The Ultimate Easy Exercise Schedule For College Students

In order to stay healthy, it is incredibly important to make sure that you’re getting enough exercise every day. This can be especially hard as a college student when you have a busy schedule, classes to attend, and so much work to do already!

In order to maximize your time and make sure that you’re still getting in enough exercise every week, even amongst all of the things you have to do, I’ve created an easy schedule for college students to stick to in order to stay on track and stay healthy! Here are my favorite tips, tricks, workouts, and scheduling ideas that will hopefully make exercising much easier (and more fun!).

What: Stretch

When: Every Morning

Stretching is an important part of exercise that often gets overlooked. It is integral to helping you manage your health, and it’s been shown to help you relax and ease back pain, as well as to increase your flexibility. This is great way to start your day, and it doesn’t take much time at all.

Simply doing ten minutes (or even just five!) of stretching every morning is pretty easy and won’t take much time out of your day, and it will improve it drastically over time! Here are some stretches to try out right when you wake up to help you get moving in the morning.

Upper Back Stretch: start by sitting on the edge of your bed with your feet planted on the ground. Then, interlock your hands and reach forwards and then upwards as far as you can. Hold both of these for about ten seconds each and repeat as needed. This will make you feel a stretch between your shoulder blades.
Shoulder Stretch: you can still be sitting on your bed for this one, because all you need to do is reach one of your arms across your body and use your other arm to hold it in place and aid in the stretch. You should do this on both sides for about twenty seconds each.
Cobra Stretch: for this stretch, you need to move the floor. Start by lying on your stomach and put your hands on the ground right under your shoulders. Then, tuck in your elbows and slowly rise your head and chest up while keeping your hips on the floor. This should help you stretch your back, and you should try to hold it for about twenty seconds. You can repeat as needed.
Standing Leg Stretches: once you’re done with the cobra, find your way to a standing position. First, pull your knee up to your chest as far as you can, and repeat this on the other side. Hold both for twenty seconds. Then, grab one ankle with the arm of the same side and pull it behind you to touch the top of your thigh. Again, repeat this on the other side, also for twenty seconds.

As a busy college student, this is an easy way to incorporate exercise into your daily life and get the movement that you need in the morning to start your day off right.

What: Cardio

When: Monday, Tuesday, & Thursday

Cardio is often a dreaded part of working out for many people, but it doesn’t have to be long or super intense to benefit you. Try to make sure that on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday (or three other days of the week that work for you and your schedule) you get in a cardio exercise. Just getting your body moving and staying active is what’s most important, so here are a few ways you can work some cardio into your week.

Treadmill: obviously, many people use this machine to run. It’s a great way to run indoors if the outside weather is less than ideal, but you can also simply walk on it. Try setting your treadmill to a high incline, and then walk semi-fast for about twenty minutes. You will definitely feel this in your legs, but it’s not as intense as running and it actually burns more calories than going for a jog would!
Biking: this could be on an indoor spin bike, or it could just riding a bike around campus/to and from classes. This is a good way to get your heart rate up and stay active while also being a practical and relatively easy form of cardio.
Stairs: whether it’s a Stairmaster in your gym or just choosing to take the stairs over the elevator whenever you get the chance, this is simple thing you can do to increase leg strength and work some chill exercise into your schedule.

You can set aside specific time for cardio—the recommended weekly cardio time is about two hours total—or you can just try your best to stay moving whenever possible. College is a busy time, so walking places when you can or choosing the stairs if you’re able is an easy way to get some extra movement!

Also, as a bonus tip, maximize your time by also getting work done at the gym! Have a documentary you need to watch for a class? Turn it on while you walk on the treadmill so that you’re not just sitting in your bed watching it.

What: No Equipment Exercises

When: Wednesday & Friday

While many colleges and dorm buildings have gyms, they don’t always have tons of equipment available for use, and sometimes you just want to be able to do a quick workout in your own room. Here’s an easy routine that you can complete in about ten or fifteen minutes, and only needs to be done a couple days a week!

30 jumping jacks
20 crunches
30 second plank
10 20-second lunges (on both sides)
25 squats
10 push-ups
30 second wall sit

Go through this quick workout routine on the days you’re not doing cardio; it won’t take much time and it can make a huge difference in your body and long-term health over time.

Remember to always be kind to yourself; college is a busy and stressful time, and it’s okay if your exercise routine falls to the wayside a little bit. Try sticking to this guide as much as possible and you will definitely be moving more and staying healthy, even if it’s just the bare minimum. Doing a little bit is better than doing nothing at all!