Before founding a global online fitness platform and amassing over 1 million followers on social media, Gabby George was just like any other college student: struggling to make time for movement. “I actually did not have a routine at all in college,” the content creator and fitness coach tells Her Campus. “I think a lot of us, and me in particular, struggled with the all-or-nothing mindset.” And, because of that experience, George has some tips for college students who want to build a movement routine alongside a packed schedule.
Eight years post-grad, George has made a name for herself in the fitness and social media space. With a background in barre, Pilates, and strength training, and a master’s degree in Public Health Nutrition, George makes movement feel approachable instead of intimidating. She’s creating viral workouts, like the “Bridal Arms series, and building a global fitness community centered on the philosophy that movement should fit into your life, not take it over. “There is time built into your day for you,” George says. “Even if it’s five minutes in between a meeting, in between class, or while your coffee is brewing.”
For George, building a healthy relationship with movement started when she stopped treating exercise like something that had to be perfect. And now, she’s helping young people do the same. “I think the whole reason that I got into this is to create something that I wish I had during my young 20s,” she says. “Finding a balance and letting movement go with you in all seasons of life has really been my mission.”
Finding that balance takes some trial and error, but it helps to have some guidance. So, I chatted with George to find out her tips for getting into the groove when it comes to movement — especially if you’re juggling a booked and busy schedule.
Don’t wait for “perfection.”
Instead of waiting until they have the perfect matching set, the perfect gym setup, or the perfect amount of motivation, George encourages people to “start small” and build movement habits that stick. “A lot is going on when you’re in college: travel, friendships, school… you’re balancing a lot,” she says. “Movement shouldn’t be something that adds stress into your life: it should be approachable. A short walk each day is actually more helpful to you than trying to push a 50-minute workout once a week.”
Five minutes is enough.
Another misconception George challenges is the idea that a workout only “counts” if it lasts an hour. “Your body doesn’t care about the amount of time that you’re necessarily putting into your workouts,” she says. “It remembers that feeling.”
Rather than relying on motivation to show up for workouts, George suggests building movement into your everyday routine by making it realistic. In fact, she created an entire section on her GGStudio app called “In Between Meetings,” which are five- to-10-minute workouts designed for people on the go. “You could do [these workouts] standing up, whether you’re in a dorm room, whether in an office space,” she says. “It really does fill that habit, and movement will start to become as regimented as brushing your teeth, and will just become a part of your life.”
Low-impact doesn’t mean low results.
Through social media and common misconceptions, many believe that workouts must be intense to “count.” With trends like “75 Hard,” it can feel like high-intensity workouts that leave you feeling exhausted are the only way to make progress. George disagrees. After years of teaching high-intensity fitness classes and heated workouts, she realized that constantly pushing herself wasn’t actually making her feel better. “I found that when I was doing too much intensity, it was leading to burnout,” she says.
George believes low-impact workouts lead to great long-term results: They are gentler on the body than high-impact workouts, but that doesn’t make them less effective. In fact, they’re designed to build strength through controlled, intentional movement without leaving you completely depleted afterward. “I believe that small steps lead to greater results versus pushing your body to do something intense,” George says.
So, instead of forcing yourself through a workout that leaves you drained, she believes movement should work with your body, not against it. “By the end of the class, you should feel like you’ve been given more energy, like you just had your morning cup of coffee,” she says.
Find movement you genuinely enjoy.
Don’t worry about whether you’re lifting heavy enough or following the latest fitness trend; George recommends finding movement that genuinely feels good. “If you’re moving your body, you’re going to get results in some way,” she says. “But if you’re not enjoying it, I don’t believe it should be something that you’re forcing yourself to do.”
In George’s experience, if exercise adds to your joy and becomes something you look forward to, you will build a habit and see results faster. So, George says explore: Try different movement styles like yoga, weightlifting, running, or anything else you might be interested in. “If you love it, you’re going to come back to it,” she says. “And that’s what matters most.”