How to Add Exercise to Your Already Busy School Week

It may seem that the last thing you have time for in a busy school week is exercise. You will also find that it can be one of the most important things to make time for. Besides the benefits exercise has on heath and weight management it also offers very beneficial stress reduction! Okay, you are already stressed with too much to do so how is this going to work?

Walking: A reasonably brisk walk, even if only for five minutes, counts as exercise. Take the longer route between classes. Park your car at the far end of the parking lot. Walk from your dorm to campus or again at least park farther away than you might like. You can find ways to do this even in less than ideal weather. You may even be able to find a buddy that would like to walk a few laps around one of your campus buildings with you. Have a bicycle? Use it! You may very well find that the walk at the end of the day will help you shake off some of the stress and allow your mind to "decompress" a bit.

Take the stairs: Elevators are great when you are too tired but otherwise take the stairs. Going up and down just a couple of flights of stairs a day can be a great way to add exercise to your daily routine. It can also be time saving! How long do you spend waiting for the elevator to get to your floor? Taking the stairs can get you to your destination ahead of the pack.

Stretching or yoga: Get a small audio recording device and record your lecture classes. Not only will this help you study but you can play the lectures back while you do some stretching exercises at home or in your dorm. Waiting in long lines? Use the time to do isometric types exercises. Don't worry about looking silly, you might just start a trend!

Take the class!: Yes, really! Many colleges require a physical education class for their incoming Freshman. Even if your doesn't or you are not a Freshman, take a class anyway. The number and variety of classes offered can be mind boggling even at smaller colleges. Fencing, yoga, tennis, swimming, weight training, archery and on and on. You do not need to be a "professional" for most of the courses and many of them can be considered an easy "A" grade. Show up, try your best and not only reduce your stress but raise your grade point average.

Just remember that any amount of simple exercise that you can add over the course of a week can actually help reduce the stress you feel and improve your overall health!