This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Vanderbilt chapter.
Finals week can be very detrimental to your workout schedule: even though you know you should head over to the rec or to the gym, you feel like you can’t lose even an hour’s worth or potential study time. However, finals are probably the most stressful time of the semester, and you’re going to need to take breaks or you’ll lose your mind. So what better way to spend your break than to catch up on a workout?
Reading on the treadmill – Although a lot of the time studying means solving problems, taking notes and other activities, there are many hours that we spend purely reading. Instead of reading in the library or in your room, bring your book to the nearest gym, prop it up on the treadmill/elliptical/bike machine, and just press start. This is perfect for those that get distracted while reading (since there’s nothing else to do but read on the treadmill!) or those that get bored when working out on machines (reading on the elliptical keeps you from staring at the time ticking past you).
Title Boxing Club – Her Campus recently went to a class at Title Boxing, and it was one of the best workouts! Power Hour is a great choice for everyone; the 15-minute warm-up alone feels like a two-hour workout, and punching the bag with all your strength is a perfect release of the frustration that you will inevitably feel about all of your classes at this point in the semester! PLUS: everyone gets a free first class, so just like them on Facebook, take a look at their schedule, and call them to add yourself to a class!
For those of you that don’t think you have time to leave your room, let alone walk over to the gym or Title Boxing, here are some easy workout ideas that you can do in your room!
Yoga workout – Sitting at a desk all day takes a toll on all your muscles after a while, so make sure to get in some stretches even if you don’t workout! Give your muscles an extra stretch with yoga, something you can easily do in your room! If you don’t have a yoga mat, fold up a towel, or lay a towel on your rug for cushioning. There are many simple yoga routines and videos all over the Internet, including this 14-minute easy yoga routine by Bethenny Frankel.
Nike Training Club – This app from the App Store will change your (workout) life. This is perfect for when a gym isn’t readily available (so it works for breaks too), and therefore is definitely going to help you out for finals week. It’s a free app by Nike, including hundreds of different pre-made workouts of different types for different levels. Ranging from 10 minutes to an hour, pressing play is like starting a personal trainer session.
Home workout tip: It may seem hard to take out an hour from your day when studying, but doing several 5-minute workouts adds up! Try doing lunges for a couple minutes, jumping jacks after another hour of studying, and then some squats, abs, etc. If you do 10 minutes every hour for a full day of studying, you’ve already workout out for over an hour!