one credit at Pitt. So far, this has been such a good decision for many reasons. First, it forces you to work out for about an hour twice a week. That’s not that much, but it still contributes to a good exercise plan. Not to mention kickboxing is such a good workout and it’s actually fun. And coming from me, that says a lot. The instructor is enthusiastic and doesn’t punish you for a lack of skills. But these classes fill up quickly, so be sure to search through the course catalog that Pitt offers and find a few incase your favorite class is closed by the time you try to enroll. There are so many interesting ones, including a step class and a personal fitness class that my friends highly recommend.
2) Go for a long, long walk. You don’t have to sprint around campus in order to burn off some calories. Our large, hilly campus is perfect to walk through and work your legs and stomach. Calorie burn increases when you walk on an incline, so walk up and down “cardiac hill” towards the Peterson Events Center and increase your pace as you trek up the never-ending steps. You can also walk through Schenley Park and the beautiful Phipps Conservatory. Altogether, mixing up the scenery helps to make your walk more enjoyable and you may even run into friends while you’re walking.
3) Use an exercise DVD. For your days off at the gym, chose a fun exercise DVD to do with a friend in your dorm or apartment. DVDs that have good abs workouts, cardio exercises, or yoga lessons are a perfect way to supplement your time at the gym and take a break from the monotonous treadmill. You can do them on your own time and you don’t have to cut out such a large portion of your day. Also, they are specially designed to target different aspects of the body so you know you’re getting something out of the workout!
4) Swim. Remember when our parents forced us to take swim lessons and we hated putting on bathing caps and one pieces? Well that form of exercise is actually one of the best ways to work out your entire body. Swimming is amazing for your legs, arms, core, and for your overall stamina. But lose the bathing cap.
• Sidenote: I know, some girls shudder at the thought of constantly putting their hair through chlorine. However, there are many shampoos and conditioners that help to keep hair healthy and revived despite chlorine’s ability to harm hair. Try this Nexxus Shampoo, for example, to “remove chlorine and other impurities.” Also, use a conditioning hair mask, like the Sante Mask that my hairdresser recommended, every eight days for about 25 minutes at a time. It’s for hair “mistreated by salt water of the sea, chlorine, and/or chemical agents of dyening and wavy hair.” (Actually, you should use start this treatment post-summer anyway!)
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