Exercise at Home

As college students, we have busy lives. Our schedules can get pretty crazy and sometimes we just don't have the time or motivation to get out of the house to exercise. And motivation can be hard to find on those rainy days, or those days when its too hot to be outside, so I'm going to tell you about a few exercises that you can do in the comfort of your own home. In a previous post, I mentioned how the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that adults get a total of 2 hours and 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity every week and do muscle-strengthening activities twice per week that work all of your major muscle groups (arms, legs, back, abdomen, etc.). I talked before about what you can do to to get your moderate-intensity aerobic activity requirement every week, so now I'm going to tell you about some muscle-strengthening activities that you can do at home.

The CDC website suggests activities such as yoga and lifting weights, but there are many other exercises you can do at home that use your body weight for resistance. So next time you are stuck at home on a rainy day, or have no motivation to go out and exercise, try these muscle-strengthening exercises in the comfort of your home:

To strengthen the muscles in your chest and arms, you can do the modified push-up. It is just like a regular push-up, with a few simple modifications to work the chest muscles better.

To work the major muscle groups in your lower body, such as the thighs, gluteals, and hamstrings, you can try doing squats. Also, lunges can be done to work the other areas in your legs such as the upper thigh, buttocks, hip extensors and quadriceps, and you can do them with or without weights. Heel raises will work your calves for a complete leg workout.

Working your core muscles is really important when trying to strengthen your muscles because your core supports the rest of your muscles. The V-sit will work your core (abdomen and back), and its easy to do. The classic abdominal crunch is also a good way to work your core muscles.

Say "goodbye" to the gym and "hello" to spring weather

What's better than spending hours in a gym with about 600 other college students fighting to find a treadmill? For me, just about anything. Luckily there are plenty of other ways to get exercise on a college campus.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that adults get a total of 2 hours and 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity every week and do muscle-strengthening activities twice per week. Walking is a great way to meet those guidelines- that's 30 minutes five days per week. Whenever you have spare time, grab a friend and go on a walk. I've found that taking walks with my friends is a great way to catch up and also a great way to relax and relieve stress. During the day, I always find myself stressed out about classes, homework and a bunch of other little things, but walking at night has helped me to relieve at least a little bit of that stress.

Another one of my favorite things to do to get exercise is rollerblading. The health benefits of rollerblading can actually match those of running and cycling, and rollerblading is fun. Its a great alternative to running and it helps to strengthen the muscles and the connective tissues surrounding the ankles, knees and hips. On campus here at Ohio University the bike path out by the river is a great place to rollerblade- but if you are new to rollerblading i would suggest protective equipment, such as wrist guards, because it can be a little tricky.

There are so many other things that you can do to get exercise on a college campus, like playing any kind of sport (example: lacrosse, soccer, basketball) outside with your friends, but rollerblading and walking are two of my favorites. With activities like that you can enjoy the beautiful spring weather and get your workout in without all the craziness of a crowded gym.