College life can get pretty hectic. In dealing with the stress of exams and assignments, many students struggle to look after their health and fitness. But you must understand that there’s nothing more important than your health, so it’s essential to create a workout routine to stay fit.
The good news is that you don’t necessarily need to take hours every day to exercise. Instead, you can start with 20 or 30 minutes of exercise and gradually increase the time as your stamina builds up.
You’ll often find on-site gyms and fitness centers in student apartments and rooms to rent. Peterborough students are rich with options for exercise. It’s a good idea to work out at the gym, but you don’t necessarily need gym access to achieve your fitness goals. In fact, it’s perfectly possible to adopt a healthy, exercise-fuelled lifestyle in your off-campus residence.
Here’re some basic but effective full-body workouts that you can do in your apartment:
Squats
Squats are great for targeting lower body muscles. You can develop and strengthen your lower body muscles with 3 sets of squats at least 3 days a week. Start with fewer reps and gradually increase the reps as your muscles strengthen.
Here’s how to do squats:
-Position your legs hip-width apart and stand straight.
-Next, lower your upper body by bending your knees and pushing your hips back while keeping your back straight in unison.
-Keep lowering until you are almost parallel to the ground, then raise back into the original, straight-standing position.
-Repeat the process multiple times, and remember not to extend your knees further than your toes.
Push-Ups
Push-ups target multiple muscles simultaneously, including your chest, triceps, back, core, and shoulders.
-Lie face down, keeping your hands shoulder-width apart and toes pushing up your lower body.
-Now extend your arms to raise your body up while making sure your back is straight, neither sagging nor lifting up.
Lower your arms until your nose is almost touching the ground and repeat for a doable number of reps.
You can do push-ups to target different groups of muscles by changing your grip. For example, a narrow grip focuses more on the triceps, while wider grips mainly target the shoulder and chest areas.
Plank
The plank is a variation of a push-up with one difference: you’ll be holding your body with your forearms instead of your hands. Planks target your core muscles, and they’re among the best workouts for people looking for abs definition.
-Lie face down and rest your weight on your elbows, keeping your back in a straight line.
-Engage your core muscles and hold the position for as long as possible (even 1 minute can be pretty hard for beginners).
Sit-Ups
Sit-ups also target your abdominal muscles. But don’t let the simplicity of the exercise fool you. The move is challenging to do right, especially at the beginning. But with regular practice, you’ll see improvement over time.
-Lie down on your back with your knees bent.
-Put your hands behind your head and pull yourself up in a sitting position using just your core and abdominal muscles.
-Avoid applying pressure on your head with your hands.
-Repeat the process.
Burpees
Burpees are simple as they allow you to introduce some cardio in your workout in the limited space of your student apartment.
-From a standing position, raise your arms straight above your head, and jump.
-Now, quickly lie down and assume a push-up position.
-Jump back up with your arms above your head and repeat.
You should do these movements in a single, fluid motion several times everyday.
Final Thoughts
The basic workout ideas explained above target most of the major muscles in your body. They help you burn a decent amount of calories and strengthen key areas of your body. But for better outcomes, you must set a routine and commit to your workout plan. Make sure to focus on your form to avoid injuries and obtain maximum gains from exercise.
As exercising becomes a permanent part of your routine, you’ll experience improvements in your mood, mental health, and of course, physical well-being. And these are essential goals for living a healthy, stress-free student life.
