Fun Intermittent Exercises
Image credit: Photo by Bruno Nascimento on Unsplash
Finding time to exercise in the midst of the hustle and bustle of school is complicated, but not impossible. Despite a busy school schedule, it’s important that students prioritize exercising in order to remain healthy.
According to Healthline, exercise is defined as “any movement that makes your muscles work and requires your body to burn calories.”
The Harvard Health blog reports that “exercise helps memory and thinking through both direct and indirect means…. Exercise improves mood and sleep, and reduces stress and anxiety. Problems in these areas frequently cause or contribute to cognitive impairment.”
Strong memory is definitely necessary for the average college student. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, students are working from home. Although the typical student schedule has drastically changed, pushing deadlines and studying can still bring forth anxieties. Stress may lead to fatigue or even mental illness. Reducing stress through exercise is a fantastic way for students to release tension while also gaining strength.
Deborah Akande, senior finance and information systems major at the University of Maryland confirmed this.
“I work out three times a week,” Akande said. “I noticed I have more energy. Exercising makes me feel better mentally and physically. Mentally, I feel better because I know I’m doing it , I’m relieved knowing that I'm doing something for myself.”
Surprisingly, it does not take a 30+ minute exercise to remain healthy or get in shape. Exercises as short as 15-minute high-impact cardio exercises, or 5-minute ab workouts can be enough to keep you on track throughout the day.
Morning exercises are also a good way to start off your day.
Daniel Johnson, a personal trainer, said that high intensity exercises with short interval rest periods are the best ways to stay in shape during the busy school schedule. Johnson said that it is important to do quick and intense exercises that help get the heart going.
“High intensity workouts are geared towards burning fat and making sure that you’re trying to challenge your cardiovascular health so that you can increase the blood flow,” Johnson said. “When you put your body under tension, you’re forcing your body to pump more blood.”
Students tend to make use of their tendons and ligaments because of constant walking. Despite being in quarantine, it is important to still take walks. Johnson said that exercises that stretch and strengthen the endurance in those muscles are squats, lunges, sit ups and push-ups.
Students should strive for exercises that get their hearts pumping, blood flowing and cause sweating.
Another obvious way to work out in between online classes is by jogging around your block or up and down your stairs a few times.
The benefits of regular exercise are endless. However, it is easy to get caught up in the anxieties and stress of school and forget to take care of what ultimately is most important – your body. The COVID-19 pandemic causes us to stay at home and potentially become lazy physically. Even if your online school schedule doesn’t permit you to get a full workout, it can be helpful to your body to fit some quick exercises into your day.
