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- Sitting comfortably, breathe in and out through the nose, focusing on breathing into the belly.
- (4 times) Inhale for the count of 4 and exhale for the count of 4.
- (4 times) Inhale for the count of 4, hold for 4, exhale for 4, hold for 4.
- (4 times) Inhale for 8, exhale for 8. (4 times) Inhale for 8, hold 8, exhale 8, hold 8.
- Relax and come back to a natural rhythm with your breath.
Low-Impact Workouts And Movement: Remaining Fit On A College Campus
By Ashley Colombo
Sophomore, Art History
College of Arts and Sciences
For many students, the first time they feel motivated to begin working out in a gym setting is when they start their college careers. Exercising can play a vital role in alleviating the many outside stressors that come with life on a college campus. However, the environment of a gym can
be overwhelming for a beginner. According to the Global Health and Fitness Association, “50% of Americans are too intimidated to visit the gym.” This phenomenon is often called “gym-timidation.” College students are not exempt from these feelings.
When stepping into the gym as a beginner, the priority should be enhancing the physical appearance and the outcome of the experience. College students face constant social life, assignments, exams and maintaining their relationships on campus and at home every day. These stressors and many more can be released during exercise to significantly improve a student’s mindset. The National Library of Medicine says, “Exercise improves mental health by reducing anxiety, depression and negative mood and by improving self-esteem and cognitive function.” Exercise can also improve academic performance. “Physical activity is an important key factor of academic performance since it improves brain neurotrophic factors, brain development and overall health status,” the NLM says.
For Kylie Harmon, assistant professor and certified strength and conditioning specialist at Syracuse University, “The best form of exercise is the one that you enjoy doing consistently. You don’t want to feel like you’re pulling teeth every time you work out, because you’re not going to stick to it.”
Low-impact workouts, including intense and effective workouts, can be an easy and enjoyable gateway into the exercise world. “We can have low-impact exercises be effective if we bring our highest effort to the workout. We don’t need to be jumping, hopping or sprinting
everywhere to have an effective workout. It is more about consistent movement,” Harmon says.
Low-impact exercises can include walking, Pilates and yoga.
The Impact Of Walking
Walking is a movement that almost every human engages in daily, especially college students on a large campus. Many students do not consider walking an exercise, rather than just an ordinary human function. Harmon says, “Walking is amazing. It is low-impact and very easy for people who have a good general state of health. It is free, easy and accessible to much of the population.” Walking can increase energy levels, improve muscle endurance and prevent disease. “The more you can walk, the better. This can include walking between classes, walking between buildings or offices, and taking the stairs. Little increments of steps add up, and it’s a great way to get active, especially during the days you are not able to participate in more organized physical activity.”
The Impact of Pilates
Pilates may be the best choice for a more mind-to-body exercise that can tone and strengthen the entire body. Pilates uses a combination of around 50 simple exercises to simulate muscular exertion and can be used to increase muscle strength and endurance,
flexibility, and improve posture and balance. According to Harmon, “From what I know of Pilates, it is very helpful in terms of building strength relative to body weight or body mass. It can help with mobility and flexibility and stretching out the body.”
The Impact of Yoga
Like its low-impact counterparts, yoga offers fitness through its involvement of mindfulness, concentration, strength and flexibility. There are many diverse types of yoga to choose from, and the space in which it is practiced can be personalized for further relaxation. Harmon says, “Similar to Pilates, yoga can build up relative strength, mobility, muscular endurance and help stretch out the body. While some poses or holds do not require a lot of movement, they can still build up muscular endurance the body needs to build muscle mass, hypertrophy and overall functional fitness.”
Many options for low-impact exercises are effortless enough to overpower the “gym-timidation” that many beginners in the gym experience. After the knowledge of simple and enjoyable exercises is instilled, going to the gym can become a daily and positive addition to your routine, clearing your mind of outside stressors and leaving you feeling confident in your skin.
For More Information:
Pilates: how does it work and who needs it?
Relationship between Physical Fitness and Academic Performance in University Students