Margaret BauerThere are definitely more students than just this reporter who have said to themselves, “I’ll find time to exercise; I mean, there are 24 hours in a day.” Well, actually, there are only about 15 hours in each day when many students are awake, and Wash U students often need all of them for class, eating and studying. Exercise would be nice, but not all of us have the time for a real workout. However, on the bright side, there are a bunch of exercise options which can give you a bit of what you need to stay fit and healthy, without eating up too much time.
Tae Bo is a great workout option. These videos, starring the oh-so-hot pectoral-flexing Billy Blanks, get your heart pumping and your muscles rippling through approximately 45-minute workouts with names like “Foundation,” “Strength,” “Energy” and “Power.” In general, the workouts do require that you focus on the moves, purposely tensing the muscles. However, this reporter knows that if you follow the directions, you will be sweating and strengthening for the majority of the video. (Check out Billy Blanks’ Web site at www.billyblanks.com to get his newest video.) One of the best parts of doing Tae Bo is that you can take it home with you. All you need is a video player and a TV-you can do it in your room, in whatever state of undress you prefer. No annoying trips to the gym for this workout!
Some students can also be very inventive and make up their own workouts. Junior Laura Vilines lived on the South 40, but was so busy that she was hardly ever able to make it back before the exercise facility closed. So, as a solution, she started running up and down all four flights of stairs in Wheeler. After 30 minutes, she says, she had had a great workout. “It really got my heart going (great cardio) and my butt and my calves were always really sore.” She notes, “The only downside was that I had to suffer through the stares of fellow residents who thought that I was insane.” However, if you can stand slight embarrassment, stairs are definitely the way to go, and again, you don’t even have to leave the comfort of your dorm, though you do have to be dressed.
A more socially “legitimate” way to get some exercise in is to get involved. That’s right-IM sports, dance clubs and nighttime dance classes are great ways to fit fitness into your schedule. This option saves time in the sense that you are a) having fun, b) participating in Wash U life, c) being social and d) getting exercise all at the same time. Even if you do not end up doing hard-core cardiovascular activities the entire time, at least you are moving more than if you were sitting at your desk. Plus, once you’ve committed to a team or a club, you have the obligation to go work out.
There are also some techniques for muscle strengthening that you can accomplish without using up a lot of time. “8 Minute Abs” is one video exercise that takes, well, eight minutes. Sophomore Chris Markham has used this video to great advantage. He memorized the routine within a few weeks after his friend gave him the video clip, and his suitemates saw him doing it and wanted to be taught. They listen to music and do 45-second intervals of different abdominal exercises. It isn’t a cardiovascular workout, but it does work. And, he says, “It promotes male bonding.” Again, we see the social benefits to exercise.
There are also some quick tricks to exercising which actually don’t require making much time at all. One is to take the long way to class and if you are running a little late, walk fast. The more moving you do throughout the day, the more fit you are, even if it doesn’t constitute a “real” workout. Also, if you are taking a break from homework, doing abdominal work while watching TV is easy and it doesn’t take any more time than your break would anyway. And finally, you can exercise while partying. No doubt about it-dancing gets your heart rate up and can strengthen certain muscles as well with all that bending of the knees and swaying of the hips that constitutes dancing today. So swallow those social inhibitions and put on those dancing shoes, because the benefits of dancing the night away extend further than being close to hotties.
So, you see, exercise really isn’t the big hullabaloo we all thought it to be. You can find time to exercise.