If you’re anything like me, your Halloween-weekend consisted of way too many mini chocolate bars, candy corn, way too much to drink and not a lot of exercise. I mean, really, how can anyone think about burpees and squats when they still haven’t decided what their costume is going to be? While another Halloween has come and gone, unfortunately, that doesn’t mean all that junk food goes away with it. Here are a few exercises to help you get back into gear after Halloween and hopefully relieve all that stress you now have from that schoolwork you forgot to do.
1. Kettlebell Swings
Kettlebell swings are a great exercise to get your heartrate going as well as to build muscle. However, you need to make sure you’re doing them correctly to avoid injuries. This is an explosive exercise, so make sure you focus on the movement of your hips when doing this exercise. BodyBuilding has a great article that goes into much more detail about how to safely perform this exercise if you are new to the gym or have never seen this exercise done.
2. Jump squats
Not only is this move good for building a booty, but it also counts as cardio and will get you sweating. This is one of my favourite exercises because I can ALWAYS feel it the next day and to me, it’s a nice change from normal bodyweight squats. For a more intense burn, you can also include a bench into the equation and jump up onto that instead of just into the air, then follow with a squat once you are back on the ground.
3. Swimming
Super fun and a full-body workout, what more could you want? SFU’s Aquatic Centre has the following drop-in times that are free to SFU students. You pay for it, so why not take advantage of it?! Who knows, maybe you’ll be the next Penny Oleksiak.
Monday – Friday: 7:00am – 9:00am | 11:30am – 1:30pm | 4:30pm – 6:30pm
Tuesday & Thursday Evening: 9:00pm – 10:00pm
Saturday: 1:30pm – 3:30pm
Sunday: 9:00am – 11:00 am | 1:30pm – 3:30pm
4. Bodyweight Hip Thrusts
This is a great exercise that targets your glutes without hitting too much of your hamstrings or quads. You also don’t even need to be at the gym to do this exercise as it relies solely on bodyweight. However, if you do find yourself needing more of a burn, feel free to add in a barbell and trust me, you will definitely feel it the next day.
5. Hula Hooping
Before you roll your eyes, hear me out. First of all, if it’s good enough for Zooey Deschanel and Michelle Obama, it’s good enough for me. Secondly, have you actually tried adult hula hoops? They’re heavy. This is an underrated, super fun workout that you can do anywhere (if you have the guts) but, most importantly, it can be done at home in your underwear if you want. There are tons of videos on YouTube with hula hoop workouts and it’s always a cool thing to know how to do. Plus, it’s one of the few workouts that is actually fun.
6. Yoga
If you’re new to exercise or just looking for a way to unwind and destress before finals, then you should definitely try yoga. Again, Youtube is a great resource for yoga but there is also free yoga at the Burnaby campus every Wednesday and Friday from 9:30am-10:20am in the Fitness Studio at the Lorne Davies Complex. Trust me, you’ll be stretching things you’ve never stretched before and it will feel heavenly. Shavasana is my personal favourite pose.
7. Interval sprints
I’m one of those people who hates running. Jogging frankly bores me and I can never make it more than a few minutes without needing to take a break. Interval sprints however, are much more interesting. What you do is start with one minute of walking and then you sprint for 30 seconds and alternate between the two for however long you want. It gets you sweating, it gets your blood flowing and it burns more calories than a normal jog. Plus, it’s a lot less boring.
*Disclaimer – I am in no way shape or form a personal trainer. These are just some workouts that I enjoy doing. At the end of the day, always listen to your doctor and always listen to your body. Please do not be afraid to ask someone for help if you do not know how to do an exercise and please be safe at the gym. Do not push yourself too hard. You are all beautiful just the way you are and these exercises are meant to help you feel healthy on the inside as well.