Many of us college women are operating on a tight schedule each day. If you have only a narrow window of time to work out, or do not have quick access to a gym, you may find that travel times to and from the gym sacrifice too much of your precious workout time. If you don’t have a gym right in your dorm or apartment, you may need to dish out money you don’t have for a gym membership just to use workout equipment. Luckily, it is possible to get a good workout with only yourself as a tool.
Even if you have free and quick access to a gym, you may find other reasons to avoid it. I myself prefer to exercise in private. Gyms can be uncomfortable especially for those at the beginning of their fitness journey, who might fear judgment. In your dorm or apartment, you don’t have to worry about making mistakes or not having the best form. No one is watching, and you are on your way to improvement just by trying it out.
Another reason I prefer to exercise in my living space is I find it easier to stay motivated. The fact that I can jump right into a workout as soon as I have the idea is appealing to me. When you workout in a gym, it’s easier to make excuses to avoid working out. Maybe you don’t want to drive your car in the bad weather or you don’t have enough gas. When you work out in your home, there aren’t too many obstacles.
So, if you fall into any of these gym-avoidant categories, here are some exercises you can do from home.
The first workout I recommend is yoga. Yoga involves breathing exercises, meditation, and changing body postures. It improves strength, flexibility, and peace of mind. A good place to start is by checking out these articles to find some basic routines that work for you.
Yoga is not technically intense exercise because it’s not aerobic; it won’t get your heart rate up. Still, yoga done occasionally paired with a variety of other exercises is great for fitness. Amazon is flooded with cheap yoga mats if you want the full experience, but you can also perform yoga on a towel.
You can also perform exercises geared more specifically to building strength and muscle. I also recommend using a softer surface for some of these exercises, but again it could just be a towel or something you already own. Some good strength exercises for at home workouts are pushups, situps, planks, squats, wall sits, and lunges. If you are willing to invest a bit of money into your fitness, you can also purchase small hand weights and build muscle while watching Netflix!
You can also get a cardio workout done in the comfort of your own living room or other space. You can jog in place, do jumping jacks, or use a jump rope. You can also try to remember to always take the stairs in your building (if you don’t live on the first floor). I have evaded the elevator in my building since I moved in, and I find the best exercise I get on a daily basis is carrying the stacks of packages I get from my poor financial decisions up to my room.
If you’re anything like me, you’ll add this article to your list of excuses to never leave the house!