Unless you are one of these 'gym bunnies' there is a very high probability that after the first few weeks of term your attendance to gym sessions will plummet significantly. But, just because you don't get to the gym, it doesn't mean you can't get your daily exercise. Before you reach for your wallet and fork out for the fitness suite, consider these five lifestyle changes that can give you a great workout, without even trying...
1. Walking Places
An hour's walk could burn up to 300 calories, depending on your pace and weight. Students walk lots- buses and trains are expensive and everyone lives about 15 minutes' stroll away anyway. Say, in a day, you walk to campus, around it and back again which takes about an hour and a quarter in total. You might then decide to walk to town and back in the evening, which takes an hour in all. That's 2 and a quarter hours of walking in a day (around 6.75 miles) without even trying, which, at the least, will burn about 430 calories at a fairly casual pace. Pick up the speed and you could burn loads. Also, if you have a bike cycling is great too!
2. Carrying Stuff
Forget online shopping. Carrying your shopping home is great for toning your arms, and the extra weight while you walk increases how many calories you burn. A bag of groceries can weigh anything up to 38lbs (around 17kg) which, true, isn't exactly the same as pumping some serious iron, but it's sure better than nothing! For an extra workout, try lifting the bags as you walk (like you would do with dumbbells). You might look like a lunatic but boy are you gonna be super toned. Similarly, the amount of general stuff students have to haul about is ridiculous- laptops, books, notes... an elephant. Load up your backpack and get going for a cheap but effective exercise session.
3. Joining a Sports Society
The thing about gyms is that they are very antisocial. You plug in your earphones, get in the zone and that's that. Eye contact is generally avoided and sweaty smiles are rarely exchanged. You may have a gym 'buddy' but a gym workout is very much a solo affair. And where's the fun in that? Team sports offer a great workout but also the chance to mingle and make new friends. You'll still burn loads of calories- maybe even more with all the talking- so check out what sports societies you can join with your students union if you want to get more active.
4. Online Workouts
Nowadays, everything is online, including the gym. Youtube has exercise channels and thousands of work out videos ranging from full blown, hour-long, intense sessions to 15 minute ones you can quickly do before class or in a lunch break. Workouts can be tailored to target different things- cardio, toning, ab workouts- you name it, you search for it, it's there. Et, voila! Your free gym membership at the click of a button, from the comfort of your own home. Also, there are always fad workout challenges cropping up each month- the squat challenge, the ab challenge etc, which start off easy and slowly build you up to doing 100 reps a day.
5. Nights Out
Dancing is a great workout for the whole body, building lean muscle and burning fat. Clubbing is a staple activity in a student's week, hitting the dance floor for a good few hours each time. Dancing can burn up to 600 calories an hour depending on your weight and erm, how energetic your moves are. So, whilst you'll also probably be consuming lots of lovely, healthy alcohol on your night out, you'll also be burning it off as you wiggle, so no guilt there. Stop being cool by the bar and go and bust some moves. Other typical night-out activities (use your imagination) also contribute to your gym-free exercise regime, which is just good news all round really.
So, if the thought of the gym makes you recoil in horror, fear not-you can still get all the exercise you need just by being a student! What do you think? Is the gym necessary? Share your thoughts in the comments.
